Hannay (TV series)

Hannay
Genre	Drama
Created by	Ken Hannam
Starring	Robert Powell Christopher Scoular Jill Meager Gavin Richards Diane Bull
Composer(s)	Denis King
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	13
Production
Running time	652 minutes (average 50 minutes each, 60 minutes with commercials)
Production company(s)	Thames Television
Distributor	FremantleMedia
Release
Original network	ITV
Picture format	4:3
Audio format	Mono
Original release	6 January 1988 – 1 March 1989

Hannay was a ITV's 1988 spin-off from the 1978 film version of John Buchan's novel The Thirty-Nine Steps which had starred Robert Powell as Richard Hannay.

Plot

In the series, Powell reprised the role of Hannay, an Edwardian mining engineer from Rhodesia of Scottish origin. It features his adventures in pre-World War I Great Britain. These stories had little in common with John Buchan's novels about the character, although some character names are taken from his other novels.

Cast

• Robert Powell as Richard Hannay
• Christopher Scoular as Reggie Armitage
• Jill Meager as Eleanor Armitage
• Gavin Richards as Count Von Schwabing
• Diane Bull as Sal Alford

Episodes

Series One

(with dates of original broadcast)

1. The Fellowship of the Black Stone (6 January 1988)
   After nearly thirty years in southern Africa, Richard Hannay has achieved recognition as an officer in military intelligence, a mining engineer and a successful prospector. Now he is returning to Britain to seek a bride, a home and a quiet life. But Europe is a couldron of political intrigue and, amongst the old Empires, a new power is rapidly making its way—a power that resents Britain's mastery of the waves: Imperial Germany.
   Represented in London by the cunning and ruthless Count Von Schwabing, Germany is intent on causing trouble however and wherever she can—and Richard Hannay attracts trouble as a magnet attracts iron-filings!
2. A Point of Honour (13 January 1988)
   A chance encounter with a young lady on a train leads Hannay into a strange weekend of mistaken identity and danger.
3. Voyage into Fear (20 January 1988)
   The Governments of Great Britain and Imperial Germany are in a race to arm themselves with modern battleships, but Hannay's arch-enemy Von Schwabing has a plan to ensure that his country is the winner.
4. Death With Due Notice (27 January 1988)
   A quiet break in the country turns into a weekend of murder when Richard Hannay and Reggie Armitage discover they are targets for a demented killer.
5. Act of Riot (3 February 1988)
   Hannay returns to Scotland to visit the village where he was born, but his arrival quickly brings him into dangerous conflict with the local inhabitants.
6. The Hazard of the Die (10 February 1988)
   When Hannay saves the life of a desperate young lady, he little realises how quickly this act of bravery will bring him face-to-face with his arch-enemy Von Schwabing...

Series Two

(with dates of original broadcast)

1. Coup de Grace (31 January 1989)
   When Richard Hannay meets the beautiful Sybil Verney at a race-meeting, he cannot foresee the web of lies and tragedy in which he will quickly become ensnared.
2. The Terrors of the Earth (7 February 1989)
   As tension mounts in Europe, the British Government prepares antidotes against possible germ warface, and Richard Hannay finds himself at the centre of a demonic plot to steal them.
3. Double Jeopardy (14 February 1989)
   When Hannay is entrusted with the safe-keeping of a dozen diamonds, he little knows the danger and distress they will bring.
4. The Good Samaritan (21 February 1989)
   The pleasures of travelling on the Trans European Express from Venice are relished by celebrities, diplomats and holiday-makers alike, but for Richard Hannay the journey proves to be a nightmare.
5. That Rough Music (28 February 1989)
   When an East End gang demand protection money for Sal Alford's music-hall, she turns to Richard Hannay for help ...
6. The Confidence Man (7 March 1989)
   On the death of his friend, Pelham Swinburne, Hannay inherits a walking-stick, field glasses and the lighthouse on a Fenland marsh .... but what is he to make of them all?
7. The Bells of Shoreditch (14 March 1989)
   When his god-daughter is jilted on her wedding day, Hannay finds himself searching for not just a missing bride-groom but also a shipment of gold.

Production

There were two series, the first with six episodes, the second with seven. The combined 13 episodes ran for a total of 652 minutes.

Home media availability

Hannay was released in a four-disc Region 2 DVD set by Delta Visual Entertainment in February 2006.

External links

• Hannay at TV.com
• Hannay at the Internet Movie Database
• Hannay at TV.com