History Series / TheSandbaggers

Once described as "men in cheap suits dying badly in Prague," it clearly falls on the cynical side of the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism, and is about as far from ''Franchise/JamesBond'' as you can get (which [[LampshadeHanging the characters themselves are apt to point out]].) Most of the plots revolve around Burnside wrestling with bureaucracy within and without, whether it's his superiors at SIS, his domestic counterparts at MI5, or the British government.

* InterserviceRivalry: SIS and MI5 don't get along.

* TheSpymaster: Burnside, obviously. Also, the chief of the CIA station in London, Burnside's opposite number at MI5, and several foreign intelligence chiefs. Particularly amusing is the struggling head of the fledgling Norwegian intelligence service:

* AwesomeMcCoolName: Neil Burnside.

* TheTeetotaler: Burnside doesn't drink alcohol. But he drinks Coke by the gallon.

* PointyHairedBoss: Deputy Chief Peele, who is more of a career man than an intelligence officer, although he does show glimpses of competence once or twice. The Prime Minister and the rest of the government usually are treated as Pointy Haired Bosses, as well.

* FunWithAcronyms: None are particularly funny, but the sheer number of them can choke segments of dialogue. The PA to D.Ops might relay a message that the PUSS at the FCO needs a favour for the DCDS. (Translation:[[spoiler: The Personal Assistant to the Director of Operations says that the Permanent Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office needs a favour for the Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff.]] Simple.)

* CutShort: Mackintosh's disappearance ended the series on a cliffhanger, with [[spoiler:Willie Caine mortally wounded.]] Rumours suggest [[spoiler:Caine would have returned as a wheelchair-bound D. Ops]] in Series Four, presumably with [[spoiler: Mike and Neil similarly promoted]].

* FunWithAcronyms - None are particularly funny, but the sheer number of them can choke segments of dialogue. The PA to D.Ops might relay a message that the PUSS at the FCO needs a favour for the DCDS. (Translation:[[spoiler: The Personal Assistant to the Director of Operations says that the Permanent Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office needs a favour for the Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff.]] Simple.)
* GuileHero (or maybe Guile Anti-Hero?) - Burnside.
* HeWhoMustNotBeSeen - Burnside's ex-wife and Wellingham's daughter, Belinda. Burnside's relationship with her (and by extension, Wellingham) is a plot point in several episodes, but we never see her except in photographs.

* IDidWhatIHadToDo - Burnside personifies this trope, and isn't afraid to get his hands dirty.
* IncrediblyObviousTail - Played straight (but justified) in the ''first ten minutes'' of the series: Burnside and Caine easily spot tails on their way to the office, but it turns out they're [[spoiler:being followed by green Norwegian agents on a training exercise.]]
* InherentInTheSystem - Most of the intelligence community is bent towards maintaining the status quo as a result of the governments and bureaucracies each agency serves.
* InstantDeathBullet - Subverted in "At All Costs".
* InsufferableGenius - Burnside is a draconian boss, but superhumanly dedicated to his job and the safety of his agents. Likewise, he regularly lies to his superiors and schemes under their noses, but he's just that good at deception, and it usually serves the interest of the Service.
* InterserviceRivalry - SIS and MI5 don't get along.

* KnightTemplar - Burnside does not hesitate to take matters in his own hands and has a fanatical anti-Communist streak.
* MakeItLookLikeAnAccident - Arranged by the ''protagonists'' a few times, when there's a KGB mole who's prominent enough that their trial or suspicious death would cause a scandal.
* MauveShirt - If your callsign is Sandbagger Two, you're not long for this world, but at least we'll have a few episodes to get to know you. [[spoiler: Mike Wallace survives, and may have been promoted to Sandbagger One in Series 4.]]
* TheMole - Several, including a prominent cabinet minister as well as [[spoiler:Edward Tyler, Director of Intelligence.]]
* NotMyDriver - Wellingham gets kidnapped this way in "Enough of Ghosts".
* ObstructiveBureaucrat - In Burnside's mind, this describes virtually everybody, but Deputy Chief Peele most often fills the role.

