Bodie and Doyle crashing through a window, a Ford Capri skidding round a corner and Cowley barking orders. The Professionals brought CI5 to ITV from 1977 to 1983 and became the action show every boy in the playground wanted to act out.
CI5
The series was created by Brian Clemens, who had written for The Avengers, and made by London Weekend Television. CI5 (Criminal Intelligence 5) is a fictional crime-fighting unit with the power to do whatever it takes to stop terrorists, spies and armed criminals.
It ran for five series and 57 episodes, and its stars became household names.
Who was in it
- Gordon Jackson as George Cowley, the hard-nosed Scottish head of CI5
- Lewis Collins as William Bodie, a former paratrooper and mercenary
- Martin Shaw as Ray Doyle, a former police detective
Gordon Jackson was already loved as Hudson the butler in Upstairs, Downstairs, so seeing him as the tough, whisky-drinking Cowley was part of the fun.
The partnership
The heart of the show was the friendship between Bodie and Doyle. Bodie was the cocky soldier; Doyle had the curly hair, the temper and the conscience. Their banter in the car between shoot-outs is what many viewers remember most, along with the cars themselves.
Laurie Johnson's driving theme tune and the opening titles, with the pair training and diving through windows, were instantly recognisable.
Rough, tough and of its time
The Professionals was more violent than most British television of the period, and that made it hugely popular. One episode, Klansmen, was considered too controversial and was not shown on ITV during the original run.
The show has stayed popular on repeats, and both Lewis Collins and Martin Shaw went on to long careers. Shaw later starred in Judge John Deed and Inspector George Gently.
Were you a Bodie fan or a Doyle fan?