What a cracking good episode, with such fine acting. I watched this series in the 70s. I think it came on after the nine o'clock news. Somehow 9:20 p.m. remains in my mind.
Colonel (Lt.Col) Preston, true bad ass when he takes his trench coat off to show off his DSM and other honors. Also, he captures so well the British old-class who followed the LOAC/Law of War (and still do). A gentlemen among men. Need a guy like that to Command (cmd/Ldr)
Have the box set and always gets a yearly outing, great memories of my childhood a great series. Superb cast and acting it’s never been bettered in my book.
this is my kind of drama. quality acting, quality script, well-constructed plots and serious production values. all of which are largely missing from tv drama today. I was too young to appreciate dramas such as this and Secret Army when they first screened. students of tv entertainment could do worse than study both of these.
The list of excellent actors in this series is just never ending ... Even saw Eric idle in the Intro episode! And who else was muttering 'Duckie' ...??
@@europa2000man Shows the skill of the man. His accent is totally gone, and he managed to get the German who speaks English not quite well. Notice how he takes his time with speaking English, and sometimes has to slowly go over words, just as a German whose grasp of English might not be 100%. Very effective acting here wouldn't you agree?
@@johnking5174 Absolutely. It's a brilliant BBC drama, much better than most these days. This is the third time watching the two series of Colditz. Excellent piece of television work.
@@damarekonayaro5781 Because it would be a lie. Just as if a historical drama about Emperor Go-Yozei was played by my cracker arse. I'm not sure why we need to explain such simple concepts to you.
Wow bringing that series back 🤣🔙 sure conjures, up some Foggy memories, for me? Being I lived in Canada, for 18 yrs. that program and others just fascinated Me,& my Buddies as well. Thank you UTube.
Outstanding series! I can definitely imagine that had a "stuffy officer type" like this arrived at Colditz, the guys already there wouldn't have taken kindly to him!
The blitz attack on London started on September 7th 1940, so the Kommandant mentions that London has been attacked many nights at 15:30 so this dates this episode to be set around early autumn/fall of 1940.
Excellent! Remember it well from my youth. Made, of course, in an era when we didn't need to include token characters who couldn't possibly have been there in order to please woke members of the audience. Today all realty would be lost because they would have a cast that resembled 21st century Notting Hill. Great to revisit a time when TV programmes were unencumbered by such lunacy!
FYI they were closer to 1940 than we are to them.it should be noted that the pole POW’s were very very lucky. After Poland was overrun Poles were generally not treated as POW’s
+t0mme1981 I think the reason why BBC drama tends to be better is that they have no commercial breaks, and so it has a full flow. For example a 50 minute episode of Colditz runs for whole 50 minutes, whereas a one hour ITV drama would have three commerical breaks, stopping the flow, and cutting it down to around 46 minutes.
No its down to the quality of the script, the character the actors introduce on the screen and the lack of CGI crap you get nowadays. This was acting, todays its more melodrama for the sake of it
There is so much overlap between this cast and Secret Army, and in turn between Secret Army's cast and Allo Allo. This is my first time watching this series (just discovered it), and I'm waiting for the first one I notice who was in all three. I first thought Muir might have been a young John D. Collins, but I guess not. (I say, spiffing look-alikes - crack on, what ho? :D ) Still looking. Lemme see... there's Hillary Minster, Guy Siner, Collins, and Richard Marner on the list I remember. Eyes front!
In real life Colditz there was only one German Wehrmacht guard who could speak fluent English - Captain Reinhold Eggers, who would be the only interaction between the Germans and English prisoners. Here the Kommandant spoke English (not perfect) but near perfect. This was dramatic license, to ensure the drama ran smoothly.
In this episode, the German officer gave a command to his subordinate in English, which unsuspended my disbelief. The actors in the German parts all seemed British in this episode, although there was one good "abführen!"
It is interesting that the Northern mark on the map isn't over Coventry as the Kommandant says,...but over Lincolnshire (where I believe Bomber Command was...! (It was certainly Bomber Country...!!)...)
It must have been mental whiplash, when, at war's end, the Russia's occupied Colditz and used it as a German Prisoner of War camp.....and some of its former German military staff were.....back in the camp they first guarded......
...the Germans really got a dam good taste of their own medicine- although in the last episode, it's shown that the Americans reached Colditz FIRST, and it was arranged that the Germans would remain in U.S. CUSTODY.
