Revisiting classic TV show The A-Team as it turns 40 years old

Virgin Radio

20 Jul 2023, 13:33

The first episode of massively-popular action-adventure TV series The A-Team first aired four whole decades ago! 

The classic show came to UK screens in July of 1983, having premiered in the US in January of the same year, meaning that it is 40 years since we were introduced to Hannibal, Face, Murdock and the truly iconic B.A. Baracus.

If you recall the monologue which opened each episode, then you’ll be familiar with the premise. 

“In 1972, a crack commando unit was sent to prison by a military court for a crime they didn’t commit. These men promptly escaped from a maximum security stockade to the Los Angeles underground. Today, still wanted by the government, they survive as soldiers of fortune. If you have a problem, If no one else can help and if you can find them. Maybe you can hire… The A-Team.”

And after this helpful explainer? Gunfire, the A-Team logo, and the theme tune. What a belter! 

Each episode over the five seasons was pretty much self-contained, as the four soldiers of fortune helped different people in need. There were a few overarching plot points too, mainly involving the characters’ attempts to clear their names and avoid capture by law enforcement and military authorities.

The gang was led by Lieutenant Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith (played by George Peppard), who came up with somewhat unorthodox - but effective - plans, and was a cunning master of disguise. “I love it when a plan comes together,” was his often-used catchphrase.

Lieutenant Templeton Peck (Dirk Benedict) was the handsome smooth-talker (hence the nickname “Face”) who used his charms to get hold of vehicles and other useful items, and the team's pilot was Captain H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock (played by Dwight Schultz).

Then there was Sergeant First Class Bosco "B.A." Baracus (Mr. T), who provided the muscles, as well as the mechanic skills. He also was unquestionably the most sartorially interesting of the four, with countless gold chains around his neck, rings on every finger, and a weightlifting belt around his waist. B.A.’s hairstyle was a mohawk, and he drove a sweet ride; a black GMC Vandura van with an angled red stripe between. 

For four fugitives, they had a pretty conspicuous look! 

The narrative would usually require The A-Team to build some kind of impromptu weapon out of random items - like some kind of deadly version of Scrapheap Challenge - in order to defeat the bad guys.

Actually, the weapons were the opposite of deadly, as despite there being massive explosions and gunfire which would send the bad guys flying this way and that, no-one ever really got hurt. It became one of the most recognisable aspects of the show, seeing a car or a helicopter crash and its passengers somehow climbing out of the wreckage, or flinging themselves from the vehicle before impact and then just walking away unscathed.

The A-Team spawned a host of merch, including action figures which, along with Star Wars and Action Man toys, were at the top of kids’ Christmas lists in the 80s. 

While the series ended in 1987, The A-Team did return in 2010, to the big screen. A feature film starred Liam Neeson as Hannibal, Bradley Cooper as Face, Quinton Jackson as B.A. and Sharlto Copley as Murdock, with Jessica Biel as the team's pal and Patrick Wilson as the antagonist. 

Dirk Benedict and Dwight Schultz made brief cameo appearances in scenes which appeared at the end of the credits. 

The film didn’t really set the world alight, and has a rating of just 48 percent on review aggregating website, Rotten Tomatoes.

Of the original gang, Dirk Benedict would later appear as a contestant on the 2007 series of Celebrity Big Brother. Dwight Schultz went on play Reginald Barclay in the Star Trek franchise and has done a host of voice acting work. Mr T appeared in multiple films and TV shows, including a turn on Dancing With The Stars in the US. George Peppard sadly died in 1994, at the age of 65.