Sad to relate, Edward Woodward has died, aged 79. Like most of my peers (born in the 50s, like) I first encountered him in the series, Callan, where he played the eponymous, hard-bitten intelligence agent. For me, though, his most outstanding role was that of Jim Kyle, dissident journalist in the BBC series, 1990, which depicted a bleak, recession-clobbered Britain ruled over by a authoritarian government. The mailed fist of this government was the PCD, the Public Control Department, who were given carte blanche to use any jackbooted method to cow the population (including torture, brainwashing, and all manner of Gestapo-like techniques). It was practically a premonition of America’s descent into the National Security State (not to mention whats taken place in the UK under Thatcher and Blair).
In retrospect, and in the context of subsequent governments, 1990’s prescience has proved unsettlingly accurate. If it were screened today it might be somewhat incendiary (or it might just look naff). What is certain is that, beyond a brief release on VHS, the BBC has never put it out on DVD. Wonder why?
Filed under: history, Politics | Tagged: 1990, callan, edward woodward, jim jyle, the breaker | 2 Comments »
INTERSTELLAR TACTICS 
