By 1969, ABC Weekend Television had, via enforced merger and some additional personnel, become Thames Television. A second season of fifteen episodes that had already been completed by ABC was therefore transmitted by its successor in 1969. This run ended with "Death of a Hunter" in which the Section chief meets his demise, and Callan is shot – perhaps fatally. It had not been decided whether the show would return for a third series, so this device was used to leave open either the possibility of more stories in the future, or a way of winding-up the show. Two endings were taped, one in which Callan definitely died and the other in which Callan's survival was left in doubt. In the end, the latter ending was used as Thames decided to bring the programme back for its third series in 1970, this time in full colour and consisting of nine episodes.
In the television series, successive Hunters were played by Ronald Radd, Michael Goodliffe, Derek Bond and William Squire. The last's portrayal of a steely exterior, delivering ice-cold decisions with an underplayed theatrical flair, made for a match for Callan. Squire is probably the best remembered of all the supporting actors who played Hunter as a result.
Toby Meres was brought to life by Anthony Valentine (Peter Bowles in the pilot), an upper class thug whose demeanour barely concealed the cold and calculating thug he truly was. Meres enjoyed his work very much without questioning, a value Hunter found extremely useful and one which irritated Callan no end. Yet, as colleagues in the field, whose lives may depend on each other at a moment's notice, Meres and Callan developed an edgy, mutual respect. Meres departed for a posting in the USA at the end of the second series (in truth, Valentine left to appear in the new rival series Codename on the rival BBC network).
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