Customer Reviews

The Champions - Set One

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This set represents the first 15 episodes of a 30-episode total of the series, THE CHAMPIONS. Stuart Damon (fresh from being Prince Charming to Leslie Ann Warren's Cinderella, and who went on to soap opera fame), Alexandra Bastedo, and William Gaunt (you'll know this BBC actor when you see him) play agents of Nemesis, an international organization of trouble-shooters based in Geneva. They are on a mission in Red China when their plane crashes in the Himalayas. Rescued from death by an unknown & anonymous group of people, they are endowed with special powers of strength & psychic abilities that must be kept secret, even from their boss Tremayne.

The tone of the series is similar in nature to The Saint (Roger Moore's), Dr. Who, and The Avengers; this is not surprising considering that Dennis Spooner & Brian Clemens were driving forces in all four series. (Terry Nation wrote several of the episodes.) The twist on this show is the increased abilities, with the emphasis on the psychic/paranormal skills, which makes it a cross between standard espionage and science-fiction. Although the late 60's wardrobe, hair styles, and dialogue are a bit dated, the series is set in the Cold War. Nemesis is a top-secret agency that can only be called in by other agencies. NATO enters in to a lot of the plots; bad guys are trying to manipulate the world. The trio tackle that which cannot be done, and do the amazing - all to the bafflement of their boss who hasn't got a clue as to how they manage it all.

The show is good, clean, enjoyable fun. Damon is Craig Sterling, the brash American with a ready smile. Gaunt is Richard Barrett, the sober Brit with dry humour. Bastedo is Sharon Macready, the lovely female operative who can take out any bad guy on her own without getting her hair mussed or appearing less than frail. They balance well, taking turns pulling each other out of dangerous situations.

If you have ever been a fan of Dr. Who, The Saint, The Avengers, The Protectors, or The Persuaders, you are in for a treat. I had seen two episodes (poor VHS copies) prior to the release of this 4 disc DVD set. The quality of the transfers on these discs is outstanding. I only hope A&E sees fit to release the rest of the series - and SOON!

Yet another fine series from Britain's ITC stable, "The Champions," despite the comic book premise, was an imaginative and fairly well done series extolling the exploits of three superhuman agents who received their extraordinary physical and mental powers from a lost tribe of people in Tibet. 30 episodes were made in all and the series made its debut in the USA in 1968.

The Champions, thematically, is in the same sci-fi/spy vein as 'The Avengers," but taken a little more seriously than the Emma Peel episodes produced around the same time(also available in a "Megaset"), by the three leads: Stuart Damon, William Gaunt, and Alexandra Bastedo.

While this set thru A&E is decent, I recommend purchasing the Network DVD set available via AmazonUK and in Region 2 encoding. This is the set to buy replete with director and actor interviews, PDFs of publicity materials, a feature film, commentaries, trailers, and the actors' screentest footage, among several other outstanding extras.

This short lived yet popular series is still hyped up about in many countries. Stuart Damon, Alexandra Bastedo and William Gaunt are 3 agents of a Swiss based think tank "Nemesis". When their plane coming back from their mission in China (in the opening episode) is shot down, they are left for dead in Tibet, until they are taken by a mysterious old man to a strange room and are miraculously cured. That's really an understatement, they are also endowed with physical and mental powers beyond comprehension for 1968 (when it aired). Told to keep their powers and the existence of the old man a secret, they take care of the enemy agents and get back to home base, mission successful and go on from there, much to the chagrin of their supervisor played by Anthony Nicholls. Originally an ITC product in England, when released here, it only aired as a summer replacement series in 1968 and aired only 10 episodes of the 30 made. Then in 1983, 2 episodes (which we never saw, 1 of which being the first) were sandwiched together into a feature length story called Legend of The Champions to try to again offer it to our continent (a tad late). Since then it has never been around until 2004 when this set was released by A&E video here and another company there, but their company released both halves and a complete set which you can still get from "Marketplace Clients" on Amazon UK. However in July of last year, another manufacturer in England reissued a more complete set which includes the 30 episodes, behind the scenes goodies and "Legend" as well. I have just purchased a dvd player that can player overseas discs through this Amazon and my copy of the Complete Champions just shipped today. My advice, get a multi region capable player and this recent vintage (the one on Amazon UK that is) set. As of when mine shipped, I paid roughly $53 after currency conversion (including shipping) which is what you will probably pay for this set (shown above) here. Get the complete deal and enjoy it.

