Armchair Thriller
Encyclopedia
Armchair Thriller is a British television programme, broadcast on ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...

 in two series in 1978 and 1980. Owing something to some of the off-shoots of the earlier Armchair Theatre
Armchair Theatre
Armchair Theatre is a British television drama anthology series, which ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by Associated British Corporation, and later by Thames Television after 1968....

, the new series used scripts adapted from published novels and stories. Although not properly a horror series it included several supernatural elements. Armchair Thriller was produced by Thames Television
Thames Television
Thames Television was a licensee of the British ITV television network, covering London and parts of the surrounding counties on weekdays from 30 July 1968 until 31 December 1992....

, but it included serials made by Southern Television
Southern Television
Southern Television was the first ITV broadcasting licence holder for the south and south-east of England from 30 August 1958 until the night of 31 December 1981. The company was launched as Southern Television Limited and the title Southern Television was consistently used on-air throughout its life...

. The format was of a twice weekly 25 minute episodes, usually screened on a Tuesday or Thursday at 20:00-21:00.

Overview

The opening titles consisted of a shadow-figure walking to an armchair and then sitting down, accompanied by music composed by Andy MacKay
Andy Mackay
Andrew "Andy" Mackay is an English multi-instrumentalist, best known as a founder member of the art-rock group Roxy Music....

 of pop group Roxy Music
Roxy Music
Roxy Music was a British art rock band formed in 1971 by Bryan Ferry, who became the group's lead vocalist and chief songwriter, and bassist Graham Simpson. The other members are Phil Manzanera , Andy Mackay and Paul Thompson . Former members include Brian Eno , and Eddie Jobson...

. Trailers for the series were equally memorable by showing an armchair soaked in blood and a screaming, maniacal face, which received criticism in that they were considered too horrific for pre-watershed viewing. Also significant was the Thames Television ident
Station identification
Station identification is the practice of radio or television stations or networks identifying themselves on air, typically by means of a call sign or brand name...

, which normally showed a London landscape in daytime, but for this series was changed to a night-time setting.

Amongst the first series was the story Quiet as a Nun
Quiet as a Nun
Quiet as a Nun is a thriller novel, written by Antonia Fraser. First published in 1977, it features Fraser's sleuthing heroine Jemima Shore as she revisits the convent where she was schooled following the mysterious death of one of the nuns...

. Starring Maria Aitken
Maria Aitken
Maria Penelope Katharine Aitken is an English actress, writer, producer and director.Aitken was born in Dublin, the daughter of Sir William Aitken, a Conservative MP, and socialite Penelope Aitken, whose father was John Maffey, 1st Baron Rugby. She is a great-niece of newspaper magnate and...

 it introduced the character of Jemima Shore
Jemima Shore
Jemima Shore is a fictional character created by Antonia Fraser, and is portrayed as TV's consummately professional investigative journalist...

 to television, who was later spun off into her own ITV series. This story proved to be particularly memorable, famous for its cliffhanger
Cliffhanger
A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious or difficult dilemma, or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction...

 sequence of "The Black Nun". Rating increased, reaching a high of 17 million viewers during the broadcast of the first episode of The Limbo Connection. Other actors to appear included Ian McKellen
Ian McKellen
Sir Ian Murray McKellen, CH, CBE is an English actor. He has received a Tony Award, two Academy Award nominations, and five Emmy Award nominations. His work has spanned genres from Shakespearean and modern theatre to popular fantasy and science fiction...

 and Denis Lawson
Denis Lawson
Denis Stamper Lawson is a Scottish actor and director. He is known for his roles as John Jarndyce in the BBC's adaptation of Bleak House and as Gordon Urquhart in the film Local Hero, but is best known for playing the part of Wedge Antilles in the original Star Wars trilogy.-Early life:Lawson was...

.

Series one

26 episodes (21 February - 18 May 1978)
  1. Rachel in Danger (21 February - 2 March 1978) 4 episodes
  2. A Dog's Ransom (9 - 23 March 1978) 6 episodes
  3. The Girl Who Walked Quickly (28 March - 6 April 1978) 4 episodes
  4. Quiet as a Nun (18 - 27 April 1978) 6 episodes
  5. The Limbo Connection (2 - 18 May 1978) 6 episodes

Series two

29 episodes (8 January - 10 April 1980, 30 December 1981)
  1. The Victim (8 - 24 January 1980) 6 episodes
  2. Dead Man's Kit (29 January - 7 February 1980) 4 episodes - produced by Southern Television
    Southern Television
    Southern Television was the first ITV broadcasting licence holder for the south and south-east of England from 30 August 1958 until the night of 31 December 1981. The company was launched as Southern Television Limited and the title Southern Television was consistently used on-air throughout its life...

  3. Dying Day (12 - 21 February 1980) 4 episodes
  4. Fear of God (26 February - 6 March 1980) 4 episodes
  5. High Tide (11 - 20 March 1980) 4 episodes - produced by Southern Television
    Southern Television
    Southern Television was the first ITV broadcasting licence holder for the south and south-east of England from 30 August 1958 until the night of 31 December 1981. The company was launched as Southern Television Limited and the title Southern Television was consistently used on-air throughout its life...

  6. The Circe Complex (25 March - 10 April 1980) 6 episodes
  7. The Chelsea Murders (30 December 1981) 1 x 104m episode*


* Originally made as a 6-episode story, but unscreened, finally appearing edited into a single feature-length standalone programme (i.e. not under the Armchair Thriller title).

DVD releases

The ten Thames-produced serials were released by Network DVD
Network DVD
Network DVD is a DVD publishing company that specialises in classic British television. In particular, it has the rights to a number of well-known ITV programmes...

in 2008, as both separate stories, and as a collected box set. The Southern-produced Dead Man's Kit and High Tide were released separately by Simply Home Entertainment in 2009 and 2010 respectively.
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