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The Sandbaggers

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S3 E7 · Opposite Numbers

About The Sandbaggers

The Sandbaggers is a drama and war & politics TV series that premiered on ITV1 on September 18, 1978. It has 3 seasons and 20 episodes so far and has ended. The latest episode, Season 3 Episode 7 "Opposite Numbers", aired on July 28, 1980.

The Sandbaggers is a British television drama series about men and women on the front lines of the Cold War. Set contemporaneously with its original broadcast on ITV in 1978 and 1980, The Sandbaggers examines the effect of the espionage game on the personal and professional lives of British and American intelligence specialists.

  • Drama
  • War & Politics

Last updated

Episodes

20 episodes · 3 seasons

Series 1

1978 · 7 episodes · Last episode: 48 years ago

The Sandbaggers Series 1 release dates →
  1. The Sandbaggers S1 E7 still E7

    7. Special Relationship

    Laura Dickens is the most qualified agent for a risky mission in East Berlin and Burnside has to double-deal to make sure her presence there won't pose other security risks as well.

  2. The Sandbaggers S1 E6 still E6

    6. A Feasible Solution

    Caine and an agent fresh out of field school, go to Cyprus on the trail of some missing rocket scientists, while Neil lets his romantic guard down at home.

  3. The Sandbaggers S1 E5 still E5

    5. Always Glad to Help

    Laura Dickens is assigned to find out where an Arab sheik's sympathies lie, while Burnside clashes with Deputy Chief Matthew Peele and the Ministry of Defence over a covert scuba-diving operation.

  4. The Sandbaggers S1 E4 still E4

    4. The Most Suitable Person

    There has never been a woman in SIS's Special Operations Section, but with only one Sandbagger left to him, Burnside faces a crisis. The Training School can offer no one... except the enigmatic Laura Dickens. Sandbagger One Willie Caine goes to Gibraltar to investigate the murder of an SIS agent, and the new potential Sandbagger Laura Dickens goes to Morocco to get more clues in the case.

  5. The Sandbaggers S1 E3 still E3

    3. Is Your Journey Really Necessary?

    Alan Denson threatens to quit the Sandbaggers after a rough, unauthorized assassination mission near the Soviet border, so Burnside applies pressure to Denson's fiancee.

  6. The Sandbaggers S1 E2 still E2

    2. A Proper Function of Government

    When Sir Donald Hopkins, a top government advisor, is unexpectedly seen in Vienna, it is suspected that he intends to defect. The Sandbaggers are sent to Vienna to keep tabs on him. Meanwhile, an East African dictator has been executing British citizens, and SIS has put together a proposal for his assassination.

  7. The Sandbaggers S1 E1 still E1

    1. First Principles

    In Westminster there stands a drab building, peopled by ambitious men wielding great power in total secrecy, Among its staff are Neil Burnside and Willis Caine, for whom the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) is not just a way of life, but life itself. Neil Burnside, the Director of Operations SIS, objects to sending his best agents, the Sandbaggers, on a mission into Russia for Norway's Secret Service.

Series 2

1980 · 6 episodes · Last episode: 46 years ago

The Sandbaggers Series 2 release dates →
  1. The Sandbaggers S2 E6 still E6

    6. Operation Kingmaker

    Finale

    When there's talk of getting a new 'C', Burnside decides to back Peele for the job, believing him more malleable than the other most likely candidate, whom Burnside once clashed with.

  2. The Sandbaggers S2 E5 still E5

    5. It Couldn't Happen Here

    In the wake of the assassination of one U.S. senator, the Sandbaggers are assigned to bodyguard another, while Burnside gets wind of a traitor in the British cabinet.

  3. The Sandbaggers S2 E4 still E4

    4. A Question of Loyalty

    Sandbagger Mike Wallace runs afoul of the local SIS station while on a risky mission in Warsaw, and Burnside risks his own career to show him support by sending him on a subsequent mission to Stockholm.

  4. The Sandbaggers S2 E3 still E3

    3. Decision by Committee

    On an airline flight back from Sri Lanka, Caine and CIA covert-action agent Karen Milner run into trouble during their stop in Turkey, and Burnside runs into bureaucratic opposition when trying to help them.

