Reilly - Ace of Spies

[Jase]

Hi!

Just found this gem at my father-in-law's DVD collection. Set at the beginning of the 20th century, it deals with the adventures of the first international spy: [wiki]Sidney Reilly[/wiki].

They are a great source of inspiration for BoB games and WW1 goodness.

Wiki: [wiki]Reilly, Ace of Spies[/wiki]

Amazon: Reilly, Ace of Spies

Cheers
Jase

[whisperin_al]

Good call - I was lucky enough to get this as a present for my birthday and am currently working my way through it.  Great nostalgia trip as I remember watching it when it was on TV.  Some may find it a little slow in comparison with some modern dramas though.

[bandit86]

I loved that show when it was on Masterpiece theater.   Now I am going to have to buy it

[joroas]

I have an episode on my pile to watch.

[huevans]

Actually, there are some serious bio's of the real Reilly available. (Can't name them off hand, but I dabbled in 1 last year). I'm probably your dad's age and I loved the series when it first came out.

In RL, Reilly was not the lovable character portrayed in the series. The tv show hints at his ruthlessness. In actual fact, Reilly was a mercenary and profiteer and almost certainly a casual murderer who built himself a network of connections and informers that made him a highly sought after intelligence operative. It was suggested in the book that he disappeared into oblivion and that he was not executed by the Bolsheviks as the tv show maintained.

Still a fascinating guy.

[answer_is_42]

I saw an episode of this a month or so ago on an obscure British channel, UKTV Gold plus Dave one, or something. Lots of Russians and flags and hats and revolutions and things. Great fun!

[Bugsda]

They were repeated on UK History last year, I recorded them all

[Sendak]

Love the "Great Game".

Just for laffs, we tried to identify the various 'classic' firearms in the series.

I always fancied a Webley IV pocket revolver. Like the .455, stalwart little sparkler.


 

[chantyam]

42 was it UK History? (now just history) I think that it had the whole series repart more than once over the years -the one thing I think I remeber that parts of Manchester and other towns Birmingham? where used to stand in for St Petersburg ,I know one series used parts of Glasgow.

[answer_is_42]

42 was it UK History?

Yes, I think it was.

[cdr]

There is a very good book on Reilly and other spies in Russia by Gordon Brook-Shepherd called Ironmaze. My favorite is an American with the rather impressive name of Xenophon Dmitrivich Kalamantiano.

[Greystreak]

Could have sworn that Reilly was with Fidel and me in Havana in '59 . . . 

Ché