TV Gold

hi everyone.
having had a lifelong interest in the w.w.2 and in particular the raf I was a huge fan of Secret Army.
I was impressed with the "English" way it was made, not glossy or glamourous. You could feel the tension and danger with a gloomy back room which was always a safe haven.
The acting was first class and the characters were perfect.
My favourite was Nathalie. I loved everything about her and was totally besotted with her. Juliette, who played her is the same age as me.
The years it was on tv were very good ones for me. Before the storm years, i was fit and young and i have very fond memories of that time of my life. I have just ordered the 1st series on dvd and will order the other two later. I vaguelly remember the spin off series Kessler but there will never be anything to touch Secret Army.
One last thing, i remember at the time reading in the newspapers, when filming started in Brussels some of the older locals actually believed that the Germans had re-invaded again and hid in their cellars.
Regards,
mn77

My favourite character has got to be Major Reinhardt - he was so world-weary and irritable and he had a great dry sense of humour. I also liked the way he deliberately baited Kessler all the time. I did like Reinhardt's predecessor, Major Brandt, as well, but Reinhardt has the edge.

I also have a soft spot for Alain - I like the fact that a random middle-aged farmer became a genuine hero.

If I had to be one of the characters myself, I'd like to be Natalie, solely because in the later episodes she was always in the thick of the action. It's quite rare in a drama series set in the war and made in the 70s to see a female character sprinting around ambushing enemy convoys with the boys and brandishing a machine-gun. It must have a been a very exciting role to play, especially after Natalie toughened up after the death of Francois and got more involved in the action.

My favourite character? Very tricky one this as there?s so many good characters.

Natalie, Albert, Alain, Reinhardt & Max in my opinion are all joint runners-up for various different reasons. Yeah, I know Max wanted to take over Lifeline and have Albert killed and all that I just thought he was a brilliant character

My fave character though over the three seasons is Monique.


Salut!
Mark

Like most others on this thread I find it very hard to choose a favourite character as such, they are all so good. I really think this is probably the best BBC drama series that I have ever seen (first saw it when I was 8 years old).

For me the most interesting character is Kessler. Clifford Rose's portrayal of Kessler is chilling. Whenever I think of a fanatical Nazi it is Kessler that I think of. I think it was frighteningly accurate. The clever thing is though is that even Kessler had his sensitive side, and that was shown. He was an extremely complex character, and as Clifford Rose suggested on the "Kessler" DVD it was rather a pity that the BBC did not continue his story in post war Germany. There was a "Secret Army" in reverse begging to be made where we could see the war Criminals having to face the music or being sent down the rat lines to evade capture. Perhaps Kessler could have been one of the main operatives? I certainly think the character deserved better than what we got in "Kessler", even though Clifford Rose's portrayal was excellent.

My least favourite character is Lisa Colbert, just seems a bit 2D compared with some of the others, but is still very good nevertheless.

Oh wow! You all have no idea how long I have searched for a Secret Army forum AND NOW I HAVE FOUND ONE! I am so happy! Favourite character has to be Major Reinhardt - you can really feel sorry for the guy, he's just had enough of everything. I always get upset at the last episode (The Execution) when he is court martialled and shot; it's just so unjust when his Knight's Cross is stolen at the end. My second favourite character - Natalie Chantrans. I think she is the one who portrays what it was like to live under occupation the best. Alain is a fantastic character too!

hd-reinhardt wrote:Oh wow! You all have no idea how long I have searched for a Secret Army forum AND NOW I HAVE FOUND ONE! I am so happy! Favourite character has to be Major Reinhardt - you can really feel sorry for the guy, he's just had enough of everything. I always get upset at the last episode (The Execution) when he is court martialled and shot; it's just so unjust when his Knight's Cross is stolen at the end. My second favourite character - Natalie Chantrans. I think she is the one who portrays what it was like to live under occupation the best. Alain is a fantastic character too!

All the characters were excellently portrayed, but my favourite was Nick Bradley - attractive and someone you would feel safe with - it was a shame that they didn't make more of Bradley and Natalie's tentative romance as i think they'd have been good together! I like Reinhardt too, basically a decent guy like Brandt - it just didn't seem fair that those two characters were killed off whilst Kessler managed to slip the net!

mmm, who's my favourite character....dunno, dont really remember it, only born in 1968, but you'll never guess who I bumped into the other week? Ron Pember, the guy who played allain, he seemed really nice and easy going, so if you ask me who's my favourite, then it would have to be Ron's character.
P.S. was secret army ever repeated?, as i do remember the music and end credits along the train tracks(quite haunting), i also remember the bald bloke getting shot and dying in a german ambush(i think).

Its just finishing a run on UKTV History.

Yep, last episode tommorow and then their showing Kessler.

Kessler on UK Gold?, What day is that starting then??

ooops i mean UK History...

colgirl wrote:

hd-reinhardt wrote:Oh wow! You all have no idea how long I have searched for a Secret Army forum AND NOW I HAVE FOUND ONE! I am so happy! Favourite character has to be Major Reinhardt - you can really feel sorry for the guy, he's just had enough of everything. I always get upset at the last episode (The Execution) when he is court martialled and shot; it's just so unjust when his Knight's Cross is stolen at the end. My second favourite character - Natalie Chantrans. I think she is the one who portrays what it was like to live under occupation the best. Alain is a fantastic character too!

All the characters were excellently portrayed, but my favourite was Nick Bradley - attractive and someone you would feel safe with - it was a shame that they didn't make more of Bradley and Natalie's tentative romance as i think they'd have been good together! I like Reinhardt too, basically a decent guy like Brandt - it just didn't seem fair that those two characters were killed off whilst Kessler managed to slip the net!

Yep Bradley for me also, a very strong character and very clever with it. When I think of SA I always think of two moments which feature Major Bradley. The 1st is they way he got rid of the guy wearing a berret and round glasses who was trailing Natalie through the streets, he got her to lure him into this bombed building, broke his neck and put him into what appeared a incinerator - Gruesome! The 2nd was how he dealt with the Communist Resistance guy who was sent to infiltrate Lifeline. In the town there was loads of looting which Kessler had ordered a shoot on sight policy. Anyway Bradley decides to one put a bullet him in himself and two then stick a load of silver and valuables in his Jacket and push him out in the Street half dead for two German officers to finish him off. That was clever as to them he was a looter and of course nothing to do with the Communist Resitance or Lifeline which Bradley was trying to hide.

I have to admit to liking Germans in unform! I liked Brandt, and find Kessler good but scary, but it has to Reinhardt for me. Anytime he want to interrogate me, I'm ready! Seriously though, I have thoroughly enjoyed both SA and Kessler. They give you the view from the other side of the fence, and - joking aside - they help younger generations to appreciate the loss and sacrifice on both sides.

I watched the recent series of Kessler and although i enjoyed it, perhaps it might have been a good idea to have several series - the first one set in post war Europe and showing how Kessler managed to establish himself as a businessman and set up his company whilst taking on a new identity and trying to evade the Nazi hunters.By the way - i didn't really warm to his daughter much, or her boyfriend (who i remember from my childhood as being in The Tomorrow People).

Im going to be greedy and choose from both sides! From the German side I will go for Mayor Brandt, played brilliantly and also the tussles he had with Kessler we're excellent to watch. Reinhardt followed up in really well also and Terrence Hardiman is due great credit for following such a difficult act. From the evasion side I would have to go for Monique, just so easily likeable.