User reviews

The second run of "Danger Man" (known in the U.S. where I saw it as "Secret Agent") was an evolution of itself at the same time it was a product of the 1960s. The original "Danger Man" (1960-1961) still had a foot in the 1950s, but the second run (1964-1967) was quintessentially of the '60s. To see this, one must appreciate that after the first series about special agent John Drake ended, the James Bond movie "Dr. No" (1962) appeared and there was also the other spy series, "The Avengers" (1961-1969). "Secret Agent" (that is, "Danger Man" redux) went against these at the same time that it was influenced by them. The opening credits of "Danger Man" became dynamic graphics in the 1964 British version and a montage set to a rock song in the American version. "High Wire", the theme played on a clavichord and used on both sides of the pond in the 1964 series was characteristic of the '60s use of unusual or old fashioned instruments. (Later the theremin and the sitar.) But whereas "The Avengers" was campy and relentlessly satirical, "Secret Agent" was more serious. The influence of the James Bond series could be seen in the greater use of gadgets compared to the earlier John Drake series, although the earlier series occasionally used gadgets. (We finally get to see Drake use his DIY "post office kit" alluded to in the original series.) The hour format gives Drake more chance to breath and develop other characters as well as his own. The locations and settings become more believable. After watching the first series, the 1964 series is a revelation in what was unique about the '60s over the '50s and, at the same time, it brought out what Patrick McGoohan and show-runner Ralph Smart could do to make the expanded format count.

in my opinion the greatest ever spy series on TV. the original half hour series were amazing and you got a start, middle and end, John Drake always delivers. fast forward 3/4 years and Mr. Drake is back in 1 hour episodes and looking at these you will find an a to z of character actors involved in some fantastic stories. Drake is a loner who will not let himself get involved with anyone romantically due to the nature of his job, in fact he is the ultimate gentleman spy and he has to get close to people to solve the case. look at the episode with Bernard Bresslaw drake really does to get to like him and vice versa the pay off leaves Bernard a very sad man. all in all a fantastic slice of British TV and history, forget Bond, Drake is the man

For forty years, cult T.V. fans have been asking the question: "Who was Number Six?", referring, of course, to Patrick McGoohan's fantasy masterpiece 'The Prisoner'. But in an earlier series, he played a character who was equally mysterious and enigmatic. The show was 'Danger Man' and the character was 'John Drake'.

Throughout the series, we see little of Drake himself. We know he lives in London, at a fashionable mews address, drives a Mini Cooper, is fond of cigars and doesn't seem all that fond of women. Whenever one throws herself at him, such as the Jill Melford character in 'The Galloping Major', he keeps her at arms length. This self-imposed chastity endeared him to us kids, as it meant that the stories could not get bogged down in soppy romantic sub-plots. Like Bond, Drake loves gadgets - the 'From Russia With Love' variety - radios in electric razors, microphones concealed in walking sticks, typewriters containing cameras and so on. Occasionally, Drake is called upon to impersonate an army major, butler, or schoolteacher, which meant his entire personality would go submerged. In this respect, 'Danger Man' was the forerunner to the U.S. series 'Mission:Impossible', which also featured agents about whom the viewer knew next to nothing other than their names.

The series was grounded in reality, unlike the later 'Avengers' and 'U.N.C.L.E.'. Each week, Drake would be assigned to rescue a captured British agent, locate stolen defence plans, or penetrate an enemy spy ring. McGoohan played 'Drake' in a terse, arrogant yet oddly charismatic way, preempting Sean Connery's early performances as 'James Bond'.

'Danger Man' was produced in two batches - one transmitted in Britain in 1959/60, and another from 1964-67. Its the early half-hour episodes which work best for me, being more tightly written and directed. In these, Drake works for N.A.T.O., and appears to be an American, but later on, he would be redefined as an Englishman attached to the British Secret Service outfit M9. Of the hour-long episodes, I cite 'Colony Three' ( the inspiration for 'The Prisoner' ), 'No Marks For Servility', 'Not So Jolly Roger' and 'Whatever Happened To George Foster?' as amongst my personal favourites.

'Danger Man' ended with a rousing two-part colour adventure set in Japan - 'Koroshi' and 'Shinda Shima'. Though not popular with many fans, for my money they rounded off the series nicely, and made one wish McGoohan had done more in similar vein before moving onto 'The Prisoner'.

