Hannay (TV series) Hannay (TV series) Hannay was a 1988 ITV television series, a spin-off from the 1978 film version of John Buchan's novel "The Thirty-Nine Steps". The film and series starred Robert Powell as Richard Hannay. In the series, Powell reprised the role of Hannay, an Edwardian mining engineer from Rhodesia of Scottish origin. It features his adventures in pre-World War I Great Britain. These stories had little in common with John Buchan's novels about the character, although some character names are taken from his other novels. There were two series, the first with six episodes, the second with seven. "Hannay" was
Richard Hannay this theatrical adaptation, the character's full name is given as Richard Charles Arbuthnot Hannay. As revealed through the various novels, Richard Hannay was born in Scotland about 1877; his father was Scottish and had German business partners. He was brought up to speak German pretty fluently. At the age of six he joins his father in South Africa. He becomes a mining engineer, spending three years prospecting for copper in German Damaraland and makes a small fortune in Bulawayo. He takes part in the Matabele Wars, serves two years with the Imperial Light Horse and serves as an intelligence officer