Mr Palfrey of Westminster

The spy novel wasn't invented in the United Kingdom - American novelist James Fenimore Cooper is usually credited with doing that when he wrote "The Spy" in 1821 - but, for my money, no one does it better than the Brits.That's probably because so many of the great British spy novelists - Ian Fleming and John LeCarre, to name just two - were former intelligence officers themselves. That allows them to bring a certain degree of authenticity to their stories.The same might be said for spy movies and television programs. For some reason, the British just seem to do it better than anyone else."Mr. Palfrey of Westminster" is a prime example of just how good the UK is when it comes to producing excellent spy programs.Palfrey is a middle-aged civil servant who is exceptionally good at ferreting out traitors in the British secret services. He's subtle, can be charming, and is always discreet. As far as his bosses are concerned, he does sometimes come off as if he's not exactly sure what he's doing but that's seldom the case for he has a razor-sharp mind and a wealth of both contacts and experience, which he uses to great advantage.Set at the close of the Cold War, this short series is a wonderful example of great television produced on a relatively thin budget and without a lot of gratuitous violence. There are no whiz-bang special effects, no hair-raising car chases, and no James Bond-like gadgets. There are, however, smartly written scripts, and excellent portrayals. Alec McCowen, as Palfrey, and Caroline Blackiston - complete with Princess Di haircut - as his boss are exceptional in their roles, for example.I should make clear that this is not a series for everyone. Those viewers expecting to see shootouts and fancy cars tooling through the streets of London will be disappointed. Palfrey, in fact, generally takes a taxi to get where he's going and he doesn't carry a gun. His assistant - Mr. Blair (played admirably by Clive Wood) - does carry a pistol on occasion but he doesn't burst through any doors with guns blazing.If, however, you are someone who enjoys the opportunity to think about some of the issues that Palfrey must contend with as a regular part of his job - politically motivated "witch hunts," the interference of higher-ups with their own agendas, the problems of intergovernmental cooperation, etc. - then this is a program you will enjoy.The verdict: An excellent series, finely acted, tightly written and one that I highly recommend.

A well acted series, more on the line of LaCarre's Smiley stories. Great cast.A number of reviewers have commented on the DVD transfer. Yes there are some visual defects, but they in no way distract from the story. After all, this is not a visual sci-fi movie. Considering this was made over 30 years ago, I find the transfer more than acceptable.I know that my husband and I will watch again.

Mr Palfrey is a very British spy. He works in an office, drinks tea, loves music, and appears to be a rather clever but solid British citizen. No fancy car, no gadgets, no flashy stunts. Yet he observes, correctly interprets, stays abreast of goings on and is usually a step or two ahead of everyone else as events unfold. He is not averse to violence but prefers reasonable, civilized behavior and solutions. Believing that there are people like him in the foreign affairs and spy business gives one hope that eventually we may all be able to get along - but if not, we've got the ace on our side.

Didn't care much for it but that's just personal taste.

This was an excellent series with a total of ten shows, released in 1984 and aired by PBS in the U.S. in the late 80s. They only ran the shows one time. Too bad! It was the last series written by George Markstein of Danger Man/Secret Agent fame. The situation is of a very small department under the indirect control of an unnamed English female prime minister (hmmmm, who could that be?). This department tackles Mission Impossible-style tasks that cannot be carried out by official means, but they do it with a staff of three (Mr. Palfrey, his secretary and his side-kick, Blair) and no high-tech gizmos or budget. How do they do it? Their "dirty tricks" are way more tricky than dirty. Both their subjects and their audience are taken on a ride, often with a surprise ending. My favorite episode was "Return to Sender" about a Russian double-agent who has decided he wants to return home. Mr. Palfrey assignment is to stop by any means necessary. Just when you think you're going to witness the agent's demise, the team's mastery of psychology saves the day.

We have enjoyed this immensely! There are subtitles, but the diction of these excellent actors is superb--ergo, easily understood.. That combined with the absence of the horrible boom-boom background music so typical of today's "dramas" added to our viewing pleasure. It is my personal opinion that the overdone soundtracks (aforementioned boom-boom) are for the dual purposes of engaging viewers' short attention spans and writers' lack of interesting content and literary skill. This series is at once cerebral, exciting, thought-provoking and witty. Yes, the hair styles and clothes are dated. There are no cell phones, and few computers. That said, thoughtful viewers will soon appreciate that the plots are all too relevant today. A frightening aspect, but there we are. This is a series that we will watch again and again!

Very dated, but not bad if you can get past that. The acting, script, scenery and directing is totally typical of any 70's show. Glad to see how far the Brit mysteries have come!

I like British minsteries, but cannot recommend this series. It is long winded and slow and very crude. Don't waste your money!

I disagree with those who say this series is unconvincing, or is just second-rate Smiley. Comparisons with Smiley are inevitable but why do we need another Le Carre? The writing, here, is very good and the acting is first-class, especially that of Alec McCowen and Caroline Blakiston. There are, indeed, no guns, gadgets or car-chases, nor any 'action', as such, at all, because that's not what this is all about. The subtle interplay between characters, especially Palfrey and 'Gloriana' (a.k.a. the Co-ordinator) is a joy to watch and listen to. I would suggest that 'subtle' is, in fact, the key word, here. This is TV Civil Servants at their best - lighter than Smiley but none the worse for that. There are only 3 discs - 2 series - and once I reached the last disc, I deliberately slowed down, putting off the moment when I would have no further episodes to watch.

I had searched for this enjoyable series... off and on, for years... since I first watched the entire selection on PBS. I am thrilled to see it out on DVD.. and purchased the set , immediately. The story lines & plots , are intricate and interesting... with intrigue , humor and some action , without too much violence ( or nasty language). A fantastic series... which is so well presented... with amazing acting !

Masterful ! However this is not quite the complete series. Refer to another editionthat includes the pilot episode 'The Traitor' and related seqel featuring Palfrey'spersuader, Blair.

This was a spy series which never really took off. The main problem was that it was probably more real to life than the other hit shows of the 80s. Mr Palfrey appears to be a dreary civil servant located in a dingy little office tucked away behind Whitehall. He has access to a temporary secretary for only three days of the week. What raises the show above its contemporaries is the first class acting of Alec McCowen who plays Palfrey and Caroline Blakiston who plays his boss known only as The Administrator. Their battle of wills and verbal jousts are well scripted as the Administrator tries to bully Palfrey before switching tactics and using her seductive smile and charm to bend him to her will. However Mr Palfrey always proves to be too slippery and ahead of her in the spying game and comes out on top. They are supported by Clive Wood who plays the sinister agent just called Blair who does all Palfrey's dirty work.Catching traitors and spies can be long, sometimes tedious with long hours of boring surveillance which this show manages to put across. There is very little action and any violence is always off-screen. The show only lasted for one series despite the superb acting and realistic scripts, which were maybe just too true to real life.

First rate