'Danger Man' does not get repeated often because it was mostly made in black and white. Yet, for anyone who loves '60's action television, it is essential viewing.

A terrific show, Danger Man. Just how terrific was it? Several of the scripts were recycled for use in color episodes of The Saint. But the originals in Danger Man are the best. As for Patrick McGoohan, he has never surpassed his role in this series. And, yes, that statement applies to his over-hyped and underwhelming portrayal as Number Six in The Prisoner. All the Danger Man episodes, including the earlier run of 30 minute episodes, are available on DVD. And that's probably the only way anyone will ever see them in this day and age, as even cable channels are now becoming averse to running black and white hour long dramas from forty or more years ago.

In a previous review, I took a look at Danger Man and how it's simply one of the most effectively written and acted spy shows ever. It's been watched by most people who consider themselves knowledgeable of the genre. So why am I reviewing it again? Simply because imdb's algorithm lists Danger Man and Secret Agent (as it's called in america) as two separate shows. I have no idea why. Many of the things that make this show so great I already discussed in the other review, so this time, I'm going to list some of the differences. From what I understand, the original danger man episodes I've seen are roughly 23 minutes long, but for this series, each one is an hour. I can't really blame them for wanting to take this route when it comes to tv shows. Rod Serling felt the same way when his immensely popular Twilight Zone started to captivate audiences. The first 3 seasons of TZ are all 26 minute episodes, but once they hit the fourth, the network executives or whoever felt it was time to make them twice as long, probably because they thought bigger run times would equal a bigger audience. However, history proved them wrong as there are only a handful of memorable Twilight Zones that are an hour long, but I digress. The reason they are all longer than series 1 Danger Man episodes is because the show was actually cancelled after they couldn't get funding for it, so CBS gradually lost interest in Danger Man and moved on to other things. 2 years later though, the show was brought back because suddenly James Bond was a thing and spy shows were insanely popular. Not only that, but ABC's The Avengers had also hit the scene. The storytelling was getting better, and producers were pushing their shows further and further trying to get as much praise as possible. The now resurrected, hour long Secret Agent episodes were back in order to compete with all these new and impressive spy movies and shows being released, and it does this well. Again, it's Patrick McGoohan doing his thing, and the storylines are still very interesting and each one is its own story. The show now even has a new theme song performed by Johnny Rivers: Secret Agent Man. It is also interesting to note that the last two episodes of the show are the only ones that are in color, but it was way too late and I'm confused why they even bothered.

Americans who remember Johnny Rivers "Secret Agent Man" theme song for this show have the fond memories of it. A lot of us watched this one before the Prisoner which came later.

"Given us a number and taking away our names" was an evil thought for us Americans then though today we are very much down that road. This was a good action series. I like Johnny Rivers live version of this song but would love to hear the TV Version he did for this show again.

Like The Prisoner, this one ran on CBS for several seasons. Patrick who just died was a key element to this shows success too. Not sure if this one is out on DVD or not but would be an interesting series to see after all these years.

Patrick McGoohan (The Prisoner, Scanners, Braveheart) stars as Secret Agent John Drake in this highly entertaining series full of quick dialogue, twist endings, and inventive storylines that would be right at home on Primetime TV now. McGoohan's subtle yet intense acting and well-choreographed fight scenes, as well as minorities and women in the roles of intelligent, important people are far ahead of their time and worth watching again and again. The characters have a fair amount of depth for a show that's primarily "us-against-them"; the bad guys are sympathetic and the good guys aren't squeaky-clean.

The fact that John Drake occasionally makes mistakes and has to improvise with his wits, luck and humor rather than a series of well-placed gadgets sets this series above the Bond films. It's fast-paced and tightly written...exceedingly clever overall.

McGoohan's acting style reminds me of both Mel Gibson and Ben Browder; he's capable of saying loads of things with no dialogue, is equally adept at humor, action and anger, and can flip emotions quickly. Today's audience may find some of the styles of the other actors a little dated, and the contrast is more pronounced because McGoohan is so much better than most of them.

