Silver Spring, MD — Edward Woodward’s classic spy series Callan, Set 1 debuts on home video from Acorn Media on July 7, 2009 (DVD 3-Vol., www.AcornOnline.com). In a BAFTA-winning performance, Woodward stars as Callan, a brooding, conscience-stricken assassin for a shadowy British intelligence service so secret it doesn’t have a name. Callan aired from 1967-72 and earned a rabid following, spawning five novels and a feature film. The series marks esteemed British actor Edward Woodward’s first television role. Since the series, he has appeared in more than 100 film and television projects and is best known to U.S. audiences for his Golden Globe-winning and five-time Emmy®-nominated role in the 1980s series The Equalizer.

Akin to Smiley’s People and Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy, this highly praised British series brings a distinctly adult sensibility to the espionage thriller. With the Cold War grinding on, agents from the East and West engage in elaborate deceptions, both sides seeking temporary advantage in an endless struggle. No one plays this game better than Callan. His sharp eyes, steely will, and steady hand with a gun make him a valuable asset to his manipulative superior, called Hunter (William Squire, Anne of the Thousand Days). But Callan knows his usefulness could end at any moment—especially with the younger, ruthlessly ambitious agent Cross (Patrick Mower, Target) eager to advance. In this amoral world, where men and women serve only as means to another’s ends, Callan fully understands the consequences of failure, seizing each assignment as one more chance to survive. Russell Hunter (American Cousins) co-stars as a petty thief whom Callan employs and befriends.

In the morally complex scripts, Callan traffics in intelligence-gathering, blackmail, and assassination, all while wrestling with his conscience.

Callan aired for four series as well as a theatrical film in 1974. Set 1 includes all nine episodes from the third series (the program’s first color episodes).

Episodes: Where Else Could I Go?; Summoned to Appear; The Same Trick Twice; A Village Called ‘G’; Suddenly—At Home; Act of Kindness; God Help Your Friends; Breakout; and Amos Green Must Live

Headquartered in suburban Washington, D.C., Acorn Media distributes distinctive home video releases to the North American market with a special focus on the best of British television. Acorn’s DVD sets are available from select retailers, catalog companies, and direct from Acorn Media at (888) 870-8047 or www.acornonline.com.