Mr Palfrey is a mild, unassuming middle-aged man – the quintessential middle-rank British civil servant, who enjoys a spot of fishing in his spare time.

Mr Palfrey is also a spook...

As a senior investigator for the Special Intelligence Service, Palfrey’s office is based close to the Houses of Parliament. His work is assigned by his female boss, known only as ‘the Co-ordinator’, and assisting him is Blair, a younger man adept at dealing with the nastier aspects of counter-intelligence.

Beginning life as a pilot in Thames’ Storyboard anthology and notable for its intelligent, highly credible depiction of Cold War-era counter-espionage, Mr Palfrey of Westminster stars Alec McCowen (Travels with My Aunt) as the meticulous master spycatcher; John Shrapnel, Leslie Phillips, Ronald Hines and Martin Jarvis are among several high-profi le actors making guest appearances, and writers include George Markstein (The Prisoner) and Philip Broadley (Public Eye, Department S).

This first-time release on DVD comprises both series, originally screened in 1984 and 1985, the Storyboard pilot of 1983, and the ‘postscript’ play transmitted in 1989 and featuring Clive Wood as Blair.