The lowdown: 'Jason King' was yet another action/adventure drama series from ITC Entertainment, starring Peter
Wyngarde as the title character, an author and playboy who reguarly finds himself in exotic locations, embroiled in
mystery and intrigue. Many of his adventures involve King working for the British government, albeit reluctantly, while 
a frequent recurring character was his publisher, Nicola Harvester, who was always pressing him about deadlines. 
The Jason King character was notorious for 1970s fashion taste, including perhaps the worst hairstyle to ever appear
on TV. King first appeared in an ITV series called "Department S", a British espionage series featuring the adventures 
of an agency of Interpol. The 26 episodes of 'Jason King' were first broadcast on ITV from 15 September 1971 to 28
April 1972, and featured a host of guest actors who became famous in other roles. As such, one the pleasures of
watching this and other ITC shows is recognising actors from other shows, including 'Doctor Who' of course.

'Wanna Buy a Television Series?' was the first episode of the series, and begins with several villains plotting a scheme
which involves changing a young woman's appearance to look like a woman in a photograph. Dr Stayman, the surgeon
who performed the plastic surgery, is played by Nicholas Courtney, although his character only appears in the pre-titles
sequence. The action then shifts to the office of a TV network executive, where Jason King is pitching a proposal for a
TV series based on his Mark Caine character. As the episode progresses, it becomes apparent that the plot involving
the woman with a new face is actually King's outline for an episode of the TV show - with King playing the role of Mark
Caine. This episode is very different to the rest of the series, in which King himself is the 'action man' rather than his
literary creation.

Trivia: Patrick Troughton and Roger Delgado also appeared in episodes of 'Jason King.

   Video Clip:  Dr Staymam  (7.4mb)
   
Vol. 1 (PAL)


Complete series (NTSC)
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