And one more thing - I watched this series on TV when I was a kid, and it was also a wonderful portrayal of the romantic age of travel - jet airplanes, international hotels, foreign locations. At that time, only the very wealthy got to enjoy those things, and for folks like me this show was as much a travelogue as an espionage thriller. And the soundtrack was vintage cool.
"Say so if you understand meh." (Oh that Brigadier ... )
One of my very favourite shows from that era, one that like bighumfri I always made a point of watching no matter what. The scenario (a small, virtually autonomous counter-intelligence unit) is of course quite preposterous, but highly popular and addictive, and seems to have been turning up on UK TV in one guise or another for much of the past fifty years. (The Avengers, The Cold Warrior, The Sandbaggers, etc .... )
It's an unthinkable tragedy that this series was wiped to save on tape costs and actors royalties. Hopefully enough fragments might turn up to allow some reconstruction.
@garmgorn I actually didn't know Rat Catchers was wiped. This happened a lot to British tv in the early to mid sixties: A For Andromeda and the Pathfinders sciene fiction children's serials for example, also starring the excellent Gerald Flood.
Brilliant! I remember this series so well. The scene where Smith executes a double agent with a poisoned cigarette, the hilarious moment when theyre listening to a tapped conversation. Smith thought he'd charmed the girl but they hear him say that "Smith's just a bag on wind. It's Hurst that we need to be wary of" and Hurst smirks.
The Rat Catchers was so good I stayed home for six consecutive Saturday nights. Pity they never made more episodes and a crime that BBC wiped the episodes.
@bighumfri It was a Rediffusion programme, so the BBC didn't wipe it. More likely Thames (the successor to Rediffusion and ABC) reused the tapes in the early '70s.
This program captivated me as a child which I used to watch with my Dad. I'd only managed to get the audio theme tune to date, which opens with "Say yes if you understand me". I'm sure the video would have brought it all back to him. It's an irony my Dad passed away the date this video was uploaded!
Fantastic News on this discovery from Associated-Rediffusion TV.Just goes to show that you never know where something may turn up, as this episode was found on an online p2p filesharing website.Was stated to have origionated from a VHS obtained at a convention in the US.This episode joins little remaining footage of this classic tv series! Makes you wonder how much other lost uk tv may reside in the US or Canada still? Many Thanks for posting this classic tv material, a real treat to see!
Glyn Owen... such an amazing actor who played characters with such a sense of unmistakeable charisma. Sadly missed.
AlphaV2 2 months ago
You can hear the camera directions from the control lady in the gallery which have been picked up on the recording.
diggeratclaranet 2 months ago
And one more thing - I watched this series on TV when I was a kid, and it was also a wonderful portrayal of the romantic age of travel - jet airplanes, international hotels, foreign locations. At that time, only the very wealthy got to enjoy those things, and for folks like me this show was as much a travelogue as an espionage thriller. And the soundtrack was vintage cool.
garmgorn 4 months ago
"Say so if you understand meh." (Oh that Brigadier ... )
One of my very favourite shows from that era, one that like bighumfri I always made a point of watching no matter what. The scenario (a small, virtually autonomous counter-intelligence unit) is of course quite preposterous, but highly popular and addictive, and seems to have been turning up on UK TV in one guise or another for much of the past fifty years. (The Avengers, The Cold Warrior, The Sandbaggers, etc .... )
Krzyszczynski 7 months ago
Too bad they didn't have VCRs back in 1966!
heyyouthere4 10 months ago
Great show they made the best TV shows back then.
MrDeCorey 1 year ago
Racewars ye i did haha
TheBloodsunday 1 year ago
Thumbs up if runescape send you here
racewars05 1 year ago
What a great show this was. It is a pity we cannot see entire episode on youtube.
selwyn1944 1 year ago
It's an unthinkable tragedy that this series was wiped to save on tape costs and actors royalties. Hopefully enough fragments might turn up to allow some reconstruction.
garmgorn 1 year ago
@garmgorn I actually didn't know Rat Catchers was wiped. This happened a lot to British tv in the early to mid sixties: A For Andromeda and the Pathfinders sciene fiction children's serials for example, also starring the excellent Gerald Flood.
fidomusic 1 year ago
Thanks for posting - lovely to see my old friend Gerry Flood in action!
mack89464 2 years ago
The Rat Catchers was a great show. It's where I first saw waterboarding.
AlexTrebucq 2 years ago
It does look slick, doesn't it? Any chance of finding out the composer of the music? I'm told there was a single 45rpm.
Prospro8 2 years ago
The composer is Johnny Pearson. Yes, there was a 45 by the Johnny Pearson Orchestra.
pljms 2 years ago
Brilliant! I remember this series so well. The scene where Smith executes a double agent with a poisoned cigarette, the hilarious moment when theyre listening to a tapped conversation. Smith thought he'd charmed the girl but they hear him say that "Smith's just a bag on wind. It's Hurst that we need to be wary of" and Hurst smirks.
The Rat Catchers was so good I stayed home for six consecutive Saturday nights. Pity they never made more episodes and a crime that BBC wiped the episodes.
.
bighumfri 2 years ago
@bighumfri It was a Rediffusion programme, so the BBC didn't wipe it. More likely Thames (the successor to Rediffusion and ABC) reused the tapes in the early '70s.
filmnet 1 year ago
This program captivated me as a child which I used to watch with my Dad. I'd only managed to get the audio theme tune to date, which opens with "Say yes if you understand me". I'm sure the video would have brought it all back to him. It's an irony my Dad passed away the date this video was uploaded!
tgloccc 2 years ago
Comment removed
tgloccc 2 years ago
Fantastic News on this discovery from Associated-Rediffusion TV.Just goes to show that you never know where something may turn up, as this episode was found on an online p2p filesharing website.Was stated to have origionated from a VHS obtained at a convention in the US.This episode joins little remaining footage of this classic tv series! Makes you wonder how much other lost uk tv may reside in the US or Canada still? Many Thanks for posting this classic tv material, a real treat to see!
topofthepopsguy 2 years ago