@@daleburrell6273 The Americans got there first. The people in the camp had two concerns, one being that the SS down in the town would try to occupy it as a fort and the other that the place would get shelled (in fact a couple of shells did land in it and one killed a guard). The prisoners got on quite well with the guards -- the Germans were very professional, sticklers for the rules but not nasty about it as their job was to keep the prisoners in (while the prisoners' job was to find a way out). The British prisoners even tried to take one of the guard staff home with them but he was found out and detained before he could board the flight back to Britain.
have to love the comment about the Captain being against tip and run attacks (as implicitly cowardly) and favouring going at it bull headed - the mentality of a certain type of officer. Its the same mentality you see sometimes in rugby etc where a team charges again and again into the centre - might work if against a weak team but not against one that will defeat such all day long...was a bit the tendency too in the 2nd half of the Euro 2020 final
I'm surprised that this programme has survived so long without being taken down by the BBC's lawyer. Those familiar with Bernard Hepton in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy or Smiley's People cannot unfortunately enjoy his performance there.
The BBC takes these series down because it doesn't want people to be reminded how good a broadcaster it once was. It can't peddle the crap it peddles today if enough people realise there could be an alternative.
The proof of whether or not proper treatment of prisoners of war is advantageous to the captor was established beyond any doubt in WWII. The German prisoners who were sent to the U.S.A and Canada were treated exceedingly well, so well in fact that many either applied to remain after the war or returned after being sent home. They were given training/education, work, good food and had recreations of many kinds available to them. I've read accounts written by German POW's which stated they had never been a part of any military unit which had morale as good as it was among the prisoners of POW camps in North America. And conversely the Allies learned that keeping the prisoners happy, well fed and occupied greatly reduced escape activity and also helped them gain much better intelligence in questioning and monitoring the prisoners. It's not just a matter of being 'nice', it's just smarter to do that rather than stiffen resolve against what you are trying to accomplish and stoking hate every step of the way.
I remember at the time this series was broadcast (1974), there was a TV discussion show featuring real-life Colditz survivors. They all said the one thing the TV series had failed to do was show just how rough it was.
Solitary in Colditz in the winter would not have been much fun - it must have been freezing. Even in the summer I suspect it was pretty cold. Here is a film I made whilst visiting Colditz in November 2010 which somewhat resembles the scenery shown here. Of course the producers did not have access to East Germany in 1972! Leipzig to Colditz part 2 of two
The new arrival's meeting with the Kommandant was already delayed when McCallum made his escape attempt, so that could not have been the reason for the delay.
All kidding aside, the camera and lighting in the exterior shots of this episode look very much like the camera and lighting in many of the Monty Python episodes. Is it likely the crews were one and the same?
The escape attempt by the truck is a bit redolent of Ripping Yarns where the RFC officer was said to have escaped 12 times from the truck taking him from the railway station to the camp
Another great series from the 70s. Sadly that era of broadcasting is never to be repeated by the BBC. The days when they commissioned dramas with compelling narratives and scripts which didn't treat the audience as idiots or comedies which were actually funny are long gone at that blighted institution.
Instead of resorting to deception, Col. Preston COULD have asked the Commandant to make an exception, and allow Col. Preston to visit Carter in solitary confinement. Col. Preston could have said that 'Carter's escape attempt was embarrassingly stupid, and that he wished to try to talk some sense into Carter, and thus give him something to think about during his 30 days in solitary confinement'. Very likely, the Commandant would have appreciated the logic and wisdom of Col. Preston's request, and granted it. That way, there would have been no friction. "...you can catch more flies with HONEY than you can with VINEGAR-!"
It's implied Preston had been transferred because he was a real pain in the ass in a regular POW camp. Recall that the Commandant remarks that German records on Preston describe him as difficult to deal with. If I had to guess, it's because he was pulling that shit against the previous Commandant: tricking/trolling the Germans, back-talking, aiding and abetting escapes (even if he wasn't the one escaping) etc. In that respect, Preston is very much like the other prisoners, just more deliberate and level-headed. So he's doing this just as much to fuck with the Germans as he is to see Carter.
@@Albukhshi ...I HAD THE IMPRESSION THAT THE COMMANDANT WAS REFERRING TO COL. PRESTON'S PREDECESSOR, WHEN HE WAS TALKING ABOUT SOMEONE WHO WAS TROUBLESOME-(?)
So, hes hiding from a German Radschutzen , they spot him. He breaks out from the woods where the MC combo cant go, to the road where it can go. He runs faster than the bike, which seems to be constantly accelerating. The Sidecar MG38 doesn't fire, then suddenly....hes vanished. You cant write stuff like this nowadays...cos it would be laughed oot of the room.
Colonel Preston clearly thought he was a cut above the rest, even over the Kommandant, as Preston’s problem was that the RAF were all in it together, and breaking ranks failed to help at Castle Colditz.
