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Gangsters
GenreDrama
Written byPhilip Martin
Directed byAlastair Reid
Roger Tucker
Kenneth Ives
Starring(See article)
ComposerDave Greenslade
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series2
No. of episodes12
Production
ProducerDavid Rose
Production locationsBirmingham, West Midlands, England, United Kingdom
EditorOliver White
Running time50 min.
Production companyPebble Mill Studios
Original release
NetworkBBC1
Release9 September 1976 (1976-09-09) –
10 February 1978 (1978-02-10)

Gangsters is a British television programme made by BBC television drama and shown in two series from 1976 to 1978. It was created by Philip Martin and starred Maurice Colbourne as John Kline, a former SAS officer recruited by law enforcement to become an undercover agent in Birmingham.[1]

Production

Produced at the BBC's Pebble Mill Studios in Birmingham by David Rose, Gangsters began its television life as an edition of Play for Today in 1975, followed by two series transmitted in 1976 and 1978. The series, set in the multi-cultural criminal community of Birmingham, has remained a cult favourite, memorable for its strong violence, multi-ethnic cast (and realistic – and now rather shocking – depiction of the racism of the time) and highly stylised, post-modern approach to storytelling.[citation needed]

Gangsters featured references to film noir, gangster films, westerns, Bollywood and kung fu movies, as well as increasingly surreal end-of-episode cliffhangers and a bizarre final scene where the characters not only "break the fourth wall" but walk off the set.

The two series had quite different tones. The first was a gritty thriller whilst the second was more surreal, with more emphasis on the post-modern elements although it wasn't well received at the time.[citation needed]

Cast

Episodes

All episodes written by Philip Martin.

Series Overview

Series Episodes First Aired Last Aired
1 6 9 September 1976 6 January 1978
2 21 October 1976 10 February 1978

Series One (1976)

Incident One

Incident Two

Incident Three

Incident Four

Incident Five

Incident Six

Series Two (1978)

The Dictates of Sheng Tang

The Red Executioner

While Beauty Sleeps

Double Peril

Enter the White Devil

East of the Equator

Music

The theme music was an instrumental composed and performed by Dave Greenslade. It was released as a single with a character theme from the series, "Rubber Face, Lonely Eyes", on the B-side; the single was credited to Dave Greenslade's band Greenslade, even though the only performers on both tracks are Dave Greenslade and a session drummer. Greenslade recorded their own version of the song for their album Time and Tide. At David Rose's request, for the last series Dave Greenslade adapted it into a version with lyrics sung by Chris Farlowe.[2]

DVD release

The complete series of Gangsters was released on DVD (Region 2, UK) through 2 Entertain/Cinema Club in April 2006. According to Philip Martin,[3] the box set became a collectors' item after the company went bust. The series has to date not been re-issued and goes for high prices.

Novelisations

Philip Martin novelised the series several times:

References

  1. ^ Bang, Derrick (2020). Crime and Spy Jazz on Screen Since 1971. McFarland. ISBN 978-1476681634. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  2. ^ Dome, Malcolm (2019). Time and Tide (Booklet). Greenslade. Cherry Red Records Ltd. pp. 3–9.
  3. ^ Mill?says, Interview with Philip Martin-What Was Pebble (8 April 2021). "Philip Martin (1938-2020) Part One: Philip Martin on Gangsters (BBC Play for Today, 1975, and series, 1976-78)". Forgotten Television Drama. Retrieved 15 January 2024.

External links

Play for Today
Categories