COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: United Kingdom
GENRE: Suspense
CHANNEL: ITV
Produced by: ATV
Years: 1973-6 (UK)
NUMBER OF SERIES: 6
EPISODES: 43
CREATED BY: Brian Clemens
THEME MUSIC BY: Laurie Johnson
DIRECTED BY: Robert Knights
At Nostalgia Pie, we love our mystery and suspense TV series and movies. Life doesn't feel complete unless there's a whodunnit to solve! If you're a fan of Tales of the Unexpected or Alfred Hitchcock Presents, then you'll love Thriller - the British mystery and suspense anthology series that was first broadcast on UK screens on 14th April 1973. But despite being a hit in Britain and America, it seems Thriller was given just one repeat on British television before it mysteriously faded away, with a lot of people born after the seventies not knowing much about this amazing show. But Thriller still has a legion of fans and has become something of a cult classic.
Want to find out more? Read on!
What's this Thriller all about then?
There was once an American anthology series back in the sixties called Thriller which featured Boris Karloff. But that is not the TV series we're talking about! This is a different Thriller. The two shows may have the same name and are both mystery-themed anthology series - confusing, we know - but our Thriller was a British TV series created by Brian Clemens, originally broadcast in the UK from 1973 to 1976 which went on to be shown in America.
As it's an anthology series, each of the episodes are stand-alone episodes with individual, completely unrelated storylines, with themes ranging from psychological suspense; murder mystery; supernatural horror, and other sinister escapades. Each episode featured a cast of some very well-known names that were either already well established in the entertainment world, or got their big break since their Thriller appearance and went on to become household names.
The creator
Thriller was the brainchild of the late British writer Brian Horace Clemens, who wrote for a great many well-known TV programs: The Avengers; The Champions; The New Avengers; Bergerac, Alfred Hitchcock Presents; Remington Steel; Father Dowling Mysteries, and Perry Mason. As well as Thriller, Clemens also created The Professionals, CI5: The New Professionals, and Bugs. And that's not even a fraction of the shows he's worked on!
Clemens' name is closely linked with sixties and seventies action-adventure and the TV crime genre. But with his venture into the mystery and suspense genre, Clemens really kept the British viewing public on the edge of their seats with each weekly installment of Thriller. A huge fan of Alfred Hitchcock's work, Clemens realized that there was nothing similar on British television, and decided to fill that void.
And because Thriller was an anthology series, this allowed Clemens a great amount of flexibility in terms of style and story-writing. As each episode featured different characters and plots that were totally unrelated, Clemens' storytelling could go in any direction he wished, without his decisions impacting on future episodes. He created the Thriller series; outlined the plots for each installment, and wrote most of the episodes. Clemens produced highly intriguing and unsettling stories, and knew how to trigger a sinister and creepy atmosphere, worthy of a big-budget movie which explains one of the reasons for why Thriller was such a success.
Episodes
Forty three Thriller episodes; plenty of plot twists, and great performances from some very well known names at the time. With unrelated stories, different characters, and a different set of actors, no two episodes were alike, - although sometimes the same actor may have appeared in more than one episode playing a different character.
Thriller obviously centered around mystery and suspense, but the actual crimes differed from week to week. Although murder was the prevalent theme, there were tales of espionage, terrorism, stalking, disappearances, psychopathic behavior and swindling. Sometimes there was a combination of different crimes per episode. There were also episodes which featured the supernatural; stories about witchcraft, devil worshipping, and sorcery. However the supernatural episodes proved to be quite unpopular and these were eventually dropped for crime stories that were firmly based in reality.
There is something very Hitchcockian about these short little dramas - the 'red herrings' and tales-with-a-twist that the master of suspense was so famous for. Part of the er, thrill, of watching Thriller, was that the viewer was often kept in the dark about what was happening, and they never quite knew how the episode was going to end, which made it all the more enjoyable. There was always the belief that events would turn around, so just when you thought you knew what was happening, the story would take on a new twist, and the conclusion occurred in an unexpected - and rather clever - way.
It's been argued that the plots for these episodes are somewhat derivative: the smooth-talking charmer who manipulates the naïve young woman; the femme fatale who plays on a man's weaknesses and seduces him; the serial killer on the loose, attacking women; the model/actress stalked by an obsessed fan... Although the Thriller plots are not necessarily highly original, Clemens, being the genius that he was, managed to make seen-before plot ideas seem refreshingly new and entertaining. If ever you needed proof of this, all you need to do is watch A Coffin For the Bride, starring Helen Mirren, in what is said to be Clemens favourite episode and an absolute hit among viewers. How's that for originality!
A Host of Famous Faces
With a predominantly British cast, some of the most famous faces on British television back in the seventies had roles in Thriller. Among them were Helen Mirren, John Le Mesurier, Maureen Lipman, Jan Francis, Robert Powell, Diana Dors, Norman Eshley, Rose Hill, Georgina Melville, Dennis Waterman, Sinead Cusack, Hayley Mills, Jenny Agutter, Christopher Cazenove, Francesca Annis, Josephine Tewson, Tom Conti, Peter Bowles, Denholm Elliott, Keith Barron, Nigel Havers, Ralph Bates, John Challis, Susan Hampshire, Gabrielle Drake, Brian Blessed, and Bob Hoskins.