FIGHTING: The fight scenes are inventive and action-packed. McGoohan's boxing experience shows, but he isn't limited to one fighting style, fights dirty when necessary and isn't above unexpectedly throwing furniture across a room or tossing an adversary down the stairs. There are several back-breaking stunts in the fight scenes which are probably not allowed any more, so if you're a fight buff as I am, they're worth rewinding.

GADGETS: The spy gadgets are for the most part items which could actually exist, and they are brought in as part of a plan rather than the Gothic Trick style gadgets of 007; Drake never has to hope that someone borrows his exploding pen at just the right time. I love Q's inventions, they add humor and flavor to the Bond films, but I find that I don't really miss them since it's clear Drake could beat Bond on an IQ test.

BONUS FOR THE LADIES: If you like James Bond (McGoohan actually turned down the role of James Bond -- twice), but prefer someone who's less of a rake with a bigger sense of humor, this is the guy for you. Not quite funny enough to beat Austin Powers, mind you, but he has better teeth. He's cute, clever and charming and I became a "Drake Drooler" upon my first viewing.

LOVE SCENES: While other characters kiss and have affairs and trade sex for secrets on the show, and Drake clearly enjoys the parties he attends and gambling with the Agency's money, the main character had not one kissing scene throughout the entire series, (which may have something to do with the fact Drake smokes constantly-- his lighter is a camera). I had thought this would make it seem dated, but actually it became an important detail of a well-crafted character, and is part of why I grew to like him better than Bond after only the first disk. I am speaking as a lifetime Bond fan, too, so it wasn't easy for me to admit.

BONUS FOR PRISONER FANS: Fans of McGoohan's cult hit The Prisoner will love to join the scavenger hunt and pick out the characters and clues that have led many to conclude that John Drake and Number 6 are one in the same, or at least that the Everyman in the Prisoner is represented by John Drake. (McGoohan categorically denies this, but it's more fun to play with it.)

Those who have watched The Prisoner may wish to start with set 2, which contains the episode Colony Three, the first appearance of a town full of spies referred to as "The Village". Villagers will also feel quite at home in "The Ubiquitous Mr. Lovegrove", a surreal look into Drake's mind in which he sees Death at every turn. The symbolic use of midnight, mirrors and reflection will satisfy your urge to dissect if you're one of the more fervent Prisoner fans.

Be Seeing You!

The only TV series I watch are old ones, either on TV or on library copies. Perry Mason, Rockford Files (my favorite), The Third Man, Magnum PI, Cheers, Wings, Route 66, Twilight Zone, Gunsmoke, Have Gun ,Will Travel (second favorite), Flash Gordon (just kidding, but Ming The Merciless was a great villain) The Saint and Secret Agent. Im trying to find Miami Vice and 77 Sunset Strip. Id rather watch Nazi Megaweapons than new TV series. I saw The Saint and Secret Agent when originally on but only recalled that they were excellent. I'm now amazed by their high quality. The directing on the 30 minute, Secret Agent series is so tight that it squeaks. Along w/The Saint, a very satisfying, intelligent drama. Perry Mason is so well done that even when the first half doesn't have Mason, it is still excellent.

A largely gimmick free spy adventure series. Patrick Mcgoohan's screen presence is nearly matched by the fantastic supporting casts. The series gives dignified roles to women and often uses non British and BAME actors in well written stories that use ethics and intrigue in equal measure. Typical Patrick Mcgoohan. Fantastic.

Great little show that has aged surprisingly well thanks to it's clever writing and McGoohan's nuanced performance. John Drake is (for 60s television) a fairly deep character, and a welcome change from the more popular spy characters of the time such as James Bond and The Saint. The budget and the direction may seem quaint to modern audiences, but they meant that the show had no other choice but to focus on the scripts, almost all of which are great. I could count the number of bad episodes on one hand.

There's a man who leads a life of danger.

To everyone, he meets he stays a stranger.

With every move, he makes, another chance he takes.

Odds are he won't live to see tomorrow.

-- Johnny Rivers

Secret Agent John Drake (Patrick McGoohan), Secret Agent has just the right attitude and skill set to be a cult classic. If you are looking for sex, blood, and gratuitous mayhem this is not the series for you. Agent John Drake completes his missions in unique but morally superior ways; oh, did I forget to say it is also fun to watch.

