ITC was a TV and film production and distribution company, founded in 1958 by Lew Grade as a subsidiary of his ITV company ATV (Associated Television). ITC specialised in film mini-series which could be sold into ITV and overseas broadcasters and was famous for productions such as The Saint, The Persuaders and The Prisoner, many of which have acquired cult followings around the world. The company ceased operations in 1998 following Grade's death. Its library was sold to Carlton International which has since become part of ITV plc. Below is a selection of ITC idents which appeared on its films and shows.
ITC Film Distributors1970s
From the successful film production arm of ITC, this ident would have been seen mostly in cinemas and on occasions on TV. The division's productions included Capricorn One, The Medusa Touch, On Golden Pond, The Eagle Has Landed, The Boys from Brazil, The Return of the Pink Panther, The Last Unicorn, Sophie's Choice and - most infamously - Raise the Titanic!
The Baron1966 - 1967
US star Steve Forrest plays John Mannering, an antiques dealer and undercover agent working in an informal capacity for British Diplomatic Intelligence. It was the first ITC show not involving marionettes to be produced entirely in colour, and just one series was made, comprising 30 episodes shown between September 1966 and April 1967. Forrest's co-stars were Sue Lloyd and Colin Gordon. The Baron was based on the books by John Creasey, and Mannering was British in the original stories.
The Champions1968 - 1969 Alexandra Bastedo, Stuart Damon and William Gaunt were the titular heroes of this 30-episode series, created by Dennis Spooner and running from 25/09/1968 to 30/04/1969. Initially the trio were run-of-the-mill agents, battling despots for the greater world good. But they suddenly acquired heightened powers of strength and intelligence. Want to know how? See the introductory trailer below...
The Champions1968 - Trailer
The guest stars in episode one, "The Beginning", trailed here for international markets, are Burt Kwouk - inevitably cast as a Chinese baddie - and Bobby Charlton (right) as the leader of an ancient civilisation. Just kidding...
Danger Man1960 - 1966
Syndicated in the USA as Secret Agent, and in other territories as Destination Danger and John Drake, this 84-part spy series introduced Patrick McGoohan. The first series featured this introductory voice-over: "Every government has its secret service branch. America, CIA; France, Deuxième Bureau; England, MI5. NATO also has its own. A messy job? Well that's when they usually call on me, or someone like me. Oh yes, my name is Drake, John Drake."
Danger Man1964 In all there were three series of Danger Man, plus two colour episodes in 1968. The 27/10/64 episode Colony Three (repeated on BBC2 27/8/1994), inspired The Prisoner. Once Danger Man had been completed, Patrick McGoohan announced he was resigning from the series to create, produce, and star in that new project, using key production staff and behind-the-scenes personnel who had worked on Danger Man.
Department S1969 - 1970 Most ITC series feature variations on "the world's most unusual police department", and Department S is no exception. 'S' was a Paris-based off-shoot of Interpol, handling cases inexplicable to anyone else. 28 x 50 minutes were made on 35mm colour film, and the series spawned Jason King.
Hammer House Of Horror1980
From 1980, the ITC series that used the stars and key personnel from Hammer Films to great effect in 13 spinechilling episodes. Denholm Elliott, Pat Heywood and James Laurenson are the stars of this thriller, Rude Awakening (tx. 27/09/1980)
Jason King1971 - 1972
Peter Wyngarde stars as novelist and dilettante private dick Jason King, whose humungous sideburns swept him away from the ensemble Department S into a solo jetset world, realised on the cheap (16mm film). Each week, King bashed out a book, downed a horn of Moët, shagged a few groupies and dabbled in intrigue. The first episode guest starred David Bauer and Anna Palk, with Nicholas Courtney as an ace plastic surgeon (tx. 15/09/1971) It's a shame we see so little of Peter Wyngarde on TV these days, his acting is magnificent.