What was CI5 ?

The Professionals was a British television action crime drama series that aired from 1977 to 1983. Created by Brian Clemens, the show followed the adventures of senior agents of the British intelligence service CI5 (Criminal Intelligence 5). These agents, Bodie and Doyle, along with their handler George Cowley, fought terrorism and other high-level crimes. The series featured intense action sequences and became a cult classic. The original cast included:

  • Gordon Jackson as George Cowley
  • Martin Shaw as Doyle
  • Lewis Collins as Bodie

The show’s popularity led to a revival in 1999 with a new incarnation titled CI5: The New Professionals, which aired on Sky One. However, the new version did not achieve the same success as the original.

CI5: The New Professionals was a British television action crime drama series created and principally written by Brian Clemens. It first aired on Sky One on 19 September 1999. Billed as an updated version of the 1970s terrestrial television series The Professionals, this new series was set in a fictional government agency known as CI5 (Criminal Intelligence Department 5). The original trio of men—Doyle, Bodie, and their boss Cowley—was replaced by a team consisting of:

  • Harry Malone (played by Edward Woodward)
  • Chris Keel (played by Kal Weber)
  • Sam Curtis (played by Colin Wells)
  • Tina Backus (played by Lexa Doig)

Similar to its predecessor, CI5: The New Professionals featured high-budget action sequences, often filmed in a James Bond-esque style. Despite considerable pre-publicity, viewer response to the show was extremely poor, and it did not achieve success in the ratings. The series was not re-broadcast after its premiere run, and it wasn’t until 2012 that it was repeated on any other satellite television channel. The original, uncut form of the series was eventually released on Region 2 DVD in August 2016.