The Champions

This is a suprisingly good series. The basic story is that three people crash in the Himalayas and are rescued by monks and taught mystical powers. They then return to civilisation and become sort of special agents, using their powers for good.

It sounds cheesy, but it is actually good fun. The special powers are understated - exceptional hearing, healing and telepathy are among them and whilst playing a key role in the shows, are by no means the central aspect which the series revolves around (unlike later series such as the Hulk etc.)

If you can get to see this series, it'll pleasantly surprise you.

What a fantastic show! It's not perfect, but I enjoyed almost every single episode. The set-up: The Champions tells the story of Richard Barrett, Craig Stirling, and Sharron Macready. They are agents for an organization dedicated to law, order, and justice known as Nemesis. During a mission to China, their plane crashed in the mountains of Tibet. They were rescued by a secret civilization, nursed back to health, and given superpowers to use in their work with Nemesis. They keep their powers secret so they can best us them as they see fit.

The Champions stars William Gaunt, Stuart Damon, and Alexandra Bastedo as Richard, Craig, and Sharon. It's a strong core cast. Each of the three main actors brings something different to the show. They are joined by Anthony Nicholls as Tremayne, head of Nemesis. Each week, a new supporting cast was featured that included some very capable actors. Overall, the cast is a real plus to the show.

Next, the writing and directing are also responsible for making The Champions what it was. While I tend to favor the episodes written by Tony Williamson, there were a lot of talented people writing for the show. As for directors, The Champions employed some of my favorite directors working in England at the time. Names like Freddie Francis, Roy Ward Baker, John Giling, and Don Sharp popped up in the credits each week. It's a talented line-up.

As far as episodes go, I definitely have favorites. My top 5 would include: Project Zero (my absolute favorite), Shadow of the Panther, Nutcracker, The Dark Island, and Happening. It was hard picking just 5 as I rated 12 episodes an 8 or higher. Unfortunately, there were episodes that didn't quite measure up. The Iron Man, Reply Box 666, Twelve Hours, Full Circle, and The Interrogation didn't do it for me. i realize the last pick might be controversial as there are many fans of that particular episode.

While I really enjoy The Champions, it's not perfect. I have three complaints worth writing about. First, the unequal screen time given to the three main characters. As I wrote in a couple of episode reviews, Sharon too often has little to do other than play the damsel in distress. More Sharon would have been a good thing. Second, there are several instances in The Champions where their super powers are put in check for the sake of the plot. For example, in Full Circle, Richard gets destroyed by three attackers who he should have easily tossed aside. Third, even after 30 episodes, Richard, Craig, and Sharon still feel like 2-D characters. We learn almost nothing about them beyond their roles at Nemesis. They never seem like real people. Still, these quibbles are minor when compared to my overall enjoyment of The Champions.

I suppose that if I had to list one more issue I have The Champions it is that it ended after one season. I would have loved more.

I don't know what was the more "out-there" ITC fantasy series from the late 60's, this or the equally wonderful "Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)". I think I'll call it a draw and a high-scoring one at that.

As a child of 8, I slavishly watched this series on first release so my warm memories of it are very strong and long-lasting, completely over-powering my critical faculties screaming how improbable and incredulous the concept and plot-lines were.

The three actors in the lead roles gelled together so well, Stuart Damon, the handsome, smooth-talking athletic American, Richard Gaunt the more grounded, thoughtful Britisher second wheel while Alexandra Bastedo provided the glamour and feminine wiles, triggering a major crush in my boyhood self.

The trio's special powers weren't so all-powerful as to make them immune from danger (unlike say Steve Austin's in the next decade) and they invariably relied on teamwork to get the job done, usually to the consternation of their permanently flummoxed boss Anthony Nicholls.

Looking back, I just feel so pleased that I started watching TV as a boy when adventure series like this were airing, including "The Avengers","Mission Impossible", "Department S" and others too numerous to mention. How lucky for us nostalgia-freaks that they are almost all readily available again on DVD or streaming channels.

Well, What can I say, other than these people are Super in every way. I quite like Sharon Mcreedy, I enjoy this pure Nostalgic Series And I have the boxed set of 9 discs 30 episodes, I did not realise that they had made so many, I also think that it is a great shame, that they have not made any more. I wish that I got given these powers, Imagine me, being knocked off my cycle, somewhere and being knocked out cold, then waking up in a special hospital. Later on, I discover that my body has been enhanced. Just like Richard Barrat. These stories are 50 Minutes of pure action and suspense all the way, You cannot fight these 3 people, as they would defeat you in all forms of weaponry. The music is well written, and to me, puts a wonderful picture of 3 super beings in my mind, The sort of powers that the champions have are the same as our domestic dog or cats, Improved sight, Improved hearing and touch. and the strength of 10 men for Richard and Craig and the strength of 3 women for Sharon. Who I thought was beautiful and intelligent. When I was a boy, I had a huge crush on her!!!! Now I can see why, on my DVD set. The box is very nice and it comes with a free booklet all about the series. I also thought that Trymane was a good boss, firm but he got things done!

I was 10 years old when this show was on TV. By far it was my favorite. The actors were very credible. Alexandra Bastedo was just gorgeous.... I just order the DVD (15 episodes). They didn't have super-powers. They just had superior human skills (strength, hearing, sight). The 3 actors were very good in their rolls, very believable. There was a good story in each episode. At the time, there were no special effects or explosions everywhere, so the script was suppose to be good, and the characters performs were great. There was no fancy stuff, like in other shows. They didn't try to make a joke every 2 minutes to make a light show. I highly recommend this TV show to anybody that like good stuff.