Civvies is a six-part thriller first broadcast on BBC1 on 22 September 1992. The series was written by Lynda La Plante - her first writing contribution for the BBC, after being poached by the BBC following the success of Prime Suspect. The series focuses on Frank Dillon (Jason Issacs), a former Army soldier who finds life outside the army tougher than being in it - and slowly falls under the power of east end gangster Barry Newman (Peter O'Toole), who is looking to hire a trained hitman. The complete series was released on DVD on 3 June 2013 on Acorn Media UK.
Plot
Reconciling the danger and excitement of serving in the elite British Parachute Regiment with life back home with his family does not prove simple for Frank Dillon (Jason Isaacs). An impulsive and aggressive man, he is aware that his pay-off from the army isn't sufficient to secure his future but, like his friends, struggles to find stable employment elsewhere. With no one prepared to take a chance on him, Frank may be powerless to resist the approaches of Barry Newman (Peter O'Toole), an East End gangster who could certainly find a use for a trained killer.
Cast
Jason Isaacs as Frank Dillon
Elizabeth Rider as Suzie Dillon
Caleb Lloyd as Kenny Dillon
Bobby Coombes as Phil Dillon
Lennie James as Cliff Morgan
Eddie O'Connell as Jimmy Hammond
Seamus O'Neill as Harry Travers
Peter Howitt as Steve Harris
Peter O'Toole as Barry Newman
David J. Nichols as Johnny Blair
Shirley Stelfox as Helen Bunning
Bhasker Patel as Marway
John H. Francis as Taffy Davies
Gareth Marks as Wally Simpkins
Locations
An entrance gate at the Imperial War Museum Duxford in Cambridgeshire stood in for the gates of Depot Para, then the barracks and training facility for the Parachute Regiment at Aldershot in Hampshire. A Douglas C-47 Skytrain from the museum's collection was parked at the gates during filming to replicate the gate guardian at Depot Para in Aldershot.