The Guardians (TV series)
| The Guardians | |
|---|---|
The Guardians title card
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| Genre | Science Fiction |
| Created by | Rex Firkin Vincent Tilsley |
| Written by |
John Bowen Jonathan Hales |
| Directed by |
Robert Tronson Derek Bailey |
| Starring |
Gwyneth Powell Cyril Luckham David Burke Derek Smith Edward Petherbridge |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Andrew Brown |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Production company(s) | London Weekend Television |
| Release | |
| Original release | 10 July – 2 October 1971 |
The Guardians is a television drama series of 13x60 minute episodes made by London Weekend Television and broadcast in the UK on the ITV network (with the exception of Northern Ireland) between 10 July 1971 and 2 October 1971.
The Guardians is a dystopian political thriller set in the 1980s. Following economic chaos, democratic government has been overthrown in a bloodless coup, the Royal Family have fled into self-imposed exile and the United Kingdom is ruled autocratically by Prime Minister Sir Timothy Hobson. Hobson is initially a pawn of 'the General': a military officer by the name of Roger, who later becomes Minister of Defence. Hobson subscribes to an outwardly benevolent paternalistic fascism, based on the principle that "democracy is a form of group suicide". Political opposition is suppressed by a uniformed paramilitary force recruited from former policemen, soldiers and security guards and called "The Guardians of the Realm" (known for short as "The Guardians" or simply "The Gs"). Each episode begins with a column of Guardians marching through central London to a memorable theme tune composed by Wilfred Josephs.
The government, nominally headed by Hobson, is opposed by a fragmented resistance movement collectively named "Quarmby". The dominant group within Quarmby favours a strategy of provoking increased oppression by the state through the use of assassination and other forms of terrorism. The series avoided black and white scenarios by portraying moderate and extreme factions jostling within both government and resistance. Hobson represents the liberal element within government, attempting to outmanoeuvre the seldom-seen General and the polished Cabinet Secretary Norman.
Edward Petherbridge, Derek Smith, John Collin, Cyril Luckham, Lynn Farleigh, David Burke, Gwyneth Powell, Robin Ellis
Original UK transmission dates are shown below.
The State of England
Broadcast: 10 July 1971
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