Enter the dark world of spy David Callan. He’s a secret agent for the British government. But he’s no James Bond. Callan’s world is not the glamorous one full of Aston Martins, Walther PPKs, and shaken vodka martinis. Instead, his world is completely devoid of such things --
and yet all too realistic at the same time.
For starters, the Cold War is much colder here. His agency is so secret that few people even know it exists. His colleagues are sometimes as devious and nefarious as the enemy. And then there’s David Callan himself: a tortured man who extremely abhors his entire profession — but has no choice to do otherwise.
Spawning from an episode of Armchair Theatre, Callan was developed into its own series and became a crowning moment for spy noir. First broadcast to British television sets in 1967, the show ran for four series with a total of 43 episodes (ending in 1972), spawned a 1974 big-screen version (which was actually a 
remake of the Armchair Theatre episode), and a TV-movie follow-up in 1981 (which every fan seems to hate).
As David Callan, actor Edward Woodward (you know, the guy from The Equalizer) is in top form. Woodward fills his character up with all the pent-up emotions he can — and the result is nothing short of superb. The series also benefits from some moving performances from it co-stars: William Squire (who looks like a gay British Peter Gallagher), Patrick Mower, and the very fabulous Russell Hunter.
Callan: Set 1 arrives on DVD from Acorn Media, the best company for British TV in the U.S. Oddly enough, Callan: Set 1 is not the beginning of the story, but rather the entire Third Series from 1970, picking up with Callan in hospital 
recovering from having nearly being killed at the end of Series 2.
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