Hannay
ITV (ended 1989)
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Season 2
- Ep 7Say the Bells of Shoreditch3/14/89
The year is 1912 and the 'unsinkable' ship 'Titanic' has sunk. Richard Hannay's god-daughter Susan is being married to Lord Berenger's son Michael Harrington, and Hannay is visiting her family. The night before the wedding Michael goes missing after his bachelor's party.
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''Why did Lord Berenger send a large and immensely valuable consignment of gold to Canada via 'The Titanic' which was in fact heading for the United States? Did the missing gold in fact go down with the ill-fated ship - the uninsurable on board the unsinkable? What is the mystery behind the ship's bells at the foundry used by the firm Campbell/Mallory, of which Lord Berenger is Managing Director?
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''Hannay finds himself involved in a bizarre mystery involving a kidnapping, two murders and a plot involving the Czar of Russia.moreless - Ep 6That Rough Music3/7/89
Perry Swimborn, an old friend of Richard Hannay's, has beeen found drowned on the moors in England. Hannay is surprised to find that he is a beneficiary in Swimborn's will - he has been left a lighthouse in the region where Swimborn died, a walking stick, and a pair of binoculars with instructions "to use them to help my dearest to accomplish her ambitions". Swimborn's fortune and manor-house have been bequeathed to his natural daughter, Vivian Laputa, born in Africa and the product of a forbidden love between Swimborn and a black African Queen.''''Hannay talks to Delahunty, Swimborn's lawyer, about the Laputa golden amulet which symbolizes Vivian's right to her tribe's throne. No-one knows where it is, and Delahunty believes that Swimborn was murdered whilst protecting it from somebody who wanted it for its immense monetary value.''''Delahunty asks Hannay to protect Vivian while she is in England, as Cromwell and Vermilion, Swimborn's nephews, feel betrayed by their uncle's will, and may plan to kill Vivian. Delahunty suspects them of the murder of Swimborn, but has no proof of this.''''When Hannay finds a coded map inside the walking stick, he believes that the amulet is hidden somewhere in the lighthouse. But will he find it before Cromwell and Vermilion Thorpe?''''A desperate race is on to find the amulet, to enable Vivian to protect her birthright and to prevent a bloodthirsty revenge from taking place.''''moreless - Ep 5The Confidence Man2/28/89
Richard Hannay is the new Honorary Secretary of the rugger group, 'The Centurions'.''''Sal Alford, landlady of Alford's Music Hall, is being threatened by standover merchant, Joe Morris, who is demanding protection money. Joe Morris is a rogue member of Charlie Peterson's east-end gang of thugs.''''Sal, frightened for her life, approaches Richard Hannay who tells her not to pay any money to Joe Morris.''''When Joe Morris arrives at Alford's Music Hall with Charlie Peterson's gang he is confronted by Richard Hannay's gang, 'The Centurions', who throw them out, but not before Richard Hannay is threatened by Joe Morris personally.''''Alford's Music Hall is subsequently vandalised, and Hannay is abducted by Joe Morris; however, he manages to bluff himself out of the situation by telling Morris that he - Hannay - is the leader of a larger, more elite rival gang operating from the West End of London, which is comprised of politicians and members of the aristocracy. Hannay organises a 'sting' involving 'The Centurions' who pretend to be a gang of highly skilled professional crooks.''''Joe Morris is successfully set up and sent packing. His reluctant fiancee Florence Peterson, daughter of Charlie Peterson, tells her father that she is in love with Arnold the police officer, and Charlie has to accept the fact that he will be the father-in-law of a copper.''''moreless - Ep 4The Good Samaritan2/21/89
The place is Venice, Italy. Richard Hannay assists seductive artist Dore Nicholson to board the Trans-European train to London, on which he is also a passenger. Other passengers include Boy Morland, Hannay's old friend, now a diplomatic courier, and Auguste Karrs, a Turkish oil tycoon.
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''Hannay and Dore Nicholson spend a romantic evening together. However, Dore is being watched by Conrad Smith, Karrs' personal secretary. Smith asks Boy Morland to use Hannay to get the information he wants from Dore.
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''Boy Morland warns Hannay, but Hannay does not take him seriously.
