''The Plane Makers'' is a

British television Television broadcasts in the United Kingdom began in 1932, however, regular broadcasts would only begin four years later. Television began as a public service which was free of advertising, which followed the first demonstration of a transm ...

series created by

Wilfred Greatorex Wilfred Glyn Greatorex (27 May 1921 – 14 October 2002) was an English television and film writer, script editor and producer. Early life Born in Liverpool, he was educated at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Blackburn. After wartime servic ...

and produced by Rex Firkin. ATV made three series for ITV between 1963 and 1965. It was succeeded by ''The Power Game'', which ran for an additional three series from 1965 to 1969. Firkin continued as producer for the first two series, and David Reid took over for series 3.

''The Plane Makers''

''The Plane Makers'' focused on the power struggles between the

trades union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

and the management on the shop floor of a fictional aircraft factory, Scott Furlong Ltd, as well as the political in-fighting amongst the management themselves.

Patrick Wymark Patrick Wymark (11 July 192620 October 1970) was an English stage, film and television actor. Early life Wymark was born Patrick Carl Cheeseman in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire. He was brought up in neighbouring Grimsby and frequently revisited th ...

proved particularly popular as the

anti-hero An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero or two words anti hero) or anti-heroine is a character in a narrative (in literature, film, TV, etc.) who may lack some conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism and morality. Al ...

ic Managing Director John Wilder, who was "a bully and a boor", who "is forgiven only if he gets results". Wilder's nemesis in the boardroom in the third series was David Corbett ( Alan Dobie), though he was supported by his long-suffering wife Pamela (

Ann Firbank Ann Firbank (born 9 January 1933) is a British actress. One of Firbank's more notable roles is her 1971 portrayal of Anne Elliot in the serial ''Persuasion'', an adaptation of Jane Austen's novel of the same name. Career Firbank starred as An ...

, standing in for

Barbara Murray Barbara Ann Murray (27 September 1929 – 20 May 2014) was an English actress. Murray was most active in the 1940s and 1950s as a fresh-faced leading lady in many British films such as ''Passport to Pimlico'' (1949) and '' Meet Mr. Lucifer'' (1 ...

from series 2), his Sales Director and confidant Don Henderson (

Jack Watling Jack Stanley Watling (13 January 1923 – 22 May 2001) was an English actor. Life and career Watling was born 13 January 1923 in Chingford, Essex, England. The son of a travelling scrap metal dealer, Watling trained at the Italia Conti Academy ...

) and ever-reliable secretary Miss Lingard ( Norma Ronald). In the first two series their task was to manufacture and sell their aircraft, the Sovereign, to an international market. In series 3, Wilder unexpectedly changed strategy to a military

VTOL A vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft is one that can takeoff and landing, take off and land vertically without relying on a runway. This classification can include a variety of types of aircraft including helicopters as well as thrust- ...

jet aircraft, by taking over the firm of Ryan Airframe.

''The Power Game''

According to one report, it was on Gretorex's advice that the drama "left the factory floor for the executive suite". At the end of the final ''Plane Makers'' series in January 1965, Wilder left Scott Furlong after a project for the Scott-Furlong Predator, a vertical takeoff aircraft, had failed, and took a seat on the board of a merchant bank while also collecting a

knighthood A knight is a person granted an honorary title of a knighthood by a head of state (including the pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church, or the country, especially in a military capacity. The concept of a knighthood ...

. He returned eleven months later in ''The Power Game''. Bored with being a gentleman of leisure, Wilder uses his influence with the bank on whose board he sits to become Joint Managing Director of an established building firm, Bligh Construction. The first two series of ''The Power Game'' in 1965–66 chronicled his attempts to keep control in the face of opposition from the company's elderly founder Caswell Bligh ( Clifford Evans), a stern, old-school patriarch who resents what he sees as Wilder's imposition on a family firm, and Bligh's ambitious but inexperienced son Kenneth (

Peter Barkworth Peter Wynn Barkworth (14 January 1929 – 21 October 2006) was an English actor. He twice won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Actor; for ''Crown Matrimonial'' in 1975 and for '' Professional Foul'' and ''The Country Party'' in 1978. He also starre ...

), who would prefer to be sole managing director, and free of his father's influence. Both Henderson and Miss Lingard were back in harness. Wilder's private life came more to the fore in ''The Power Game''; he has a long-running affair with a civil servant, Susan Weldon (

Rosemary Leach Rosemary Anne Leach (18 December 1935 – 21 October 2017) was a British stage, television and film actress. She won the 1982 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a New Play for '' 84, Charing Cross Road'' and was nominated for the BAFTA Award f ...

