Wish Me Luck


Wish Me Luck is a British television drama about the exploits of civilian women who became undercover agents in Occupied France during the Second World War. The series was made by London Weekend Television for the ITV network between 17 January 1988 and 25 February 1990 and created by Lavinia Warner and Jill Hyem, who had previously produced and written the BBC women prisoner of war series Tenko. The series was filmed on location in England and France.
Wish Me Luck is similar to Tenko and the 1970s BBC drama Secret Army, in that it deals with strong female characters coping under extreme conditions in wartime. The organisation for which the series' women agents worked, the Outfit, was based on the real-life Special Operations Executive. Season 1 and 2 were based on the exploits of SOE agent Nancy Wake and much of the dialogue was copied from her autobiography The White Mouse.
The series also addressed social issues and divisions under wartime conditions. A great deal of attention was also paid to creating the social context of the operatives, the drama of their work, against the backdrop of an intensely detailed local "colour" in both wartime Britain and France.
"Wish Me Luck " is a song made popular during the Second World War by Gracie Fields.

Principal cast and crew

The first series centred around the exploits of two recruits:
Also starring:
The third and final series, which was based on the 1944 Vercors rebellion, saw Jane Snowden joined by Catherine Schell, Jeremy Nicholas and, in one of her first television roles, Shirley Henderson. Running the 'Outfit' back in London were Jane Asher and Julian Glover. Other key characters were played by Terrence Hardiman, Jeremy Northam, Stuart McGugan, Felicity Montagu, Mark Anstee, Trevor Peacock and Nigel Le Vaillant.
There were 23 episodes in all. The first series was directed by Gordon Flemyng, the second and third series by Bill Hays.

