Description
The Buccaneers The Complete Series
39 Episodes in a 5-DVD Box Set.
RUNNING TIME: OVER 16 HOURS. 5 discs. Complete Series. All 39 Episodes. Adventure. B&W. Years: 1957-1958.
Cast: Robert Shaw, Peter Hammond, Brian Rawlinson, Edwin Richfield, Wilfred Downing, Paul Hansard, Alec Clunes, Roger Delgado, Alec Mango and more.
Robert Shaw stars in this fondly-remembered 1950s swashbuckler series. Set in the early 1600s on the exotic Caribbean island of New Providence, Captain Dan Tempest (Shaw) is a reformed
pirate who rallies to the flag to serve his King, defending the island against the enemy in the war with Spain. This box set includes the entire series of 39 action-packed episodes. Made at Nettlefold Studios using twostudios before production moved to eight permanent sets at Twickenham Studios. A real schooner was also based at Falmouth in Cornwall, with a faithful reproduction of part of it in a studio corner.
English privateer Woodes Rogers (Alec Clunes), is made governor of the Bahamas with a brief to pardon or suppress the pirates in the Caribbean. With the aid of reformed pirate Captain Hornigold (Andrew Crawford) and Royal Navy Lieutenant Beamish (Peter Hammond), he offers pirates a free pardon if they will fight on behalf of the Crown against the Spanish and pirates such as the infamous Blackbeard. Armando (Edwin Richfield), Taffy (Paul Hansard) and Gaff (Brian Rawlinson), were all loyal members of Captain Tempest’s swashbuckling crew on the
gunship Sultana, with Dickon (Wilfrid Downing), an impetuous young stowaway-turned-cabin-boy, and Captain Morgan (Tempest’s pet monkey). Other characters include Van Brugh (Alec Mango), an untrustworthy local businessman in Nassau and Estaban (Roger Delgado), one of the Spanish.
The Buccaneers combines stirring, full-blooded moments under-the-skull-and-crossbones with occasional comedic behaviour to add a dash of humour. Hailed as “one of the most exciting romantic discoveries of the year,” with its ‘a-roving’ theme song, The Buccaneers was television’s first pirate series. With constant but mostly bloodless action, it was an enjoyably dashing series with traditional piratical flavour.
The series portrayed genuine historical characters, including Blackbeard (George Margo, Terence Cooper), Anne Bonny (Hazel Court), Calico Jack (Brian Worth), Black Bart (Alex Scott), Charles Vane (Brian Worth) and Ben Hornigold (Andrew Crawford). Eric Pohlmann, Bill Owen, Stringer Davis, Derek Nimmo, Alfred Burke, Ewen Solon, Joan Sims, Paul Eddington, Ballard Berkeley, Wilfrid Brambell, Jane Asher, Robert Hardy, Earl Cameron and Adrienne Corri all made guest appearances.