The man being hunted in the woods is the one who turns up at the end. It's a dramatic scene-setter. No doubt the background to the opening scene was to be explored in the next episode.
Office scene is so backwards in their writing. Narrow and contrived. How about this? Brit:"Colonel, in accordance with your order may I have a written statement to be signed by all Officers here in the camp, attesting that the undersigned shall follow your order, in direct disobedience to their Standing Orders of the General Staff, and never try to escape?" Nazi Colonel:"Yes, immediately!" Brit:"Thank you. After double checking that all Wehrmacht Officers present on your rolls have signed it, on the left half of the signing log, I shall direct ours to sign as well on the right, next to Germans of equal rank." "Now may I see the Gestapo Chief for the district?"
@@daleburrell6273 Yes, they do. So my confusion comes from them calling him a Corporal when in fact he's a Lance Corporal.. Thanks for pointing that out.
@@notapplicable531 ...as far as I know, it's customary to address a Lance Corporal as "Corporal"- like it is customary to address a Lieutenant Colonel as "Colonel", or a Major General as "General". Those are only a few examples of the courtesy of "rounding up" to the next highest grade.
...they have to be actually engaging in espionage to be classified as spies: hiding among the civilian population is NOT a crime- as long as you are not carrying weapons or engaged in sabotage or killing.
Resist resist resist never give up and take as many of the bastards you can with you John has a long mustache John has a long mustache the resistance is alive and well
The series was made back when that was the way they made series. These days there would hopefully have more attention to detail -- subtitles over German speech and the opening scene would be less stereotypical. (Half the German army, all armed to the teeth -- and mechanized -- complete with senior officer and a Central Casting Gestapo all to chase after one prisoner, that's really too much). (Germans, especially early in the war, were normal people, just like us. Captures were either at railway checkpoints or because some local spotted him. You needed a lot of preparation - and luck -- to travel successfully across Germany.) If you really want to mess with your head check out "17 Moments of Spring" (elsewhere on youTube). Its about the same vintage but as its a Russian TV series you've got the Germans talking Russian to each other (with -- mercifully -- English subtitles). Its a well made story that's based on real life events.
Can you imagine if this was made nowadays? The cast would be made up of Africans, transwomen, and crossdressers. One look at which would cause the enemy to take over the whole country...
Dashing, daring do against Johnny Foriegner. Chaps giving Jerry a bloody lip. I remember it well. It was dreadful. Robert Wagner must have been desperate for a job or got his agent to sign the contract without checking it out. Usual 1970's thespians hamming it. Apparently Lloyd and Croft had this tosh forefront in their minds when they wrote Allo, Allo.
Very sad you think that way. I guess someone has to. Perhaps you ought to read a little of what went on in Colditz before you make yourself look even more foolish. They were greater men than you are ever likely to be. As for Johnny Foriegner, you do know what the Germans did in the 1930s and 40s, don't you? Perhaps not, or you wouldn't have written such an asinine comment.
No, Lloyd and Croft had Secret Army in mind, a much darker series where the heroes killed collaborators, the innocent and even the British airmen they were supposed to be rescuing.
This was a silly convention back then. That was their idea of Germans speaking English. To me it bears no resemblance to reality, but it sounds sinister in our ears. That's why it was done.
Colditz was not only for British officers, as the Polish contingent there testifies...! There were other nationalities housed there aswell later on in the war, like the French...but at the beginning, following the Polish; there were the British (to start with)...! The American officer is explained away as one of the 'Liberty' squadron officers. There were a number of Americans who joined up with the British, ahead of the U.S.A.'s entry into the War (following the attack on Pearl Harbor). They became the Liberty Forces...! (*Please note...This television series was based on the book that was written by an English army officer...and this wasn't an American TV series...!)
@@keithashley6298 They had to include Baker to sell Prestons prestige upon his arrival but probably soon realised that the (factual) notion of officers having lower-ranking man-servants would get in the way of the heroic notion of the characters so they made a creative decision to exclude their existence, one could hardly warm to these guys if they were seen bellowing at their underlings over misplaced socks, Douglas Baders servant actually got the chance to return home but Bader refused and forced him to stay, most of those we regard as heroes were monsters
Can anyone imagine the crappy, patronising, interminably left-wing and inclusivity obsessed BBC making anything even remotely as good as this today? Not me.
That same "left wing ... BBC" who kissed the arse of the Boris Johnson conservative government especially during the pandemic. That same BBC who employed right wing Andrew Neil as their political interviewer. That same BBC who kiss the arses of the British royal family. BBC is not leftie, they are conservative, ass kissers
50 years old.. and just understatedly brilliant.