Plot

Series 1

Episode 1 opens with Liz Grainger, codename Celeste apparently undergoing violent German interrogation.
It transpires that this is part of her training for 'The Outfit', a secret organisation run by Colonel James 'Cad'
Cadogan and Faith Ashley, who are now recruiting civilians to boost their numbers. The rest of the
episode combines scenes of Liz's training to go to France as an undercover agent - and that of fellow recruit Mathilde Firman, codename Aimee - with flashbacks showing how they came to be recruited. Matty is a factory worker from Stepney, who escaped to London from France with her French mother early in the war and is steered to The Outfit by an officer who witnesses her at a dance slapping a man for calling the French collaborators. She is desperate to contribute more effectively to the war effort because of her French and Jewish
heritage. Liz, whose husband is serving overseas and whose brother Jack has recently been killed in the war, has moved to Devon with her daughter Vicky to escape the Blitz. She is recruited almost by accident, following her response to a radio appeal for French holiday snaps to help the war effort. Liz initially refuses to undertake work which would entail leaving her daughter but is persuaded by Cad to undergo training, in which she does well, and becomes determined to volunteer. Cad overrides the reservations of some of his colleagues about sending civilian women to France and recommends her as a courier. Also to be sent is former actor, Colin Beale, codename Cyrano whom Liz and Matty have befriended during training. In contrast Matty, despite excelling in her training as a wireless operator, is rejected for undercover work: her talkative nature makes her a security risk.
In Episode 2, Matty has returned to Stepney and the factory, but Cad is regretting rejecting her since their recruitment pool is dwindling. He relents and calls Matty back, initially for wireless receiving work in England, where she makes friends with fellow-trainee Lois Mountjoy. Liz is now at the final stage of training, and Matty makes the most of her second chance by being top of the class. Meanwhile, Cad, Faith and their colleagues discuss the worsening situation in 'Area 3', around Brague. Kit Vanston, codename Gregoire, the resident agent out there, is convinced that the Germans are planning a major operation in the dock area but can do nothing without back-up. There are doubts about the local Communists and resistance and messages coming through are virtually unreadable because Kit doesn't have a wireless operator. Liz and Colin are to be rushed out there to help - Liz has a childhood friend, Claudine De Valois, as a contact in the area. News from the training school is that Matty is the only wireless trainee at the standard required to go into the field and she is added to the team. Lois is to act as her "godmother" at home. The three are briefed, say their goodbyes and prepare to leave immediately.
At the outset of Episode 3, Liz, Matty and Colin have arrived by plane in Area 3 where they are met by members of the communist resistance, headed by Maurice, and to their astonishment, local villagers, revealing worryingly lax security arrangements. Maurice directs Colin to the docks and Liz and Matty to Kit Vanston's hideout. Liz engineers things so that she meets Kit first; she has met him before as he was a friend of her brother's. He is abrasive and contemptuous that the new courier and wireless operator are women. After some difficulty finding an appropriate billet, Matty establishes herself in her cover identity as a district nurse. However, she has trouble getting a transmission through and ends up staying on air long enough for her radio location to be pinpointed by a German detector van. German troops burst into her billet and begin to search.
In episode 4, Matty prepares to face the German raid, while Liz connects with her friend Claudine, whose chateau home has been taken over by the Germans, headed by Colonel Krieger. Claudine is running a makeshift library and making herself as pleasant as she can to Krieger. Liz arrives while Claudine is entertaining the Colonel but they manage to stage a reasonably convincing impromptu reunion in front of him; Claudine eventually agrees to help Liz, who gets acclimatised to her new life as a courier. Liz and Kit bond over their respective recent bereavements. Meanwhile, Colin is spying successfully at the docks and Matty is called in for routine questioning by the Germans. She apparently puts on a convincing display for Krieger but after she has gone he gives orders for her to be watched.
By Episode 5, the strain of being behind enemy lines is starting to tell. Cad is informed of a British operation planned for Brague which his operatives will be expected to support. Colin is exhausted. Liz has to flee from a German spot-check; she and Kit grow closer. Matty, bored and frustrated, recklessly dyes her hair a conspicuous red. When Liz is taken ill Claudine takes her place passing information to Matty. Cad plans for Liz to go back to London to brief in person, as Matty's transmissions are troubled by poor reception. Kit orders Matty to ask Cad to send a replacement for Liz so Liz need not come back to France, and later confesses to Liz it is because he has fallen for her. Claudine pumps Krieger's mistress, Therese, for information and discovers that Krieger has found out about the plane coming to get Liz - his men will be waiting. She rushes to Matty who transmits it in the nick of time for Cad to cancel the operation so Liz is not caught. However Krieger realises that it must have been Claudine who passed the information to the British and offers her a deal: either she turns double agent or he will hand her over to the Gestapo.
Episode 6 sees Liz arrive back safely in London after a rescheduled pick-up to find that her husband, Laurence, is also due home at any minute. Cad offers her a job in London since she will not be going back to France and asks her to brief Nigel Piggott, codename Alain, the sabotage expert who is to replace her in Area 3. Matty's mother realises Matty is in France when Liz visits her, bringing a gift of French perfume from Matty. Liz and Laurence's reunion proves to be rather stilted; back home in Devon, Liz puts an injured rabbit out of its misery by killing it with a rock, prompting Laurence to question what her war work is. He is aghast when she tells him the truth. Unknown to the remaining team in France, Claudine has yielded to Krieger's threats and in return for a promise of safety for herself and Liz, gives information about Matty, including drawing a sketch of her, which Krieger immediately recognises as the district nurse. Colin and Matty jump into bed together as a ruse when the Germans raid just after Matty has been transmitting, and end up sleeping together for real. The following morning, the Germans come back, having recognised Matty from Claudine's sketch. Matty puts up a spirited fight but is captured.
In Episode 7, Matty is imprisoned and brought before Krieger for interrogation. Krieger knows about her codename, role, and even about Cad. Matty refuses to cooperate, avoiding Krieger's attempts to trap her into giving information about the other agents. However, she can't resist gloating that Celeste is safe in England, belying Claudine's continued attempts to convince Krieger that Liz is innocent. Krieger forces Claudine to collect messages by threatening to reveal her betrayal of Matty to the resistance and puts one of his men to undertake Matty's transmissions. Lois, receiving the messages, attempts to convince her superiors that it is not Matty's 'touch' but her warning is ignored. Eventually she persuades Cad to attempt a trap which turns out to be inconclusive. He decides he has to send an agent in to find out if their arrangements are still secure before the planned operation. Liz, whose marriage has become strained because Laurence cannot handle the fact that his wife's war work has been more active than his own, agrees to go back to France, much to the horror of both Faith and Laurence. She has a passionate reunion with Kit, who has just found out via Claudine that Matty is in German hands. Matty is taken from her cell by the Gestapo.
Episode 8 opens with scenes of Matty being tortured. Krieger intervenes, knowing that he can only save his own career by getting Matty's confession himself. Later, Krieger's commanding officer makes it clear that Krieger must deliver from Matty the name of the leading British agent in the area... or else. Liz arrives back at Claudine's and quickly realises Claudine betrayed Matty. Kit gets a message to London to confirm Matty's capture, and plans to break Matty out of Gestapo headquarters, with the help of Maurice and the resistance. Claudine agrees to try to distract Krieger while the rescue is taking place. However, Cad has realised there could be more to be gained by feeding the Germans false information - but the price of that is leaving Matty imprisoned. Matty's mother, convinced that Matty has been captured, commits suicide. Faith is forced to admit to Matty's grandfather that Matty is a prisoner. Kit, Liz, Colin and Nigel finalise their rescue plan but at the last moment orders come from London that they must not attempt rescue. Kit decides to go ahead anyway. Kit and Liz admit their feelings for each other while Colin and Nigel break into Matty's cell. Colin gets Matty out but Nigel is killed as they escape. In the aftermath, Krieger arrests Claudine - but is then himself led away in handcuffs for his own failure. Cad is castigated by his superiors. The series ends with Matty's arrival home to the delight of her grandfather, while Liz heads back to Devon.