Jeremy Burnham

John Richard Jeremy Burnham (28 May 1931 – 31 December 2020) was a British television actor of the 1960s and 1970s, and a screenwriter. Burnham began in the 1950s as an actor and appeared in many popular British TV series such as The Avengers episodes "The Fear Merchants", "The Town of No Return", and "The Forget-Me-Knot", The Saint and Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) in 1969. In the mid-1970s he retired from acting and concentrated on screenwriting. With Trevor Ray, he co-authored the fondly-remembered children's science fiction horror serial Children of the Stones (1977). A novelization followed, also in 1977. A sequel novel, Return to the Stones appeared in 2012 as an e-book and in 2015 as a physical book. Ray and Burnham collaborated on a less well-known children's five episode serial entitled Raven (1977); they also wrote the novelization (1977). He also authored the children's tennis-based novel, Break Point, which was made into a BBC television series in 1982. Burnham himself played the leading role of tennis coach Frank Abbott. Burnham also wrote for The Avengers, in which he had also appeared as an actor (see entry above), Minder and Peak Practice. He died in December 2020 at the age of 89.

Works

The Saint

Simon Templar is The Saint, a handsome, sophisticated, debonair, modern-day Robin Hood who recovers ill-gotten wealth and redistributes it to those in need.

Release Date1962-10-04

Charactersd Tim Burton

Episode Count1

Vote Count120

The Avengers

A quirky spy show of the adventures of eccentrically suave British Agent John Steed and his predominantly female partners. Jonathan Steed - an urbane, proper gentleman spy - teams with various assistants throughout the series' run, including Dr. David Keel, Cathy Gale, Emma Peel and Tara King, to repeatedly save the world from diabolical schemes plotted by equally diabolical evil-doers (among them robots and man-eating monsters).

Release Date1961-01-07

DepartmentWriting

JobTeleplay

Charactersd Vicar

Episode Count5

Vote Count143

The Persuaders!

An English aristocrat and an American millionaire come together to tackle crime.

Release Date1971-09-17

Charactersd Scott Maskell

Episode Count1

Vote Count124

Gideon's Way

Gideon's Way is a British television crime series made by ITC Entertainment in 1964/65, based on the novels by John Creasey. The series was made at Elstree in twin production with The Saint TV series. It starred Liverpudlian John Gregson in the title role as Commander George Gideon of Scotland Yard, with Alexander Davion as his assistant, Detective Chief Inspector David Keen, Reginald Jessup as Det. Superintendent LeMaitre, Ian Rossiter as Detective Chief Superintendent Joe Bell and Basil Dignam as Commissioner Scott-Marle. The show did not acknowledge any help from Scotland Yard, any other police force or advisor. Daphne Anderson starred as his wife, Kate with Giles Watling as young son, Malcolm, Richard James as older son, Matthew who seemed to have a lot of new girlfriends and Andrea Allan as daughter, Pru. Unusually for police stories, Gideon was shown as a family man at home though urgent phone calls from his bosses tend to disrupt family plans too often. However, he did admit in "State Visit" that his wife had walked out on him for a while years ago when he put the job first and her second. They live in an expensive detached house in Chelsea.

Release Date1965-03-18

Charactersd Harold

Episode Count1

Vote Count4

Law and Disorder

When Percy Brand, a habitual confidence trickster, keeps being sent down, he goes to great lengths to ensure that his son Colin, does not find out about his criminal past. But when Colin becomes an assistant to the Judge, who is about to try Percy for his latest escapade, Percy and his gang have to come up with a plan, to stop them meeting in court.

Release Date1958-06-09

Charactersd Colin Brand

Vote Count8

The Birthday Present

Returning from a business trip, toy salesman Simon Scott is caught attempting to smuggle a wristwatch bought for his wife's birthday through Customs. He is arrested and, due to a bungled defence by his solicitor, obliged to serve a three-month prison sentence. It is only the beginning of his woes; his employer, Colonel Wilson, is understanding, but he is ultimately forced to sack Simon, who discovers that finding another job under such circumstances is extremely difficult. But Colonel Wilson is determined to help his former employee find a solution.

