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Dick Turpin (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Dick Turpin is a British television
drama series starring Richard O'Sullivan and Michael Deeks. It was created by Richard Carpenter, Paul Knight and Sydney Cole and written by Richard Carpenter, John Kane
, Charles Crichton
and Paul Wheeler, it was made by Gatetarn, Seacastle productions in-association with London Weekend Television
between 1978 and 1980. 26 half hour episodes and one feature length episode were filmed on location at Maidenhead
in Berkshire
, England
.
The series is loosely based on the adventures of the real 18th century highwayman
Dick Turpin
.
. After Dick Turpin, the son of a farmer, returns to England after three years from military service in the Mediterranean, he discovers that he and his parents have been cheated out of their farm and his inheritance by the unscrupulous Sir John Glutton, and that consequently his parents have died of starvation. Turpin, who is now bitter and poor, becomes a Highwayman
.
Cleverly, Richard Carpenter has the series take place after the real life Dick Turpin
has been hanged in 1739; the series is set between 1739 and 1740, leaving his fictional TV incarnation to be an anarchic freedom fighter who has been badly ripped off by the establishment and suffered the tragic loss of his parents, a good moral starting point. This also meant the writers did not have to use any events from Turpin's real life in the series.
The TV story begins after the presumed death by hanging of Dick Turpin at York. It is made clear at the beginning of the series that the man who was hanged merely claimed the famous name. Captain Nathan Spiker, working for Sir John Glutton, threatens to evict Mary Smith and her son Nick from their inn 'The Black Swan' if they do not hand over 20 pounds. Meanwhile, the real Dick Turpin, while disguised as a doctor, is accosted by a highwayman who claims to be Dick Turpin himself. The real Dick Turpin humorously, as it turns out, says “I thought you were dead.” He then outwits the fake and reveals himself to be the real Turpin. The fake turns out to be Nick Smith, trying to get the money to pay Spiker. Dick lends him and Mary, an old acquaintance of Dick's, the money. However, a mix-up occurs when Turpin steals the money back from Sir John and Nick has to be saved from Glutton's Dungeon by Dick. This makes Nick an outlaw and Turpin takes him under his wing, giving him the name "Swiftnick".
The series (26 episodes) was screened on East German channel DDR1 (series 1:May–August 1980) & (Series 2:March–June 1981) with repeats of both series in 1983, French channel Antenne 2 screened all 26 episodes in the youth programme Recre A2 under the title Dick le Rebelle (a late afternoon slot) between (11/12/81 & 11/06/82) series 1 repeated (15/06/83-21/09/83),series 2 (18/09/85-11/12/85), Austrian channel ORF1
screened the series in 1982 & 1983, West German channel RTL
Plus screened the series in 1985 and 1987/88. In May 1987 new French channel Canal+ screened 'new episodes' the five part version of Dick Turpin's Greatest Adventure on their encrypted service. Germany's WEST 3 screened the series in 1990/91 and Tele 5
in (1992). The last German repeats:ARD
(tv film) in October 1993 and DFI western movies (pay Tv) in 1998. The series has not been repeated in the UK.
with:
Dick Turpin's Greatest Adventure (only);
Dick Turpin Series 1 , Series 2 were released on DVD by Network in Region 0 in (2003) and (2004) and 'Dick Turpin's Greatest Adventure' (5 part version)(note:the end credits of part 5 are from the original feature version and list the full cast) was released on DVD in Region 2 in 2005 and a box set of the complete series was released in 2008 in Region 2, by Network. Network in association with Soulmedia have also released the series on DVD for the Dutch/Netherlands market(2007–2009) in English with subtitles in Danish, Swedish and Norwegian.
Dick Turpin Series 1 has been released on DVD in France (January 26) 2009 under the title Dick Le Rebelle, by RV Films. It has both French and English soundtracks, original series presentation, a history of the series on French tv and clips from Recre A2 the youth programme the series originally formed part of when broadcast in France. Series 2 released 26 April 2010, this features a censored version of 'The Hanging' as originally screened in France and the uncut version.
Koch Media have released series 1 on DVD, a Remastered collectors edition titled: 'Die Abenteuer des Dick Turpin' in Germany (September 4) 2010, a 3 Disc set featuring German and English soundtracks.
.
