Series Three of the ITV programme Foyle's War

Foyle's War

Foyle's War is a British detective drama television series set during World War II, created by screenwriter and author Anthony Horowitz, and was commissioned by ITV after the long-running series Inspector Morse came to an end in 2000. It has aired on ITV since 2002...

was first aired in 2004. It comprised four episodes. It is set in early 1941. Series Three was broadcast in the United States on PBS

Public Broadcasting Service

The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....

 on Mystery!

Mystery!

Mystery! is an episodic television series that debuted in 1980 in the USA. It airs on PBS and is produced by WGBH...

on September 11, 18, 25 and October 2, 2005 as Foyle's War III.

"The French Drop"

Writer: Anthony Horowitz Anthony Horowitz Anthony Craig Horowitz is an English novelist and screenwriter. He has written many children's novels, including The Power of Five, Alex Rider and The Diamond Brothers series and has written over fifty books. He has also written extensively for television, adapting many of Agatha Christie's...	Director: Gavin Millar Gavin Millar Gavin Millar is a Scottish film director, critic and television presenter.Millar's early career was as a film critic, most notably for The Listener from 1970 to 1984. He also contributed to Sight and Sound and The London Review of Books. With the film director Karel Reisz, he co-authored The...	Airdate: 24 October 2004	Set: February, 1941	Episode 9 (3:1)
Guests: Ronald Pickup Ronald Pickup -Life and career:Pickup was born in Chester, England, the son of Daisy and Eric Pickup, who was a lecturer. Pickup was educated at The King's School, Chester, trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, and became an Associate Member of RADA.His television work began with an episode... , Angela Thorne Angela Thorne Angela Thorne is an English actress who is best known for her roles in To the Manor Born and Anyone for Denis?-Early life:Angela Thorne was born in Karachi, British India, , in 1939... , Samuel West Samuel West Samuel Alexander Joseph West is an English actor and theatre director. He is perhaps best known for his role in Howards End and his work on stage. He also starred in the award-winning play ENRON... , Deborah Findlay Deborah Findlay Deborah Findlay is an English actress.Her TV credits include Gillian in the ITV drama The Last Train , the recurring character Greer Thornton in 4 of the 6 episodes of State of Play, and in the episode The French Drop in Foyle's War. She also appeared in 4 episodes of the 2001 series of The... , Timothy Carlton Timothy Carlton Timothy Carlton Cumberbatch is an English character actor. Among other work, he appeared in the sitcoms Executive Stress, Next of Kin and in the television film The Scarlet Pimpernel.... , Tony Haygarth Tony Haygarth Tony Haygarth is an English television, film and theatre actor.-Career:At the age of eighteen, Haygarth worked unsuccessfully as a lifeguard in Torquay, and also tried escapology, equally unsuccessfully... , Lydia Leonard Lydia Leonard Lydia Leonard is a British actress.She was born in Paris to an Irish mother, a teacher, and Anglo-French father, a financial accountant; she lived in France until the age of five....
Wanting to do more to help the war effort, Foyle pulls strings and is offered a job at Naval Command. Back in Hastings, a body is found but the apparent facts are inconsistent, and strange goings-on are observed at a churchyard. Following the scent to SOE, an undercover espionage-training group, and dodging threats and sabotage, Foyle uncovers the identity of the body and the story behind it. Foyle accepts accusations of mis-investigation from a senior naval officer, losing the naval job but believing he has best aided the war effort.

Character and plot development

This episode features the second of three appearances by the recurring character Hilda Pierce, played by Ellie Haddington

Ellie Haddington

Ellie Haddington is a British actress who had a starring role in 2005 and 2006 as Governing Governor Joy Masterton in the ITV1 prison drama Bad Girls....

 (previously in the episode "War Games", and then in "All Clear").

Historical context

Horowitz was inspired by the Special Operations Executive

Special Operations Executive

The Special Operations Executive was a World War II organisation of the United Kingdom. It was officially formed by Prime Minister Winston Churchill and Minister of Economic Warfare Hugh Dalton on 22 July 1940, to conduct guerrilla warfare against the Axis powers and to instruct and aid local...