Release Date1957-10-31

Charactersd Dudley (uncredited)

Vote Count4

Theatre 625

Theatre 625 is a British television drama anthology series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC2 from 1964 to 1968. It was one of the first regular programmes in the line-up of the channel, and the title referred to its production and transmission being in the higher-definition 625-line format, which only BBC2 used at the time.

Release Date1964-05-03

Charactersd Tom

Episode Count1

Vote Count4

Bachelor of Hearts

A German scholar has girl troubles while studying at Cambridge.

Release Date1958-12-12

Charactersd Adrian Baskerville

Vote Count8

Upstairs and Downstairs

On marrying the boss's daughter, Richard takes his father-in-law's advice to hire a live-in domestic. He soon finds good help is hard to come by. Run-ins follow with dipsomaniacs, bank robbers, a Welsh lass who takes one look at London and runs, and an Italian charmer who turns the place into a bawdy house. Then when Ingrid arrives from Sweden things actually start to get complicated.

Release Date1959-11-02

Charactersd Frank

Vote Count8

The System

In a seaside village, a group of local young men mingle among the seasonal tourists in search of sexual conquests. Near the end of one summer, the leader of the group, Tinker, a strolling photographer, aims to conquer a fashion model from a well-to-do family, but he finds himself unexpectedly falling in love. The tables thus turned, Tinker begins to see that maybe it's not the tourists who are being used in these sexual games.

Release Date1964-04-12

Charactersd Ivor

Vote Count16

Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense

Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense was a short-lived anthology television series from Hammer Studios. Though similar in format to the 1980 series Hammer House of Horror, the Mystery and Suspense series had feature-length episodes, usually running around 70 minutes without commercials. The series was a co-production by Hammer Studios with 20th Century Fox Television, and is known in the United States as Fox Mystery Theater. Unlike 1980's Hammer House of Horror, all the episodes had American actors as either the leads or in key roles. It was first aired in the UK by ITV in 1984, though was not simulcast and was shown in different timeslots throughout the various ITV regions.

Release Date1984-09-05

Charactersd Producer

Episode Count1

Vote Count8

The Brigand of Kandahar

1880. British India. Robert Case, a half-caste lieutenant, is unjustly discharged from the British Army. He joins the rebel Bengali tribesmen offensive against the colonial enemy. They capture a foreign journalist and Case recounts his story of false accusation on trumped-up charges, instigated by the bigotry and racism of his commanding officers. Following a successful attack by the British against the rebels Case is brutally shot by Colonel Drewe, his accuser. The journalist returns home determined to report the true story of The Brigand of Kandahar.

Release Date1965-08-09

Charactersd Captain Connelly

Vote Count16

The Human Jungle

The Human Jungle is a British TV series about a psychiatrist, made for ABC Television by the small production company Independent Artists for transmission on ITV. Starring Herbert Lom, it ran for two series which were first transmitted during 1963 and 1965.

Release Date1963-03-30

Charactersd Robin Gratrix

Episode Count1

Vote Count4

Bonjour Tristesse

A spoiled teenager spends the summer at the French Riviera with her rich, widower, playboy father, but when his old flame resurfaces, she resolves to keep her frivolous lifestyle at all costs.

Release Date1958-01-15

Charactersd Hubert

Vote Count138

The Good Companions

The story revolves around the Dinky Doos, a provincial musical troupe living from hand to mouth.

Release Date1957-04-22

Charactersd Felton

Rupert of Hentzau

A sequel to "The Prisoner Of Zenda" in which the villainous Rupert returns to Ruritania intent on exposing the replacement of the king by a double.

Release Date1957-12-26

Charactersd Lt. Bernenstein

Yangtse Incident: The Story of H.M.S. Amethyst

While sailing lawfully up the Yangste in 1949, the British warship Amethyst found its return to the open sea blocked by Communist Chinese shore batteries that unexpectedly opened fire. In charge, Lietenant Commander Kerans was not however prepared for his crew and his ship to remain as a hostage for the Chinese to use as an international pawn.