British television
Public television broadcasting started in the United Kingdom in 1936, and now has a collection of free and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, through which there are over 480 channelsTaking the base Sky EPG TV Channels. A breakdown is impossible due to a) the number of...
drama series starring Richard O'Sullivan and Michael Deeks. It was created by Richard Carpenter, Paul Knight and Sydney Cole and written by Richard Carpenter, John Kane
John Kane
John Kane was an American painter celebrated for his skill in Naïve art.He was the first self-taught American painter in the 20th century to be recognized by a museum...
, Charles Crichton
Charles Crichton
Charles Crichton was an English film director and film editor. He became best known for directing comedies produced at Ealing Studios...
and Paul Wheeler, it was made by Gatetarn, Seacastle productions in-association with London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television
London Weekend Television was the name of the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties including south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire, Warwickshire, east Dorset and...
between 1978 and 1980. 26 half hour episodes and one feature length episode were filmed on location at Maidenhead
Maidenhead
Maidenhead is a town and unparished area within the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, in Berkshire, England. It lies on the River Thames and is situated west of Charing Cross in London.-History:...
in Berkshire
Berkshire
Berkshire is a historic county in the South of England. It is also often referred to as the Royal County of Berkshire because of the presence of the royal residence of Windsor Castle in the county; this usage, which dates to the 19th century at least, was recognised by the Queen in 1957, and...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
The series is loosely based on the adventures of the real 18th century highwayman
Highwayman
A highwayman was a thief and brigand who preyed on travellers. This type of outlaw, usually, travelled and robbed by horse, as compared to a footpad who traveled and robbed on foot. Mounted robbers were widely considered to be socially superior to footpads...
Dick Turpin
Dick Turpin
Richard "Dick" Turpin was an English highwayman whose exploits were romanticised following his execution in York for horse theft. Turpin may have followed his father's profession as a butcher early in life, but by the early 1730s he had joined a gang of deer thieves, and later became a poacher,...
.
Synopsis
The series takes place in 18th century EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. After Dick Turpin, the son of a farmer, returns to England after three years from military service in the Mediterranean, he discovers that he and his parents have been cheated out of their farm and his inheritance by the unscrupulous Sir John Glutton, and that consequently his parents have died of starvation. Turpin, who is now bitter and poor, becomes a Highwayman
Highwayman
A highwayman was a thief and brigand who preyed on travellers. This type of outlaw, usually, travelled and robbed by horse, as compared to a footpad who traveled and robbed on foot. Mounted robbers were widely considered to be socially superior to footpads...
.
Cleverly, Richard Carpenter has the series take place after the real life Dick Turpin
Dick Turpin
Richard "Dick" Turpin was an English highwayman whose exploits were romanticised following his execution in York for horse theft. Turpin may have followed his father's profession as a butcher early in life, but by the early 1730s he had joined a gang of deer thieves, and later became a poacher,...
has been hanged in 1739; the series is set between 1739 and 1740, leaving his fictional TV incarnation to be an anarchic freedom fighter who has been badly ripped off by the establishment and suffered the tragic loss of his parents, a good moral starting point. This also meant the writers did not have to use any events from Turpin's real life in the series.
The TV story begins after the presumed death by hanging of Dick Turpin at York. It is made clear at the beginning of the series that the man who was hanged merely claimed the famous name. Captain Nathan Spiker, working for Sir John Glutton, threatens to evict Mary Smith and her son Nick from their inn 'The Black Swan' if they do not hand over 20 pounds. Meanwhile, the real Dick Turpin, while disguised as a doctor, is accosted by a highwayman who claims to be Dick Turpin himself. The real Dick Turpin humorously, as it turns out, says “I thought you were dead.” He then outwits the fake and reveals himself to be the real Turpin. The fake turns out to be Nick Smith, trying to get the money to pay Spiker. Dick lends him and Mary, an old acquaintance of Dick's, the money. However, a mix-up occurs when Turpin steals the money back from Sir John and Nick has to be saved from Glutton's Dungeon by Dick. This makes Nick an outlaw and Turpin takes him under his wing, giving him the name "Swiftnick".