, which was created by Churchill

Winston Churchill

Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...

 in 1940 to develop techniques of sabotage

Sabotage

Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening another entity through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. In a workplace setting, sabotage is the conscious withdrawal of efficiency generally directed at causing some change in workplace conditions. One who engages in sabotage is...

 and subversion. By setting the story in the early days of the SOE, Horowitz was able to use the conflict between SOE and expectations of the government as a backdrop to the plot. Many of the details are authentic, such as the use by the SOE of carborundum powder

Silicon carbide

Silicon carbide , also known as carborundum, is a compound of silicon and carbon with chemical formula SiC. It occurs in nature as the extremely rare mineral moissanite. Silicon carbide powder has been mass-produced since 1893 for use as an abrasive...

 to disable cars.

"Enemy Fire"

Writer: Anthony Horowitz Anthony Horowitz Anthony Craig Horowitz is an English novelist and screenwriter. He has written many children's novels, including The Power of Five, Alex Rider and The Diamond Brothers series and has written over fifty books. He has also written extensively for television, adapting many of Agatha Christie's...	Director: Gavin Millar Gavin Millar Gavin Millar is a Scottish film director, critic and television presenter.Millar's early career was as a film critic, most notably for The Listener from 1970 to 1984. He also contributed to Sight and Sound and The London Review of Books. With the film director Karel Reisz, he co-authored The...	Airdate: 31 October 2004	Set: February, 1941	Episode 10 (3:2)
Guests: Bill Paterson, Peter Blythe Peter Blythe Peter Blythe was a British character actor, best known as Samuel "Soapy Sam" Ballard on Rumpole of the Bailey.-Early life:... , Simon Woods Simon Woods Simon Woods is an English actor best known for his role as Octavian in Season 2 of the British-American television series Rome and the 2005 Pride & Prejudice as Mr. Charles Bingley... , Jonathan Slinger Jonathan Slinger Jonathan Slinger is a British actor. He trained at RADA, graduating in 1994. From there, he went to work at the Royal National Theatre and Shakespeare's Globe... , Alexandra Moen Alexandra Moen Alexandra Moen is an English actress, best known for her roles as Emily James in the British TV drama Hotel Babylon, as Tamsin in the TV drama Tripping Over and as Lucy Saxon in the closing episodes of the 2007 series of "Doctor Who"....
A private house is requisitioned by the RAF Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...  as a hospital Hospital A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays.... . However, drugs go missing and acts of vandalism are carried out. Foyle begins an investigation after Group Captain Smythe is nearly killed and an RAF mechanic is murdered. Meanwhile, Andrew goes AWOL Desertion In military terminology, desertion is the abandonment of a "duty" or post without permission and is done with the intention of not returning... , suffering from severe stress and exhaustion after his wingmate is badly burned while flying Andrew's Spitfire.

Historical context

The hospital and its patients are broadly based on the work of Archibald McIndoe

Archibald McIndoe

Sir Archibald McIndoe CBE FRCS was a pioneering New Zealand plastic surgeon who worked for the Royal Air Force during World War II. He greatly improved the treatment and rehabilitation of badly burned aircrew.-Background:...

 and his 'guinea pigs'

Guinea Pig Club

The Guinea Pig Club was formed of patients of Archibald McIndoe at Queen Victoria Hospital, East Grinstead, Sussex who underwent reconstructive plastic surgery during World War II, generally after receiving burn injuries in aircraft....

.

