This cult series has been released in its entirety on DVD by 2|entertain. It began life as an edition of Play For Today, written by Philip Martin, broadcast on the 9th January 1975 (BBC1 9.25pm). Set in the multi-cultural community of Birmingham, Maurice Colbourne stars as an ex-SAS operative, John Kline, who is released from prison to find himself employed by DI6 (a highly specialised branch of the CID) as an undercover agent to monitor and report on and intercede, where required, in the events of the city's underworld.
The Radio Times billed it thus: Blackmail, extortion, drug-peddling and the 'Blackbird Run' of illegal immigrants to the West Midlands... How involved is Rafiq, the respected Indian community leader? Rawlinson, the night club owner?
In this hard adventure story, released prisoner John Kline comes up against his old enemies - the gangsters.
The two-hour-length play proved so popular that a series was commissioned and followed eighteen months later. Set in and around the club that Kline co-owns, there is some continuity with the play, and prostitution, drug running, and people trafficking form the basis of the series. Whilst I found the first series watchable, it was certainly no classic, and I found the script to be cumbersome in places and the acting laughable in many more, with some asian characters in It Ain't Half Hot Mum being more realistic at times.
Just when I thought things couldn't get any worse, I started on the second series. By this time the focus of the series had moved to Tri-ad activities in and around Birmingham, and had acquired a jaunty set of lyrics to the opening theme. The acting was no better than the first series, and if anything worse, and I gave up after the second episode.
:: Series 1
| Episode Title | Synopsis | Original Tx. Date |
|---|---|---|
| Incident 1 | Rawlinson is dead. The smooth running of the underworld has been interrupted. In the Aisan, West Indian and white communities the gangsters search for a new leader. Why do the police choose this moment to release John Kline, a strong contender for Rawlinson's job? | 9.9.76 |
| Incident 2 | Kline and Khan have barely seconds to act as Malleson prepares to bring the house down. | 16.9.76 |
| Incident 3 | A missing consignment of herion, and abandoned railway station. Surveying the scene are Rafiq, the sophisticated gangster, and Khan, the double agent. How will Kline escape the factions ranged against him at the Battle of Snow Hill? | 23.9.76 |
| Incident 4 | On the top of a modern skyscraper block, there is a general falling out of friends. Can John Kline avoid execution at the hands of three gunmen? What is the extent of his partner Dermot Macavoy's treachery? | 30.9.76 |
| Incident 5 | A bullet from Sarah Gan'ts gun shatters John Kline's temporary belief in ghosts. Why has Sarah, the elegant New Yorker, lured him to a secret rendezvous? What is her connection with the dead Dinah Carmichael - the beautiful stripper? | 14.10.76 |
| Incident 6 | John Kline keeps his head above water as Khan plunges into the deep end. Who is head of the secret consortium? How close is Kline to learning his identity? Can Khan's death end Kline's influence in high places? | 21.10.76 |
:: Series 2
| Episode Title | Synopsis | Original Tx. Date |
|---|---|---|
| The Dictates of Shen Tang | In which undercover agent Khan investigates a drug route along the Asian highway and John Kline becomes involved in a Chinese paper-chase across Birmingham. | 6.1.78 |
| The Red Executioner | In which a mysterious assassin is summoned to the West Midlands from Hong Kong and Rafiq, the sophisticated Asian godfather, propositions the beautiful Lily Li Tang! | 13.1.78 |
| While Beauty Sleeps | In which John Kline struggles against Triad gangsters to bargain for Anne Darracott's life - in a case of pins and needles! | 20.1.78 |
| Double Peril | In which a master of Kung Fu meets his end while agent Khan is taken to the cleaners - No Wey Out! | 27.1.78 |
| Enter The White Devil | In which John Kline goes to the cinema with the lovely Lily Li Tang and finds that a seat in the back row can be perilous when the lights go down. | 3.2.78 |
| East of the Equator | In which John Kline has a touching encounter with the White Devil, Chinese New Year is celebrated - and a funeral is well attended. | 10.2.78 |