FORGOTTEN TELEVISION: THE CHAMPIONS (1968-1969)

THE CHAMPIONS (1968-1969) – This British series from ITC featured three secret agents whose plane crash-landed near Shangri-La, the secret civilization in the Himalayas. They were granted enhanced physical strength and superior senses as well as ESP. They used their new abilities in their role as secret agents for an international organization called Nemesis.

Stuart Damon, later to star on General Hospital for 30 years, played pilot Craig Stirling, with Alexandra Bastedo as physician and scientist Sharron Macready and William Gaunt as code-breaker Richard Barrett. Naturally, their enhanced abilities now made them much more useful to the Geneva-based Nemesis.

Anthony Nicholls co-starred as our trio’s boss W.L. Tremayne, who did not know how his prize agents gained their paranormal abilities.

The Champions ran for 30 hour-long installments. 

THE EPISODES:

THE BEGINNING – Pilot Craig Stirling is flying himself and his colleagues Dr. Sharron Macready and William Gaunt out of Communist China after completing their latest mission. The Chinese Air Force damages their plane to such a degree that they crash-land in the Himalayas and learn Shangri-La really exists. The three are granted paranormal abilities and return to the world at large. Burt Kwouk guest stars. 

THE INVISIBLE MAN – Peter Wyngarde, better known as Jason King from Department S and his own eponymous series, plays the villainous Dr. Hallam. He has invented ear-buds which let him control the minds of people in whose ears he places them. He and his thralls try robbing a fortune in gold from British banks. Maggie Wright guest stars and David “Darth Vader’s body” Prowse also appears. 

REPLY BOX NUMBER 666 – Our heroes are sent to expose a covert operations ring in the Caribbean and expose what caper they are carrying out regarding “a parrot that speaks Greek.” Anton Rodgers, Princess Nike Arrighi, Imogen Hassall and Fiona Curzon are in the guest cast.

THE EXPERIMENT – The Champions wind up being used in an experiment run by a villain named Dr. Glind (David Bauer), who is trying to produce super-agents of his own in order to take over the world. Nicholas “The Brigadier” Courtney, Caroline “Mon Mothma” Blakiston and Madalena Nicol guest star.

HAPPENING – Richard Barrett leads the way in this adventure set in Australia. Terrorists operating out of the Simpson Desert plot to use a stolen nuclear device to kill millions of innocent people. Guest stars include Michael Gough, Bill Cummings and Jack MacGowran.

OPERATION: DEEP FREEZE – When two international parties disappear while investigating nuclear testing in Antarctica, the Champions are assigned to look into the matter. They find a South American dictator behind it all. Peter Arne and Patrick Wymark are in the cast.

THE SURVIVORS – In Austria, our heroes uncover a subterranean army of preserved Nazi soldiers who think World War Two is still going on. With Clifford Evans and Donald Houston.

TO TRAP A RAT – Dr. Macready goes undercover as a junkie as the Champions try to shut down a ring pushing incredibly deadly narcotics. THE Kate O’Mara and Edina Ronay guest star.

THE IRON MAN – The agents are assigned to prevent the assassination of a former national leader now living in exile in France. For irritating comic relief they pose as new household staff members. With George Murcell and Pauline Chamberlain.

THE GHOST PLANE – A British scientist whose super-fast, radar-defying aircraft was rejected as too costly by HMG, sells it to Communist China instead. They use it to prey on multiple U.S. aircraft and prepare to make an air fleet of 250 such vessels. Andrew Keir appears.

THE DARK ISLAND – When international military personnel keep disappearing near a remote Pacific Ocean island, the Champions are sent in. They thwart a plot by Communist China to launch nuclear missiles on the U.S. while making it look like the Soviet Union is the responsible nation. Guest stars include Anthony Ainley, Vladek Shaybel and Bill Nagy.

THE FANATICS – Craig Stirling goes undercover to infiltrate an international league of assassins so that he and his colleagues can bring them down. David “The Best Watson Ever” Burke, Julian Glover and Donald Pickering guest star.

TWELVE HOURS – While working as bodyguards to an Eastern European head of state, Dr. Macready and Richard take him and his wife on a submarine tour of a Scottish Loch. The sub is damaged and Macready must operate on the man while her colleagues try to repair the vessel and find the traitors. With Mike Pratt and Viola Keats.     

