BODIE 3.7 . you'll never walk alone !

Martin Shaw has opened up about the difficult relationship he had with his"arrogant" professionals co-star Lewis Collins during their time on the show. Shaw and Collins played CI5 agents Ray Doyle and William Bodie on the British crime-action drama, which ran for five series on ITV between 1977 and 1981.

The pair played close work colleagues and their onscreen chemistry helped propel the show to it's success. However, Shaw has now revealed that he disliked Collins so much that he tried to prevent him from being cast on the programme and detailed the "truly horrible" experience of subsequently working with him.

"The trouble all started when i was a villain in The New Avengers in 1977 and he was my sidekick," Shaw told The Telegraph, "Lewis behaved so badly on that set. He had a small part but he was so arrogant. It was beyond that, it was bizarre."

He gave alledged examples of Collins's behaviour including boasting about his physical prowess and how his scripted fights would turn out differently if the actors were forced to fight in real life. "It was truly, truly horrible and there was a sense of blessed relief when it was over," Shaw said.

The experience led to him trying to block the actor from being cast in The Professionals after he won the role of Doyle.

Shaw assumed his good friend and fellow Operation Daybreak (1975) actor Anthony Andrews would be a "shoo-in" for the other lead after being considered. But the production company wanted a more "abrasive relationship".

Shaw explained "i'd already said to the casting director, i can't work with Lewis because we don't get on" but they cast him anyway.

Shaw said he tried to clear the air when production began.

I went up to him on the first day of shooting and said :" You know i didn't want you to do this but lets get on with it and have fun". And he told me to F*** off and he never forgave me for the next four years."

The pair were eventually able to smooth over their differences, with Shaw remarking"10 years after the show finished i met Lewis and everything was healed between us"

The Independent Newspaper (online)

One that i didn't post yesterday and i wish i had because......well i only have to look at him.

These were made available by the seller of the dvd.

On saturday evening i had to phone an ambulance for myself, my condition means that i suffer from vertigo and after the world kept spinning for more than eight hours it was time to call for an ambulance. The paramedics arrived, an older male paramedic and a younger female. After calming me down and helping me to sit up he said that this was the second time this week that he had been confronted with CI5. I have a professionals cushion on the chair. The world might be spinning but i'm listening as he asked "Who are you, Lewis Collins or Martin Shaw" he looked around and saw who exactly. While the paramedics stayed with me until the spinning had got to some sort of reasonable level, the time was spent talking pros and Bodie and the capri car.Thankyou to the North-West ambulance service and the paramedic who gets it.

My Bodie fanart

I couldn't forget Doyle so this is My Doyle fanart.

My Bodie fanart.