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Markstein's view of the series was for a more-or-less conventional action/espionage story. However, since McGoohan controlled the series as
Executive Producer and owner of Everyman Films, Markstein became increasingly dissatisfied as an employee and ultimately left the series after the conclusion of
271:
and the star McGoohan (uncredited), Markstein co-wrote the first story "Arrival," and then settled in as script editor for the series. He later described the job of story editor as "the key man in any series, he is the man in whose hands is the ethos of the series, the spirit of the series, and it
382:. In the same year, together with Jacqui Lyons, he co-founded the literary agency, Marjacq Scripts Ltd, initially to represent screenwriters, later also thriller writers and computer game authors. The name is a derived from Markstein's surname and Lyon's forename.
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the initial block of thirteen episodes. A glimpse of
Markstein's face remained in the opening credits, but it was without him that McGoohan took the series to its most surreal and existential levels in the final four episodes, and to its
279:– as the balding, bespectacled 'man behind the desk', to whom McGoohan's character is seen angrily handing his letter of resignation; and played the same, non-speaking character in the episode "
206:
as story consultant for the last black-and-white episode (1966), then story editor for the two episodes which were made in colour (1967). Around this time he also wrote four episodes for
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505:. James Follett, who began writing professionally in 1973, has described George Markstein as his "guru", and is still represented by Markstein's company Marjacq.
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154:. It is likely that he lived in the United States during his youth, then moved to Britain. Markstein worked as a newspaper reporter for the
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134:. Markstein also wrote for or story-edited other television series, specialising in espionage stories, and jointly ran a successful
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950:'What goes on behind the cloaks and daggers': George Markstein and the dramatization of counterintelligence on British television
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444:, for which Markstein acted as script consultant jointly with Greene's brother, former director-general of the BBC, Sir
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In 1926, according to his friend Sidney
Allinson, writing in "George Markstein and The Prisoner", Markstein was born in
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is his job to cast the writers and the authors the way a director casts the actors and the stars".
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In addition to his interests in
Marjacq, Markstein also wrote several thrillers, including
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470:(Thames, 1986). His final television work was as story editor on the six part series
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Markstein makes a fleeting appearance at the start of almost every episode of
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Markstein later became a journalist for the
American military tabloid, the
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Markstein, interviewed in 1984 for the
Channel 4 documentary "Six into One"
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He continued to write for television, including working on two series of
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about the unusual experiences of an
American diplomat based in London.
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Following a long illness, Markstein died of kidney failure in 1987.
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440:(1975–76) for Thames, a series of adaptations of short stories by
695:
Feature film (co-written with Edward Boyd and Peter Yates, 1967)
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Markstein again went freelance, and co-wrote the screenplay for
178:
177:. The masthead of the newspaper lists Markstein as head of the
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for the first thirteen episodes, and appeared briefly in its
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For the cinema he wrote the initial synopsis for the 1982
1193:
Jewish emigrants from Nazi
Germany to the United Kingdom
313:(1969); the third and final fourth series of spy drama
226:(1967), a fictionalised feature film based on the 1963
184:
He moved into television, first on the factual series
1138:, which includes edited parts of the above interview
476:(Thames, 1987), based on a book of short stories by
339:(1970–71), a continuation of the story begun with
124:. He was the script editor of the British series
112:(29 August 1926 – 15 January 1987) was a British
1198:Deaths from kidney failure in the United Kingdom
1164:
464:(Thames, 1983, 1984, 1985), and one episode of
448:. Other series he wrote episodes for included
831:"Snoop!" (co-written with James Doran, 1984)
501:and then into a screenplay by screenwriter
244:The man behind the desk (Markstein) in the
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970:
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926:(shared with Edward Boyd and Peter Yates)
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751:"The Richmond File: Call Me Enemy" (1972)
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1142:George Markstein: Guru to James Follett
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325:(1969, 1971); and the first series of
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915:Writers' Guild of Great Britain Award
726:"The Pleasure of Your Company" (1970)
493:, which was then turned into a novel
216:(1967), and worked on the script for
87:Screenwriter and television producer.
1122:, conducted by Chris Rodley in 1984.
1048:, conducted by Chris Rodley in 1984.