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''Why is Auguste Karrs so interested in Dore Nicholson's paintings, most particularly the ones that she painted in Mesopotamia? Dore refuses to show the paintings, but before going to bed she secretly hands over a notebook of her sketches to Hannay. The next morning she has disappeared.
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''What was the mysterious Frau Steve doing in Dore's compartment on that morning? Hannay decides to investigate, and is aided by Colonel Wormesley-Jones and the Reverend Harker. What has happened to Dore Nicholson? What is the secret behind her paintings? Is Dore an innocent abroad, an inoffensive painter, or is she a devious spy, a carrier of dangerous secrets? And is Frau Steve the harmless lady she seems to be? Is Colonel Warmesley-Jones the British gentleman that he appears to be or is he part of a dangerous conspiracy?
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''Money, power and an international race involving the large oil companies all play their part in this gripping episode of 'Hannay'.moreless - Ep 3Double Jeopardy2/14/89
"God and His Angels bless you, Dirk; you shall hear the trumpet on the other side. Goodbye, old warrior."''''With this blessing, Richard Hannay kisses Dirk Huysman, the man who had brought him up in South Africa after his parents died, and who is now dead himself, leaving Hannay with one last commission - to find his old adversary, Desmond Leigh, and to give him a fortune in uncut diamonds after Hannay is assured by Desmond Leigh that he bears no ill-will towards Huysman.''''Three months later in England, Hannay finds Desmond Leigh. He is married to a beautiful young woman called Barbara, but is a drunken wastrel.''''Leigh has enemies, too, from South Africa, two brothers by the name of Baxter who are owed money by Leigh. The elder brother, Meredith Baxter, declares that he is going to confront Leigh at gunpoint and demand to know where his money is.''''Baxter arrives while Hannay is visiting Leigh, and Leigh is murdered by Meredith Baxter. Hannay captures Baxter and hands him over to the police. He is subsequently charged with murder, and there is a trial.''''Meanwhile, Leigh's young widow Barbara is not wasting any time grieving over her late husband. She plans to marry Henry Milner, and take up farming in Ceylon.''''Hannay still has the diamonds, however. Because Leigh had been abusive about Dirk Huysen one of the main conditions of the bequest was not fulfilled - namely, that Leigh bore no ill-will towards Dirk Huysen. Hannay, who does not trust Milner, tells Barbara that he will leave the diamonds in trust for herself and any children that she and Milner may have.''''Henry Milner knows about the diamonds and is after them. He manipulates Barbara into laying a trap for Hannay, and events take an even more dark and dramatic turn, with tragic results. Greed, disloyalty, marital infidelity and violence ultimately lead the characters in this dramatic episode of 'Hannay' to their pre-determined ends.'' ''moreless - Ep 2The Terrors Of The Earth2/7/89
Richard Hannay is introduced to Dr. Nils Larssen and his daughter Kirsten by Lord Hurst, the owner of a Chemicals business which operates out of Hurst Grange, a manor house in the English countryside.
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''Dr. Larssen is working on a serum which will produce a vaccine against 'the terrors of the earth' - typhus, tuberculosis and cholera, which may be needed in the event of germ warfare in any conflict with Germany. The idea is to produce vast amounts of the vaccine which Lord Hurst is prepared to back and then to market.
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''Also working in the laboratory at Hurst Grange is Edgar Voce, a German agent. Voce approaches Otto Von Schwabing, the murderous Teutonic villain who is responsible for most, if not all of the treacherous activity of The Black Stone, the German Terrorist Organisation. Voce tells Von Schwabing that he is producing vaccine for German use in the event of warfare, and Von Schwabing keeps his ear to the ground.
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''Dr. Larssen becomes suspicious of Voce, and is poisoned by him, dying of what appears to be typhus in the local military hospital. Kirsten becomes suspicious of the caraffe of drinking water in her father's room, and tests it for traces of serum.
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''Voce leaves Hurst Grange to meet a sinister "clergyman" known as Dearth at a windmill which is also called 'The Sorrowful Mill'. In his possession he has a mysterious flask in a leather case. Richard Hannay follows him. Voce meets with an accident, and Hannay goes on to The Sorrowful Mill where he not only encounters Dearth, but also his arch-enemy, Von Schwabing. He is overpowered and locked in the Mill and in a bid to escape ends up on the mill blades.