Classic 70s when TV was worth watching 👍👍
I watched this on 70's in Finland, worth of wait see in every week
Tiene toda la razón!
No special effects, just great screenwriting and acting talent.
Absolutely spot on....fine acting...superb set work and general attention to detail.
One of the best series ever made. ❤
When it was a privilege to pay the license fee for this quality of program.
I know it was an ITV series but "family at War" was an excellent on to, as was "The world at War" both surperb
When the BBC did not hate the indigenous population
@@allezlesrogues If any of those three are examples of hate then mark me down as a hater!
No woke shite then - their escape would have to bum the guards.
I’m throughly enjoying these, so thanks for going to the bother of adding them all!
Jack Hedleys performance is very special
Former Royal Marine before acting.
What a cracking good episode, with such fine acting. I watched this series in the 70s. I think it came on after the nine o'clock news. Somehow 9:20 p.m. remains in my mind.
I wasn't even ten years old and it was compelling viewing.
i think it was on sunday nights?
@@loonylinda You could be right. We need an old TV times to check.
9/11/72 at 21:25 on BBC1...... followed by Monty Pythons Flying Circus.
@@terrortorn Good show, sir,
At last you tube has this superb series to watch .must get the DVD box set! A classic
Colonel (Lt.Col) Preston, true bad ass when he takes his trench coat off to show off his DSM and other honors. Also, he captures so well the British old-class who followed the LOAC/Law of War (and still do). A gentlemen among men. Need a guy like that to Command (cmd/Ldr)
Brilliant just brilliant !❤
Have the box set and always gets a yearly outing, great memories of my childhood a great series. Superb cast and acting it’s never been bettered in my book.
This is perfect lockdown TV! Also....poor Eric😞
Jack Headley played the SBO so well.
The Kommandant and the SBO were more alike in their ways than I believed both characters actually knew.
He was so good.
A somewhat forgotten and underrated actor, as is Bernard Hepton who played the commandant. Hepton was particularly good in Smiley's People.
Amazing series loved every episode and season
this is my kind of drama. quality acting, quality script, well-constructed plots and serious production values. all of which are largely missing from tv drama today.
I was too young to appreciate dramas such as this and Secret Army when they first screened. students of tv entertainment could do worse than study both of these.
I remember when this debuted on TV back in the 1970's. It was great; as were all the Brit offerings then!
Bernard Hepton, a remarkable actor, upstaged many a leading role in the series, RI, Bernard!
So subtle, a great scene with his son.
A superb and gifted actor. Alas many have disappeared into the ether without really being given the credit they merited.
Absolutely.
What's so fascinating here, is that the first dialogue; was spoken 6 minutes into it.
Modern drama couldn't manage this I think.
Probably couldnt keep the attention span of an audience for 20 seconds now without them looking at their phone screens or saying its taking too long
I like the 1970s image - links the present with the 40s past very nicely.
Utterly Brilliant series
Yes
The list of excellent actors in this series is just never ending ... Even saw Eric idle in the Intro episode!
And who else was muttering 'Duckie' ...??
I didn't spot Eric Idle but I did spot the future Dr John Watson.
@@ivorbiggun710 Dr Who appeared in a later episode as a 'Padre'! The list of actors who went on to make a good name and career is quite impressive.
Bernard Hepton was fantastic as the Kommandant. Bernard is still alive and well as of July 2017, at the grand age of 91.
I'm sad to say, Bernard Hepton died on 27 July 2018, aged 92. Brilliant actor.
A great actor and a lovely man
It's hard to believe that Bernard Hepton was a Yorkshire man. I find it hard to imagine him with a Yorkshire accent. May he Rest In Peace.
@@europa2000man Shows the skill of the man. His accent is totally gone, and he managed to get the German who speaks English not quite well. Notice how he takes his time with speaking English, and sometimes has to slowly go over words, just as a German whose grasp of English might not be 100%. Very effective acting here wouldn't you agree?
@@johnking5174 Absolutely. It's a brilliant BBC drama, much better than most these days. This is the third time watching the two series of Colditz. Excellent piece of television work.
What has happened to todays series? This is superb as were many British drama/comedey/sitcoms etc. Just excellent.
Steve Royle it’s all gone culture politics if the bbc made this now at least half the he actors would have to be black
@@stephenstocks1074 Which would be a problem because ?
@@damarekonayaro5781 Because the soldiers and POWs in Colditz were white?
@@damarekonayaro5781 Because it would be a lie. Just as if a historical drama about Emperor Go-Yozei was played by my cracker arse. I'm not sure why we need to explain such simple concepts to you.
just absolutely awesome!
