Man of the World was an ATV drama series, distributed by ITC Entertainment. The show ran in the United Kingdom in 1962 and 1963 for 20 one-hour episodes in monochrome.
| Man of the World | |
|---|---|
 Titlecard of the pilot episode, which was filmed in colour. | |
| Created by | Leslie Harris |
| Starring | Craig Stevens Tracy Reed |
| Theme music composer | Henry Mancini |
| Composers | Ivor Slaney Edwin Astley |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 20 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Leslie Harris |
| Producer | Harry Fine |
| Cinematography | Brendan J. Stafford Walter J. Harvey |
| Running time | 49 min. |
| Production company | ATV |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITV |
| Release | 29 September 1962 – 22 June 1963 |
| Related | |
| The Sentimental Agent | |
Plot edit
The series stars Craig Stevens as Michael Strait, a world-renowned photographer whose assignments lead him into investigating mysterious goings-on amongst the rich and glamorous and intrigue from far-flung places as Iraq, French Indo-China and Algiers. Tracy Reed co-stars in the first series.
Cast edit
Main cast edit
- Craig Stevens as Michael Strait
- Tracy Reed as Maggie MacFarlane (Series 1)
Guest cast edit
- Alfred Burke, Shirley Eaton, Burt Kwouk, Anthony Quayle, Warren Mitchell, Leela Naidu, Eric Pohlmann, Donald Sutherland, Carlos Thompson, Patrick Troughton, Sam Wanamaker, Patrick Wymark.
Production edit
Music edit
The series' theme music was by Henry Mancini, with incidental music under the control of Ivor Slaney using many musical cues of Edwin Astley.[1]
Episodes edit
Airdate[2] is for ATV London. ITV[3] regions varied date and order.
Production number here refers to the order of the Network DVD.[4]
Series one edit
Filmed on location and at Shepperton Studios
| Episode # | Prod # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 102 | "Death of a Conference" | David Greene | Tudor Gates and Robert E. Thompson | 29 September 1962 | |
| When an Algerian revolutionary is assassinated at peace talks which Mike Strait is covering, he is plunged into mystery involving French nationalists and Algerian separatists. Stars Warren Mitchell, Patrick Troughton, John Carson, Gerald Flood, Zena Marshall and Alan Rowe. | ||||||
| 2 | 101 | "Masquerade in Spain" | David Greene | Lindsay Hardy | 6 October 1962 | |
| Strait is assigned to take pictures of one of the richest women in the world, but he and the woman are kidnapped. Stars Graham Starke, Clifford Evans, Noel Coleman, George Coulouris and George Pastell. Pilot episode filmed in colour. | ||||||
| 3 | 104 | "Blaze of Glory" | Harry Booth | John Roddick | 13 October 1962 | |
| Tony Gardner, an ace racing driver, refuses to accept that his eyesight is failing, putting his and other drivers' lives at risk, and Strait investigates a minor road accident he had the year before. Stars Graham Starke, Patricia Donahue, Peter Dyneley, Eric Pohlmann, Jane Merrow and Martin Miller. | ||||||
| 4 | 103 | "The Runaways" | Charles Crichton | Michael Pertwee | 20 October 1962 | |
| An impressionable young heiress, Joanne, falls in love with a penniless conman, leading to disaster when Mike Strait decides to break them up with unexpected consequences for himself. Stars Noel Harrison, Erica Rogers and Renée Houston. | ||||||
| 5 | 106 | "The Frontier" | Anthony Bushell | Lindsay Galloway | 27 October 1962 | |
| On the Indo-China border Strait on assignment discovers Chinese soldiers occupying an Indian village while building a road. Strait with the help of a beautiful Indian doctor trick the Chinese into leaving but when their ruse fails the doctor makes a dramatic sacrifice to save the threatened village. Stars Leela Naidu, Gary Raymond, Peter Arne, Alfred Burke, Burt Kwouk and George Little. | ||||||
| 6 | 108 | "The Sentimental Agent" | Charles Frend | Jack Davies | 3 November 1962 | |
| In Havana, Cuba, Strait is jailed for taking pictures in a restricted area and a charming rogue comes to his aid. Stars Carlos Thompson, Shirley Eaton, Peter Jones, John Hollis, Cyril Shaps and Steve Plytas. Spin-off series The Sentimental Agent. | ||||||
| 7 | 105 | "The Highland Story" | Charles Frend | Lindsay Galloway | 10 November 1962 | |
| Assigned to report on the Scottish clan system Strait finds the residents of a village not very forthcoming when the protection of the clan includes killers from Australia. Stars Finlay Currie, John Laurie, Noelle Middleton, Ray Barrett, Kenneth Watson, Andrew Downie and Patsy Smart. | ||||||
| 8 | 107 | "The Nature of Justice" | Harry Booth | Tudor Gates | 17 November 1962 | |
| Strait is assigned to cover a story in Iraq about a famous archaeologist who allows greed to compromise his principles over the discovery of an ancient stone tablet. Stars Robert Flemyng, Bernard Archard, Ewen Solon, Jacqueline Ellis, Michael Mellinger and Glenn Beck. | ||||||
| 9 | 109 | "The Mindreader" | Anthony Bushell | Wilton Schiller and Robert E. Thompson | 24 November 1962 | |
