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The Secret Servant (Lyall Novel)
''The Secret Servant'' is a third person narrative novel by English author Gavin Lyall, first published in 1980, and the first of his series of novels with the character “Harry Maxim” as the protagonist. Plot introduction Former SAS Major Harry Maxim is assigned to Number 10 Downing Street as a special assistant to George Harbinger, private secretary to the Prime Minister, following the suicide of his predecessor with the British Secret Service. Maxim is assigned to protect Professor John White Tyler, Britain's premier military strategist on nuclear weapons policy and famed war hero (as well as an insatiable lecher). Tyler’s many enemies, including local pacifists, leftists, and radical students, as well as the KGB will do anything, perhaps even murder, to keep Tyler from addressing a NATO summit in Luxembourg. However, are various events surrounding Tyler related? Such as a hand grenade thrown through the door to the Prime Minister's residence, or the death of a Czech defe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gavin Lyall
Gavin Tudor Lyall (9 May 1932 – 18 January 2003) was an English author of espionage thrillers. Biography Lyall was born in Birmingham, then in Warwickshire (now West Midlands), England, as the son of a local accountant, and educated at King Edward's School, Birmingham. After completing his two years of National Service, 1951 to 1953, as a Pilot Officer in the Royal Air Force flying Gloster Meteors, he went to Pembroke College, Cambridge, graduating in 1956 with honours in English. While at Cambridge he wrote regularly for the undergraduate newspaper Varsity and also created a strip cartoon whose hero, "Olly", reflected student life and became a cult figure. He became editor of Varsity in 1956. After graduating he worked briefly as a reporter for the ''Birmingham Gazette'', ''Picture Post'' and '' Sunday Graphic'' newspapers and then as a film director for the BBC's ''Tonight'' programme. In 1958, he married the author Katharine Whitehorn, with whom he was to have two son ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
British Secret Service
The Secret Intelligence Service (SIS), commonly known as MI6 (Military Intelligence, Section 6), is the foreign intelligence service of the United Kingdom, tasked mainly with the covert overseas collection and analysis of human intelligence in support of the UK's national security. SIS is one of the British intelligence agencies and the Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service ("C") is directly accountable to the Foreign Secretary. Formed in 1909 as the foreign section of the Secret Service Bureau, the section grew greatly during the First World War officially adopting its current name around 1920. The name "MI6" (meaning Military Intelligence, Section 6) originated as a convenient label during the Second World War, when SIS was known by many names. It is still commonly used today. The existence of SIS was not officially acknowledged until 1994. That year the Intelligence Services Act 1994 (ISA) was introduced to Parliament, to place the organisation on a statutory footing f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dan O'Herlihy
Daniel Peter O'Herlihy (May 1, 1919 – February 17, 2005) was an Irish actor of film, television, and radio. With a distinguished appearance and rich, resonant speaking voice, O'Herlihy's best known-roles included his Oscar-nominated portrayal of the lead character in Luis Buñuel's ''Robinson Crusoe'' (1954), Brigadier General Warren A. Black in ''Fail Safe'' (1964), Marshal Ney in '' Waterloo'' (1970), Conal Cochran in '' Halloween III: Season of the Witch'' (1982), Grig in ''The Last Starfighter'' in (1984), "The Old Man" in ''RoboCop'' (1987) and its 1990 sequel, and Andrew Packard in the television series ''Twin Peaks'' (1990–91). Early life and education O'Herlihy was born in Wexford, County Wexford in 1919, but moved with his family to Dublin when he was young. He was educated at Christian Brothers College in Dún Laoghaire and later studied at University College Dublin, graduating in 1944 with a degree in architecture, following in his father's footsteps. He dev ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Harvey Ashby
Harvey, Harveys or Harvey's may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Harvey'' (play), a 1944 play by Mary Chase about a man befriended by an invisible anthropomorphic rabbit * Harvey Awards ("Harveys"), one of the most important awards in American comic industry, founded in 1988 * "Harvey", a song by Her's off the album ''Invitation to Her's'', 2018 Films * ''Harvey'' (1950 film), a 1950 film adapted from Mary Chase's play, starring James Stewart * ''Harvey'' (1996 film), a 1996 American made-for-television film * ''Harvey'' (Hallmark), a 1972 adaptation of Mary Chase's play for the ''Hallmark Hall of Fame'' Characters * Harvey (''Farscape''), a character in the TV show ''Farscape'' * Harvey, a crane engine in ''Thomas & Friends'' * Harvey Beaks, in the Nickelodeon animated series ''Harvey Beaks'' * Harvey Birdman, title character from the teen-adult animated series ''Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law'' * Harvey Dent, fictional District Attorney and supervillain (a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jill Meager
Jill Meager is an English actor, artist and painter. Career Meager studied modern languages at Trinity Hall, Cambridge. She worked for several years as an actor before training as a psychodynamic counsellor. She also worked as a stand-up comedian before studying fine art at the Putney School of Art and Design As an actor Meager has appeared in many roles on television and in film, including Lucy Eyelesbarrow in '' 4:50 from Paddington'', one of the BBC's adaptations of Miss Marple novels, in 1987. She played Katherine Chipping in the 1984 BBC adaption of the book ''Goodbye, Mr. Chips''. She played opposite Charles Dance in the BBC spy thriller ''The Secret Servant'' by Gavin Lyall. She had a role in the "unofficial" James Bond film ''Never Say Never Again'' in 1983, and starred opposite Alan Bates and Lambert Wilson in the feature film ''Sins of a Father'' based on a Graham Swift novel. Her other television appearances include ''Taggart'', '' Bergerac'' and '' Hannay''. As an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Charles Dance