  5. The Sandbaggers S2 E2 still E2

    2. Enough of Ghosts

    Permanent Under-Secretary of State Sir Geoffrey Wellingham goes missing in Brussels and the Sandbaggers are dispatched to find him, for Burnside's sake as well as Wellingham's.

  6. The Sandbaggers S2 E1 still E1

    1. At All Costs

    The head of the Bulgarian Secret Service asks to meet with Sandbagger Tom Elliott in Sofia, but Burnside doesn't like it and intends to give Elliott backup whether his bosses approve or not.

Series 3

1980 · 7 episodes · Last episode: 46 years ago

The Sandbaggers Series 3 release dates →
  1. The Sandbaggers S3 E7 still E7

    7. Opposite Numbers

    Finale

    Burnside is opposed to an East-West arms treaty being negotiated in Malta, so he and the Sandbaggers conspire to scuttle the talks by encouraging a Soviet double agent to defect.

  2. The Sandbaggers S3 E6 still E6

    6. Who Needs Enemies

    When a rival for Burnside's job gets hold of a CIA document that describes Burnside as a divisive influence, SIS upper management contrives to promote Burnside ``sideways'' to Madrid.

  3. The Sandbaggers S3 E5 still E5

    5. Sometimes We Play Dirty Too

    When a British intelligence source is killed in an accident in Prague, Caine is sent in to find out what really happened while Wallace and Burnside look for clues at home.

  4. The Sandbaggers S3 E4 still E4

    4. My Name is Anna Wiseman

    Burnside tries to get approval to plant a woman in the Soviet Union as a long-term double agent, but he neglects to mention that her real mission is short-term human rights propaganda.

  5. The Sandbaggers S3 E3 still E3

    3. Unusual Approach

    'C' orders Burnside to go on a working holiday in Rhodes, and while he's gone, Ross asks Caine for some risky backup in the USSR, but as Acting D.Ops., Caine would have to send Wallace.

  6. The Sandbaggers S3 E2 still E2

    2. To Hell with Justice

    SIS Director of Intelligence Edward Tyler meets a suspicious woman while on holiday in Malta, so Burnside secretly sends the Sandbaggers to keep an eye on him.

  7. The Sandbaggers S3 E1 still E1

    1. All in a Good Cause

    CIA Head of London Station Jeff Ross asks for Burnside's help when Ross' marriage is in trouble, but then Burnside starts to suspect that the KGB and MI5 have an interest in that marriage as well.

Cast & crew

Created by Ian Mackintosh

  • Jerome Willis

    Jerome Willis

    Matthew Peele

  • Bob Sherman

    Bob Sherman

    Jeff Ross

  • Richard Vernon

    Richard Vernon

    C

  • Elizabeth Bennett

    Elizabeth Bennett

    Diane Lawler

  • Sue Holderness

    Sue Holderness

    Marianne Straker

  • Alan MacNaughtan

    Alan MacNaughtan

    Sir Geoffrey Wellingham

  • Terry Pearson

    APSO

  • Dennis Burgess

    Tower Gibbs

  • Brian Osborne

    Sam

  • Diane Keen

    Diane Keen

    Laura Dickens

  • Peter Laird

    Edward Tyler

  • Paul Haley

    Bruce

  • Barkley Johnson

    Brian Milton

  • Steven Grives

    Alan Denson

  • David Robb

    David Robb

    Paul Dalgetty

  • Edith MacArthur

    Lady Wellingham

The Sandbaggers FAQ

Will there be new episodes of The Sandbaggers?

The Sandbaggers has ended, so no new episodes are scheduled. The final episode aired on July 28, 1980.

When did the latest episode of The Sandbaggers come out?

The most recent episode of The Sandbaggers, Season 3 Episode 7 "Opposite Numbers", aired on July 28, 1980.

How many seasons of The Sandbaggers are there?

The Sandbaggers has 3 seasons with 20 episodes in total.

When did The Sandbaggers first air?

The Sandbaggers first aired on ITV1 on September 18, 1978.

How do I get notified when new episodes of The Sandbaggers are released?

Download the Streambay app, follow The Sandbaggers, and you'll get a push notification the moment each new episode is released.

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