DVD region 2. pub: Network 7952580. 350 minutes 7 * 55 minute episodes with extras. Price: £19.99 (UK)) stars: Roy Marsden, Ray Lonnen, Alan MacNoughton, Michael Cashman, Sue Holderness, Jerome Willis, Bob Sherman and many guest stars.

check out website: www.networkdvd.co.uk

Those nice people at Network very nicely obliged me with an advanced copy of the final season of 'The Sandbaggers' as occasionally I've covered the odd espionage-based series. We SF fans tend to be fans of the espionage genre if for no other reason than it leaks into our own genre.

Outside of the John LeCarre based TV series, there have only been four other significant espionage series. This is one of them. 'The Sandbaggers' has the distinction of showing the battles are played out in its own service and Whitehall and could even be thought of as political intrigue as much as the espionage and skulduggery itself. Set in the late-70s/early 80s, the Secret Intelligence Service is operating on a reduced budget and cutbacks, sometimes with its arm tied behind its back as it maintains its presence in the world.

The Sandbaggers themselves are the operational branch of the SIS whose officers do politically sensitive missions. They've also suffered cutbacks in line with other across the board and now they only have two active officers, Willie Caine (actor Ray Lonnen) and Mike Wallace (actor Michael Cashman) under the auspices of their continually suited boss, Director of Operations (D.Ops), Neil Burnside (actor Roy Marsden). He's also got a new "C" who doesn't like him and his opposite number in the CIA London Office, Jeff Ross (actor Bob Sherman) getting on his wrong side and an ex-father-in-law in Whitehall, Sir Geoffrey Wellingham (actor Alan MacNaughton) laying the law down. Bad days abound and Burnside has to weave his way through the tangles to get anything done. It doesn't make him very popular with anyone, including his own staff.

Trying to pick favourites out of series three without giving the game away is tough. Certainly, 'My Name Is Anna Wiseman' must surely rate. 1980 was in the height of the Cold War still with an apparent defector prepared to appeal to dissidents behind the Iron Curtain made an intriguing message over the end credits. Neither did the series confine itself to the offices with episodes set in Malta and Rhodes.

This is the final seven episodes of the series. His creator and writer, Ian Mackintosh, died in a plane crash in Alaska after only completing writing four of them. Rather interestingly, the series lost none of its energy over its short run and had Mackintosh lived, I'm sure another series would have been commissioned. There was a major turnover of characters here with a new secretary, Marianne Straker (played by Sue Holderness long before she became Marlene in 'Only Fools And Horses') and a new "C" (actor Dennis Burgess).

What makes this an important lesson to any of you neo-writers out there is the observation of drama, humour and office politics mixed in with espionage. If you can get the emotional content even a fraction as good as this twenty-six year old series then its time worth spent watching as a lesson in bringing characters to life.

Marsden plays Burnside as a bottled-up character who much of the time suppresses his emotions and would no doubt play a good game of poker. Its when its let out of the bag in the episode 'Who Needs Enemies?' that you realise what a fine performance he is giving. The banter between all the cast makes this an engaging series. It might not be as fast as '[Spooks]' but its approach to realism with the SIS will certainly give you some serious thought. 'The Sandbaggers' has not been shown on UK television since the 80s, then this is the right time to re-acquaint yourself with all three series and well worth taking some time off from our regular genre to enjoy as well.

GF Willmetts