Broadcast
There were two series both of 13 episodes made by Gatetarn, Seacastle productions for LWT and a feature length episode made in-association with RKO pictures in the US called Dick Turpin's Greatest Adventure which was shown in US cinemas. In the UK Series 1 was screeened as 13 episodes in 1979, the 1st 7 episodes of series two were shown in 1980, the remaining 6 episodes were shown in 1982 after a five part version of Dick Turpin's Greatest Adventure was shown in 1981, making 4 series on transmission.The series (26 episodes) was screened on East German channel DDR1 (series 1:May–August 1980) & (Series 2:March–June 1981) with repeats of both series in 1983, French channel Antenne 2 screened all 26 episodes in the youth programme Recre A2 under the title Dick le Rebelle (a late afternoon slot) between (11/12/81 & 11/06/82) series 1 repeated (15/06/83-21/09/83),series 2 (18/09/85-11/12/85), Austrian channel ORF1
ORF1
ORF eins is an Austrian television channel. It was the first television channel in Austria, started in 1955.ORF eins is one of four public TV channels in Austria. ORF eins broadcasts TV series and featured films, whereas ORF2 focuses on cultural programming and information. ORF Sport Plus is the...
screened the series in 1982 & 1983, West German channel RTL
RTL Television
Rtl.de' redirects here. For other uses, see RTL.RTL Television , or simply RTL, is a German commercial television station distributed via cable and satellite along with DVB-T , in larger population centres...
Plus screened the series in 1985 and 1987/88. In May 1987 new French channel Canal+ screened 'new episodes' the five part version of Dick Turpin's Greatest Adventure on their encrypted service. Germany's WEST 3 screened the series in 1990/91 and Tele 5
Tele 5
Tele 5 is a commercial television channel in Germany. The channel is largely known for showing classic American films and series, Japanese Anime and Shows.Tele 5 broadcasts from the Astra 1H, 1M, and 3A satellites and is uplinked by ASTRA Platform Services....
in (1992). The last German repeats:ARD
ARD (broadcaster)
ARD is a joint organization of Germany's regional public-service broadcasters...
(tv film) in October 1993 and DFI western movies (pay Tv) in 1998. The series has not been repeated in the UK.
Cast
- Richard O'Sullivan — Dick Turpin
- Michael Deeks — Swiftnick
- Christopher Benjamin — Sir John Glutton
- David DakerDavid DakerDavid Daker is an English actor.His is best known for his role as Harry Crawford in the hit series Boon. He also played PC Owen Culshaw in Z-Cars, Jarvis in Porridge, Captain Nathan Spiker in Dick Turpin....
— Captain Nathan Spiker
with:
- Alfie BassAlfie BassAlfred Bass was an English actor. He was born in Bethnal Green, London, the youngest in a Jewish family with ten children; their parents had fled persecution in Russia...
— Isaac Rag - Joan RhodesJoan RhodesJoan Rhodes was a London-born British performer, wrestler, stuntwoman and strongwoman. Born into poverty in London, she and her siblings were deserted by their parents. Following unhappy spells in the workhouse and with an aunt, she left home at 14...
— Big Nell - Keith James — Davy
- Annabelle Lee — Poll Maggot (series 2)
- Jo RowbottomJo RowbottomJo Rowbottom is a British character actress, best known for guest roles in numerous British TV series, and as James Beck's wife in Romany Jones.-Selected television credits:*Dixon of Dock Green*Z-Cars*The Baron*Mogul...
— Mary Smith
Dick Turpin's Greatest Adventure (only);
- Mary CrosbyMary CrosbyMary Frances Crosby is an American actress. She is most often credited as simply Mary Crosby for her performances.-Early life:...
— Jane Harding - Oliver TobiasOliver TobiasOliver Tobias is a UK-based film, stage, and television actor and directorBorn Oliver Tobias Freitag in Zürich, Switzerland, he is the son of Austrian-Swiss actor Robert Freitag and German actress Maria Becker. He came to the United Kingdom at the age of eight and trained at East 15 Acting School,...
— Noll Bridger - Patrick MacneePatrick MacneePatrick Macnee is an English actor, best known for his role as the secret agent John Steed in the series The Avengers.-Early life:...
— Lord James Melford - Susan HampshireSusan HampshireSusan Hampshire, Lady Kulukundis, OBE is an English actress, best-known for her many television and film roles.-Early life:Susan Hampshire was born in Kensington, London, the youngest of four children. She had two sisters and one brother...
— Lady Melford - Patrick RyecartPatrick RyecartPatrick Geoffrey Ryecart is an English actor.Ryecart was born in Leamington Spa. He has predominantly acted on British television shows since the mid-seventies including Lillie, Romeo and Juliet, The Professionals, Minder, Rumpole of the Bailey, Lovejoy, Coming Home, and Holby City...
