History Series / TheProfessionals

* HomoeroticSubtext: Two 'hard men' in tight pants [[FireForgedFriends who would kill and die for each other]], who have no issue [[HoYay/TheProfessionals camping up their relationship for a laugh]]. Famously parodied in ''Series/TheComicStripPresents'' skit "The Bullshitters" when Bonehead and Foyle resolve their burning sexual tension before the final shootout by getting [[ShirtlessScene shirtless]] and snogging each other while rolling around in a pile of gravel.

* CompressedVice: In "Klansmen" Bodie displays overt racist behaviour never shown previously by his character; it's not that such tendencies would be ''unusual'' in that era, especially for a decidedly working-class bloke like Bodie, but it was completely out of left field and due to the events of the episode (in which his life is saved by a black doctor) we never see it again. Actor Lewis Collins was not pleased.

** Where to start...the Browning Hi Power for Bodie and Doyle in the early seasons, then a Smith & Wesson Model 19 for Bodie and the Walther P38 for Doyle. Not to mention both being issued with AR-18's, AR-10's, Uzis, Ingrams, or Smith & Wesson Model 29's revolvers, while the villains had everything from MAT-49 submachine guns to MILAN anti-tank launchers. Just pure GunPorn.

* DrivesLikeCrazy: And not just during {{car chase}}s either. Our heroes can't drive a car without squealing tires. Eventually even the series started poking fun at it.

** In "Blackout", a country policeman has to pedal off on his bicycle to get hold of a witness for [=CI5=], and gripes that: "They probably expect me to jump in my high-powered motor and go screaming around corners, tyres screeching [[LeaningOnTheFourthWall like on television!]]"

* ExcuseMeWhileIMultiTask: In "The Female Factor", Bodie fights a [[BarBrawl drunk in a pub]] without spilling the pint in his hand.

** In "The Purging of [=CI5=]", two [=CI5=] agents return to their car after wasting time searching a derelict building over a fake tip-off. One of them turns the ignition, but nothing happens until he closes the car door as well. Later Bodie and Doyle worry there might be a bomb in their own car. They search it and find nothing, but Doyle suggests Bodie wait across the street while he starts the ignition--Bodie just replies, [[HoYay "Stick it in!"]] There's no bomb, but as they drive off Bodie suggests the bomb might have been set to go off once they reach 30. Doyle's response is to floor the accelerator.

* FailsafeFailure: The components of Doyle's car are rigged to fail one by one as he's going down a hill. Justified though as the killer isn't trying to fake a car accident; he's just playing with Doyle before he kills him.

** In "Close Quarters", Bodie, his girlfriend and a terrorist he's captured are holding out in a country house with the terrorists comrades in pursuit. The bad guys crash their car through the front of the house.
** In "First Night", [=CI5=] weld a pointed steel BatteringRam on the front of a truck-mounted lift platform--which an Uzi-armed Bodie is riding--to smash through the upstairs window to a room where an Israeli minister is being held hostage.

* CockFight: The lads do like to jokingly scrap over women, but it's never serious. [[HoYay (There may be a reason for this.) ]]

** Where to start...the Browning Hi Power for Bodie and Doyle in the early seasons, then a Smith & Wesson Model 19 for Bodie and the Walther P38 for Doyle. Not to mention both being issued with AR-18's, AR-10's, Uzis, Smith & Wesson Model 29's, while the villains might have everything from MAC-10 submachine guns to MILAN anti-tank launchers. Just pure GunPorn.

* DestinationDefenestration: The fake suicide version opens "Everest Was Also Conquered" when a whistleblower to an impending corruption inquiry gets thrown out the window by her police protection detail, who've been bribed or blackmailed into the act.

* BlindShoulderToss: A KGB agent blackmails a politician into providing a top secret document. Later he reveals that he already delivered that document months ago to UsefulNotes/MoscowCentre, but by handing it over to a foreign agent the politician will be committing treason and thereafter be under the KGB's thumb.

** Averted in "Blood Sports" where terrorists leave a bomb hidden in a cigarette packet under an abandoned car. The car is simply lifted on jacks and rolled away from the bomb, so the Bomb Squad can deal with it at their leisure.

* DoubleEntendre
** Bodie and Doyle are sent to fetch an antique desk for Cowley, only to smash it up during a car chase. The Cow is not pleased.
--->'''Cowley:''' I suppose you heard what these two did to my desk, [=McCabe=].
--->'''[=McCabe=]:''' It's the talk of the department, sir.
--->'''Cowley:''' Battered beyond recognition. Minus its drawers.
--->'''[=McCabe=]:''' Nasty. On that evidence, I'm surprised you don't charge them with rape. ''(Bodie and Doyle snigger)''
* DoubleReverseQuadrupleAgent: In "Dead Reckoning", [=CI5=] are given the job of debriefing a spy who's swopped sides so often, [=MI6=] don't want to risk compromising their own agents in case he does it again.

