(Subsequently titled "The Wolves are Howling" for disambiguation with future episodes.)

Randal (Derek Jacobi), a secret service agent investigating Irish Republican Army kingpin Liam Macaulay (Peter Vaughan), enlists the help of John Neil, a former SAS operative with a background in undercover work, to go undercover in Belfast posing as expat Jackie O'Connell, the estranged brother of Father Fergal (Ian McElhinney), the Macaulay's parish priest. Neil's job is to get find out when and how Macaulay plans to bring in a new shipment of arms and ammunition.

(Plot spoilers from here)

Neil succeeds in winning Macaulay's confidence, as well as the romantic attentions of his daughter Ellish (Clare Higgins) after saving her from an arson attack, but as suspicions about his true identity begin to mount, and Macaulay's right hand man watching his every move, Neil realises that must complete his mission before his cover is blown. Matters are further complicated when Neil discovers that Macaulay was responsible for a bomb that exploded in a circus tent in Germany two years ago the same bomb which subsequently killed his wife and son.

First broadcast 16th October 1993 on ITV.

Cast:

Dennis Waterman as John Neil
Derek Jacobi as Controller aka 'Randal
Peter Vaughan as Liam McAuley
Clare Higgins as Eilish
Ian McElhinney as Father Fergal
Tony Doyle as Graham
Colum Convey as Dessie Gill
Gerard Crossan as Colum McAuley
Andrew Connolly as Dermot McAuley

Director: Geoffrey Sax

A total of four episodes were broadcast, including a single featurelength selftitled pilot in 1993 , and a series of three episodes, filmed in 1995, and broadcast between 1995 and 1996.

Review excerpt from IMDB user:

"Some good direction and performances and intelligent characterisation and plotting though, perhaps inevitably, that old chestnut of the gang member who takes a dislike to the hero and is suspicious of him, is not avoided. Just as reliable is the smoothtalking devious 'controller' he is responsible to (Derek Jacobi). And Waterman has not quite developed Neil into the distinctive character he would later become. So not a bad start but a couple of the others to follow are better, one considerably so."