Pathfinders (TV series)

Pathfinders (1972–1973, aka The Pathfinders) is an ITV drama set in the Second World War, telling the story of the fictitious Royal Air Force 192 Pathfinder squadron. The Pathfinders were specialised RAF squadrons that marked targets for the RAF's heavy bombers.[citation needed]

Pathfinders
Created byGerry Brown
StarringRobert Urquhart
Jack Watling
Julian Orchard
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of episodes13
Production
Running time60 minutes
Original release
NetworkITV
Release27 September 1972 (1972-09-27) –
25 January 1973 (1973-01-25)

The series used radio controlled Avro Lancaster models for the flying scenes.[citation needed] The technical adviser for the series was Group Captain Hamish Mahaddie. The music was by Malcolm Lockyer.[citation needed]

Cast list

edit

Episodes

edit
No. Original broadcast
date (UK)
Episode title Guest cast
1 27 September 1972 Into the Fire Jeremy Bulloch, Jack May, Luan Peters, David Ashford
2 4 October 1972 For Better, For Worse Peter Armitage, Peter Blythe, Jennifer Clulow, Tony Selby, David Simeon, David Warwick
3 11 October 1972 Fog Christopher Cazenove, Michael Craze, Richard Heffer, William Marlowe, Jack May, Kate O'Mara
4 18 October 1972 Fly There, Walk Back Michael Coles, Arnold Diamond, Wolfe Morris, Jane Seymour, David Weston, Michael Wolf
5 1 November 1972 Jonah Man (aka "Forced to Ditch" on NTSC vhs) Eric Flynn, Ray Lonnen, Mark McManus, Julian Orchard, Sheila Ruskin
6 8 November 1972 One Man’s Lancaster Jeremy Bulloch, John D. Collins, Anthony Valentine
7 15 November 1972 Sitting Ducks John Arnatt, John Barron, Edd Byrnes, Brian Grellis, Rutger Hauer, Roy Holder, John Horsley, David Lodge, Basil Moss, Julian Orchard, Johnnie Wade, Kenneth Watson, Hans De Vries, Richard Shaw
8 6 December 1972 Our Daffodils Are Better Than Your Daffodils (aka "Assignment Top Secret" on NTSC vhs) Peter Egan, John Levene, David Lodge, Christopher Timothy, Neville Barber
9 13 December 1972 Codename Gomorrah Donald Douglas, Bernard Lee, Paul Massie, Mike Pratt
10 3 January 1973 Sweets From a Stranger (aka "Unusual Ally" on NTSC vhs) Geoffrey Bayldon, Johnny Briggs, Christopher Cazenove, Linda Marlowe, Jack May, Morris Perry, Shirley Stelfox
11 10 January 1973 Operation Pickpocket Ian Collier, Mark Eden, Richard Franklin, Olaf Pooley, Michael Wolf
12 17 January 1973 Nightmare John Bluthal, Julian Orchard, Paul Shelley, Ian Stirling
13 25 January 1973 In the Face Of the Enemy Ray Brooks, Susan Jameson, Diane Keen, Julian Orchard, Dennis Waterman

In 2006, Simply Media released the series on DVD in the UK.[1] Despite being sold as "The Complete Series", the release is actually missing Episode 8 "Our Daffodils Are Better Than Your Daffodils", without any explanation. The episode was also missing from the 2002 four-tape UK VHS release of Pathfinders from DD Video, although the episode was released in the US on VHS using the title "Assignment Top Secret".[citation needed]

References

edit
  1. ^ "Pathfinders The Complete Series 5-DVD Set". renownfilms.co.uk. UK: Renown Pictors Limited. Retrieved 3 February 2023.
edit