* FictionalCountry: Averted with Communist bloc countries (presumably because no-one cared if the DirtyCommunists took offense during the ColdWar) but South American or Arabic countries have names like [[BananaRepublic Mata Alpa]] or [[{{Qurac}} Murani]]. Zigzagged in "The Ojuka Situation", involving the former ruler of the fictional African country of Betan, who's been chased by agents of an unnamed country that's implied to be South Africa.

* CourtroomEpisode: In "The Rack" a court of enquiry is held when a suspect dies in [=CI5=] custody after being punched by Doyle. A firebrand civil rights lawyer uses the opportunity to hold a trial-by-media over the existence of what is a SecretPolice in all but name.

* ImpersonationGambit: In "Slush Fund", Bodie and Doyle detain a South African hitman entering the country so Doyle can take his place and find out who the target is.

** In "The Acorn Syndrome", enemy agents kidnap the daughter of an engineer working on a classified defense project to force him to spy for them.

* HomoeroticSubtext: A long-time favourite for SlashFic writers, even without [[MrFanservice Bodie and Doyle's]] tendency to [[http://kiwisue.livejournal.com/69429.html?style=mine&mode=reply camp it up on occasion]]. ''Series/TheComicStripPresents'' parodied this in "The Bullshitters", with 'Bonehead' and 'Foyle' resolving their burning sexual tension before the final shootout by [[ShirtlessScene getting shirtless]] and snogging each other while rolling around in a pile of gravel.

-->'''Cowley:''' I suppose you heard what these two did to my desk, [=McCabe=].
-->'''[=McCabe=]:''' It's the talk of the department, sir.
-->'''Cowley:''' Battered beyond recognition. Minus its drawers.
-->'''[=McCabe=]:''' Nasty. On that evidence, I'm surprised you don't charge them with rape. ''(Bodie and Doyle snigger)''

* YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: It's not unusual for the VillainOfTheWeek to hire a small time criminal to help out with the initial job, who's then killed off because YouKnowTooMuch.

** In "Blackout", Bodie brags about his accurate (and expensive) Heuer Manhattan watch, only to end up breaking it while smashing down a door to rescue a hostage. He broke his arm too, but was more angry about the watch. At the end of the episode however, he's happy to hear the lads at [=CI5=] (even Cowley!) have all chipped in to buy him a new watch. It turns out to be a cheap ''Superman'' watch.

* FictionalCountry: Averted with Communist bloc countries (presumably because no-one cared if the DirtyCommunists took offense during the ColdWar) but South American or Arabic countries have names like [[BananaRepublic Mata Alpa]] or [[{{Qurac}} Murani]].

** ("In The Public Interest") Bodie and Doyle go undercover when a gay youth counselling centre is attacked by masked men. They don't behave any differently towards each other than they normally do.

* OutOfCharacterAlert: At the start of "Blind Run", Cowley briefs our heroes for their LiveActionEscortMission, tells them that they will be treated as freelancers with no connection to the British government if anything goes wrong, and then shakes their hands. It's the last bit that worries them the most.

** Averted because those Browning Hi-Powers kept jamming when firing blanks! So you often see the slides on Bodie and Doyle's pistols lock back after they've only fired a few rounds; nowhere near the 13 plus one "up the spout" that a Browning Hi Power has. They changed to pistols that worked more reliably with blanks in later seasons.

** "Wild Justice" has a prototype Enfield [=XL64E5=] (now known as the [=SA80=]) that was being evaluated by the British military and loaned to the production.

* TheyCallMeMisterTibbs: In "Where the Jungle Ends", Cowley gets stabbed, falls down a small cliff, and has a fuel tank explode in his face. When Doyle expresses concern as to DaChief's well-being...
-->'''Doyle:''' Cowley! Cowley, you okay?!
-->'''Cowley:''' Yes, yes, I'm okay. ''(DeathGlare)'' AND IT'S MISTER COWLEY!
-->'''Doyle:''' ''(grinning)'' You ''are'' OK, aren't ya.

* LaserSight: The intimidation factor of a "laser-lock" sight (at the time a cutting-edge technology) is a major theme in "Hunter/Hunted".

* BlackAndGrayMorality: A SecretPolice in all-but-name whose only restraint is the personal morality of their commander and the democratic values of its agents, serving at the behest of political masters engaged in dubious {{Realpolitik}}, to defend Britain against terrorists, drug dealers, spies, and professional killers.