The Champions
| Company type | Television series |
|---|---|
| Industry | Television entertainment |
| Founded | 1968 |
| Founder | ITC Entertainment under Lew Grade |
| Defunct | 1969 |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
Area served | United Kingdom, United States |
| Products | Television series (30 episodes) |
| Parent | ITC Entertainment |
The Champions is a British series blending espionage thriller, science fiction, and occult detective elements, produced by ITC Entertainment under Lew Grade. The show comprises 30 episodes that originally aired on ITV in the United Kingdom between 1968 and 1969, and debuted in the United States on NBC during the summer of 1968.
Plot
The narrative follows three agents—Craig Stirling, Sharron Macready, and Richard Barrett—who serve Nemesis, a United Nations law enforcement organization headquartered in Geneva. Barrett functions as a codebreaker, Stirling acts as a pilot, and Macready is both a scientist and a medical doctor.
Their origin story begins with a plane crash in the Himalayas while on a mission in China. They are subsequently saved by Shangri-La, a concealed advanced civilization that bestows upon them extraordinary powers such as telepathy, precognition, enhanced sensory perception, and superior mental and physical abilities.
Throughout the series, the trio confronts antagonists including fascist factions from South America, remnants of Nazi groups, and Chinese adversaries, frequently facing threats that jeopardize global stability. Operating on an international scale through Nemesis, the agents address dangers transcending national boundaries. As they develop mastery over their newfound powers, they must also keep these abilities confidential. Each episode begins with a geographic map indicating the location of the story, followed by an introductory teaser and title sequence. After the titles, short scenes highlight the Champions’ remarkable skills, often surprising other characters while emphasizing secrecy. These segments feature narration by American actor David Bauer.
Their superior, Tremayne, is the only other recurring character; he remains unaware of their special abilities but is intrigued by their consistently effective mission outcomes.
Main cast
- Stuart Damon portrays Craig Stirling
- Alexandra Bastedo plays Sharron Macready
- William Gaunt appears as Richard Barrett
- Anthony Nicholls acts as W.L. Tremayne
Guest appearances
- George Murcell as El Gaudillo
- Eric Pohlmann as Barka
- Joseph Fürst as Chislenkan
- David Lodge as Filmer
- Ric Young as Burmese Police Captain
- Michael Mellinger as Embassy Official
- Edward Brayshaw as Del Marco
- Peter Wyngarde as Dr. John Hallam
- Reg Lye as Curtis
Production
The Champions was developed by Dennis Spooner, with scripts contributed by writers experienced in British spy dramas such as The Avengers and Danger Man. One episode adapted an unused script originally intended for Danger Man.
Monty Berman produced the series; he was known for his work on The Saint and Gideon's Way. The production shared creative personnel—including writers, directors, and technical staff—with other ITC projects like Department S, Jason King, and Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased).
Due to budget limitations, sets were frequently recycled—three episodes were filmed on submarine sets and another three in Arctic settings—and stock footage was often incorporated. Exterior filming primarily took place at Associated British Studios in England. Location shoots abroad were limited to second-unit crews; in at least one episode ("Desert Journey"), extras stood in for principal actors during these sequences.
The theme music was composed by Tony Hatch, while incidental scores were provided by Albert Elms and Edwin Astley.