"They Fought in the Fields"

Writer: Rob Heyland Rob Heyland Rob Heyland is a British actor turned television writer.His first TV role was as a police constable in a 1982 episode of The Professionals entitled Cry Wolf....	Director: Jeremy Silberston Jeremy Silberston -Early life:Silberston was the son of economist Professor Aubrey Silberston, and his mother, Dorothy, was a founder member of the National Schizophrenia Fellowship. He attended The Perse School, Cambridge....	Airdate: 7 November 2004	Set: April, 1941	Episode 11 (3:3)
Guests: Nigel Terry Nigel Terry Nigel Terry is an English stage and film actor probably best known by film audiences for his portrayal of King Arthur in John Boorman's Excalibur . However, he has had a long career in classical theatre.... , Joe Armstrong Joe Armstrong (actor) Joe Armstrong is an English actor. He played Allan A Dale in the BBC series Robin Hood. He plays Hotspur in the forthcoming BBC production of Henry IV, Part 1 and he will appear in the film Closer to the Moon by Nae Caranfil... , James Wilby James Wilby James Jonathon Wilby is an English film, television and theatre actor.-Early life and education:He was born in Rangoon, Burma to a corporate executive father... , Paula Jennings, Trevor Cooper Trevor Cooper Trevor "Trev" Cooper is an English actor.-Background:Cooper studied law at Kingston Polytechnic and graduated with a masters degree in law from the University of Warwick...
Three Luftwaffe Luftwaffe Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....  pilots are captured after an air raid. However, there are irregularities considering the crew of the bomber and the condition of the parachute Parachute A parachute is a device used to slow the motion of an object through an atmosphere by creating drag, or in the case of ram-air parachutes, aerodynamic lift. Parachutes are usually made out of light, strong cloth, originally silk, now most commonly nylon... s. Meanwhile, feeling that she is not doing enough for the war effort, Sam joins land girls Women's Land Army The Women's Land Army was a British civilian organisation created during the First and Second World Wars to work in agriculture replacing men called up to the military. Women who worked for the WLA were commonly known as Land Girls...  working in the fields.

"War of Nerves"

Writer: Anthony Horowitz Anthony Horowitz Anthony Craig Horowitz is an English novelist and screenwriter. He has written many children's novels, including The Power of Five, Alex Rider and The Diamond Brothers series and has written over fifty books. He has also written extensively for television, adapting many of Agatha Christie's...	Director: Gavin Millar Gavin Millar Gavin Millar is a Scottish film director, critic and television presenter.Millar's early career was as a film critic, most notably for The Listener from 1970 to 1984. He also contributed to Sight and Sound and The London Review of Books. With the film director Karel Reisz, he co-authored The...	Airdate: 14 November 2004	Set: June, 1941	Episode 12 (3:4)
Guests: Peter Capaldi Peter Capaldi Peter Dougan Capaldi is an Academy Award and BAFTA award winning Scottish actor and film director. In 1995, his short film Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life won the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film... , Peter-Hugo Daly Peter-Hugo Daly Peter-Hugo Daly is an actor and musician. In the late 1970s and early 1980s Daly was a member of new wave band the Cross along with fellow actor Phil Daniels. The band released a single, "Kill Another Night" on RCA Records in 1979... , Charles Pemberton, David Westhead David Westhead David Westhead is a British actor. He is notable as having been a member of the regular cast of Criminal Justice, Life Begins, The Lakes and The Time of Your Life... , Dugald Bruce Lockhart Dugald Bruce Lockhart Dugald Bruce Lockhart is an Anglo-Scottish actor.-Background and education:Dugald Bruce Lockhart was born in 1968. His great-grandfather, J.H. Bruce Lockhart, and his great-uncles, Rab Bruce Lockhart and Logie Bruce Lockhart were all public school headmasters and all played rugby union for...
Seeking to crack down on organised crime, Foyle places Milner undercover in a building business, which leads them to racketeering at a shipyard. When an unexploded bomb lands on the yard, Royal Engineers Royal Engineers The Corps of Royal Engineers, usually just called the Royal Engineers , and commonly known as the Sappers, is one of the corps of the British Army....  attempting to dispose of the bomb discover a horde of money, and agree to share it amongst themselves, an act they regret when one of their numbers is abducted and murdered. Foyle must resolve the crime racket and investigate the murder, while supervising the visit to Hastings of a Communist agitator.

Historical context

The shipyard racket is based on a real case of fraud by Frederick Porter of Liverpool

Liverpool

Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England, along the eastern side of the Mersey Estuary. It was founded as a borough in 1207 and was granted city status in 1880...

in 1942, whose ship scaling business embezzled over £300,000 from the government.