Hannay: The Complete Series [DVD]

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In this theatrical adaptation, the character's full name is given as Richard Charles Arbuthnot Hannay.

It would have been social suicide and would have wrecked any chance she might have of making an even halfway respectable marriage. He doesn’t actually twirl his moustache before carrying out dastardly deeds but you know that he’d like to.I can’t help thinking this series would have been much much better had it been made fifteen years earlier. Hannay was a ITV's 1988 spin-off from the 1978 film version of John Buchan's novel The Thirty-Nine Steps which had starred Robert Powell as Richard Hannay. If any provision of this agreement (or part of a provision) is found by any court or administrative body of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, unenforceable or illegal, the other provisions shall remain in force.

Not too many of the stories are straightforward espionage tales, and settings range from the Highlands to the "hellish" fens to an Orient Express type train. Robert Powell is a very able actor and he contributed to the success of the 1978 production of "The 39 Steps". The first few are really good, but it is a total nose dive into drivel that are nothing like Buchan's Hannay. The Governments of Great Britain and Imperial Germany are in a race to arm themselves with modern battleships, but Hannay's arch-enemy Von Schwabing has a plan to ensure that his country is the winner. the episode is The Rough Music and finds Powell’s Hannay setting out on a journey of intrigue after a friend dies and he inherits a walking-stick, field glasses and a lighthouse on a Fenland marsh.Hannay was a 1988 spin-off from the 1978 film version of John Buchan's novel The Thirty-Nine Steps which had starred Robert Powell as Richard Hannay. In the series, Powell reprised the role of Hannay, an Edwardian mining engineer from South Africa of Scottish origin. After nearly thirty years in southern Africa, Richard Hannay has achieved recognition as an officer in military intelligence, a mining engineer and a successful prospector.

A quiet break in the country turns into a weekend of murder when Richard Hannay and Reggie Armitage discover they are targets for a demented killer. These stories are much more like a cross between an Edwardian Boys’ Own Adventure Paper tale and an episode of Ripping Yarns. However, in 1920 or 1921, Hannay again finds himself in an adventure, this time with his wife's help unravelling a kidnapping mystery in The Three Hostages.

I am a big fan of The 39 Steps (all four films and the Criterion Theatre production) and I have found Hannay to be a thoroughly enjoyable viewing experience. Mostly set on a moving train, it comes over as quite realistic considering the relatively low production values which would have been involved. By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy.