A series of thrillers from the 1980's, featuring a mix of British and American stars.
Generally around the seventy minute mark, every story is very different.
I can't help it, I hear the name Hammer, and I instantly associate it with horror, and some episodes do have that vibe, but largely they're straight up thrillers.
Episode quality does vary somewhat, for me the standout piece is Czech Mate, which features the wonderful Susan George, as a British woman who gets caught up in a murder in Prague. A terrific, cold war thriller, which benefits hugely from location filming.
I also thoroughly enjoyed The Sweet scent of Death, Last video and testament, and unlike some, I enjoyed Child's Play, I thought it was quite an unnerving storyline, one I imagine has inspired a few horror movies.
Tennis court is the only one I didn't care very much for, despite a very good showing from Hannah Gordon. A Distant scream isn't a favourite either, but I get why people like it.
Plenty of names to watch out for, including David McCallum, James Laurenson and Carol Lynley.
It wasn't the easiest series to obtain, I ended up buying it from Germany, a Pidax release, sadly it missed out the two best episodes.
Worth tracking down.
8/10.