And that's just some of them!
KEY RECURRING ELEMENTS
Despite being an anthology series with stand-alone episodes, and without recurring characters or situations, there were several elements which tied all of these episodes together quite neatly and gave it that 'Thriller' sense of identity.
I) Unusual length
Thriller episodes had an unusual length of sixty five minutes (seventy-five minutes with ad breaks.) This longer viewing time allowed for multiple plot twists, as well as more opportunity to explore characters and develop plotlines to great effect, with the feeling of suspense being allowed to brew slowly. The downside, however, was that it also created TV scheduling problems and might explain why further further repeats of the show could prove to be difficult.
II) The Theme Tune
The chilling and unnerving - music score was supplied by Laurie Johnson - a regular collaborator of Clemens who had composed music for The Avengers. If we had to sum up The theme tune in particular for Thriller using one adjective, it would be startling! Johnson did an excellent job in cranking up feelings of fear and tension with the combination of the creepy woodwind and loud, discordant harpsichord. The creepy music score was certainly ideal; not just for the opening credits- which certainly set the tone for what to expect - but also during the eerie moments when you were expecting something sinister to happen.
III) The opening/closing credits
Perhaps the first thing that springs to mind whenever someone mentions Thriller are the eerily distinctive opening and closing credits, perfectly accompanied by the fear-inducing theme tune. These credits consisted of fish-eye lens shots - a distorted circular central image ringed with a blood-red surround. The result was something sinister and disturbing - just perfect for the collection of macabre stories.
But eagle-eyed viewers would have noticed something interesting about the opening credits. They may have all looked the same at first glance but there were subtle changes each week: the central red-bordered image was actually of the locations used in that episode's story, devoid of any faces.
Furthermore, Thriller was also remembered for its pre-credits: the start-of-show “grabbers,” that were meant to reel in the viewer before they'd even watched the opening credits. These short scenes were intended to intrigue and tantalize the audience right from the start, as well as to give an indication of what was coming up in the rest of the episode.
iv) The Token American
Viewers will have noticed that despite having a predominantly British cast, many Thriller episodes featured an American character played by a real-life American actor (as opposed to a British actor with a dodgy American accent!) This was in a bid to appeal to the American market, and it was said that ABC insisted on American actors being given prominent roles.
Some of the American actors who appeared in Thriller were Gary Collins, Donna Mills, Barbara Feldon, Carroll Baker, George Chakiris, Edd Brynes, Susan Flannery, Lynda Day George, Christopher George, George Maharis, and Darlene Carr. Pamela Franklin, Joanna Pettet and Bradford Dillman.
v) Lack of blood and gore!
Despite the nature of the show, there is surprisingly very little blood and gore shown, and no gratuitous violence - well aside from the violence that's necessary to the plot! Much of the gruesome and violent actions are often hinted at rather than directly shown which is ideal for viewers who appreciate the lack of graphic, over the top blood, guts and violence.
Instead of shocking the audience with unsettlingly violent scenes, Thriller focuses on tension and unique storytelling. Viewers have to use their imaginations to explore possibilities, making for more enjoyable viewing.
vi) Blissful settings, Baffling situations
The stories are set in various locations, usually in and around the London commuter belt, and take place in seemingly harmless settings: country manors; coastal cottages; office buildings; city apartments; plush hotel suites... Although the settings appear ordinary and tranquil, they're scene of much tension and terror: Serene country cottages become a place of isolation with no-one to help you or hear you scream. A quaint library is terrifying when you're trying to escape a psychopath. 'Don't be fooled by appearances' would be a very apt apothegm where Thriller is concerned!
vii) The VT Experience
Much of the show was shot on video tape which was typical of seventies TV production values. While the interior scenes were shot on video, exteriors were shot on film. Critics have felt that the inconsistency of the visuals can feel a bit odd. But the use of video adds great artistic value as it makes the action, darker, more claustrophobic and sinister.
viii) In the Studio
How cool were those sets?
Thriller was known for having episodes where much of the action took place in just one set. For some people, the plush studio-bound sets didn't pose too much a problem. While some viewers may have found this boring and rigid, others thoroughly enjoyed it as they felt as though they were watching a theatre production. Furthermore it heightened the feelings of confinement and claustrophobia. Plus they were great to look at. Some of us even wanted to live in them and are great examples of retro design inspiration!
Check out part two of our Thriller review.
Photos: DVD screenshots
Wordcloud: Angel Noire
I was very young when this aired but I do remember that theme!
I was very young when this aired but I do remember that theme!
Even though I don't have any actual memories of storylines or anything, I do remember this being on. Some of my mum's friends used to be into this. I don't recall it ever being repeated but I wouldn't mind seeing it again