Target (UK TV series)
| Target | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Action |
| Created by | Graham Williams |
| Written by |
Bob Baker Dave Martin David Wickes |
| Starring |
Patrick Mower Philip Madoc Brendan Price |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 17 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Philip Hinchcliffe |
| Location(s) | Southampton 13th Regional Crime Squad |
| Running time | 50 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC1 |
| Original release | 9 September 1977 – 10 November 1978 |
Target was a police drama series, which ran from 1977–78, on BBC1. The show was the BBC's response to ITV's successful series, The Sweeney.
Target was set in Southampton, as the 13th Regional Crime Squad. The series was originally developed under the title Hackett, by producer Graham Williams but he was asked to swap roles with the outgoing producer of Doctor Who, Philip Hinchcliffe, who retitled the show Target.
It starred Patrick Mower as Det. Supt. Steve Hackett, Brendan Price as Det. Sgt. Frank Bonney, Vivien Heilbron as Det. Sgt. Louise Colbert and Philip Madoc as Det. Chief Supt. Tate. Seventeen fifty-minute episodes were produced, over two series. The theme music was by Dudley Simpson.
At the time, the show was criticized for its level of violence. The BBC's Director General, Alasdair Milne, reportedly received 5,000 letters of complaint from Mary Whitehouse's League of Light. Its release also coincided with the publication of the Belson Report (Television violence and the adolescent boy). The first series was curtailed and the second series toned down the level of violence.
A third series was mooted, with Robert Banks Stewart taking over as producer. He spent two weeks in the producer's chair, during which he planned to change the supporting cast, reduce the violence and steer the show further away from The Sweeney. Banks Stewart wanted James Bolam as the new lead but Bolam preferred to do one final series of When the Boat Comes In first. Banks Stewart then claims he was asked by Graeme McDonald, the BBC's Head of Series and Serials, whether he would prefer to scrap Target altogether and produce a new series. He devised the private eye drama, Shoestring.
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