Release Date1957-04-02

Charactersd Flag Lieutenant

Vote Count10

Death Becomes Me

Two episodes of the TV series "The Persuaders" joined into a movie. Two playboys, Brett Sinclair (Roger Moore) and Danny Wilde (Tony Curtis), investigate crimes.

Release Date1979-01-01

Charactersd Scott Maskell

Minder

Roguish comedy drama following the misadventures of small-time crook Arthur Daley.

Release Date1979-10-29

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Episode Count2

Vote Count25

The Professionals

The lives of Bodie and Doyle, top agents for Britain's CI5 (Criminal Intelligence 5), and their controller, George Cowley. The mandate of CI5 was to fight terrorism and similar high-profile crimes. Cowley, a hard ex-MI5 operative, hand-picked each of his men. Bodie is a cynical ex-SAS paratrooper and mercenary whose nature ran to controlled violence, while his partner, Doyle, comes to CI5 from the regular police force, and is more of an open minded liberal. Their relationship is often contentious, but they are the top men in their field, and the ones to whom Cowley always assigned to the toughest cases.

Release Date1977-12-30

DepartmentWriting

JobStory

Episode Count1

Vote Count44

Peak Practice

Peak Practice is a British drama series about a GP surgery in Cardale — a small fictional town in the Derbyshire Peak District — and the doctors who worked there. It ran on ITV from 10 May 1993 to 30 January 2002 and was one of their most successful series at the time. It originally starred Kevin Whately as Dr Jack Kerruish, Amanda Burton as Dr Beth Glover and Simon Shepherd as Dr Will Preston, though the roster of doctors would change many times over the course of the series. Cardale was based on the Staffordshire village of Longnor for the final series, but was previously based in the Derbyshire village of Crich, although certain scenes were filmed at other nearby Derbyshire towns and villages, most notably Matlock, Belper and Ashover.

Release Date1993-05-10

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Episode Count1

Vote Count9

Bergerac

Jim Bergerac is a detective sergeant in The Foreigners Office who likes to do things his own way. While dealing with his own personal demons Bergerac has a knack of finding trouble, and sometimes causing it.

Release Date1981-10-18

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Episode Count1

Vote Count21

The Secret of Seagull Island

A woman searches for her blind sister in this feature-length English-language cut of the TV miniseries Seagull Island (1981).

Release Date1982-01-01

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Vote Count6

The Expert

The Expert is a British television series produced by the BBC between 1968 and 1976. The series starred Marius Goring as Dr. John Hardy, a pathologist working for the Home Office and was essentially a police procedural drama, with Hardy bringing his forensic knowledge to solve various cases. The Expert was created and produced by Gerard Glaister. The series was also one of the first BBC dramas to be made in colour, and throughout its four series had numerous high quality guest appearances by actors such as John Carson, Peter Copley, Rachel Kempson, Peter Vaughan, Clive Swift, Geoffrey Palmer, Peter Barkworth, Jean Marsh, Ray Brooks, George Sewell, Anthony Valentine, Bernard Lee, Lee Montague, Geoffrey Bayldon, Mike Pratt, Edward Fox, André Morell, Brian Blessed, Nigel Stock, Philip Madoc and Warren Clarke.

Release Date1968-07-05

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Episode Count2

Vote Count1

Howards' Way

The BBC's answer to Dynasty, Howards' Way was launched in 1985 with an enormous 1 million pound budget. The main characters in the show were 'best boat designer in the world' Tom Howard, his boutique running wife Jan Howard, 'I'll have a drink' Jack Rolfe and a nasty man called Ken Masters. It starred Maurice Colbourne.

Release Date1985-09-01

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Episode Count7

Vote Count9

Hammer House of Horror

Anthology series, in which each self-contained episode featured a different kind of horror. These varied from witches, werewolves, ghosts, devil worship and voodoo, but also included non-supernatural horror themes such as cannibalism, confinement and serial killers.