* TheOnlyOne - Diplomacy won't work. The CIA can't get an agent there in time. The Prime Minister refuses to authorize military action. Any number of elements force the Sandbaggers into the line of fire.
* OutGambitted - Wellingham thoroughly outmaneuvers Burnside in the season 2 finale.
* OvertRendezvous - Burnside and Jeff Ross tend to meet while strolling through the park.
* PerpetualPoverty - On an institutional level. The SIS is perpetually under pressure to make budget cuts. Neil, who thinks his Sandbaggers are already underpaid for risking their lives and liberty on a regular basis, is constantly fighting to stop his Sandbagger complement being reduced to just two, and frequently has to call in favours in from the CIA during operations.
* PointyHairedBoss - Deputy Chief Peele, who is more of a career man than an intelligence officer, although he does show glimpses of competence once or twice. The Prime Minister and the rest of the government usually are treated as Pointy Haired Bosses, as well.
* PrisonerExchange - Subverted [[spoiler: when Burnside orders her shot halfway across.]]
* RefugeInAudacity - Perhaps most notably when Burnside wins a bureaucratic argument by ''moving the capital of Venezuela'' (ItMakesSenseInContext.)

* SecretTestOfCharacter - Wellingham administers one to Peele in the season 2 finale.

* ShootTheDog - Burnside, notably in "At All Costs."
* ShownTheirWork - Perhaps showing a bit ''too'' much - one of the second series episodes was censored for contravening the Official Secrets Act.
* SpiritualSuccessor - Creator/GregRucka's love of the series led to his homage/reworking, ''ComicBook/QueenAndCountry''.
* SpyFiction - Extremely Stale Beer.
* TheSpymaster - Burnside, obviously. Also, the chief of the CIA station in London, Burnside's opposite number at MI5, and several foreign intelligence chiefs. Particularly amusing is the struggling head of the fledgling Norweigan intelligence service:

* SpySpeak - Played straight, but usually not overdone. A typical example uses the "Metaphor" approach, with Burnside in the role of a manager talking to two salesmen in the field.

* TheTeetotaler - Burnside doesn't drink alcohol. But he drinks Coke by the gallon.

* TyrantTakesTheHelm - John Tower Gibbs in season 3 falls somewhere between this trope and BaitAndSwitchTyrant.
* [[WhatTheHellHero What The Hell, Hero?]] - Burnside commits some truly despicable acts, including threatening to blackmail a Sandbagger's girlfriend [[spoiler: which drives her to suicide]] and ordering the assasination of [[spoiler:one of his own agents, who is also his lover.]] Willie Caine's otherwise rock-solid loyalty is severely shaken by the latter, although his dedication to the job brings him back.

* CIAEvilFBIGood: Inverted. The CIA are generally portrayed as helpful, and in particular Burnside has a very close working relationship with the CIA's London section chief, Jeff Ross. The show has a ConspiracyTheorist view of American domestic politics that looks peculiar to American eyes, and the FBI is part of it. According to Ross (and apparently, this was really [[WriterOnBoard according to Mackintosh]]), the FBI was behind the Kennedy and King assassinations.
* CutShort - Mackintosh's disappearance ended the series on a cliffhanger, with [[spoiler:Willie Caine mortally wounded.]] Rumours suggest [[spoiler:Caine would have returned as a wheelchair-bound D. Ops]] in Series Four, presumably with [[spoiler: Mike and Neil similarly promoted]].
* DeadpanSnarker - Just about everyone gets a turn, but particularly Burnside, his secretary and Sandbagger One, Willie Caine.
* DisposableWoman - [[spoiler: Alan Denson]]'s girlfriend.
* DoubleReverseQuadrupleAgent - {{Defied}}; [[spoiler:Tyler says he considered becoming a triple agent after the KGB turned him, but decided it wouldn't help his situation any - he reflects sadly that at least somebody trusts a double agent, but ''nobody'' trusts a triple.]]

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* DisposableWoman - [[spoiler: Alan Denson]]'s girlfriend, and arguably [[spoiler: Laura Dickens]], although she is a major character for a handful of episodes and the effect of her death on Neil probably pushes her to TheLostLenore.
* DoubleMeaningTitle - "Special Relationship"

* FunWithAcronyms - None are particularly funny, but the sheer number of them can choke segments of dialogue. The PA to D.Ops might relay a message that the PUSS at the FCO needs a favour for the DCDS. (Translation:[[spoiler: The Personal Assistant to the Director of Operations says that the Permanent Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office needs a favour for the Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff.]] Simple.]]

* FunWithAcronyms - None are particularly funny, but the sheer number of them can choke segments of dialogue. The PA to D.Ops might relay a message that the PUSS at the FCO needs a favor for the DCDS.

British spy series that ran three series on {{ITV}}, from 1978 to 1980, written by creator Ian Mackintosh. Neil Burnside is the Director of the Operations division of the Secret Intelligence Service (aka [=MI6=]) during the UsefulNotes/ColdWar. Under his supervision is the Special Section, three agents nicknamed "Sandbaggers", led by Willie Caine.