Bird of Prey (TV serial)

*Bird of Prey*
Bird of Prey
	Freeze-frame from the computer block-graphic style animated title sequence
Genre	Drama
Created by	Ron Hutchinson
Starring	Richard Griffiths; Carole Nimmons
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	8
Production
Producer	Michael Wearing
Production company	BBC
Original release
Network	BBC1
Release	22 April 1982 –; 27 September 1984

Bird of Prey is a British techno-thriller television serial written by Ron Hutchinson and produced by Michael Wearing and Bernard Krichefski for the BBC in 1982. It was directed by Michael Rolfe. The second series was co-written with Lee Montague.

The series starred Richard Griffiths and Carole Nimmons as Henry and Anne Jay: Henry is a humble civil servant who finds that he and his wife are drawn into an international conspiracy involving the mysterious Le Pouvoir organisation. A sequel, Bird of Prey 2 followed in 1984.

Plot outline

Series 1

Henry Jay, a lacklustre and predictable government clerk compiling statistics and writing reports on computer fraud, suddenly finds himself with the threads of an international computer fraud in his hands. Forced to flee his wife and home when bodies start littering his path, he unexpectedly evades pursuit long enough to realise that his one chance at survival is to complete the puzzle and turn the tables on his pursuers – thus turning this very unlikely candidate into a "bird of prey".

Series 2

Again under attack, Henry Jay must escape the clutches of a professional assassin who is interested in having a piece of the action and the country they are in, find a way to eliminate the dangers, and permanently safeguard his wife and himself.

Cast

Series 1

Richard Griffiths as Henry Jay
Carole Nimmons as Anne Jay
Nigel Davenport as Charles Bridgnorth
Christopher Logue as Hugo Jardine
Jeremy Child as Tony Hendersly
Roger Sloman as Harry Tomkins
Trevor Martin as Chambers
Pamela Moiseiwitsch as Miss Lucas
Richard Ireson as Detective Sergeant Vine
Jim Broadbent as Detective Inspector Richardson
Michael O'Hagan as Detective Constable Slater
Billy Hamon as Detective Constable Morrisey
Stephen Thorne as Bank Manager
Edmund Pegge as Lanchbury
Sally Faulkner as Hannah Brent
Mandy Rice-Davies as Julia
Nicolas Chagrin as Louis Vacheron
Rudi Delhem as Hotel Porter
Wolfe Morris as Mr. Martin
Henry Stamper as Dalgleish
Guido Adorni as Mario
Eddie Mineo as Dino

Series 2

Richard Griffiths as Henry Jay
Carole Nimmons as Anne Jay
Michael Cashman as Reeves
Roland Curram as Mr. Adrian
Jan Holden as Mrs. Lucas
Hugh Fraser as Kelner
Lee Montague as Roche
Valerie Minifie as Irene Benson
Jack Chissick as Fred Benson
Richard Miles as Art Gallery Assistant
Elaine Ford as Thelma Dent
Terence Rigby as Duggan
Heather Tobias as Halston
Bob Peck as Greggory
Joan Blackham as Kaye Greggory
Timothy Bateson as Mr. Jorry
Bara Chambers as Jenks
Patrick Jordan as Mr Miles
Stephen Churchett as Mr. Conry
Marian Kemmer as Matron
Stephane Vasseur as Spook
Enrique Massari as Trapdoor

Filming locations

Bird of Prey (first season) makes heavy use of outdoor locations around the Docklands and the City of London, while Bird of Prey 2 includes the newly built Blackfriars in London and Silbury Boulevard in Milton Keynes. The outside of Richard Griffith's house, supposedly in Pinner, was filmed in Selly Park, Birmingham.^{[citation needed]}

DVD release

Bird of Prey and Bird of Prey 2 were released together on DVD x 2, BBC 2 Entertain, CCTV30316 (Region 2 + 4 colour PAL, UK) in 2006.

External links

Bird of Prey at IMDb
Bird of Prey 2 at IMDb
Bird of Prey at the BFI's Screenonline
Episode Guide, Action TV
DVD review, zetaminor.com
Tony Smith, Bird of Prey: 1980s IT on the small screen, The Register, 7 November 2012