Episodes
... [Entries 5 through 30 continue with concise synopses highlighting principal plot elements, settings, and notable guest appearances] ...| No | Title | Writer | Director | UK airdate | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Template:Sort" | Template:Sort | Template:Sort |
| ||
| Following a plane crash in Tibet, the Nemesis agents emerge endowed with extraordinary powers bestowed by an ancient civilization, while evading capture by Chinese forces. Featuring Felix Aylmer, Burt Kwouk, Joseph Fürst | ||||||
| 2 | "Template:Sort" | Template:Sort | Template:Sort |
| ||
| The agents delve into a scheme involving the theft of gold reserves from a bank in London. Starring Peter Wyngarde, Aubrey Morris, Basil Dignam, James Culliford, Steve Plytas, David Prowse | ||||||
| 3 | "Reply Box No. 666" | Template:Sort | Template:Sort |
| ||
| An undercover operation is signaled through a newspaper advertisement in the Caribbean, prompting investigation by the agents. With appearances by Anton Rodgers, George Murcell, George Roubicek, Imogen Hassall, Niké Arrighi | ||||||
| 4 | "Template:Sort" | Template:Sort | Template:Sort |
| ||
| Sharron infiltrates a training centre designed to produce operatives with abilities akin to those of the Champions. Featuring David Bauer, Nicholas Courtney, Philip Bond, Allan Cuthbertson, Caroline Blakiston | ||||||
Broadcast
Within the UK, the series was rebroadcast three times across ITV regions until 1976, followed by further reruns during September–October 1984 and May–August 1985. ITV's digital channel ITV4 regularly featured the show until January 2011. In 1995, The Champions was also screened on BBC2, coinciding with Gaunt's involvement in the sitcom Next of Kin, and it subsequently received at least three additional repeat runs.
Starting on 7 March 2021, reruns commenced on Talking Pictures TV, excluding the episode 'Desert Journey'. From 4 May 2021, the series returned to ITV4 after a ten-year hiatus, concluding on 15 June after broadcasting 27 of the 30 episodes—omitting 'Desert Journey', ‘The Gun Runners’, and ‘Autokill’. Later that year, ITV4 aired 29 episodes again, once more leaving out 'Desert Journey'.
Home media
In North America, A&E Home Entertainment distributed the series on DVD under license from Granada International Media Limited. In the UK, it was released twice, with the most recent edition featuring a reunion commentary by Damon, Bastedo, and Gaunt on select episodes. For Damon's American show General Hospital, Bastedo and Gaunt traveled to the United States to record their contributions.
During the early 1980s, the series was broadcast in Italy in syndication under the title (Three Aces), and later appeared on Canal Jimmy (Sky) in the 1990s. However, it has not been issued on DVD there due to its limited viewer base.
In 2010, Network DVD launched The Champions: The Complete Series as a Region 2 collection encompassing all episodes across nine discs. This set included the uncommon 'bookends' version of the premiere episode. Additionally, they released a three-CD collection featuring the series' soundtrack.
Legend of the Champions
ITC reworked the episodes "The Beginning" and "The Interrogation" into a feature film titled Legend of the Champions in 1983, aimed primarily at international audiences. Unlike earlier ITC compilations, this film involved substantial restructuring: "The Interrogation" was used as a framing narrative with expanded flashbacks from "The Beginning" integrated throughout. The new credits displayed still photographs of the original cast instead of fresh footage.
A notable storyline change renamed a character from "The Beginning" to Julius Retford to connect the germ warfare plot with that of "The Interrogation." Despite this, the closing credits retained the original name, Ho Ling. Stuart Damon received top billing owing to his recognition on U.S. television and because the film centered largely on his role; Alexandra Bastedo and William Gaunt were credited as co-stars.
This film was subsequently included in Network DVD’s complete box set, which also contained 'bookend' sequences created for "The Beginning" to enable flexible episode sequencing during reruns.
Film
In 2007, Guillermo del Toro was announced as producer and writer for a feature adaptation of The Champions under United Artists. The following year, Christopher McQuarrie joined as co-writer and co-producer. By 2021, Ben Stiller was attached to direct and star alongside Cate Blanchett, with production handled by New Republic Pictures, ITV Studios America, and Dirty Films.
Despite these notable industry figures being involved at various stages, none of these film projects progressed into actual production.
Books
Several paperback novels inspired by the television series include:
- The Sixth Sense is Death by John Garforth. London: Hodder Paperbacks, 1969 (a novelization combining "The Beginning" and "The Experiment")
- Lavage de Cerveau by Pierre Salva. Paris: Presses de la Cité, 1977
Comic strip
A comic strip adaptation of The Champions appeared in City Magazine's Joe 90 Top Secret starting with issue #1 (18 January 1969) and continued until its cancellation with issue #34 (6 September 1969). It also featured a story in the Joe 90 Top Secret Annual 1969.
External links
- Series entry at BFI screenonline
- Series review at Television Heaven