Mogul / The Troubleshooters

Years before US TV viewers were introduced to the immoral exploits of the mega-rich oil barons of Dallas, the UK presented Mogul – a grounded, intelligent, and superbly executed look into the day-to-day boardroom dramas of the high-powered executives steering a global oil empire. Airing on the BBC in the mid-1960s, Mogul offered a uniquely British take on corporate drama, prioritising realism and character over glamour and sensationalism.

At the heart of Mogul International – a fictional, but strikingly authentic, multinational oil company – stood managing director Brian Stead (Geoffrey Keen), brought to life with steely precision. His right-hand man, financial advisor Willy Izard (Philip Latham), provided the cool logic and measured counsel needed in a volatile and fiercely competitive market. The series was largely studio-bound, yet its attention to detail, both in the script and production design, earned it praise from those within the real oil industry. Far from mere television fiction, Mogul was admired for its credibility and even used as an informal training reference by some in the field.

As the series evolved, so too did its focus. The more dynamic and outward-facing aspects of the oil business began to take centre stage, and with that shift came a new title – The Troubleshooters. With Peter Thornton (Ray Barrett) and Alec Stewart (Robert Hardy) leading the charge as the company’s globe-trotting problem-solvers, the drama expanded its scope to include remote oil fields, dangerous rigs, and diplomatic flare-ups across Antarctica, Venezuela, and beyond.

It was this transition that allowed the series to become not just a corporate drama, but an international thriller with substance. Tackling themes such as racial tension, industrial unrest, corruption, and environmental disaster, The Troubleshooters mirrored – and often anticipated – real-world developments in the oil sector. This prescience, coupled with razor-sharp writing from the likes of James Mitchell, Roy Clarke, and Ian Kennedy Martin, made the show essential viewing.

The brainchild of writer-producer John Elliot, who is said to have modelled Mogul International on BP, the series never strayed far from its real-world inspiration. With strong production work from Peter Graham Scott and Anthony Read, and contributions from a young Ridley Scott in the director’s chair, the programme maintained an impressively high standard throughout its seven-year run.

While perhaps not as internationally recognised today as some of its American counterparts, Mogul and The Troubleshooters remain landmark achievements in British television drama. Unflinching, intelligent, and consistently compelling, they offered a rare glimpse behind the polished veneer of corporate power – showing the oil industry not as a faceless monolith, but as a deeply human, deeply political arena where every decision carried weight. A true precursor to modern prestige drama.