Wow bringing that series back 🤣🔙 sure conjures, up some Foggy memories, for me? Being I lived in Canada, for 18 yrs. that program and others just fascinated Me,& my Buddies as well. Thank you UTube.
The music of Colditz is very World War 2. Great series!
Outstanding series!
I can definitely imagine that had a "stuffy officer type" like this arrived at Colditz, the guys already there wouldn't have taken kindly to him!
43:30 The Kommandant's use of the phrase "With regret" has become famous as used by Lord sugar in The Apprentice.
Such a landmark series, the current BBC isn't fit to swipe away these guys sweat (that's putting it nicely).
Hans Meyer was superb in this series
The blitz attack on London started on September 7th 1940, so the Kommandant mentions that London has been attacked many nights at 15:30 so this dates this episode to be set around early autumn/fall of 1940.
Jack Headley was so damn good
...I thought so too-!!
He was fantastic.
With McCallum in the back of the truck, reminds me of the two Ronnie's sketch on flt ltn Carter at Colditz.
One of the best séries BBC ever made it in seventies colditz'
Excellent actors and true story POW
WW2 l used like on saturday to watch it
Excellent! Remember it well from my youth. Made, of course, in an era when we didn't need to include token characters who couldn't possibly have been there in order to please woke members of the audience. Today all realty would be lost because they would have a cast that resembled 21st century Notting Hill. Great to revisit a time when TV programmes were unencumbered by such lunacy!
Well said
You really had to start melting down over "woke"?
I have five different streaming services and access to the usual public broadcasting. What am I watching? Colditz clips on TH-cam. I wonder why?
FYI they were closer to 1940 than we are to them.it should be noted that the pole POW’s were very very lucky. After Poland was overrun Poles were generally not treated as POW’s
This series pisses all over the trash made today
Yes because all the actors are their characters.
Surely you mean its because they can act?
+t0mme1981 I think the reason why BBC drama tends to be better is that they have no commercial breaks, and so it has a full flow. For example a 50 minute episode of Colditz runs for whole 50 minutes, whereas a one hour ITV drama would have three commerical breaks, stopping the flow, and cutting it down to around 46 minutes.
No its down to the quality of the script, the character the actors introduce on the screen and the lack of CGI crap you get nowadays. This was acting, todays its more melodrama for the sake of it
Yup. I, Claudius is good too.
There is so much overlap between this cast and Secret Army, and in turn between Secret Army's cast and Allo Allo. This is my first time watching this series (just discovered it), and I'm waiting for the first one I notice who was in all three. I first thought Muir might have been a young John D. Collins, but I guess not. (I say, spiffing look-alikes - crack on, what ho? :D ) Still looking. Lemme see... there's Hillary Minster, Guy Siner, Collins, and Richard Marner on the list I remember. Eyes front!
In real life Colditz there was only one German Wehrmacht guard who could speak fluent English - Captain Reinhold Eggers, who would be the only interaction between the Germans and English prisoners. Here the Kommandant spoke English (not perfect) but near perfect. This was dramatic license, to ensure the drama ran smoothly.
And
In this episode, the German officer gave a command to his subordinate in English, which unsuspended my disbelief. The actors in the German parts all seemed British in this episode, although there was one good "abführen!"
Not according to the person showing us around in 1993. Many of the Gaurds were chosen because they did speak English.
Love TV series. Before my time but a classic
The Gestapo guy with the black trilby reminds me of the SS officer out of Raiders of the Lost Ark.
...Ronald Lacey actually appeared in a later episode of this series- and he played a Polish officer-(!)
It is interesting that the Northern mark on the map isn't over Coventry as the Kommandant says,...but over Lincolnshire (where I believe Bomber Command was...! (It was certainly Bomber Country...!!)...)
Yep still known as Bomber County to this day. My county 💛
une belle serie
Bernard hepton was in secret army.
So was I.
...that's true.
It must have been mental whiplash, when, at war's end, the Russia's occupied Colditz and used it as a German Prisoner of War camp.....and some of its former German military staff were.....back in the camp they first guarded......
...the Germans really got a dam good taste of their own medicine- although in the last episode, it's shown that the Americans reached Colditz FIRST, and it was arranged that the Germans would remain in U.S. CUSTODY.
@@daleburrell6273 The Americans got there first. The people in the camp had two concerns, one being that the SS down in the town would try to occupy it as a fort and the other that the place would get shelled (in fact a couple of shells did land in it and one killed a guard). The prisoners got on quite well with the guards -- the Germans were very professional, sticklers for the rules but not nasty about it as their job was to keep the prisoners in (while the prisoners' job was to find a way out). The British prisoners even tried to take one of the guard staff home with them but he was found out and detained before he could board the flight back to Britain.
