Tightrope - Complete Series

It’s not very often that a children’s series deals with the complex world of Cold War espionage but here we have it – TIGHTROPE, a 13-episode TV-series from 1972, does precisely that and is now available as a 2-disc DVD set. Spencer Banks (best known from 1970s’ kids Sci-fi series ‘Timeslip’ as well as the 1974 ‘Play for Today’ episode ‘Penda’s Fen’) is a sixth form student who finds himself sucked into a sinister plot when strange activities link an isolated Air Force base with his local school…

Meet Martin Clifford (S. Banks), a teenager like any other who is a sixth form pupil studying at the local Redlow Comprehensive School. Like most of his age, he experiences the usual ‘growing pains’ and doesn’t get on too well with his dad (George Waring) who, in turn, doesn’t display a great deal of sensitivity towards his son. There is no mother in this household, just an awful lot of tension… not helped by dad’s fondness for a drink or two.
One day, while goofing around in the classroom, the students are watching a TV-broadcast as part of their exam preparations when suddenly, the broadcast is interrupted by a strange voice from the screen: “I have a message for you. How well do you know your staff? Who and what are they? Can you trust them? I am the voice of truth.” When Martin tries to figure out just how the broadcast was interrupted and where hidden wires and cables might be, young and attractive chemistry teacher Miss Walker (Marian Diamond) intervenes. Straightaway, we know from her demeanour that there’s something rather dodgy about her but just what it is, well, that’s a different matter.

As if the broadcast weren’t odd enough, neither Martin nor the other pupils seem to have an explanation as to how the original and educational screening could have been hacked into and intercepted. Even Mr. Harvey (David Munro) – a young teacher with a trendy glam-rock style hairdo – initially seems at a loss. Things soon begin to get weirder though, especially for Martin when he is deliberately pushed off the road by a passing car while riding his bike. The culprit turns out to be a certain Forrester (John Savident), a true oddball with a fondness for brandy balls, biscuits and Sarsaparilla drinks (during a meeting with Forrester later on in the series, Martin discretely pours his drink into a flower vase…). Having managed to make a note of the car’s number plate, Martin confronts Forrester about the incident but to his surprise, this mysterious man simply informs him that there is a traitor at the school. Seconds later he asks Martin to become a spy and report back everything and anything that goes on in the building! When Martin, understandingly perhaps, gets angry and refuses, it emerges that Forrester seems to know just about every facet of the pupil’s life… and if he doesn’t cooperate then he can make things very difficult for him.

Soon, a gigantic can of worms starts to open and the most innocent village dwellers, including convenience store keeper Jessie Ruggles (Hazel Bainbridge) and even Martin’s dad, fall under suspicion. Suspicion of what exactly? Ah yes, you see, there is an US Air Base on the outskirts of Redlow which is about to be turned into a communications centre for NATO exercises. All top secret of course, meaning that Cold War espionage is rife and it’s now up to Martin, a teenager almost too smart for his own good, to uncover possible enemy agents in the village – no easy task for sure! As he finds himself walking a dangerous tightrope, he can never be certain who is to be trusted and who isn’t, including his own dad. Who is a spy and who is a counterspy? Or could it be that Martin is barking up the wrong tree completely?

Created and written by Victor Pemberton (whose writing credits include DOCTOR WHO and ACE OF WANDS), this engaging adventure may not be suitable for very young viewers but adolescents and adults alike will get plenty of thrills here.
Mop-haired Spencer Banks is terrific as the quick-witted and slightly geeky Martin who, together with best pal Spud (Mike Grady) doesn’t take any s**t from the adult world. However, it’s John Savident who scores big time thanks to his portrayal of the eccentric Forrester – a man whose personality has as many twists as the plot of this engaging series.

Originally made in colour, only b/w telerecordings now exist and were transferred for this release.