The Top Secret Life of Edgar Briggs

The Top Secret Life of Edgar Briggs is a 1974 British television comedy series created by Bernard McKenna and Richard Laing and produced by Humphrey Barclay for LWT. It was directed by Brian Izzard/Bruce Gowers and starred David Jason as the inept Edgar Briggs, personal assistant to the Commander of the British Secret Intelligence Service who, in spite of his cluelessness, manages to solve case after case. It ran for one series of 13 25-minute episodes on the ITV network.
In 2026 the series was shown on the British TV channel Rewind TV.

Cast

David Jason as Edgar Briggs
Noel Coleman as The Commander
Michael Stainton as Buxton
Mark Eden as Spencer
Barbara Angell as Jennifer Briggs
Elizabeth Counsell as Cathy

Reception

According to David Jason's biographers, Edgar Briggs was not a ratings success in Britain but proved popular in overseas markets. Nevertheless, Jason reportedly vetoed repeat screenings of the series for many years on the grounds that he " how raw he looked in those days" and was "not at all anxious to share that with his public."

DVD release

The complete series was released on DVD in March 2015.