@@martinusher1 ...that's all very interesting-!
Look what gems I've found in deep youtube
have to love the comment about the Captain being against tip and run attacks (as implicitly cowardly) and favouring going at it bull headed - the mentality of a certain type of officer. Its the same mentality you see sometimes in rugby etc where a team charges again and again into the centre - might work if against a weak team but not against one that will defeat such all day long...was a bit the tendency too in the 2nd half of the Euro 2020 final
You don't die in Rugby - war is real - sports isn't.
I'm surprised that this programme has survived so long without being taken down by the BBC's lawyer. Those familiar with Bernard Hepton in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy or Smiley's People cannot unfortunately enjoy his performance there.
The BBC takes these series down because it doesn't want people to be reminded how good a broadcaster it once was. It can't peddle the crap it peddles today if enough people realise there could be an alternative.
Fantastic
There were originally 28 episodes over two series so there are a few missing, shame.
The proof of whether or not proper treatment of prisoners of war is advantageous to the captor was established beyond any doubt in WWII. The German prisoners who were sent to the U.S.A and Canada were treated exceedingly well, so well in fact that many either applied to remain after the war or returned after being sent home. They were given training/education, work, good food and had recreations of many kinds available to them. I've read accounts written by German POW's which stated they had never been a part of any military unit which had morale as good as it was among the prisoners of POW camps in North America. And conversely the Allies learned that keeping the prisoners happy, well fed and occupied greatly reduced escape activity and also helped them gain much better intelligence in questioning and monitoring the prisoners. It's not just a matter of being 'nice', it's just smarter to do that rather than stiffen resolve against what you are trying to accomplish and stoking hate every step of the way.
I remember at the time this series was broadcast (1974), there was a TV discussion show featuring real-life Colditz survivors. They all said the one thing the TV series had failed to do was show just how rough it was.
Win the hearts and minds... Didn't Tsan Tsu say something about that?
Solitary in Colditz in the winter would not have been much fun - it must have been freezing. Even in the summer I suspect it was pretty cold.
Here is a film I made whilst visiting Colditz in November 2010 which somewhat resembles the scenery shown here. Of course the producers did not have access to East Germany in 1972!
Leipzig to Colditz part 2 of two
In Hogan's Heroes it was always winter.
The new arrival's meeting with the Kommandant was already delayed when McCallum made his escape attempt, so that could not have been the reason for the delay.
...maybe it didn't count as a delay, when the commandant visited with family members-(?)
Monty Python had trouble satirizing these prisoners.
All kidding aside, the camera and lighting in the exterior shots of this episode look very much like the camera and lighting in many of the Monty Python episodes. Is it likely the crews were one and the same?
This was made by the BBC who also made Python, so you never know. Also this was made during 1971/72 at the same time Python was made.
Now I wonder if the two series used some of the same uniforms. Python did a number of sketches portraying WW2 soldiers.
The escape attempt by the truck is a bit redolent of Ripping Yarns where the RFC officer was said to have escaped 12 times from the truck taking him from the railway station to the camp
Another great series from the 70s. Sadly that era of broadcasting is never to be repeated by the BBC. The days when they commissioned dramas with compelling narratives and scripts which didn't treat the audience as idiots or comedies which were actually funny are long gone at that blighted institution.
I was in stitches when David what`s his name was caught trying to hitch a ride in the back of the truck!.
Ah, the days when all you had to do was say "Zhe" instead of _The,_ and "Ve" instead of _We,_ and you spoke fluent German.
Sadly reproduced in Schindler's List as well.
Instead of resorting to deception, Col. Preston COULD have asked the Commandant to make an exception, and allow Col. Preston to visit Carter in solitary confinement. Col. Preston could have said that 'Carter's escape attempt was embarrassingly stupid, and that he wished to try to talk some sense into Carter, and thus give him something to think about during his 30 days in solitary confinement'. Very likely, the Commandant would have appreciated the logic and wisdom of Col. Preston's request, and granted it. That way, there would have been no friction.
"...you can catch more flies with HONEY than you can with VINEGAR-!"
No doubt Col. Preston felt that the successful deception was a victory, of sorts.
It's implied Preston had been transferred because he was a real pain in the ass in a regular POW camp. Recall that the Commandant remarks that German records on Preston describe him as difficult to deal with.
If I had to guess, it's because he was pulling that shit against the previous Commandant: tricking/trolling the Germans, back-talking, aiding and abetting escapes (even if he wasn't the one escaping) etc.