605:"All Roads Lead to Callaghan" (1966)
363:and its celebrated successor series
1004:
13:
1120:An interview with George Markstein
1057:See also e.g. the introduction to
1039:An interview with George Markstein
954:Intelligence and National Security
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319:(1970, 1972); several episodes of
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931:Best British Original Screenplay
850:"Once Your Card Is Marked" (1984)
103:Drama, adventure, science fiction
267:series,. Together with producer
259:announced his decision to leave
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18:For the American scientist, see
1136:Six into One: The Prisoner File
1088:foreword to the revised edition
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397:(1977, basis of the screenplay
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770:Feature film (co-written with
497:in thirty days flat by author
458:) and two further episodes of
378:(1974), based on the novel by
1:
1148: (archived 25 March 2009)
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328:The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes
294:
1188:British television producers
793:"The Debt Collectors" (1978)
7:
1183:British spy fiction writers
1152:Tribute to George Markstein
865:Philip Marlowe, Private Eye
626:"Not So Jolly Roger" (1966)
467:Philip Marlowe, Private Eye
303:, Markstein joined the new
210:'s children's drama series
10:
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1134:from the 1984 documentary
843:Mr. Palfrey of Westminster
729:"Not to Be Trusted" (1970)
461:Mr. Palfrey of Westminster
359:, including one-off drama
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1013:, WTVA/Illuminations for
670:"Hole in the Road" (1967)
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331:(1971). He also acted as
200:(1966), and then joining
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34:
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948:Oldham, Joseph (2023). "
853:"Official Secret" (1985)
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335:for the first series of
1154:– James Follett website
676:"Off the Record" (1967)
456:Storyboard: The Traitor
407:), the historical epic
79:England, United Kingdom
884:Awards and nominations
872:"Spanish Blood" (1986)
529:The Man From Yesterday
487:embassy-storming film
391:The Man From Yesterday
252:
246:opening title sequence
1093:26 March 2009 at the
1044:25 March 2009 at the
720:"Short Change" (1969)
547:The Goering Testament
243:
812:"The Traitor" (1983)
732:"Fool's Mate" (1970)
723:"Dinner Date" (1970)
717:"Smokescreen" (1969)
1208:Writers from Berlin
786:Return of the Saint
649:" (co-written with
553:Traitor for a Cause
454:(1978), the pilot (
451:Return of the Saint
417:Traitor for a Cause
228:Great Train Robbery
138:for screenwriters.
20:George H. Markstein
995:This was noted by
289:bizarre conclusion
281:Many Happy Returns
253:
164:England in 1947.
157:Southport Guardian
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413:Goering Testament
380:Frederick Forsyth
305:Thames Television
175:Over Sexed Weekly
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1111:George Markstein
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673:"The Peg" (1967)
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535:Chance Awakening
437:Shades of Greene
400:Espion, lève-toi
395:Chance Awakening
322:Armchair Theatre
257:Patrick McGoohan
110:George Markstein
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29:George Markstein
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943:Further reading
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763:The Odessa File
714:"Troika" (1969)
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578:Writing credits
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375:The Odessa File
352:Armchair Cinema
346:Room at the Top
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73:15 January 1987
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571:Soul Hunters
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427:(1983), and
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75:(1987-01-15)
15:
1178:1987 deaths
1173:1926 births
664:Send Foster
585:Production
446:Hugh Greene
366:The Sweeney
341:John Braine
218:Peter Yates
213:Send Foster
208:Rediffusion
1167:Categories
961:References
906:Reference
805:Storyboard
619:Danger Man
523:The Cooler
387:The Cooler
295:Later work
261:Danger Man
203:Danger Man
114:journalist
84:Occupation
53:1926-08-29
1015:Channel 4
1001:magazine.
900:Category
824:Dramarama
541:Tara Kane
409:Tara Kane
187:This Week
162:Southport
122:teleplays
118:thrillers
95:1966–1986
1091:Archived
1042:Archived
1017:, 1984;
431:(1987).
423:(1981),
419:(1979),
415:(1978),
411:(1978),
393:(1976),
389:(1974),
343:'s 1957
333:producer
1158:Marjacq
1144:at the
1132:YouTube
1097:, 1999.
1065:YouTube
1025:YouTube
1020:chunk 2
921:Robbery
903:Result
774:, 1974)
688:Robbery
653:, 1967)
647:Arrival
223:Robbery
64:Germany
894:Award
744:Callan
588:Notes
573:(1987)
567:(1983)
565:Ferret
561:(1981)
555:(1979)
549:(1978)
543:(1978)
537:(1977)
531:(1976)
525:(1974)
517:Novels
425:Ferret
316:Callan
299:After
181:desk.
179:London
152:Nazism
148:Berlin
92:Period
60:Berlin
1067:with
911:1968
897:Work
891:Year
817:BBC1
512:Works
361:Regan
255:When
100:Genre
1127:Clip
1115:IMDb
998:Time
934:Won
877:ITV
858:ITV
836:ITV
798:ITV
779:N/A
756:ITV
737:ITV
700:N/A
681:ITV
658:ITV
631:ITV
120:and
70:Died
47:Born
1130:on
1113:at
1063:on
1023:on
952:".
611:ITV
485:SAS
403:by
283:".
248:of
220:'s
194:'s
192:ITC
160:of
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51:(
22:.
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