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''Death tells Von Schwabing what the mysterious flask contains: It is, in Dearth's words "a concentrate of the most powerful bacilli on earth, so deadly that a pint of it introduced into a city's water supply would kill everybody in that city within two days. And that's why our masters in the Unter Den Linden want it," he concludes to the sinister and brooding Von Schwabing.
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''In a gripping finale to this extremely fast moving and suspenseful episode of the series, Hannay must not only escape certain death himself, but must also rescue the occupants of London from certain death through an attempt to poison their water supply. Von Schwabing's behaviour on this occasion shocks even the usually unflappable Hannay.moreless - Ep 1Coup De Grace1/31/89
Richard Hannay meets Sybil Verney, a beautiful woman who is also of South African origin. Unlike Hannay who feels 'surrounded' in London and prefers the wide-open spaces of Africa, Sybil is very fond of England and of its society.''''Very quickly, Richard Hannay falls under her spell; he falls desperately in love for the first time in his life, but Sybil Verney has a secret. She is being blackmailed by Sir Marcus Leonard, a ruthless gambler and racehorse owner, who has a hold over Sybil. The secret is to be found in some letters which Sir Marcus has securely locked away in his safe.''''Richard Hannay offers to get the letters back for Sybil, but in order to do so must take some lessons in safe-breaking from Sal Alford. He is an apt pupil, managing to break into Sir Marcus's safe, while Sal acts as guard outside. Unfortunately, he is caught by Sir Marcus, but Sal escapes with the incriminating letters.''''Sir Marcus convinces Hannay that Sybil is a liar and a cheat. Who is telling the truth? Is Sybil Verney a hapless victim of circumstances, or is she a conniving con-artist? A broken-hearted Richard Hannay confronts Sybil with his evidence, but it is from Sal Alford that he learns the truth. There is only one letter, and it is extremely revealing.''''The story ends with a truly hair-raising duel between Richard Hannay and Sir Marcus Leonard, a duel which ends tragically.''''moreless
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Season 1
- Ep 6The Hazard Of The Die2/10/88
The Under-Secretary Of State For War, Sir Greville Strickland is visiting Monte Carlo with his beautiful young wife, Lady Veronica. While Lady Veronica loses heavily at the gambling tables, Sir Greville is convincing the Baronne Di Castigliani, who is expected to be the new Head of Government in Italy, that it is in Italy's best interests to dump the Austro-Hungarian Alliance and Germany, and to join up with the new alliance between Great Britain, France and Russia, since war in Europe is expected to break out very soon.''''The Baronne Di Castigliani is thoroughly convinced when Sir Greville tells him that Italy's defences will be strengthened by the introduction of a new weapon which is being tested in England, the Vickers Machine Gun. Unknown to Sir Greville is the fact that the sinister Count Von Schwabing and his Fellowship Of The Black Stone are lurking in the background, gathering intelligence and waiting to undermine the delicate negotiations between Great Britain and Italy.''''Meanwhile, Richard Hannay is holidaying in the country with his old friend Captain Ned Jollifant who is an Arms Exporter. Whilst out one day on his own, Hannay rescues Lady Strickland from certain death. Lady Strickland invites Hannay to dine at her home on the very evening that Sir Greville Strickland, Mr Alfred Flete - who is an arms expert - the Baronne Di Castigliani and Reggie Armitage from Special Branch have also arranged a special meeting at the Strickland's home. It is here where it has been decided to test the Vickers Machine Gun, under conditions of the utmost secrecy.''''Lady Strickland confides in Hannay that the evil Count Von Schwabing is blackmailing her into giving him State secrets. Can Richard Hannay defeat the sinister Count Von Schwabing and his Fellowship Of The Black Stone yet again? Most importantly, will he ensure that Great Britain's security, and the security of the Empire, is not breached by the Count Von Schwabing's evil machinations?''''moreless - Ep 5Act Of Riot2/3/88
"Will ye no come back again?"
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''Richard Hannay returns to Strathallen, the village in Scotland where he was born and where he spent the first seven years of his life.
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''He meets Alison Ross, his childhood friend, who is now the village schoolmistress. She is engaged to Lord Malcolm Drysdale, an impoverished nobleman, who in an endeavour to meet crippling death duties is selling some of the land belonging to his estate to a mining company who want the land for a colliery.