I watched the Champions when it aired on US TV more than twenty years ago. The quality of the show truly struck me. Here was a spy thriller with the twist that the agents had been endowed with more than human powers. There were no supervillains, but simply evil men. The plots had more incommon with Mission Impossible than the Wild Wild West. The super powers were low keyed and the episode usually focused on a single ability, such as being able to see in the dark or the ability to remain under water for six to nine minutes.

The U.S. version, brought to us by A&E, has only 15 episodes on it. Thanks to another reviewer, I found the Special Edition on the British Amazon site, and purchased it as well, and have been enjoying all the episodes, the special "movie" with two episodes blended together, and a reunion among the three main stars of the series, Stuart Damon, Alexandra Bastedo and William Gaunt--the first time in decades.

If you aren't sure of your DVD player's capabilities of playing a Region 2 DVD, though, you might want to stick with the American version. On your computer, however, most DVD programs will allow you to change the region code up to 4 times, and that is how I've been watching mine, although I do have a region-free player as well. The difference in price is nominal (about $15) and there are so many more perks with the Special Edition.

The american version I've bought at amazon.com has only 15 episodes and it's very expensive. There is no special making of or something different like that. But I've bought the complete series (30 episodes)at AMAZON.CO.UK for less!!!

And they were "very different", yet very much "the same". As in, the same consistent quality, the same creative genius, and the same colorful "FAB"-ness as two other ITC series in production at the same time, (the great season of '68), "The Avengers" and "The Prisoner"! And each one of these short-lived T.V. series from that long gone period in space and time, and all the cast and crew members involved in their production, and the basic premise behind them, individually and as a whole, were "very different" and very special indeed. So, this set was a very special treat for me to discover and then experience for the very first time! Especially after my having endured several painful months of the B.C.S.W.'s, ("British Cult Series Withdrawals"), whilst I was left hopelessly jonesin' for one more fix! However, I feel all right now, as "The Champions" managed to hit the spot. And for all of this plus so much more, I thank you ITC! Cheery-bye. - S->

I never heard of this! It was before my time but I'm a big fan
of old british tv. I love the Persuaders and the Protectors so
I got the Spy collection and this series was on it! I have only
watched 3 episodes and I love it. Spy meets Star Trek series!
The show is very well written and acted. I would've loved this as
a kid. How come this never ran in syndication? or did it? I
highly recommend this series for true classic tv collectors.
One of the best series ever made. Can't wait to watch all.

I have loved the Champions since... 1969!!! I was a little kid falling madly in love with science and science fiction: watching the Moon landings live with my parents, "Star Trek" (the original of course) and yes, "The Champions"!!! They were so cool, had these amazing powers, and had been to the Himalayas (I wanted to go there sooo bad!!!) where a secret civilization gave them their special, incredible powers! Richard was my favourite.

I'd looked for Region 1 dvd's of "The Champions" for years, and finally, I now own them. Well, the first set anyways. The second set MUST come out as soon as possible, PLEASE.

Anyway, my purchase went very well, and again the arrival of this purchase was very quick I'm happy to say. All went perfectly well, no glitches.
I'm once again very pleased with Amazon!

Fini.

I remember this early "super hero" show from the 70s. I had just recently returned home after doing my military duty in Great Britain. Watching the "Nemesis" heroes tooling around London or through the countryside brings back warm feelings I have for that country.

The quality of the packaging is excellent. The discs themselves were also excellent. I am very pleased with this product. Another excellent Monty Berman production.