User Reviews

The Dark Island is an excellent episode with a plot and a band of bad guys worthy of The Champions' talents. I've complained in the past that The Champions abilities weren't necessarily needed in some of their missions. But here, they face an enemy with a plan to start World War III - sounds like a pretty worthy mission, huh? As for the baddies, The Champions are only up against a small army controlled by China - not too shabby. With lots of action, some spy type stuff, and a realistic threat, The Dark Island is a winner.

The plot sees Nemesis send The Champions to a remote Pacific island where other agents and aircraft have gone missing. Once there, The Champions find forces from the Chinese government bent on launching a nuclear missile at the United States. The US will blame the Russians and retaliate in kind - thus setting off WWIII.

Overall, a very strong 8/10 from me.

A pretty solid and exotic adventure. Business as usual as our heroes get shipwrecked on a desert island and find a hidden rocket base there. It could almost be North Korea. The action and the like is all sufficiently interesting to engage.

'Withers' ( Brandon Brady ) is part of a team of agents investigating a small Pacific island where people have mysteriously disappeared. In a jungle clearing, he discovers an underground silo containing a short-range nuclear missile. He is then captured and his companions ( played by an uncredited Nick Tate and Anthony Ainley ) are shot to death. Shortly afterwards, U.S. fighter jets vanish while flying over the same area. NEMESIS sends the Champions to the island; Richard lands by parachute, Craig and Sharron masquerade as ship-wreck victims. They meet the island's owner 'Max Kellor' ( Vladek Sheybal ), who plays at being the genial host. But he is concealing a deadly secret; in league with 'Kai Min' ( Andy Ho ) of Red China, Kellor intends tricking the U.S. ballistic early warning system into thinking that the Russians have launched a preemptive nuclear strike. They will then retaliate in kind, leading to World War 3.

Tony Williamson's episode is the closest the show ever got to a 007- type story; the one it most resembles is 'Dr.No' with its secluded island and Oriental villain. Presumably the Reds intend hiding in bunkers until after the fall-out clears, we never find out for sure. Richard gets some of his best action scenes - organising a break-out of prisoners, leaping over a high, barbed wire fence, knocking out guards and so on. Craig causes the missile to self-destruct. Even Sharron gets to administer a punch or two. Possibly the only negative point is the obviously fake-looking jungle set. Even then, it is not really much of a liability. World War 3 became a problem for the Champions again in a later episode - 'The Final Countdown'.

The sleepy-eyed Sheybal had acted in two Bond films - as the chess-playing genius 'Kronsteen' in 'From Russia With Love' ( 1963 ) and as 'Le Chiffre's representative' in the spoof version of 'Casino Royale' ( 1967 ). Andy Ho played chef 'Ah Syn' in 'It Ain't Half Hot Mum'. Speaking of which, blink and you will miss an uncredited appearance by the late Dino Shafeek, who was the 'Char Wallah' in that same show. Nick Tate went on to play Eagle pilot 'Alan Carter' in 'Space:1999', while Anthony Ainley put on a false beard in 1980 to menace 'Dr.Who' as 'The Master'.

Directed by Cyril Frankel.