This 1964 TV series (1964-1966) is more additive than "The Prisoner" 1967 TV series (1967-1968) which of course will be your next purchase.

I'm a big fan of Danger Man and McGoohan. Drake, of course, is the only secret agent known to mankind who always uses his real name wherever he goes... :-)

I recently watched all 47 episodes in a row over a weeks time and I love this show. That said, there are some silly moments and no agent in his right mind would find himself in a situation where virtually every job requires him to depend upon someone walking in at the precise moment to upset the bad guys' plans or have someone make a mistake and let him (Drake) get out of the situation at the very last moment. Note how many fights he is in with 2 guys where one gets shoved and is dazed enough to wait while Drake finishes off the other or how many times a bad guy is merely jostled and fires his weapon in the air allowing Drake to escape or beat up the villain. I wonder how many concussions Drake suffered and how many shots were fired at him at close range by professional killers which happened to conveniently miss? Well, all TV shows and movies are like that, but better writing would be in order here. Love the music, love the plane jetting in, love the scenes all throughout Europe and several other continents, love the old character actors who are mostly dead now, but who gave us all huge amounts of enjoyment in the 60s. Personal favorite episode: "That's Two Of Us Sorry". Great twist at the end.

Taken as a whole, "Danger Man" is one of the finest Television series of its era. Patrick McGoohan did an excellent job portraying British Intelligence Agent John Drake, providing a frankly refreshing alternative to the James Bond type character of the Spy genre.

Danger Man consisted of 4 seasons done in a somewhat unusual manner. In the first season, televised 1960-1961, John Drake is a NATO intelligence officer working for the UN in New York. There were 39 half-hour episodes filmed in black and white. The series was cancelled after this first season and it was not until 1964 that it was reprised (because of the "spy craze" of that time) for its second season. John Drake no longer works for NATO but rather for the British Government intelligence agency "M9". The shows are also now 1 hour episodes, and for seasons 2 & 3 (combined total 45 episodes) are filmed in black and white. The fourth season consists of only 2 1-hour episodes that are filmed in color (or is it "Colour" :-)?

The character of John Drake is one of a spy with morals. He doesn't use women, rarely carries a gun much less uses one, and prefers to think his way through his missions. He is no weakling however ( McGoohan is 6' 2.5") and knows how to handle himself very well in hand-to-hand fighting. He is adept at several languages and reasonably good at disguises. The gadgetry is more sparse and more believable than that found in the Bond films, with the most common spy accessories being a camera hidden in a cigarette lighter, and an electric razor that doubles as a tape recorder. He is sometimes at odds with his superiors when they request him to do things that he considers immoral or dishonorable and pays the price for doing what he sees as right.

When aired in the US, a different opening sequence and song was added. Originally the series title of "Danger Man" was going to be retained but at the last moment it was deemed that "Secret Agent" would catch a bigger share of the US audience. The famous "Secret Agent" song sung by Johnny Rivers had its refrain originally phrased for "Danger Man" but then had to be changed to "Secret Agent MAN" to work.

As of this writing, A&E Home Video has brought to DVD region 1 (USA/Canada) the first 38 episodes of Seasons 2&3. It is hoped they will pubish the remaining 7 Season 3 episodes and the 2 Season 4 episodes, and it is the personal hope of this author that the will then consider to publish the original 39 half hour episodes of Season 1.

Patrick McGoohan stopped doing Danger Man because he thought the stories had run their course and because he wanted to do his own unique project, which became the legendary series "The Prisoner". There has been ongoing rumor that a Prisoner Movie is in the make, with McGoohan having the hand at writing the script, and possibly directing and staring in a cameo role. To Patrick, your fans hope in relation to this project, that one more time we can all "Be seeing you".

'Danger Man' has for years been shown here in Australia, week-days at 5am on channel 9, sometimes accompanied by the Canadian thriller 'Seaway', also in b/w.

Out of similar shows from this era, like 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' & the wonderful 'Edgar Wallace Mysteries', 'Danger Man' holds up the extremely well.

As well as great scripts, & the dry delivery of Mr McGoohan, the guest stars are great to see too. Today's episode had Hammer Horror actress Barbara Steele guest starring.