Release Date1980-09-13

DepartmentWriting

JobScreenplay

Episode Count1

Vote Count71

The Paradise Club

The Paradise Club is a BBC television drama starring Don Henderson and Leslie Grantham as Frank & Danny Kane. Two series were produced and were broadcast between 1989 and 1990. The show focuses upon two brothers, Frank & Danny Kane. Their mother, Ma Kane, is the matriarch of a criminal gang in South London, helped by her son Danny. Frank has become a priest but leaves the church; he inherits The Paradise Club on the death of their mother and returns to London to try and steer Danny away from crime.

Release Date1989-09-19

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Episode Count2

Vote Count4

When the Boat Comes In

When the Boat Comes In is a British television period drama produced by the BBC between 8 January 1976 and 21 April 1981. Taking place between 1919 to 1937, Jack Ford is a First World War veteran who returns to his poverty-stricken (fictional) town of Gallowshield in the North East of England. It dramatises the interwar political struggles of the 1920s and 1930s, and explores the impact of national and international politics upon Ford and those around him.

Release Date1976-01-08

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Episode Count3

Vote Count2

Czech Mate

Vicky's ex-husband, John, invites her on a trip to communist Prague. First John disappears, then her passport. Vicky finds herself alone and penniless in Prague and becomes a tragic pawn caught in a web of espionage and murder.

Release Date1984-12-03

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Vote Count2

Children of the Stones

In a sleepy English village surrounded by a megalithic stone circle, an astrophysicist and his teenage son arrive to research the standing stones, but end up delving into the past in ways they never expected.

Release Date1977-01-10

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Episode Count7

Vote Count13

Vice Versa

Vice Versa is a seven-part series produced by ATV and based on a story published in 1882 by F. Anstey, the pseudonym of Thomas Anstey Guthrie. In contemporary Victorian London, a father and son switch places by means of a magic talisman from India, thus live each other's lives, and gain a better understanding for each other before they switch back.

Release Date1981-09-29

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Episode Count7

Vote Count1

Mitch

Mitch is a newspaper reporter with a difference, he cares about the people he reports.

Release Date1984-08-31

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Episode Count1

Vote Count1

A Little Princess

Sara Crewe is the pampered daughter of an army colonel in a Victorian London girls' school. But when her father dies, penniless, Sara becomes a skivvy in Miss Michin's school, befriended only by the scullery maid, Becky, her friends Ermengarde and Lottie, a little monkey, a lascar, and the mysterious man next door. Based upon the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

Release Date1987-01-18

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Episode Count6

Vote Count22

Seagull Island

Barbara Carey arrives in Rome to visit her sister, blind pianist Marianne Saunders, only to discover that she has mysteriously vanished. To make matters worse, this is the third instance in recent months of a blind girl's abduction. With the help of British Consulate Martin Foster, Barbara searches for her sister – a search that leads her to the private island of millionaire David Malcom. Is Marianne still alive? Why are blind women being targeted? And what terrible secrets does David keep on his remote island?

Release Date1982-04-01

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Episode Count5

Vote Count5

Scorpion Tales

Scorpion Tales is a British anthology that aired on ITV in 1978, featuring one-off, hour-long plays with twist endings. Produced by ATV, the programme was similar in format to other thriller anthologies like Thriller and Sapphire & Steel. Each episode presented a self-contained story, often with a sinister or surprising conclusion, and starred actors such as Trevor Howard, David Robb, and Anthony Bate.

Release Date1978-04-29

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Episode Count1

Vote Count2

Raven

Raven is released on probation to live with Professor Young, an archaeologist immersed in research into Arthurian legend. He is compelled to fight a plan to build a nuclear plant on the research site, which holds many mysteries.

Release Date1977-09-19

DepartmentWriting

JobWriter

Episode Count6

Vote Count2

The Horror of Frankenstein

Brilliant but arrogant scientist Victor Frankenstein builds a man from spare body parts, only for the monster to come alive and wreak havoc.

Release Date1970-11-08

DepartmentWriting

JobScreenplay

Vote Count81

Torpedo Bay

An Italian submarine captain tries to navigate his sub through enemy waters while being stalked by a British warship. They both make it to the neutral port of Tangiers where they agree a truce.

Release Date1963-09-21