The Masterspy (ITV 1979)

[@11yolkel]

I was in the original pilot for this series, an episode broadcast before this one featured above.. I was one of four contestants - I came fourth and won a watch - at the time my pride and joy. After looking for years for the episode without success, this brings back so many memories of nearly forty years. David Garrett

[@5uperhands]

Cool story!

[@pigknickers2975]

Marvellous! Used to love this as a kid, didn't think I'd see it again.

[@boneyjoe8543]

Saturday nights are cry out for a show like this... and 'The Krypton Factor' as well... instead of all these duff, uninteresting shows we get now.

[@rmbflk]

The problem was that they revived the Krypton Factor and dumbed it down - sadly, it's not so easy to go back :-(

[@bobrew461]

So fed of these damn "talent" shows. Opp Knocks they are not!

[@barrieturnbull8124]

Never heard of this before, but really enjoyed it. It was very 1970’s. It looked like it was filmed as live & very scripted (no ad libs by the presenters (probably so they didn’t overrun) it was like an intellectual version of the generation game, with its memory tests. Loved the ad break too. 26 mins before an ad break. The winner was funny as his interruptions almost stopped them going off script but he was the smartest in the end. I’d have been happy to come 2nd and get that little mini TV.

[@neilloughran4437]

Wow... I remember watching this back in the day and have not thought about it since...

[@Mishima505]

I picked up the quiz book (by Alan Radnor) which accompanied the series, in a charity shop years ago.

[@DaRealist7]

Never heard of this before, such an interesting watch! 😊

[@SuperBagshot]

Brilliant quality from an old video recorder, as good as high definition

[@TroyTempest63]

3:41 I remember wanting that Seiko watch. Great post.

[@slobodanreka1088]

40:49 I like how Ford confirms her figure...

[@davidfearis7335]

43:00 I think The Accomplice is The Small Cannelloni! LOL

[@jnuttso1]

Wow what fantastic videos you have on your channel 😀❤

[@davidmunns135]

I think i was about 8 or 9 when this show was broadcast but I do remember this this was one show I wanted to be a contestant on or even take over as host

[@Musicradio77Network]

4:11 is the ATV “In Colour” bumper from the UK airing of “The Muppet Show”.

[@dunebasher1971]

It's the standard ATV ident (called "Zoom 2") which was used in front of all colour ATV programming from 1969 to 1981.

[@antoniod]

That's a pretty good Noel Coward impression in the Cadbury ad! And it's KENNETH WILLIAMS in the Cat Litter ad, right?

[@BungleBare]

Vivian Stanshall (of the Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band) did a lot of voice work for Cadbury’s adverts over the years, and it sounds like it could be him doing the Noel Coward impression on the Crème Egg advert.

[@mrb3097]

Amazing to see this in such excellent quality - a genuine rare find. All tapes were wiped by ATV thanks to their weird and random dumping routine although some episodes came to light through William Franklyn's personal collection (which I think this was copied from).

[@dunebasher1971]

A single edition exists on its original broadcast format. 16 editions were recorded to VHS by Bill Franklyn.

[@sslaxx]

Both ITC and Polygram wiped stuff as I recall in the 80s?

[@Musicradio77Network]

sslaxx “The Muppet Show” is the only show that it was on ATV did survived and it continued to run throughout the 1980’s in reruns after ATV became Central TV since it distributed the UK version of “The Muppet Show”. ITC handled its US syndication rights of the show since it was imported from the UK. PolyGram did not distributed the “Muppet Show”, it belongs to Jim Henson Associates and Disney.

[@MrDunkiep]

​@@dunebasher1971 But there aren't 16 episodes available to watch on KZbin. Are they ever likely to be shared in your opinion?

[@SuperBagshot]

Binoculars with a built in radio?

[@mrblueeyes7889]

Amazing, I knew this existed but thought it was called Double Agents, maybe i got confused with the sweets.

[@11carbuff19572011]

The dreaded need by ATV to have wiped the whole (bar the one episode) series has forced us to all forget it and other old series. It was not just to conserve VT, it was to put it all out of our minds somewhat carelessly.