| A girl's ability to read minds threatens her health and a normal life unless Strait uncovers if she is a fraud or there is a scientific explanation. Stars Juliet Mills, Moira Redmond, Patrick Wymark, Jack Watson, Leslie French and Alec Ross. | ||||||
| 10 | 111 | "Portrait of a Girl" | Charles Crichton | Michael Pertwee | 1 December 1962 | |
| Strait meets Joanne again and finds himself involved in a fraud to extract money from her father by selling a fake painting by Thomas Gainsborough. Stars Erica Rogers, Colin Gordon, Michael Goodliffe, Bessie Love, Neil McCarthy and John Glyn-Jones with an uncredited appearance by Donald Sutherland. | ||||||
| 11 | 110 | "Specialist for the Kill" | Jeremy Summers | Lindsay Hardy | 8 December 1962 | |
| The CIA employs Strait to photograph passengers arriving on a plane in West Germany to identify a unique assassin intent on killing the East German president who is making a visit to the American sector. Stars Derren Nesbitt, Paul Maxwell, Kenny Baker, George Pravda, Oscar Quitak and Gábor Baraker. | ||||||
| 12 | 112 | "A Family Affair" | Anthony Bushell | Norman Borisoff and Robert E. Thompson | 15 December 1962 | |
| In Paris for a fashion shoot Strait is caught up in an explosion and when his film of the devastation is confiscated by a bogus policeman Strait becomes involved in the supposed death of a dangerous OAS fanatic. Stars Lisa Page, Richard Warner, Eugene Deckers, Paul Whitsun-Jones, Alan Gifford, Keith Pyott and Richard Leech. | ||||||
| 13 | 113 | "Shadow of the Wall" | Harry Booth | Ian Stuart Black | 22 December 1962 | |
| Strait goes to West Berlin for a photo shoot and stumbles into a spy plot where his friend, with a young English wife, has been arrested for passing secrets to the east with evidence provided by Strait. Stars Paul Maxwell, Suzanne Neve, Joseph Furst, Charles Lloyd-Pack, Sheila Raynor and Steven Scott | ||||||
Series two edit
| Episode# | Prod # | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 114 | "The Bandit" | Charles Crichton | John Pudney and Ian Stuart Black | 11 May 1963 | |
| While photographing a Greek temple in Sicily, Strait becomes involved with a charismatic bandit who has kidnapped a tempestuous actress. Strait has to play cards with the bandit to save his and the girl's life. Stars Sam Wanamaker, Natasha Parry, John Woodvine, Robert Rietti, Gertan Klauber and Nigel Hawthorne. | ||||||
| 2 | 115 | "The Enemy" | John Llewellyn Moxey | Julian Bond | 18 May 1963 | |
| Strait, on assignment in Vietnam, is ambushed and is treated at a mission run by an Italian doctor who has rejected western values. Communist troops take over the mission and put the doctor on trial for allowing freedoms of thought and Christian beliefs. Sentenced to death, Strait is given help from a surprising quarter to free the doctor. Stars Anthony Quayle, John Meillon, Tsai Chin, and John Hollis. | ||||||
| 3 | 117 | "Double Exposure" | Jeremy Summers | Jack Davies | 25 May 1963 | |
| The CIA asks Strait to go undercover as the chauffeur of an eccentric old lady and go behind the Iron Curtain on her annual holiday to take the waters. The aim is to photograph a general who the CIA believes has died and been replaced by a double. Stars Nigel Davenport, Cicely Courtneidge, Brian Wright, Erika Remberg and John Tate. | ||||||
| 4 | 116 | "Jungle Mission" | Harry Booth | Lindsay Galloway | 1 June 1963 | |
| Strait flies to the Amazon jungle in search of a story about a rebel leader and encounters an order of nuns trying to establish a mission in the face of opposition from the local headhunting natives. Stars Paul Maxwell, Alexander Davion, Noelle Middleton, Alan Rowe, Kenneth Farrington and Isobel Black. | ||||||
| 5 | 118 | "In the Picture" | John Llewellyn Moxey | Brian Clemens | 8 June 1963 | |
| An exhibition of Strait's photographs reveals the existence of a secret plot to assassinate a European president and leads the plotters to destroy the exhibition and negatives, always one step ahead of Strait. Stars Wensley Pithey, Albert Lieven, Nadja Regin, Maurice Kaufmann, Bartlett Mullins, André Maranne and Peter Madden. | ||||||
| 6 | 119 | "The Bullfighter" | Harry Booth | Marc Brandel | 15 June 1963 | |
| Photographing a young bullfighter, Strait finds someone is prepared to go to any lengths to stop the young man becoming famous as he follows in his father's footsteps. Stars Ferdy Mayne, Marla Landi, Joseph Cuby, Eileen Way, John Bailey and Michael Peake. | ||||||
| 7 | 120 | "The Prince" | Charles Crichton | Arthur Berlin | 22 June 1963 | |
| In Loscha, a small country between Burma and China, Strait becomes involved in establishing the identity of a 12-year-old boy who may be a prince, in order to avert a revolution. Stars Geoffrey Keen, Michael Sirr, Larry Cross and Robert Arden. | ||||||
References edit
- ^ "Ted Astley" (PDF). danger man. ITC. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
January 20, 2009 Edwin Thomas "Ted" Astley
- ^ Dates from ITC Episode guide issued with the Network DVD
- ^ History of ITV
- ^ "Man of the World: The Complete Series". Network DVD. Archived from the original on 3 October 2011. Retrieved 18 July 2023.
This five-disc set contains all 20 episodes in production order
