''Danger UXB'' is a 1979 British ITV television series set during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. It was developed by John Hawkesworth and starred

Anthony Andrews Anthony Colin Gerald Andrews (born 12 January 1948) is an English actor. He played Lord Sebastian Flyte in the ITV miniseries ''Brideshead Revisited'' (1981), for which he won Golden Globe and BAFTA television awards, and was nominated for ...

as Lieutenant Brian Ash, an officer in the

Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually called the Royal Engineers (RE), and commonly known as the ''Sappers'', is a corps of the British Army. It provides military engineering and other technical support to the British Armed Forces and is head ...

(RE). The series chronicles the exploits of the fictional 97 Tunnelling Company,The tunnelling companies of the Royal Engineers in World War I were numbered 170-185 and 250-258. Seven of them (170-173 and 178-180), were revived in 1939-1940, serving on Malta and Gibraltar, but not in bomb disposal. which has been made a

bomb disposal Bomb disposal is an explosives engineering profession using the process by which hazardous explosive devices are rendered safe. ''Bomb disposal'' is an all-encompassing term to describe the separate, but interrelated functions in the milit ...

unit, and specifically 347 Section of the company, to deal with the thousands of unexploded bombs ("UXBs") in London during

the Blitz The Blitz was a German bombing campaign against the United Kingdom in 1940 and 1941, during the Second World War. The term was first used by the British press and originated from the term , the German word meaning 'lightning war'. The Germa ...

. As with all his fellow officers, Ash must for the most part learn the techniques and procedures of disarming and destroying the UXBs through experience, repeatedly confronted with more cunning and deadlier technological advances in aerial bomb fuzing. The series primarily features military storylines, though among them is a romantic thread featuring an inventor's married daughter, Susan Mount (

Judy Geeson Judith Amanda Geeson (born 10 September 1948) is an English film, stage, and television actress. She began her career primarily working on British television series, with a leading role on '' The Newcomers'' from 1965 to 1967, before making he ...

), with whom Ash falls in love, and other human interest vignettes. The programme was partly based on ''Unexploded Bomb - The Story of Bomb Disposal'', the memoirs of Major A. B. Hartley, MBE, RE; its episodes were written by Hawkesworth and four screenwriters. The series was filmed in 1978 in and around the

Clapham Clapham () is a suburb in south west London, England, lying mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, but with some areas (most notably Clapham Common) extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. History Early history ...

Streatham Streatham ( ) is a district in south London, England. Centred south of Charing Cross, it lies mostly within the London Borough of Lambeth, with some parts extending into the neighbouring London Borough of Wandsworth. Streatham was in Surrey ...

and

Tooting Tooting is a district in South London, forming part of the London Borough of Wandsworth and partly in the London Borough of Merton. It is located south south-west of Charing Cross. History Tooting has been settled since pre-Saxon times. Th ...

areas of south London.Hartley (1958), p. 272 Lt. Col. E. E. Gooch, RE (AER), rtd. was the technical adviser. The programme appeared on the US PBS as a segment of ''

Masterpiece Theatre ''Masterpiece'' (formerly known as ''Masterpiece Theatre'') is a drama anthology television series produced by WGBH Boston. It premiered on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) on January 10, 1971. The series has presented numerous acclaimed Briti ...

'' from 4 January to 5 April 1981. It was also screened in Australia by the public broadcaster

ABC Television ABC Television most commonly refers to: *ABC Television Network of the American Broadcasting Company, United States, or *ABC Television (Australian TV network), a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Australia ABC Television or ABC ...

, and in New Zealand by

Television New Zealand , type = Crown entity , industry = Broadcast television , num_locations = New Zealand , location = Auckland, New Zealand , area_served = Nationally (New Zealand) and some Pacific Island nations such as the Cook Islands, Fiji, and the Solo ...

Cast

;347 Section, 97 Company *

as Lieutenant Brian Ash, section bomb disposal officer * Maurice Roëves as Sergeant James, section sergeant * Ken Kitson as Corporal Samuel Horrocks, a large but timid section NCO *

Kenneth Cranham Kenneth Cranham (born 12 December 1944) is a Scottish film, television, radio and stage actor. Early life Cranham was born in Dunfermline, Fife, the son of Lochgelly-born Margaret McKay Cranham (née Ferguson) and Ronald Cranham, a London-bor ...

as Lance Corporal Jack Salt, a married man anxious about the safety of his wife and children *

George Innes George Innes (born 8 March 1938) is a British actor. Stage career Innes was born in Stepney, East London, and began his career on the stage with the National Theatre of Great Britain under Laurence Olivier. Before that, he trained at Toynbee ...