[@BBC600]

So these are the only copies of these episodes?

[@11carbuff19572011]

I've really no idea at all. Someone is sure to know somewhere, someone who knows their ATV stuff from the 1970s.

[@ChristovMr]

I remember watching this when I was a teenager. I thought the prizes were fantastic at the time! I don't remember it being so FUNNY!!

[@davidmunns135]

If I brought this show back it would be called OPERATION MASTER-SPY and by my Side Glynn Hugle & Ann Robinson

[@duffymoony]

Jenny Lee Wright was hot hot hot, and William Franklin was cool cool coolest. Could have been a good Bond.

[@OofusTwillip]

She was on several comedy shows, including "The Benny Hill Show". She then went into foley (sound effects) in the movie industry.

[@Gary80264]

Saturday evening at 6pm

[@chriswaring5565]

THE SPANISH INQUISITION 0:45 NO ONE EXPECTS THE OH BUGGER!

[@joannegray5138]

Interested to see the end titles to Dick Barton at the beginning there. Any actual full episodes of this exist anywhere? Me and my father used to be glued to the telly when this was on, then he'd go on about the radio version from his own childhood.

[@jayrox40]

Dick Barton exists complete and is on dvd.

[@joannegray5138]

Thanks, I've just got an Amazon voucher for my birthday. I'm off to order now :)

[@BungleBare]

Those end titles for Dick Barton were pretty headache-inducing.

[@duncanpriestley964]

The winner seems to have been inspiration for Ade Edmonson's act.

[@grahamd4764]

Miss Moneypacker. Lol!!

[@David-dy7xc]

i would bring this back OPERATION MASTERSPY

[@chriswaring5565]

JENNY-LEE WRIGHT WAS IN THE BENNY HILL SHOW

[@MrJonno85]

I remember this - but I thought it was more of a children's programme.

[@bowlerorfezfilmreviews2995]

Improbably entertaining. Gets a fez from me.

[@MrDavey2010]

I sort of remember this series but I don’t think that it caught on.

[@dunebasher1971]

It lasted for three years, so it caught on well enough.

[@garyhunt8067]

Remember the series.

[@klisher]

classic chewits advert..

[@davidmunns135]

Glyn Hughgal would be my Head of Internal Affaires And Ann Robinson as my fearsome Head of Intrrigtion Unit I would be director of operations

[@peterpeter2198]

the name 'miss moneypacker' sounds a bit ruder than it really is.

[@andrewbenjamin672]

Just uploaded another episode. kzbin.info/www/bejne/mJy3gHSlgZiqfMk

[@fodsaks]

Does anyone remember they did an 'Area 51' type scenario about covering up an alien landing? At the end, the captured alien appeared and it scared the LIFE out of me.

[@jasonprice7125]

I remember that episode. I wish there was more information about it. Glad someone else remembers that episode too. It was the best one. I remember the contestants seeing the UFO on the TV screen, and then near the end of the episode they had to go inside the UFO and the alien came in. I remember being surprised by it. I was only 8 at the time.

[@stickytapenrust6869]

I do know that not all of Masterspy exists so you might have a missing episode here!

[@dunebasher1971]

Only one edition of Masterspy exists on its original broadcast format, but around 16 exist as VHS off-airs.

[@11yolkel]

I would love to track down the pilot episode which was broadcast before episode one.

[@lunadusk8590]

was it just me or did the winner look like a plant .... a peter Davison shaped plant at that??

[@mrgobrien]

yep I remember this series as a boy - maybe i'm wrong but a lot of the missions were set in Bolivia? I thought that was a made up name for a country! in the series there always seemed to be some evil anti-British dictator ruling there - imagine my surprise when I found out both that Bolivia was a real place and that it wasn't anti-British either!

[@dunebasher1971]

Almost right - it was Bosnovia, not Bolivia.

[@MrDavey2010]

This was one of the most tedious game shows ever despite the build up to what you’d think was going to be amazing.

[@OofusTwillip]

Good lord, is this tedious!