The Guardians

- Season 1

(1971)

After a period of mass unemployment, chaos and a complete failure of the government, order has been restored in the United Kingdom. However, the price of this new stability is personal liberty. Dissenters soon appear, dedicated to the overthrow of the new regime.

An attempt has been made on the Prime Minister's life, and an agent planted to root out communists within the Guardians is shot dead.

A delicate situation develops when the French President, due in London for talks, refuses to attend. He demands to meet the real head of state. With the Queen in self-imposed exile and the Prime Minister little more than a pawn of the General, who is the real head of state?

The new Home Secretary is perturbed to find out that in a supposedly humane measure, prisoners under sentence of death are sedated and painlessly euthanised 24 hours before their scheduled executions.

The search continues for a sniper and the Prime Minister has had enough. He decides to disband the Guardians but does he have the power?

Having killed a detective in cold blood, the state psychiatrist and Quarmby activist Benedict returns to the routine of causing chaos for the Guardians and the government. Is it time for action to be taken?

There have been many strikes against the regime but now the resistance launches a new campaign to persuade public opinion of the innate brutality of government.

An officer of the Guardians is being held at the rehabilitation centre and is making no effort to leave; Benedict does not underestimate the officer's value as a pawn in the struggle against the Guardians.

When a kidnapped member of the Guardians is assassinated, the Prime Minister is sent an ultimatum: restore democracy or face more kidnappings and chaos.

Psychiatrist Benedict has problems when a man calling himself Quarmby drops into his office without an appointment, while Clare has her own problems with her drug addicted husband.

The Prime Minister, fearing for his career, rigs a show trial when a Guardian commander kills three workers during a protest.

Weston is alone after Clare reveals her love for Chris; any escape plan will now be difficult with such limited support.

Benedict embarks on a high-risk mission. Unaware that he is under surveillance and with anger growing in England, the time to take sides has come.