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Series · 1977 · Comedy

Raffles

The adventures of a gentleman thief in Victorian England

★8.4 1977 1 Season Philip Mackie TV-MA

Raffles was a 1977 television adaptation of the A. J. Raffles stories by Ernest William Hornung. The series was produced by Yorkshire Television and written by Philip Mackie. The episodes were largely faithful adaptations of the stories in the books, though occasionally two stories would be merged to create one. In Victorian-era London, gentleman thief A. J. Raffles, a renowned cricketer, and his friend, the eager but naive Bunny Manders, test their skills in relieving the wealthy of their valuables whilst avoiding detection, especially from the persistent Inspector Mackenzie.

Seasons & episodes

1 season · 13 episodes

The First Step

Episode 01

The First Step

Feb 25, 1977 · 60 min

Raffles is visited by old school chum Harry 'Bunny' Manders, who has fallen on hard times. Penniless himself, Raffles comes up with a scheme to pay off Bunny's gambling debt by getting the money from the most obvious source—a plot that launches the duo into a life of crime.

A Costume Piece

Episode 02

A Costume Piece

Feb 25, 1977 · 60 min

Brash and crude, Reuben Rosenthall is a real 'rough diamond': a self-made millionaire who wears his wealth in the most ostentatious way possible. In other words, he's an irresistible target for Raffles, if not for the more hesitant Bunny. But as the duo find out, Rosenthall has a trick or two up his own sleeve.

The Spoils of Sacrilege

Episode 03

The Spoils of Sacrilege

Mar 4, 1977 · 60 min

Bunny feels he needs to do more to justify his share of their ill-gotten gains, so the partners in crime plan a job in which he takes the lead. But when things don't quite go as expected—leaving the partners in a tight corner—Raffles has to take charge to get them out.

The Gold Cup

Episode 04

The Gold Cup

Mar 11, 1977 · 60 min

Raffles and Bunny swipe the famous Royal Gold Cup from the British Museum, but a group of criminologists track them down, suspecting Raffles of the theft. The gentleman thief is forced to come up with an ingenious way to prove them wrong.

The Chest of Silver

Episode 05

The Chest of Silver

Mar 18, 1977 · 60 min

Raffles tells Bunny that he is going off to Scotland to improve his Scots dialect. During his absence his rooms at The Albany will be renovated, and it becomes imperative that certain items are not found in Raffles' flat. Therefore, Bunny is entrusted with a chest full of silver, and Raffles requests that he lodge the chest of silver with the Bank. Bunny complies, but are things quite what they seem?

The Last Laugh

Episode 06

The Last Laugh

Mar 25, 1977 · 60 min

Visiting a reception at the Italian Ambassador's one evening, Raffles and Bunny conspire to steal an item of jewellery which is on display. But for the help of Faustina, a maid who works at the Embassy, they would have been caught. To repay her assistance, Raffles arranges to rescue her from the Embassy where she is being kept against her will by Count Corbucci, the evil Ambassador. All goes well, but there is a very nasty shock in wait for Raffles, and an endless night.

A Trap to Catch a Cracksman

Episode 07

A Trap to Catch a Cracksman

Apr 1, 1977 · 60 min

Loud mouthed Barney Maguire is America's champion heavy weight boxer. At Raffles' Club one evening he brags to Raffles and Bunny that he has a trap which would trap the cleverest of Cracksmen. He also insults the noble game of cricket and ridicules his English boxing opponent. This is enough to tempt Raffles into breaking and entering Maguire's premises, but he is unaware of the nature of the trap which awaits him. It is left to Bunny to save the day.

To Catch a Thief

Episode 08

To Catch a Thief

Apr 8, 1977 · 60 min

Somebody is setting himself up in opposition to Raffles as another gentleman thief, and Raffles doesn't like it, as he is being accused by Inspector Mackenzie of things which he did not do. Eventually Raffles pinpoints the thief as Lord Ernest Belville, and he and Bunny break into Belville's rooms in quest of some stolen loot. Eventually there is a confrontation between Raffles and Lord Ernest Belville, and things go very wrong indeed for one of them.

