Watch The Sandbaggers

The Sandbaggers is a British spy drama that originally aired from 1978 to 1980. It stars Roy Marsden as Neil Burnside, the head of the Sandbaggers, a covert unit within MI6 tasked with handling dangerous and sensitive missions. Ray Lonnen co-stars as Willie Caine, the gritty and experienced field agent who often finds himself in the thick of things.

The show is known for its realistic portrayal of the world of espionage, eschewing the gadgets and glamour often associated with the genre in favor of a more grounded and gritty approach. It's also notable for its focus on the bureaucracy and politics of the intelligence community, with Burnside often coming up against superiors who are more concerned with preserving their positions than with making the right choices for the sake of national security.

Each episode of the series finds the Sandbaggers embroiled in a new mission, ranging from preventing an assassination attempt on a foreign leader to attempting to extract a valuable asset from behind enemy lines. These missions are often fraught with danger, and the team is forced to improvise and adapt to changing circumstances in order to succeed.

But what sets The Sandbaggers apart is its emphasis on character and relationships. Burnside is a complex and often unlikable character, ruthless in pursuit of his objectives and willing to make difficult moral compromises for the good of his country. Caine, by contrast, is more of a classic hero figure, fiercely loyal to his team and unafraid to challenge Burnside when he feels that he's in the wrong.

Along the way, the series explores the toll that the world of espionage takes on the psyche of those who operate within it. Burnside in particular is a man who has seen too much and is haunted by the choices he's made in order to protect his country. He's a tragic figure in many ways, tormented by his own sense of duty and the knowledge that nothing he does will ever truly make the world a safer place.

Despite its focus on the dark side of intelligence work, The Sandbaggers is also a show with a strong sense of humor and wit. The banter between Burnside and his colleagues is a highlight of the series, as they trade barbs and jabs in the face of danger and adversity. And while the missions are often deadly serious, the show never loses sight of the fact that these are people trying to do a difficult job, often with limited resources and imperfect information.

Overall, The Sandbaggers is a tense and engrossing spy drama that still holds up today. It may lack the flashy gadgets and action set pieces of more modern TV shows, but it more than makes up for it with its complex characters, intelligent writing, and sharp wit. Fans of the genre owe it to themselves to give this overlooked gem a watch.

The Sandbaggers is a series that ran for 3 seasons (20 episodes) between and on BritBox