The Sandbaggers

[james_davis_nicoll]

I borrowed a friend's DVD collection of this 1980s (?) British espionage show. So far I have seen one episode, one that seemed to be (probably accidentally) the Anti-Bond: the explicit moral is that effective espionage is not a matter of daring and glamourous agents risking their lives out in the field but of careful planning by a bunch of well-informed bureaucrats in the home country beforehand.

Comments

[akirlu.livejournal.com]

I really love THE SANDBAGGERS. It's not unlike the serious version of YES, MINISTER, in that it's very much about the bureaucratic wrangling that both eases and impedes the necessary work of government. Doesn't sound like an exciting topic, I know, but one does get very involved in the battles of the anti-hero of the series. Or at least, I did.

[james-nicoll.livejournal.com]

Speaking of YES MINISTER, the supporting cast overlaps. This has unintentally comic results, when the lead character has a Very Serious Conversation with a colleague who is being played by a fellow last seen playing an hopelessly stupid and corrupt old duffer on YES PRIME MINISTER (the old guy who ends up running the central bank, I think).

Cast Cross-over

[(Anonymous)]

Having 'Percy' from Blackadder in SPOOKS is a real hoot too. I must get around to watching my gf's SANDBAGGERS DVDs. BTW, SPOOKS season2 is on special at amazon UK, I just got a 'hint' about it from her.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0002DXN6I/letscook/026-4441941-0938862

Cheers
Errol