A Bad Night

Episode 09

A Bad Night

Apr 15, 1977 · 60 min

Raffles has his eye on the Van Den Berg's wedding presents, but finds that he has an engagement at Lord's to play cricket on the day that they go on display, so Bunny goes in his place. Bunny falls into the hands of Netje, the trigger-happy younger daughter of the Van Den Berg family who has taken it upon herself to guard the wedding presents from rogues and thieves.

Mr. Justice Raffles

Episode 10

Mr. Justice Raffles

Apr 22, 1977 · 60 min

A friend of Raffles', Teddy Garland, finds that he is in debt to the vicious moneylender, Brigstock. Raffles and Bunny pay a visit to Brigstock and manage to pay Garland's debt back. Brigstock asks Raffles to steal a letter which is evidence in a court case pending against him. Raffles agrees, but has an agenda about which Brigstock knows nothing. Ultimately Raffles puts Brigstock into a position where he must choose between his love for his money and life itself.

Home Affairs

Episode 11

Home Affairs

Apr 29, 1977 · 60 min

Sir Arthur Rumbold, the pompous Secretary for Home Affairs, announces that he wishes to introduce much tougher penalties for offences against property. Raffles, believing this to be a step back into the dark ages of Botany Bay and transportation for life, is furious and determines to teach Sir Arthur a lesson by burgling his own substantial London home. Announcing to Bunny that the burglary will be an unplanned affair, Raffles goes enthusiastically to work, but it is not long before events start to go drastically wrong.

The Gift of the Emperor

Episode 12

The Gift of the Emperor

May 6, 1977 · 60 min

Kaiser Wilhelm of Germany is seeking to embarrass the British Government by using Herr Von Heumann, one of his agents, to hand back a priceless black pearl, which had once been a gift from Queen Victoria to her daughter, to the tribal leader from whence it originally came in the South Pacific, an area dominated by the British. Raffles is naturally infuriated at the behaviour of the Kaiser, but he is also very interested in acquiring the pearl for his own use. He wants to be able to spend the season playing the tables at Monte Carlo with Bunny with the proceeds of the sale of it. He feels very much put on the spot when he is approached by the British Government who want him to steal the pearl for them. This conflict of interests makes Raffles play his cards very close to his chest as he endeavours to successfully acquire the pearl for himself. Raffles and Bunny both end up joining the hunting set at a house party where Herr Von Heumann is also a guest.

An Old Flame

Episode 13

An Old Flame

May 13, 1977 · 60 min

Wandering the streets of London one night with Bunny, Raffles, who is becoming bored and blase about the ease with which he is able to steal from the rich, acts on the spur of the moment and breaks into a house while the owners are actually present. To his astonishment he finds that he has chosen the house of an old flame of his, a long lost love who is already married. He is discovered by this lady in the act of stealing her jewellery, but she confesses to Raffles that she still loves him, and wants him to go away with her. Raffles still loves the lady, but he also loves his life at The Albany, and playing cricket for England, and stealing diamonds. Raffles must find a way of maintaining the status quo.

About the series

Raffles poster
Audience score
★ 8.4 /10

based on 5 votes

Synopsis

Raffles was a 1977 television adaptation of the A. J. Raffles stories by Ernest William Hornung. The series was produced by Yorkshire Television and written by Philip Mackie. The episodes were largely faithful adaptations of the stories in the books, though occasionally two stories would be merged to create one. In Victorian-era London, gentleman thief A. J. Raffles, a renowned cricketer, and his friend, the eager but naive Bunny Manders, test their skills in relieving the wealthy of their valuables whilst avoiding detection, especially from the persistent Inspector Mackenzie.

ComedyCrime

Cast

2 principal cast

Anthony Valentine

A. J. Raffles

Christopher Strauli

Christopher Strauli

Bunny Manders

Where to watch Raffles

Raffles is available to stream on Flicksy via 6 verified sources, aggregated from publicly available embed providers. The comedy from Philip Mackie has 1 season and 13 total episodes, rated 8.4/10 by 5 viewers.

Frequently asked

How many seasons does Raffles have?

Raffles has 1 season with 13 episodes in total.

Is Raffles still on the air?

Raffles has ended and is no longer in production.

What network airs Raffles?

Raffles airs on ITV1.

When did Raffles first air?

Raffles first aired on February 25, 1977.

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