The Professionals

The Professionals (1977)

35 mistakes in season 1

(2 votes)

Killer With a Long Arm - S1-E4

Factual error: The assassination attempt takes place on Wimbledon Finals Day, yet there seem to be other matches going on at the same time, which doesn't happen when the final's occurring.

Look After Annie - S1-E12

Continuity mistake: Watch closely during the 'Cowley and a woman' sequence: Bodie and Doyle are travelling in the Capri, but halfway through the scene, it cuts to a shot of a yellow Ford Granada - which gives away the fact the some of the footage was 'lifted' from the earlier episode 7 ("Close Quarters").

Long Shot - S1-E11

Plot hole: Surely it would have made more sense for CI5 to have contacted the demolition team at the girl's hideout, instead of dodging crashing materials and great big demolition balls, ready to smash them to pieces at any moment. (However, this would not have made for as exciting a scene as Bodie and Doyle risking their lives to save the female in distress).

Long Shot - S1-E11

Continuity mistake: When Bodie and Doyle race back upstairs, once they realise Ramos is in the building, Cowley's office seems to have magically moved as they go to a completely different door.

Long Shot - S1-E11

Factual error: Ramos uses a bolt-action rifle in the tower. Such a weapon cannot deliver three shots in rapid succession, as the bolt has to be manually pulled between each shot.

Long Shot - S1-E11

Continuity mistake: The unfortunate rat is plainly suffering from rigor mortis when Ramos places it on the electric fence, yet becomes notably more supple in Cowley's hands when he picks it up.

Stakeout - S1-E10

Factual error: The bomb-disposal Major wears the badge of a Royal Engineer soldier, depicting laurel leaves. This is incorrect - the correct design should be one of a flaming grenade.

Stakeout - S1-E10

Continuity mistake: When we first see Pamela Stephenson, she appears to have crimped hair - yet in all her later scenes her hair is perfectly straight.

When the Heat Cools Off - S1-E9

Plot hole: One glaringly obvious script blunder is that the murder of Fitch and Parker is supposed to have taken place "six years previously" (in the summer of 1971, the date established the pre-title sequence) yet Haydon has been in prison for "seven years and five months" according to his daughter. This makes no sense, unless the viewer is to assume that the "present day" sections of the story take place in early 1979. (The episode was first broadcast in February 1978).

When the Heat Cools Off - S1-E9

Plot hole: The chronology of this episode makes no sense at all in places. For example, the pre-titles sequence makes it clear that it is the summer of 1971, and Doyle mentions to his sergeant that CI5 is being set up. Yet series creator Brian Clemens' own writer's guide specifically stipulated that the CI5 wasn't even conceived until November 1971.

When the Heat Cools Off - S1-E9

Factual error: The pre-titles sequence makes reference to "the long hot summer of '71". Yet the trees that are visible in this scene are bare - which betrays the fact that this episode was, in fact, filmed in the winter (November 1977 to be exact).

Heroes - S1-E5

Trivia: According to the credits, this episode was written by a "James McAteer". However,"James McAteer" is actually a pseudonym for well-known TV scriptwriter P J Hammond (who, amongst many other things, created and wrote the strange sci-fi series "Sapphire and Steel"). Apparently Hammond did not care for certain "alterations" made to his script (rewrites by the Series' creator Brian Clemens) and asked that his name be removed from it.

More trivia for The Professionals

Answer: It's similar, but not the same, particularly the neck and sleeves are quite different.

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