Let's get one thing straight - because 'Secret Army' was spoofed by a long-running sitcom ( 'Allo, Allo' ) does not mean that it was a bad series. Far from it. It would be like saying 'Brideshead Revisited' was awful simply because it was ( partially ) spoofed by I.T.V.'s 'Brass'.
Produced by Gerald Glaister ( responsible for the superlative 'Colditz' ) 'Secret Army' was a top-notch drama set in wartime Belgium, concerning the exploits of the resistance organisation 'Lifeline', whose task is to find crashed Allied airmen and then send them home to carry on the good fight. The leader of the group was, in the first series, at least, 'Lisa Colbert' ( Jan Francis ), codenamed 'Yvette'. 'Lifeline's' headquarters was the Cafe Candide, run by Albert Foiret ( Bernard Hepton ).
Each episode pitted Lifeline pitted against Gestapo chief Kessler, marvellously played by Clifford Rose. Being a co-production with Belgium television, 'Secret Army' was able to achieve some remarkably authentic looking wartime location footage. Amongst the female cast members Angela Richards was simply outstanding as 'Monique', and its astonishing she did not go on to enjoy the success she so richly deserved.
Season 1 was at best a moderate success, but Glaister ( wisely ) decided to make changes for the second. The café was sold off in favour of a more high-class establishment where German officers' careless talk could be overheard. Max Brocard ( Stephen Yardley ), forger, pianist and Communist infiltrator, joined the team, and made a nice contrast with the more cynical Albert, who by his own admission is more interested in money than patriotic duty. Over time, Kessler seemed to grow more and more human, particularly when he fell in love with Madelaine Duclos. In a rather shocking move, Lisa was killed off when she hid in a building during an air raid,
Of the three seasons, the last was by far the best; as the war comes to and end, the Lifeline team find themselves at risk of being killed by the very people they have striven to help. It introduced the brilliant Terrence Hardiman as 'Reinhardt', a truly mesmerising performance. When, in the final episode, Reinhardt is put on trial and executed by fellow Nazis, it is impossible not to feel sympathy. Thirty-two years since it ended, with its complex plotting and pitch-perfect performances, 'Secret Army' still manages to take the breath away.
Produced by Gerald Glaister ( responsible for the superlative 'Colditz' ) 'Secret Army' was a top-notch drama set in wartime Belgium, concerning the exploits of the resistance organisation 'Lifeline', whose task is to find crashed Allied airmen and then send them home to carry on the good fight. The leader of the group was, in the first series, at least, 'Lisa Colbert' ( Jan Francis ), codenamed 'Yvette'. 'Lifeline's' headquarters was the Cafe Candide, run by Albert Foiret ( Bernard Hepton ).
Each episode pitted Lifeline pitted against Gestapo chief Kessler, marvellously played by Clifford Rose. Being a co-production with Belgium television, 'Secret Army' was able to achieve some remarkably authentic looking wartime location footage. Amongst the female cast members Angela Richards was simply outstanding as 'Monique', and its astonishing she did not go on to enjoy the success she so richly deserved.
Season 1 was at best a moderate success, but Glaister ( wisely ) decided to make changes for the second. The café was sold off in favour of a more high-class establishment where German officers' careless talk could be overheard. Max Brocard ( Stephen Yardley ), forger, pianist and Communist infiltrator, joined the team, and made a nice contrast with the more cynical Albert, who by his own admission is more interested in money than patriotic duty. Over time, Kessler seemed to grow more and more human, particularly when he fell in love with Madelaine Duclos. In a rather shocking move, Lisa was killed off when she hid in a building during an air raid,
Of the three seasons, the last was by far the best; as the war comes to and end, the Lifeline team find themselves at risk of being killed by the very people they have striven to help. It introduced the brilliant Terrence Hardiman as 'Reinhardt', a truly mesmerising performance. When, in the final episode, Reinhardt is put on trial and executed by fellow Nazis, it is impossible not to feel sympathy. Thirty-two years since it ended, with its complex plotting and pitch-perfect performances, 'Secret Army' still manages to take the breath away.