In that respect, Preston is very much like the other prisoners, just more deliberate and level-headed. So he's doing this just as much to fuck with the Germans as he is to see Carter.
@@Albukhshi ...I wonder what happened to Col. Preston's predecessor?!!
@@Albukhshi I suppose Col. Preston had been a headache for the Germans- or he wouldn't have been sent to Colditz-!
@@Albukhshi ...I HAD THE IMPRESSION THAT THE COMMANDANT WAS REFERRING TO COL. PRESTON'S PREDECESSOR, WHEN HE WAS TALKING ABOUT SOMEONE WHO WAS TROUBLESOME-(?)
So where did Donaldson go?????
So, hes hiding from a German Radschutzen , they spot him. He breaks out from the woods where the MC combo cant go, to the road where it can go. He runs faster than the bike, which seems to be constantly accelerating. The Sidecar MG38 doesn't fire, then suddenly....hes vanished.
You cant write stuff like this nowadays...cos it would be laughed oot of the room.
Well, if he had just told them his strategy at the start ..... he would have avoided their distrust,
Colonel Preston clearly thought he was a cut above the rest, even over the Kommandant, as Preston’s problem was that the RAF were all in it together, and breaking ranks failed to help at Castle Colditz.
Has this episode been edited? How did it go from a manhunt in the woods to the arrival of a new SBO?
This episode has not been edited one bit, it is the full transmission as seen on Thursday 9th November 1972 where it first aired on BBC One.
The man being hunted in the woods is the one who turns up at the end. It's a dramatic scene-setter. No doubt the background to the opening scene was to be explored in the next episode.
john S agree with you entirely
Is that herr flick in disguise?
33:28 "shurrup darling"
why the thumbs down ,can,t understand this.
The fact prisoners and the guards respect the col rank showed a different side of the German and the nazi's.
...that was very common in the German armed forces-!!
"Nazis" not nazi's
Aragorn Yes this has to be good EH
And that's a officer job. To build hope from a defeated force.
Huh, didn't know Watson's grandson was a POW in WW2 :P
...and where's Douglas Bader?!!
@@daleburrell6273
Yeah, they left him out for some odd reason.
@@Albukhshi He seems to be absent from every movie about Colditz that I've seen-!!
@@daleburrell6273
I know. It always puzzled me, since he was a pretty famous POW there. Even a cameo would have been fine.
@@Albukhshi I WONDER IF THE BRITS ARE ASHAMED OF DOUGLASS BADER(?)
36:40 tap?
Form this is before September 15th 1940
HAY UN JUEGO DE COMPUTADORA AMIGA 500 QUE ERA ESCAPE DE COLDITZ...Y TAMBIEN UN JUEGO DE MESA
Office scene is so backwards in their writing. Narrow and contrived. How about this?
Brit:"Colonel, in accordance with your order may I have a written statement to be signed by all Officers here in the camp, attesting that the undersigned shall follow your order, in direct disobedience to their Standing Orders of the General Staff, and never try to escape?"
Nazi Colonel:"Yes, immediately!"
Brit:"Thank you. After double checking that all Wehrmacht Officers present on your rolls have signed it, on the left half of the signing log, I shall direct ours to sign as well on the right, next to Germans of equal rank."
"Now may I see the Gestapo Chief for the district?"
Then a Yank turns up... and spoils the whole damn thing...
Looks more like college dorms than a prison camp.
Colditz was a castle, not a purpose built camp.
So when did corporals start having only one chevron and not two?
I thought a LtCol had a Crown followed by a pip?
...doesn't a Lance Corporal have only 1 stripe(?)
@@Dog.soldier1950 ...isn't that what Col. Preston is wearing?
@@daleburrell6273 Yes, they do. So my confusion comes from them calling him a Corporal when in fact he's a Lance Corporal.. Thanks for pointing that out.
@@notapplicable531 ...as far as I know, it's customary to address a Lance Corporal as "Corporal"- like it is customary to address a Lieutenant Colonel as "Colonel", or a Major General as "General".
Those are only a few examples of the courtesy of "rounding up" to the next highest grade.
The ju 88 do you know that's the finest aircraft in the world...No son no it isn't
...he was PREJUDICED- that's all-(!)
jolly good egg! what?
I'm wondering if an escapee is caught and is 'out of uniform' , why they were not executed as spies? .
...they have to be actually engaging in espionage to be classified as spies: hiding among the civilian population is NOT a crime- as long as you are not carrying weapons or engaged in sabotage or killing.