Walter Charles Dance (born 10 October 1946) is an English actor. He is known for playing strict, authoritarian characters and villains. His most notable film roles include Sardo Numspa in ''The Golden Child'' (1986), Dr. Jonathan Clemens in ''Alien 3'' (1992), Benedict in ''Last Action Hero'' (1993), Lord Havelock Vetinari in ''Terry Pratchett's Going Postal'' (2010), the Master Vampire in ''Dracula Untold'' (2014), Alastair Denniston in ''The Imitation Game'' (2014), Alan Jonah in '' Godzilla: King of the Monsters'' (2019), and William Randolph Hearst in '' Mank'' (2020). On television, Dance played Guy Perron in '' The Jewel in the Crown'' (1984), Mr Tulkinghorn in Bleak House (2005), Tywin Lannister in '' Game of Thrones'' (2011–2015), and Lord Mountbatten in the third and fourth seasons of ''The Crown'' (2019–2020). For his role in the latter, he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. Early life Walter Charles Dance w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Brian Clemens
Brian Horace Clemens (30 July 1931 – 10 January 2015) was an English screenwriter and television producer, possibly best known for his work on '' The Avengers'' and '' The Professionals''. Clemens claimed to be related to Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens), a fact reflected in the naming of his two sons, Samuel Joshua Twain Clemens and George Langhorne Clemens. Early life Clemens was born in Croydon, Surrey, to Suzanna (née O'Grady) and Albert, an engineer, who also worked in music halls. He left school aged 14. Following national service in the British Army at Aldershot, where he was a weapons training instructor in the Royal Army Ordnance Corps, Clemens wanted to be a journalist but decided he did not have any qualifications. He was offered a job with a private detective agency, but this involved taking a training course in the city of Leeds and, as he had been away from home in London for two years, he decided he did not want to go away again. Instead, he worked his ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alistair Reid
Alistair is a masculine given name. It is an Anglicised form of the Scottish Gaelic ''Alasdair''. The latter is most likely a Scottish Gaelic variant of the Norman French Alexandre or Latin Alexander, which was incorporated into English in the same form as Alexander. The deepest etymology is the Greek Ἀλέξανδρος (man-repeller): ἀλέξω (repel) + ἀνήρ (man), "the one who repels men", a warrior name. Another, not nearly so common, Anglicization of ''Alasdair'' is ''Allaster''. Hanks; Hardcastle; Hodges (2006) p. 399. People Alastair * Alastair, 2nd Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (1914–1943), a great-grandson of Queen Victoria * Alastair Bray, Australian footballer * Alastair Aiken, British YouTuber * Alastair Campbell, Tony Blair's former director of communications * Alastair Clarkson, head coach of Hawthorn Football Club * Alastair Cook, English cricketer * Alastair Fothergill, British film producer, best known for BBC nature documentaries * Alastair Gilles ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
TV Series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed between shows. Television shows are most often scheduled for broadcast well ahead of time and appear on electronic guides or other TV listings, but streaming services often make them available for viewing anytime. The content in a television show can be produced with different methodologies such as taped variety shows emanating from a television studio stage, animation or a variety of film productions ranging from movies to series. Shows not produced on a television studio stage are usually contracted or licensed to be made by appropriate production companies. Television shows can be viewed live (real time), be recorded on home video, a digital video recorder for later viewing, be viewed on demand via a set-top box, or streamed over the i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pilot Episode
A television pilot (also known as a pilot or a pilot episode and sometimes marketed as a tele-movie), in United States television, is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell a show to a television network or other distributor. A pilot is created to be a testing ground to gauge whether a series will be successful. It is, therefore, a test episode for the intended television series, an early step in the series development, much like pilot studies serve as precursors to the start of larger activity. A successful pilot may be used as the series premiere, the first aired episode of a new show, but sometimes a series' pilot may be aired as a later episode or never aired at all. Some series are commissioned straight-to-series without a pilot. On some occasions, pilots that were not ordered to series may also be broadcast as a standalone television film or special. A "backdoor pilot" is an episode of an existing series that heavily features supporting characters ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hand Grenade
A grenade is an explosive weapon typically thrown by hand (also called hand grenade), but can also refer to a shell (explosive projectile) shot from the muzzle of a rifle (as a rifle grenade) or a grenade launcher. A modern hand grenade generally consists of an explosive charge ("filler"), a detonator mechanism, an internal striker to trigger the detonator, and a safety lever secured by a cotter pin. The user removes the safety pin before throwing, and once the grenade leaves the hand the safety lever gets released, allowing the striker to trigger a primer that ignites a fuze (sometimes called the delay element), which burns down to the detonator and explodes the main charge. Grenades work by dispersing fragments (fragmentation grenades), shockwaves (high-explosive, anti-tank and stun grenades), chemical aerosols (smoke and gas grenades) or fire ( incendiary grenades). Fragmentation grenades ("frags") are probably the most common in modern armies, and when the word ''gre ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Luxembourg
Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small landlocked country in Western Europe. It borders Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France to the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembourg, is one of the four institutional seats of the European Union (together with Brussels, Frankfurt, and Strasbourg) and the seat of several EU institutions, notably the Court of Justice of the European Union, the highest judicial authority. Luxembourg's culture, people, and languages are highly intertwined with its French and German neighbors; while Luxembourgish is legally the only national language of the Luxembourgish people, French and German are also used in administrative and judicial matters and all three are considered administrative languages of the cou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