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''This act will cripple the community of Strathallen, which is comprised mainly of farmers. When they discover that Hannay is in fact a Mining Engineer, he suddenly finds that he is not at all welcome, although this is pure coincidence, as Hannay is simply visiting the town of his birth.
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''Into this explosive atmosphere walks Logan, a troublemaker who is working for the Mining Company but who pretends that he is representing the farmers. Trouble occurs for Alison when it is discovered that Hannay is staying with her, albeit as an old friend only, and her home is attacked, ransacked and grafitti scribbled all over the walls.
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''When Hannay witnesses a further crime, he is required as a witness, and thus must stay in Strathallen until the hearing. He finds that he is attracted to Alison, and she to him.
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''Ultimately it is left to Hannay and to Lord Drysdale to resolve matters.moreless - Ep 4Death With Due Notice1/27/88
Somebody is sending threatening letters containing quotes from Shakespeare to Richard Hannay's old friend Reggie Armitage, and Reggie senses something sinister about the letters.''''Hannay gets a lesson in female equality when his life is saved by Simone Angeketell, a member of the Suffragette Movement, who saves him from a person who has murdered a number of men who have one thing in common - all were members of the same squadron in the Boer War who gave evidence at the court-martial of Jerry Edwards - an act which leads to tragic consequences.''''moreless - Ep 3Voyage Into Fear1/20/88
Von Schwabing is on the carpet at the German Embassy over the mess he made of the plot to destroy the British/Russian Peace Alliance described in 'Fellowship Of The Black Stone'. He swears that The Fellowship Of The Black Stone will be successful this time in its intention to eliminate Britain's First Sea Lord, Sir James West, whose armament of Great Britain is faster than Germany's.''''Von Schwabing sets out to enlist Richard Hannay as an unwilling assassin of Sir James West. Hannay is kidnapped and finds himself upon what appears to be a sea-going vessel. ''''Using a young schoolgirl, who is in reality the Russian Grand-Duchess Madeline, Von Schwabing applies relentless pressure to Hannay who is put into a terrible moral dilemma. He must choose between the life of one of his best friends, Saunders, a member of Intelligence, and that of the Grand-duchess Madeline. Further, he is railroaded by Von Schwabing into either killing Sir James West or letting Madeline die.''''Using all of his ingenious powers, Hannay must find a way of ensuring that both Madeline and Britain's First Sea Lord survive Von Schwabing's machinations and fiendish plots. The Fellowship Of The Black Stone must not be allowed to start a World War.''''moreless - Ep 2A Point Of Honour1/13/88
On his way to visit friends at Waddam Hall, Richard Hannay encounters Lady Madrigal Fitzjames, an impoverished member of the aristocracy, who is sharing the same railway compartment. By coincidence, Lady Madrigal is also on her way to Waddam Hall.''''Due to muddled directions, both Hannay and Lady Madrigal end up at Waddam Manor, not Waddam Hall; here they are mistaken for the newly married couple, Sir Gerald and Lady Masefield.''''A fabulously valuable diamond necklace known as 'The Masefield Diamonds' plays a large part in the rest of the proceedings, which involves an international gang of jewel thieves, servants in the attic, abductions, mistaken identities, and swashbuckling adventure.''moreless - Ep 1Fellowship Of The Black Stone1/6/88
The year is 1912. Richard Hannay, a thirty-year old mining engineer, is on his way from South Africa to England on the steamship 'Union Castle'. Whilst on board ship he encounters Lord Haslemere and his beautiful daughter, Lady Anne, and is invited to Lady Anne's coming-of-age party in London.
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''Upon arriving in England, Hannay tells his good friend Reggie Armitage that whilst working in Rhodesia some months previously, he had been shot and left for dead by Count Von Schwabing and a curious black stone had been left in his right hand. Reggie tells him that five agents, all of them working for Military Intelligence, had been found murdered under similar circumstances.
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''Hannay finds a mysterious package has been left in his cabin trunk on board the ship, but when he tries to deliver the package he is assaulted and left for dead in a cellar in Limehouse.
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''During the course of the next day or so, Hannay finds himself charged with two murders of which he is innocent, and with the assistance of Lady Anne, he manages to elude capture by the police, who are hunting for him, and to find out that Count Von Schwabing has hatched a fiendish plot involving German missiles at Scapa Flow in Scotland which are intended to destroy the British/Russian Peace Alliance.moreless