Sapper A sapper, also called a pioneer or combat engineer, is a combatant or soldier who performs a variety of military engineering duties, such as breaching fortifications, demolitions, bridge-building, laying or clearing minefields, preparin ...

Jim Wilkins, section driver, a conniving petty thief and scrounger who avoids work as much as he can *Gordon Kane as Sapper Gordon Mulley, also Ash's

batman Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on March 30, 1939. I ...

. He falls in love with the landlady's daughter. *

Robert Pugh Robert Pugh (born 11 October 1950) is a Welsh actor, known for his many television appearances, including the role of Craster in the HBO series ''Game of Thrones''. Life and career Pugh was born in the Tynte, Mountain Ash and grew up in Cilf ...

as Sapper 'Tiny' Powell, a coarse and often bullying Welshman who plays the piano * Robert Longden as Sapper Copping, a religious and contemplative young man *

David Auker David Auker is a British film and television actor. Filmography Film *'' Unman, Wittering and Zigo'' (1971) .... Aggeridge *''Confessions of a Pop Performer'' (1975) .... Zombie (Kipper) *''Adventures of a Taxi Driver'' (1976) .... 2nd kidna ...

as Sapper Baines *Martin Neil as Private John Brinckley, a replacement from the

Non-Combatant Corps The Non-Combatant Corps (NCC) was a corps of the British Army composed of conscientious objectors as privates, with NCOs and officers seconded from other corps or regiments. Its members fulfilled various non-combatant roles in the army during the ...

later commissioned into the Royal Engineers as a bomb disposal officer * John Bowler as Sapper Scott, a replacement *Bryan Burdon as Sapper Binns, a replacement who in peacetime was a stage actor and comedian ;97 Company, Royal Engineers * Peter Cartwright as Major Luckhurst,

officer commanding The officer commanding (OC), also known as the officer in command or officer in charge (OiC), is the commander of a sub-unit or minor unit (smaller than battalion size), principally used in the United Kingdom and Commonwealth. In other countries, t ...

Ken Farrington Kenneth William Farrington (born 18 April 1936) is a retired English actor. He first came to fame playing the role of Billy Walker, wayward son of publican Annie, in ITV's long-running soap opera, '' Coronation Street''. Following a brief perio ...

as Captain 'Fannie' Francis, second-in-command (2IC) and later officer commanding * Royston Tickner as Lieutenant (later Captain) Hamish Leckie, company adjutant and Scottish veteran of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

Jeremy Sinden Jeremy Mahony Sinden (14 June 1950 – 29 May 1996) was an English actor who specialised in playing eccentric military men and overgrown schoolboys.Times Obituary 31 May 1996 Early life Sinden was born in London into a theatrical family; ...

as Lieutenant (later Major) Ivor Rodgers, Ash's good friend, later 2IC and officer commanding *Steven Grives as Lieutenant Ken Machin, a replacement bomb disposal officer *Osmund Bullock as Lieutenant (later Captain) Alan Pringle, section officer and later 2IC *

David Shaughnessy David Shaughnessy is an English actor, producer and director best known for his voice-work in '' Big Hero 6'', '' Big Hero 6: The Series'', ''Fallout 4'', ''Labyrinth'', ''Mass Effect'', ''Peter Pan and the Pirates'', ''Star Wars Rebels'', ''Th ...

as 2nd Lieutenant Tim Carter-Brown, section officer * Nick Brimble as Lieutenant Gresham, section officer and junior officer in the company *

Norman Chappell Norman Chappell (31 December 1925, Lucknow, India – 21 July 1983) was an English character actor, known for numerous roles in television and film. Biography Born in India, during the British Raj Chappell appeared mainly in television series as ...

as Corporal Mould, mess corporal, who is constantly teased by Ivor Rodgers ;Others *

Iain Cuthbertson Iain Cuthbertson (4 January 1930 – 4 September 2009) was a Scottish character actor and theatre director. He was known for his tall imposing build and also his distinctive gravelly, heavily accented voice. He had lead roles in ''The Border ...

