38:
335:' for even the most able soldiers of working-class origin, like Colour Sergeant Jackson, is shown to be a barrier to achieving advancement from non-commissioned to commissioned officer. Early episodes of the series show the army in an unfavourable light; two episodes deal with a petty thief who has a gambling habit, and another deals with an enlisted man going
330:
The programme shows how, in the late 1970s, the
British Army had the task of trying to keep the peace in Northern Ireland and also maintained garrisons in Germany and Hong Kong. It also dramatizes the inflexible class divisions in the army of the time. The
339:, with Jackson trying to get him back. Particularly controversial is an episode set in Northern Ireland, where some soldiers are portrayed as advocating a less aggressive campaign against all hostile civilians (including women and children).
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network, it ran for a total of three series and 19 episodes from 18 July 1978 to 3 September 1981. It featured the daily lives of a group of soldiers in 'B' Company, 1st
Battalion Royal Wessex Rangers, a fictional
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during the late 1970s. During the three-year run of the show, the regiment is shown in different roles on different postings; to begin with, the battalion is on an operational tour of
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Pickering, a young and naive officer. The series for the most part deals with Army life in
Germany, except from the last episode which is set during a tour in Northern Ireland.
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of B Company, Major Taylor, accepts the recommendation of his 2ic, Captain
Billings, to appoint Jackson as OC of 6 Platoon.
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terrorist suspects. When the battalion completes its tour, it returns to the mainland UK and is based at barracks in
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keep on its cap badge, it may be assumed that it is from the west of
England, and its forebears were at the
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Through the run of the series, the Royal Wessex
Rangers were posted to a number of locations, including
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portrayed in the series. It is portrayed as a standard infantry battalion in the
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decides that each company in the battalion will have one platoon commanded by a
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Series 2: Spearhead (in
Germany ... still billed onscreen as just 'Spearhead')
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cap badge,with the
Gibraltar and Talavera scrolls changed and a crown added.
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of the battalion's 'B' Company, Colour
Sergeant 'Jacko' Jackson (played by
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379:). In the opening episode, the Royal Wessex Rangers are completing a
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in 2016, with a further screening which commenced in
December 2018.
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Jackson has his position of OC of 6 Platoon took over by
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603:Michael Billington, Stafford Gordon, Roy Holder
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559:Michael Billington, Stafford Gordon, Roy Holder
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515:Michael Billington, Stafford Gordon, Roy Holder
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371:The leading character in the first series is
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387:. Jackson is a member of the battalion's
122:Learn how and when to remove this message
1025:The regiment is titled as a regiment of
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1159:1980s British drama television series
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60:adding citations to reliable sources
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994:) is chosen to become a temporary
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792:Series 3: Spearhead in Hong Kong
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883:James Ormerod and Nick McCarty
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1046:Great Siege of Gibraltar
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967:is a fictional British
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1164:ITV television dramas
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313:and broadcast on the
244:48-54 minute episodes
965:Royal Wessex Rangers
959:Royal Wessex Rangers
898:The Macau Connection
571:Thieves in the Night
172:Theme music composer
56:improve this article
18:Royal Wessex Rangers
1066:Talking Pictures TV
1031:Royal Irish Rangers
1004:mechanised infantry
322:infantry regiment.
311:Southern Television
253:Southern Television
992:Michael Billington
462:Michael Billington
377:Michael Billington
307:British television
249:Production company
225:Executive producer
982:at the height of
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876:Another Happy Day
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1094:. Retrieved
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984:The Troubles
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731:Leave Takers
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381:tour of duty
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348:West Germany
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277:18 July 1978
241:Running time
167:Nick McCarty
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54:Please help
49:verification
46:
29:
1087:"Spearhead"
1060:Syndication
1010:as part of
826:Night Games
593:Truth Games
212:of episodes
112:August 2012
1138:Categories
1072:References
841:Roy Holder
799:Episode #
670:Roy Holder
655:New Brooms
628:Episode #
470:Roy Holder
424:Episode #
291:1981-09-03
281:1978-07-18
228:Lewis Rudd
220:Production
164:Created by
82:newspapers
1127:Spearhead
1116:Spearhead
1042:Gibraltar
1020:Hong Kong
988:sergeants
920:Loyalties
808:Director
709:Pressures
687:Matrimony
637:Director
505:Loyalties
433:Director
404:Wiltshire
356:Hong Kong
302:Spearhead
201:of series
138:Spearhead
1096:22 March
1085:TV.com.
972:regiment
969:infantry
400:Tidworth
367:Series 1
233:Producer
1027:rangers
996:platoon
942:Futures
811:Writer
640:Writer
451:Suspect
436:Writer
392:platoon
289: (
285: –
279: (
274:Release
264:Network
193:English
96:scholar
1091:TV.com
1038:Wessex
527:Jackal
483:Leave
414:. The
326:Themes
159:Series
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935:3-06
913:3-05
891:3-04
869:3-03
847:3-02
819:3-01
814:Cast
768:2-06
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643:Cast
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564:1-06
542:1-05
520:1-04
498:1-03
476:1-02
444:1-01
439:Cast
389:recce
350:with
305:is a
157:Drama
153:Genre
103:JSTOR
89:books
1121:IMDb
1098:2017
1012:BAOR
963:The
337:AWOL
75:news
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1000:NCO
383:in
315:ITV
268:ITV
210:No.
199:No.
58:by
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