Quiller

Review by Laurence Marcus

Elleston Trevor, who authored around thirty-four books under the pseudonym Adam Hall, created the renowned spy character Quiller, who had already appeared in the 1966 film The Quiller Memorandum, starring George Segal as the gunless spy relying on his intellect and instincts to outwit his enemies. Trevor's first spy novel, The Berlin Memorandum, was released in 1965, during the height of the 1960s spy movie craze, a year that also saw the releases of Thunderball, The Ipcress File, and The Spy Who Came in from the Cold.

In Autumn 1975, Quiller premiered on BBC Television, with Michael Jayston playing the enigmatic spy. The character of Quiller remained largely undeveloped, which ironically added to his appeal. Audiences had no choice but to accept him as he was, without any additional background or depth.

In the week that the series commenced, the Radio Times ran an article that explored Quiller’s background. Date of Birth: 11.10.36. Personal History: Not recorded. Vulnerabilities: Nil. Operational Sphere: World-wide. Missions Completed: 35 as at Aug 75. Injuries Sustained: See medic file JA/594/B. Modus Operandi: Alone. Unarmed. Special Comments: Can be difficult - handle with care. Will: Nothing of value, no dependants, next-of-kin unknown. Quiller is not his real name. His past is a mystery. He does not drink or smoke, never carries a gun, rarely smiles. He is obdurate, nihilistic, extremely dangerous.

Quiller worked for a covert agency known as The Bureau, tasked with global missions like retrieving sensitive documents, protecting secrets, resurrecting sleeper agents, and eliminating individuals of interest to the British government. The series kicked off with a plot about an assassin in London, where Quiller is ordered to protect a high-profile international visitor, but the real target is much closer.

His controller at The Bureau was Angus Kinloch, portrayed by Moray Watson, and the only other series regular was Sinéad Cusack, who played Roz. Under the direction of producer Peter Graham Scott, the show kept a sharp, fast-paced tempo, offering a “James Bond for the BBC” vibe—light on drama but packed with action to appeal to a wide audience.

In the RT article this is how Quiller describes his job: "You've got to learn to cross the line and live your life outside society, shut yourself away from people, cut yourself off. Out there you're alone and you have no one you can trust, not even the people running you: because if you make a mistake and look like fouling up the mission or exposing The Bureau, then they'll throw you to the dogs". The words are Elleston Trevor's.

Michael Jayston, a self-confessed lover of the spy genre, reflected on his regard for the character; "You mustn't get the idea that Quiller and I are totally out of sympathy. There is a lot about him which I respect. For example, he's an obstinate, perverse so-and-so. The way they get him to accept a mission is to tell him he can't do it, so he will then do his damnedest to get it out of sheer bloody-mindedness. That I like. But there are also elements of his character that would really frighten me. I mean, this business of refusing ever to carry a gun. He justifies it by saying that a gun would give him a false sense of superiority; he reckons his brain will get him out of tricky situations. Well, if you and I were agents on opposing sides out to get each other and you had a gun and I didn't, it seems to me that my brain is more likely to be spattered all over the wall than helping me escape".

Scripts were contributed by Ellesten Trevor (who adapted his novel Tango Briefing for the second episode – all the others were written for the series), Michael J Bird, Brian Clemens, David Weir and Anthony Read, amongst others. Although Trevor experienced a resurgence in the popularity of his novels due to the series, he was reportedly unhappy with Michael Jayston’s casting, believing he was miscast, and felt the series didn’t capture the cerebral nature of Quiller’s character or the spirit of his books, which he regarded as more intellectual than typical espionage fiction.

Whether an author is ever happy when his works are adapted for film or television depends on numerous factors, including how faithful the adaptation is to the original story, the author's creative involvement in the project, and the reception it receives from audiences and critics. Audience viewing figures started flagging towards the end of the run, and the BBC decided not to recommission the series.

Although all episodes survived destruction, the series has never been repeated on the BBC or other channels since its original transmission, but every episode is available on YouTube.