as Doctor Gillespie, a boffin specialising in defeating German bomb fuses *

as Susan Mount, Gillespie's married daughter *

David Buck David Keith Rodney Buck (17 October 1933 – 27 January 1989) was an English actor. Buck was born in London, the son of Joseph Buck and Enid Marguerite (née Webb). He starred in many television productions from 1959 until 1989. One of his ea ...

as Stephen Mount, Susan's codebreaker husband * Moyra Fraser as Aunt Do-Do, Brian's surrogate mother *

Marjie Lawrence Marjie Lawrence (21 January 1932 – 16 June 2010) was an English theatre, film and television actress. She spoke the first words uttered on ITV. Early life Born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, Marjie undertook weekend acting classes from a ...

as Mrs Baker, landlady of Brian's billet * Deborah Watling as Norma, Mrs Baker's daughter and Sapper Mulley's paramour * David Wood as Lieutenant Roger Symes, 81 Company RE section officer * Christopher Good as Captain West, RE * Nick Tate as Lieutenant Chris Craik,

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

, a bomb disposal officer specialising in naval mines *

Tim Pigott-Smith Timothy Peter Pigott-Smith, (13 May 1946 – 7 April 2017) was an English film and television actor and author. He was best known for his leading role as Ronald Merrick in the television drama series '' The Jewel in the Crown'', for which he wo ...

as Harry Winthrop, Dr Gillespie's associate at Cambridge * Deborah Grant as Elspeth, Brian's paramour while stationed at Cambridge *Geraldine Gardner as Mickey, a cabaret dancer who is attracted to Lance Corporal Salt

Episodes

The series was first broadcast between 8 January and 2 April 1979 on Monday nights at 21:00.

Books

Hartley's book, a non-fiction memoir of technical information and anecdotes, provided some of the major story developments. ''Danger UXB'', a novel based on the series and written by Michael Booker, was published by

Pan Books Pan Books is a publishing imprint that first became active in the 1940s and is now part of the British-based Macmillan Publishers, owned by the Georg von Holtzbrinck Publishing Group of Germany. Pan Books began as an independent publisher, es ...

in 1978, and an annual was published by World Distributors in 1980. A non-fiction book titled ''Danger UXB'' by Melanie Jappy was published in 2001 by Macmillan. It was based on the two-part

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

documentary series ''Danger Unexploded Bomb'' (15-22 February 2001), rather than the drama series. However, many of the dramatic incidents shown in the series turn out to be based on actual cases. (For example, the incident with one bomb in a schoolyard and another in a garden that cost Ken Machin his life is covered on pages 78 and 79. The liquid-oxygen fire in "Dead Letter" while Ash was defusing the Type Y fuse is covered on pages 152 and 153. Chapter 8 covers the Grimsby Raid of June 13, 1943, which forms the basis for "Butterfly Winter" and includes the development of the string-and-pulley system for moving the SD2s about, the bombs in the bean field, and the inspiration for Sergeant James being blown off the stone wall and breaking his arm. And pages 187 and 188 recount the inspiration for "The Pier" and Brian Ash's serious injuries.)

Production

Many of the bomb-disposal scenes were filmed in what appeared to be deep, freshly dug holes lined with wooden shoring (the way real bomb disposal often happened). In fact, these scenes were shot using two different physical sets intercut: a short above-ground wooden fence that appeared to be the top of the shaft down to the bomb (but was not in fact excavated); and a 30-foot above-ground hollow wooden tower with a muddy area inside at the bottom (often shot from above, looking down). A side of the bottom was also removable to facilitate "bottom-of-shaft" close-ups.

Notes

;Footnotes ;Citations

References

* oclc 6456857. *Salmon, Gregor (2012). ''Navy Divers''. Sydney: Read How You Want Press. *Budiansky, Stephen (2010)
"The Horticulturalist Who Disarmed Bombs After the Blitz"
History Net.com from ''World War II'' magazine. * * .

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0078593

review 27 April 2013 by Mathew Kilburn, ''The St. James Evening Post'' ITV television dramas World War II television drama series 1979 British television series debuts 1979 British television series endings 1970s British drama television series British military television series Television shows produced by Thames Television English-language television shows Television series by Euston Films Fiction about bomb disposal