German engineering, Tiger tank
Resist resist resist never give up and take as many of the bastards you can with you John has a long mustache John has a long mustache the resistance is alive and well
Excellent series nothing to say about it . But it makes me laugh that German soldiers ( Nazis ) are talking English instead of German .
How the hell would the viewer understand them, and the interaction between guard and prisoner was key to the drama after all.
WHy? Its a British series,.
The series was made back when that was the way they made series. These days there would hopefully have more attention to detail -- subtitles over German speech and the opening scene would be less stereotypical. (Half the German army, all armed to the teeth -- and mechanized -- complete with senior officer and a Central Casting Gestapo all to chase after one prisoner, that's really too much). (Germans, especially early in the war, were normal people, just like us. Captures were either at railway checkpoints or because some local spotted him. You needed a lot of preparation - and luck -- to travel successfully across Germany.)
If you really want to mess with your head check out "17 Moments of Spring" (elsewhere on youTube). Its about the same vintage but as its a Russian TV series you've got the Germans talking Russian to each other (with -- mercifully -- English subtitles). Its a well made story that's based on real life events.
Just the thing, what?
日本でも放映していたな。精神病を偽って本国送還となった捕虜の奥さんからの手紙で、本物の精神病に罹ってしまったことを知ったメンバーの何とも言えない雰囲気にとらわれるエピソードが印象に残っている。
Can you imagine if this was made nowadays? The cast would be made up of Africans, transwomen, and crossdressers. One look at which would cause the enemy to take over the whole country...
But at least the German roles would be spoken in German. Have you seen Edge of Darkness ?
Dashing, daring do against Johnny Foriegner. Chaps giving Jerry a bloody lip. I remember it well. It was dreadful. Robert Wagner must have been desperate for a job or got his agent to sign the contract without checking it out. Usual 1970's thespians hamming it. Apparently Lloyd and Croft had this tosh forefront in their minds when they wrote Allo, Allo.
Very sad you think that way. I guess someone has to. Perhaps you ought to read a little of what went on in Colditz before you make yourself look even more foolish. They were greater men than you are ever likely to be. As for Johnny Foriegner, you do know what the Germans did in the 1930s and 40s, don't you? Perhaps not, or you wouldn't have written such an asinine comment.
No, Lloyd and Croft had Secret Army in mind, a much darker series where the heroes killed collaborators, the innocent and even the British airmen they were supposed to be rescuing.
The sbo could be interpreted as sob
Deutsche Soldaten sprechen englisch echt verarsche
This was a silly convention back then. That was their idea of Germans speaking English. To me it bears no resemblance to reality, but it sounds sinister in our ears. That's why it was done.
Ah. Reminds me of the mask police.
...I HAVE MORE RESPECT FOR THE GERMANS-(!)
PS why are there america soldiers in colditz it was only for British officers america again adding things to WW2 when will they learn
Colditz was not only for British officers, as the Polish contingent there testifies...! There were other nationalities housed there aswell later on in the war, like the French...but at the beginning, following the Polish; there were the British (to start with)...! The American officer is explained away as one of the 'Liberty' squadron officers. There were a number of Americans who joined up with the British, ahead of the U.S.A.'s entry into the War (following the attack on Pearl Harbor). They became the Liberty Forces...! (*Please note...This television series was based on the book that was written by an English army officer...and this wasn't an American TV series...!)
I have seen the movie
And I read the paperback version of the book! The series follows the book correctly too!
Get your bloody facts correct before you blurt shit out of your mouth!
Even I could see that the American's rank is that of Flight Lieutenant. So he was serving with the R.A.F.
Not
For any fans interested facebook.com/Colditztvseries
I often wonder what happened to Colonel Preston’s Batman, Corporal
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😅
Bakeo
😊😊😊
😊
Corporal Baker, I wonder what happened to him?
@@keithashley6298 They had to include Baker to sell Prestons prestige upon his arrival but probably soon realised that the (factual) notion of officers having lower-ranking man-servants would get in the way of the heroic notion of the characters so they made a creative decision to exclude their existence, one could hardly warm to these guys if they were seen bellowing at their underlings over misplaced socks, Douglas Baders servant actually got the chance to return home but Bader refused and forced him to stay, most of those we regard as heroes were monsters
das reich
Can anyone imagine the crappy, patronising, interminably left-wing and inclusivity obsessed BBC making anything even remotely as good as this today? Not me.
That same "left wing ... BBC" who kissed the arse of the Boris Johnson conservative government especially during the pandemic. That same BBC who employed right wing Andrew Neil as their political interviewer. That same BBC who kiss the arses of the British royal family. BBC is not leftie, they are conservative, ass kissers