This lavish 12 part series was made by Euston Films (a division of Thames Television) and starred Sam Neill as Sidney Reilly, a British Agent born in Odessa, raised in an aristocratic Russian family, and aiming to topple the Bolshevik regime and install a British-approved government with himself at the head in its place. His attempt failed and Reilly was executed at the hands of the Supreme Soviet Revolutionary Tribunal. Although the series was based on the biography of the real Reilly by Robin Bruce Lockhart, some license was used to make for better TV. There was a superb supporting cast as well, with Peter Egan, (Ever Decreasing Circles), Leo McKern (Rumpole), and Kenneth Cranham (Harvey Moon) among many others.

This entire series in now avialable on 6 volumes of video from Acorn Media, and the first two volumes are also available on DVD. Each volume contains two episodes (running to about 100 minutes) and videos are priced £12.99, whilst the DVDs are only £16.99 and contain a host of special features including a Sam Neill biography, cast filmographies, and scene indexing, and you can order any of them directly from Acorn Media themselves, or via Blackstar. The latter give me a small percentage of any sale, which helps with the running costs of this site.

Title	B/cast	Details
An Affair with a Married Woman	5.9.83	When the spy Sigmud rosenburg escapes from custody in th efoothills of the Caucasus and heads for London, he leaves the Reverend Thomas's young wife Margaret in a situation that scandalises the nation.
Prelude to War	7.9.83	Reilly is responsible for passing information on to the Japanese fleet that enables them to sink the Russian Pacific Squadron in Port Arthur.
The Visiting Fireman	14.9.83	Reilly is sent on a mission to obtain the plans for a naval gun from a German armaments factory. He is faced with some hard decisions if he is to remain undetected.
Anna	21.9.83	In France, Reilly finds himself in competition with the Rothschilds to buy Persian Oil concessions. Whilst in Paris, he also meets up with his half sister, Anna.
Dreadnoughts and Crosses	28.9.83	Reilly is in St Peteresburg when the Czar announces the arms sale of the Century, the contract to replace the Russian fleet. Reilly is determined to profit from the contract.
Dreadnoughts and Doublecrosses	5.10.83	Reilly has sided with the Germans in the battle to win the Russian contract, however all is not plain sailing.
Gambit	12.10.83	It is 1918 and Reilly is sent back into Russia charged with overthrowing the Bolsheviks who plan to make peace with Germany. Reilly heads to Moscow with a million pounds and a plan to form a new Government.
Endgame	19.10.83	The Bolshevik Secret Police, the Cheka, are hot on the heals of Reilly as he negotiates with the Latvian trops guarding the Kremlin to oust Lenin. Can Reilly seize power?
After Moscow	26.10.83	After the attempt on Lenin's life, Reilly is a wanted man with a price on his head.
The Trust	2.11.83	Reilly is living in New York. By day he is a respectable businessman, by night he is part of a secret Russian security organisation.
The Last Journey	9.11.83	Reilly marries Pepita and seeks revenge on the Cheka-backed trust for the death of his best friend Savinkov. When the Trust invite Reilly to Moscow it is an invitation that he has been expecting.
Shutdown	16.11.83	Reilly is under arrest on Stalin's orders. The Bolsheviks tell Papita that Reilly is dead and she returns to London to find their flat ransacked.