— Fytton - Wilfred Hyde-White — Governor Sir Basil Appleyard
- Donald PleasenceDonald PleasenceSir Donald Henry Pleasence, OBE, was a British actor who gained more than 200 screen credits during a career which spanned over four decades...
— Ignatius Slake
Season one
| # | Episode Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swiftnick | January 6, 1979 |
| 2 | The Capture | January 13, 1979 |
| 3 | The Champion | January 20, 1979 |
| 4 | The Poacher | January 27, 1979 |
| 5 | The Pursuit | February 3, 1979 |
| 6 | The Blacksmith | February 10, 1979 |
| 7 | The Impostor | February 17, 1979 |
| 8 | The Upright Man | February 24, 1979 |
| 9 | The Whipping Boy | March 3, 1979 |
| 10 | The Hero | March 10, 1979 |
| 11 | The Turncoat | March 17, 1979 |
| 12 | The Hostages | March 24, 1979 |
| 13 | The Jail-Birds | March 31, 1979 |
Season two
| # | Episode Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Fox: Part 1 | February 16, 1980 |
| 2 | The Fox: Part 2 | February 23, 1980 |
| 3 | Blood Money | March 1, 1980 |
| 4 | Deadlier Than the Male | March 8, 1980 |
| 5 | The Elixir of Life | March 15, 1980 |
| 6 | The Thief-Taker | March 22, 1980 |
| 7 | The Judge | March 29, 1980 |
Season three
| # | Episode Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dick Turpin's Greatest Adventure: Part 1 | May 16, 1981 |
| 2 | Dick Turpin's Greatest Adventure: Part 2 | May 23, 1981 |
| 3 | Dick Turpin's Greatest Adventure: Part 3 | May 30, 1981 |
| 4 | Dick Turpin's Greatest Adventure: Part 4 | June 6, 1981 |
| 5 | Dick Turpin's Greatest Adventure: Part 5 | June 13, 1981 |
Season four
| # | Episode Title | Airdate |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sentence of Death: Part 1 | January 30, 1982 |
| 2 | Sentence of Death: Part 2 | February 6, 1982 |
| 3 | The Godmother | February 13, 1982 |
| 4 | The Secret Folk | February 20, 1982 |
| 5 | The King's Shilling | February 27, 1982 |
| 6 | The Hanging | March 6, 1982 |
DVD release
Dick Turpin Series 1 has been released on DVD in France (January 26) 2009 under the title Dick Le Rebelle, by RV Films. It has both French and English soundtracks, original series presentation, a history of the series on French tv and clips from Recre A2 the youth programme the series originally formed part of when broadcast in France. Series 2 released 26 April 2010, this features a censored version of 'The Hanging' as originally screened in France and the uncut version.
Koch Media have released series 1 on DVD, a Remastered collectors edition titled: 'Die Abenteuer des Dick Turpin' in Germany (September 4) 2010, a 3 Disc set featuring German and English soundtracks.
Audio and Books
A 7 inch single 'Dick Turpin'/'Belinda' (DB 9061) by Denis King and his Orchestra was released in 1979. A novel Dick Turpin (ISBN 00691554X) written by Richard Carpenter was published by Armada books, London in 1979, and included 8 colour photos from the tv series (128 pages for 60p) a second novel by Richard Carpenter called 'Turpin and Swiftnick' (ISBN 006917100) with b/w illustrations by Peter Archer was published by Armada books in 1980 (125 pages for 70p). Three annuals containing photographs, text stories, comic strips and features based on the series were published, two by Grandreams (1979 & 1981) and one by Purnell (1980). Look in magazine also ran a Dick Turpin comic strip drawn by Martin Asbury and written by Angus Allan in 1979 to tie-in with the series.Trivia
In 2008, a sample from the show's musical theme from was used by the Danish pop duo The Benefits on their debut single, "Seize The Day". Before releasing the single, the duo was granted permission to use the sample by the original composer, Denis KingDenis King
Denis King is an English Ivor Novello award-winning composer, singer and actor.As a writer he composed music for the British television series The Adventures of Black Beauty, Within These Walls, Lovejoy and Worzel Gummidge amongst others. He also composed the theme to the 1992 series The New...
.