Callan

Dossier No. 492468

SUBJECT: Callan, David BIRTHPLACE: South London AGE: 38 HEIGHT: 1.78m (5 ft. 10in) WEIGHT: 83.46 kg (184 lbs.) HAIR: Light Brown STATUS: single ATTITUDE TOWARDS WOMEN: Normal but discreet. The only girl he allowed himself to from a true relationship with died in tragic circumstances some years ago. ASSOCIATES: Has virtually no close friends and only a few acquaintances. Has a reluctant affection (though he would never admit it) for 'Lonely', the small-time crook who sometimes helps him on his jobs. ACCOMODATION: Austere; currently in Tiny bed-sitter flat in modern tower block in Bayswater, London. Previous residences include "cold-water" flat in Fulham. EDUCATION: Secondary Modern School and Technical College, both in South London. WAR SERVICE: Corporal in the Green Howards (subsequently demoted). Later Corporal in Commandos, with active service in Malaya OTHER EMPLOYMENT: Apprentice to firm of locksmiths before and after army service. Later short period as book-keeper for wholesale grocer in City of London. CRIMINAL RECORD: Spent 15 months in Wormwood Scrubs for robbing a jeweller's safe. CAR: No personal car, Drives anything. Frequently travels by bus or tube. GUNS: Shoots with anything. SMOKING HABITS: Non Smoker DRINKING HABITS: Scotch Whisky SERVICE AS AGENT WITH THE SECTION Recruited to the section shortly after release from prison and served as "eliminator" for six years, killing five 'undesirables' in that period. Categorised "unsatisfactory" and placed in office job. Recently re-assigned to section activities, beginning with the Schneider assassination. CHARACTER: Contradictory. Excellent at his job but tends to ask too many questions, both before and after his assignments. Stubborn, independent, hard and sensitive at the same time. Harbours a definite chip on his shoulder. Does not smile much but has a wry sense of humour on occasion. Very much an enigma. DRESS: Generally shabby, usually wears a worn, off-the-peg brown suit, crumpled raincoat, patterned woollen scarf and down-at-heel suede boots. FAVOURITE FOOD: Steak and Chips HOBBIES: Collecting authentic model soldiers and war games. GENERAL NOTE: Callan is an agent to be watched closely at all times. His erratic qualities may at any time outweigh his usefulness butt, for the moment, he is a highly valuable agent.

David Callan is the laconic special agent who takes on the K.G.B. single handed - well, almost single handed; his little friend Lonely reluctantly and sometimes unknowingly becomes involved in Callan's adventures.

Callan works for The Section. Boss of the section is the super- cilious Hunter. A yellow file on Hunter's desk means that the person named in it must be kept under surveillance. A red file means that he must be killed.

The best example of spy craft on TV was this British series from the late 1960s, with a central character who hated his job but realised his life expectancy was nil if he ever left the service. This show was a gripping thriller that emphasised the psychological aspects of the job, but could dish out the violence if required, with an iconic performance by Edward Woodward in the lead role.
The last few episodes formed a story-line that was a cracker, where the ruthless Russian assassin pleads with Callan to finish him off before he gets turned over to the interrogators. As a reviewer said ...presented a picture of British secret service methods that left a queasy feeling in the stomach.

Episodes

While the pilot still exists, many of the episodes from series one and two have been lost. For a long time the only way to see the early episodes that remained were via bootleg copies, but in 2010 UK DVD publisher Network released the surviving B/Ws on DVD: Callan - the Monochrome Years.

Series three has seen official released on VHS and DVD in the UK, US and Australia, while series four had a DVD release in Australia, US, and UK: Callan - the Colour Years. The follow-up reunion tv-movie Wet Job appeared in March 2011 in the UK.

In 2015 Leicester author MP Wright annouced that he had been approached by the James Mitchell estate and asked to reboot the show for the 21st Century.

The Novels

Written by the series creator James Mitchell, the first four of these - A Magnum for Schneider, Russian Roulette, Death and Bright Water, and Smear Job - are well worth tracking down, but the fifth - Bonfire Night - has been less popular with fans of the series and can only be recommended to die-hard collectors who like to have the whole set.