In the 1967 British television drama A Magnum for Schneider, the terse talking, totally ruthless secret
agent David Callan became an instant touchstone of British spy fiction. A
hugely successful television series quickly followed – running from 1967 to
1972 – along with films, five novels, and (at least) forty short stories
syndicated in newspapers around the world.
Created by author James Mitchell, and portrayed with callous
world-weariness by actor Edward Woodward, Callan became an iconic anti-Bond – a
man doing a blue collar job he often regrets, but keeps doing because he is so
very good at it. Executioner, bodyguard, stone killer, Callan is a blunt
instrument wielded by Hunter – his eventually despised agency control – and aided
by the malodorous thief known only as Lonely.
The short stories – featuring Callan, Lonely, and the regular
members of The Section – were
originally published in Britain’s Sunday
Express and syndicated in newspapers in Singapore and Australia. A Sunday Express advertisement heralding
the start of the Callan stories publication clearly describes Callan’s world…
CALLAN BLASTS IN
Three years ago a
cold, hard, enigmatic character in a rumpled raincoat made his first appearance
on Britain’s television screens.
He was a special
agent. He could if necessary be a killer.
He had no pretty girls
to decorate his activities.
He did not go on his
assignments in fast, expensive cars.
He had no gimmicks.
But he had authority and credibility.
He quickly shot up in
the viewing charts – and stayed there.
His name is Callan.
Now the cynical,
lonely Callan, brilliantly acted on television by Edward Woodward, is to appear
in a new medium.
His creator, author
James Mitchell, has written a series of Callan adventures for the Sunday
Express.
Like the Callan
stories which have gripped television viewers, they are packed with action and
suspense – and have an unexpected twist at the end.
The Sunday Express
Callan series is a must for all Callan’s TV viewers.
It is a must for all
who enjoy a tensely, tersely told story of suspense and mystery.
Watch for Callan next
week in the Sunday Express.
In 2014, editor Mike Ripley gathered over twenty
of James Mitchell’s never before collected short Callan stories – all of them originally
appearing in the Sunday Express over forty years earlier. Published as Callan Uncovered, the stories – along with
an early treatment for an
episode of Callan the television
series, the screenplay for an un-filmed episode, and an introduction by Peter
Mitchell – were an unexpected prize for Callan fans.
Believing there was still more forgotten Callan stories, editor Mike Ripley and
several other dedicated Callan fans continued sifting through microfilm and
moldering newsprint. Eventually, they uncovered a total of forty short stories.
They were also able to reconstruct James Mitchell’s scripts from two early
television episodes (Goodness Burns Too
Bright, 1967 and Blackmailers Should
Be Discouraged, 1969) for which no known recordings exist.
All of this invariably led to the recent publication of Callan Uncovered 2 chronicling the
beginnings of the Sunday Express’ Callan short stories from
1970. Written by Mitchell while he was still working on the TV series,
the stories avoid being formulaic yet still deliver emotional punches every bit
as bleak and brutal as the TV episodes.
I had a great time with both of these
collections and recommend them highly for both long time Callan devotes and new comers alike. British espionage fiction at
its most clinical and brutal.
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