), but is aghast when his wife Pamela also plays the field, with engineering expert Frank Hagadan (

George Sewell George Sewell (31 August 19242 April 2007) was an English actor, best known for his television roles, but also active on stage and in films. Early life and early career The son of a Hoxton printer and a florist, Sewell left school at the age o ...

). The third and final series in 1969 saw Wilder free from Bligh's—but not from Bligh himself—and working for the British government as a 'roving' Foreign Office Ambassador for Trade. Patrick Wymark died suddenly in 1970 and it was decided not to continue with the series without its most notorious and memorable character.

Archives Status

Only Episode 1 of Series 1 of ''Plane Makers'' exists, but series 2 and 3 survive, all as 16mm-film

telerecording Kinescope , shortened to kine , also known as telerecording in Britain, is a recording of a television program on motion picture film directly through a lens focused on the screen of a video monitor. The process was pioneered during the 1940s ...

s. All three series of ''The Power Game'' survive as 16mm-film telerecordings.

Regular cast – ''The Plane Makers''

*John Wilder –

*Don Henderson –

*David Corbett – Alan Dobie *Dusty Miller –

John Junkin John Francis Junkin (29 January 1930 – 7 March 2006) was an English actor and scriptwriter who had a long career in radio, television and film, specialising in comedy. Early life Born in Ealing, Middlesex, the son of a policeman, Junkin a ...

*Arthur Sugden – Reginald Marsh *Henry Forbes – Robert Urquhart *James Cameron Grant –

Peter Jeffrey Peter Jeffrey (18 April 1929 – 25 December 1999) was an English actor. Starting his performing career on stage, he later portrayed many roles in television and film. Early life Jeffrey was born in Bristol, the son of Florence Alice (née ...

*Kay Lingard – Norma Ronald *Pamela Wilder –

, (

some episodes, series 3) *Laura Challis – Wendy Gifford *Sir Gordon Revidge – Norman Tyrrell

Regular cast – ''The Power Game''

*Sir John Wilder –

*Don Henderson –

*Caswell Bligh – Clifford Evans *Kenneth Bligh –

*Susan Weldon –

(Series 1-2) *Justine Bligh –

Rachel Herbert Rachel Nicola Herbert (5 January 1935 – 7 March 2025) was a British actress whose television appearances included roles in '' Deadline Midnight'' (1960), ''Thursday Theatre'' (1964), ''The Villains'' (1964), ''No Hiding Place'' (1963–65), '' ...

(Series 1-2) *Miss Lingard – Norma Ronald (Series 1-2) *Lady Wilder –

*Frank Hagadan –

(Series 1-2) *Charles Grainger –

Robin Bailey William Henry Mettam "Robin" Bailey (5 October 1919 – 14 January 1999) was an English actor. He was born in Hucknall, Nottinghamshire. Often cast in upper class and tradition-bound roles such as Mr Justice Graves in Thames Television Th ...

(Series 2) *Sir Gordon Revidge – Norman Tyrrell *Sir Jason Fowler –

Richard Hurndall Richard Gibbon Hurndall (3 November 1910 – 13 April 1984) was an English actor. He is best remembered for replacing William Hartnell in the role of the First Doctor for '' Doctor Who's'' 20th anniversary special " The Five Doctors". Career B ...

(Series 3) *Lincoln Dowling –

Michael Jayston Michael A. James (29 October 1935 – 5 February 2024), known professionally as Michael Jayston, was an English actor. He played Nicholas II of Russia in the film '' Nicholas and Alexandra'' (1971). He also made many television appearances, whi ...

(Series 3) *Garfield Kane –

Barrie Ingham Barrie Stanton Ingham (10 February 1932 – 23 January 2015) was an English actor. He worked in television, on stage and in several films. Early life Ingham was born in 1932 in Halifax, West Yorkshire, to Irene (née Bolton) and Harold Ellis ...

(Series 3) *Jill (Wilder's secretary) –

Deborah Grant Deborah Grant (born Deborah Jane Snelling; 22 February 1947) is an English actress. Between 1981 and 1991, she played Deborah Bergerac in the BBC television detective series '' Bergerac''. From 2007 to 2023, she appeared in the sitcom ''Not Go ...

(Series 3)

DVD releases

Network has released the following DVD boxsets.

References

* Footnotes

External links

* *
British Film Institute Screen Online
{{DEFAULTSORT:Plane Makers/Power Game, The 1963 British television series debuts 1969 British television series endings 1960s British drama television series British aviation television series Black-and-white British television shows British English-language television shows ITV television dramas Television shows produced by Associated Television (ATV) Television shows shot at ATV Elstree Studios