''Undercover Customs'' is a

television series A television show, TV program (), or simply a TV show, is the general reference to any content produced for viewing on a television set that is broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, and cable, or distributed digitally on streaming plat ...

produced by

Granada Television ITV Granada, formerly known as Granada Television, is the ITV (TV network), ITV franchisee for the North West of England and Isle of Man. From 1956 to 1968 it broadcast to both the north west and Yorkshire on weekdays only, as ABC Weekend TV, ...

for

ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: Television TV stations/networks/channels ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network and company, including: **ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network in the United Kingd ...

which consisted of dramatic reconstructions of some of the largest real-life

smuggling Smuggling is the illegal transportation of objects, substances, information or people, such as out of a house or buildings, into a prison, or across an international border, in violation of applicable laws or other regulations. More broadly, soc ...

incidents based on the official records of

Her Majesty's Customs and Excise HM Customs and Excise (properly known as Her Majesty's Customs and Excise at the time of its dissolution) was a department of the British Government formed in 1909 by the merger of HM Customs and HM Excise; its primary responsibility was t ...

in the United Kingdom. The show ran for two series and consisted of 13 episodes in total. The series ran from 10 July 1997 to 1 March 1999. The series was presented by Sir

Trevor McDonald Sir Trevor Lawson McDonald (born George McDonald; 16 August 1939) is a Trinidadian-British newsreader and journalist, best known for his career as a news presenter with Independent Television News (ITN). McDonald began his career working as a ...

and was supplemented by genuine

surveillance Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, many activities, or information for the purpose of information gathering, influencing, managing, or directing. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, such as ...

footage and exclusive interviews with the Customs Officers responsible for the investigations of the organised smuggling rings, and also the witnesses and informants who helped crack each case. The 1998 series was produced by Mike Kleinsteuber who also directed two of the programmes.

Episodes

The episodes and original air dates are as follows: *Operation Begonia (10/07/1997) *Operation Green Ice (17/07/1997) *Operation Babysitter (24/07/1997) *Operation Suntempest (31/07/1997) *Operation Carla II (07/08/1997) *Operation Klondyke (14/08/1997) *Operation Bypass (16/04/1998) *Operation Oltet (23/04/1998) *Operation Fluke (30/04/1998) *Operation Escape (07/05/1998) *Operation Barbecue (14/05/1998) *Operation Crux (21/05/1998) *Undercover Customs (01/03/1999)

External links

* ITV (TV network) original programming 1997 British television series debuts 1999 British television series endings 1990s British television series Television series by ITV Studios Television shows produced by Granada Television British English-language television shows {{UK-tv-prog-stub