I am taping these shows to blank blu-ray discs, & can fit 13 episodes or 12 hours of HD content per disc, after removing the ads. I started doing this because Seaway is not on DVD & rarely seen, elsewhere. Danger Man is a great quality show that is remembered for influencing so many others, its a must see.

Believe it or not, I did not see any of this programme until 1992-93. It was shown one per night on CBC-Windsor at difficult to establish late hours. In spite of the inconvenience, I made it my business to see as many as possible; my first was when Drake had a car crash, blacking out . . . and you will just have to see it.

It was well cast with well-crafted supporting characters. I had no idea it was the progeny of an earlier show about a NATO operative, a few episodes of which I saw in 1961 (and none since). One notes comment that SECRET AGENT was inspired by the 007 films, which is beyond dispute, but I respectfully disagree that it was as "gadgety" as the Bond films, and furthermore it was devoid of the latent camp. Exception: "Would You Like Some Wine" (if memory serves). Perhaps it was the b.&w. presentation that made it more -- pardon the cliche -- gritty.

Most of the episodes were good. It seems some of the later ones (did the series run into 1967?) were the weakest: Far-fetched and in a few cases ridiculous without being tongue-in-cheek. I cannot say whether SECRET AGENT came to an end because it ran out of petrol or because the more ambitious THE PRISONER was on the drawing boards. All said, I agree that one should make every attempt to see the series, and no, being period piece does not distract for those able to make a mature adjustment to such.

This show never laughs at itself (setting it apart from most of the James Bond and follow-on genre shows). Instead, it projects the inimitable Patrick McGoohan as a consistently efficacious hero: fast-thinking, innovative, ultra-capable, tenaciously-focused on the mission, yet when achieving the mission is not enough, he's able to think outside the box, to re-define his goals and achieve success in a wider context.

For a little boy starving to see a hero on television, "Danger Man" (and the subsequent "Secret Agent Man") was just what I needed. A hundred times over the years, facing my own moments of challenge, I remembered how John Drake had handled things. Nevermind the detail of his job being a "secret agent," the essential of this show is: a man of quintessential skill and reason who uses his mind to take him over, under, around or through all obstacles -- and *that* is what you take away from every episode.

It's food for the soul.

'Secret Agent' was the series that preceded Patrick McGoohan's 'The Prisoner'. Having seen 'Secret Agent' for the first time makes you understand 'The Prisoner' much more. The agent that resigned in 'The Prisoner' is probably John Drake of 'Secret Agent'. It was a brilliant espionage TV series with many ideas that were later seen in the 'James Bond' movies and 'Mission Impossible'. It was brilliantly written and played and although most of the episodes are in black and white, it doesn't make much difference as long as it is so fascinating and reliable. It really stands the test of time. Every episode is different than the other but they all involve spy games. The quality of the series exceeds anything we see today. So Patrick, why did you resign?

This spy drama was in the mold of the first '007' movie, "DR. No". A crossover from the paranoid deep cover spy of the 50's to the gadget and spoof of the 60's. And to top it off, Patrick McGoohan, as the secret agent, was terrific. Cool, low keyed, sharp as a tack, traveling to different ports of call. Plots were generally good. Unfortunately, due to its mature nature and age, chances of it being televised grows less year by year...Alas poor Yorick. If you do gain access to these episodes, go for it. You won't be disappointed.

I agree 100% with the previous comments. A nice departure for this series was that the hero wasn't forever slobbering over women - in fact Drake remained impervious to their charms - a sort of 1960s Sherlock Holmes - without an Irene Adler!. Only 2 episodes were made in colour, and these were to form part of the 1967 series, but after the two episodes were filmed PMcG wanted to drop the series and make 'The Prisoner' which is another story. It is probably because they are in black and white that domestic UK TV has not rebroadcast these stories, but the UK satellite channel Granada Plus has the rights to the ITC catalogue, which made Danger Man, but they seem reluctant to repeat B/W adventure series, though they do repeat B/W comedy shows like the earlier series of 'On The Buses' and 'Nearest and Dearest' etc. Perhaps if enough people contacted them they might think again?.

At least one videotape is available commercially of Danger Man, I have seen it recently in a store in London, as there are 4 episodes on one tape I assume that these are from the 1960 series, when the stories ran for 30 minutes. In the early days of Channel 4 (1982) they rebroadcast all 39 episodes of the original series twice a week.