THE SEARCH – A secret organization of Nazis steal a nuclear submarine from Great Britain and demand an enormous ransom or else they will launch missiles on London and other population centers. The Champions must stop the villains. John Woodvine appears.

THE GILDED CAGE – Richard is abducted and imprisoned by mysterious malefactors who state they will kill him and a female hostage (Jennie Linden) if he cannot break a tough code for them in 12 hours. The other Champions try to find him and free him.

SHADOW OF THE PANTHER – Our heroes clash with a Haitian organization which has been brainwashing international figures in politics, business, science and the military. Guest stars include Donald Sutherland, Zia Mohyeddin and Max Faulkner.

A CASE OF LEMMINGS – A Mafia Don in Rome is using chemicals to make Interpol agents commit suicide. The Champions are sent in to deal with him. Edward Brayshaw, Jeanne Roland and Olive McFarland guest star.     

THE MISSION – Winthrop House Mission in Surrey is the cover for a Nazi war criminal and surgeon who performs plastic surgery on international fugitives of all kinds, using the homeless people of the mission as his human supply chain. Our heroes shut him down. 

THE INTERROGATION – After completing a mission in Hong Kong, Craig Stirling is abducted by unknown parties and subjected to brutal interrogation techniques used to force his secrets from him. It turns out to be an internal Nemesis operation to test their own agents’ reaction to torture. This was intended as the last episode of the series since it ends with the Champions feeling disgusted with their bosses. Guest starring Colin Blakely.

THE SILENT ENEMY – Our heroes investigate when a nuclear sub is found with all hands dead at their posts. This leads them to a remote island and a mad scientist who winds up wanting to experiment on the Champions to determine the source of their powers. With Paul Maxwell. 

THE BODY SNATCHERS – Enemy agents pervert a British cryogenics project to freeze military and scientific personnel in order to turn them over to enemy nations. THE Bernard Lee and Ann Lynn guest star.

GET ME OUT OF HERE – A prominent female scientist (Frances Cuka) pays a philanthropic visit to the dictatorship she previously escaped from, only to find they have no intention of letting her leave. The Champions go in to save her.

THE NIGHT PEOPLE – Our heroes investigate supposedly occult goings-on in Cornwall only to find the trappings of witchcraft are being used to distract from what is really going on – illegal mining of uranium. The uranium is then sold to the Soviet Union. With Adrienne Corri and Anne Sharp.

PROJECT ZERO – The Champions are sent in when government scientists being seconded to a top-secret Project Zero disappear or are found dead. It turns out rogue scientists are using a remote base in Orkney to create hand weapons which can remotely set off nuclear stockpiles. Rupert Davies guest stars.

DESERT JOURNEY – The iconic Jeremy Brett and Roger Delgado play Arabs in this episode. (Jeremy played a Turk in an episode of The Protectors.) Jeremy is the playboy heir to a Middle Eastern nation’s throne, and our heroes must get him safely to the capital from his London exile. One cliche is avoided – rather than oil, the Middle Eastern nation is rich with cobalt.

FULL CIRCLE – When a British spy is captured on a mission in the Colombian Embassy it’s up to the Champions to rescue him without raising international tensions. With Gabrielle Drake.

NUTCRACKER – When the safe of a senior British intelligence boss is broken into by the brainwashed man himself, our heroes are assigned to investigate and test the security on the new safe.

THE FINAL COUNTDOWN – A Nazi Field Marshall is released from prison after 25 years and immediately summons his former aides in order to obtain and use an atomic bomb. Alan MacNaughton from Sandbaggers guest stars along with Hannah Gordon.

THE GUN RUNNERS – In Burma, the Champions work to prevent international arms dealers from finding a mother lode of hidden Japanese rifles from World War Two. With Vernon Dobtcheff.

AUTOKILL – In this last episode, a mysterious group is brainwashing Nemesis agents into assassinating assorted figures around the world. The Champions must put an end to it and free their boss Tremayne from said brainwashing. Eric Pohlmann guest stars.     

FOR MORE FORGOTTEN TELEVISION CLICK HERE.