Charles as Guy Spencer in Foyle's war in 2002 (tv)

Early in the war, the future looks bleak for England - invasion and defeat seem imminent. Paul Milner meets Guy Spencer, charismatic Nazi sympathizer, politician, and conman. At a local hotel, The White Feather, Spencer leads a meeting of the pro-Hitler Friday Club at which the domineering hotel manageress is shot dead. Foyle and Milner investigate, Milner feeling the conflicts between his allegiances and fears, set against the backdrop of the Allies' retreat from Dunkirk

Charles and Michael Kitchen

Charles Dance rose to the challenge of playing Hitler-supporter Guy Spencer - a man whom he claims has no redeeming features.

"He's a fascist, racist and deeply unpleasant man. I've played more romantic leading men than I'd care to mention and there is nothing of that in Guy Spencer. I couldn't empathise with him at all.

"To play him, I just had to pretend very well. For those moments, you have to believe what you're saying and get inside the skin of the character to make the words sound as if they are coming from your own heart, otherwise no-one else will believe it. But once you've finished the scene, you walk away."

Guy Spencer is the leader of The Friday Club and persuades injured Sergeant Paul Milner (Anthony Howell) to attend one of their meetings.

"Milner is curious about it at first, but the sort of bigotry that Spencer demonstrates pretty soon shows Milner that he's not a follower of this man or his kind."

Charles believes the issues raised by the film still have relevance today.

"Nationalism unfortunately raises its ugly head in every generation somewhere in the world and there are a lot of people who still find views of people like Spencer attractive. When the divide between rich and poor gets greater, then people look around for scapegoats and they tend to be Jews, gypsies, homosexuals, blacks or other minorities. It goes on all over the place and it's horrible."

Charles was attracted by the chance to work with Michael Kitchen, who plays Foyle, and by the strength of Anthony Horowitz's writing.

"I was born in 1946, the year after the war ended, but my parents and relatives and their contemporaries were always talking about it - war stories and the Blitz spirit. It provides a great backdrop for Foyle's War. A lot of crime dramas are boring and formulaic but every now and again a couple rise to the top like cream. Hopefully this will be one of them."

The arrest of a young girl on a sabotage charge brings Foyle into contact with a group of English Nazi sympathisers, "The Friday Club", who have gathered to await the expected German invasion. When shots are fired at their charismatic leader, Charles Spencer, during an important fascist rally speech, he seems the most likely target - but it's hotel-owner Peggy Ellis who dies. Foyle becomes involved in the complicated world of fascist politics which seem to sway his assistant, Milner. As they investigate the murder they also uncover a plot to smuggle a vitally important letter from the Italian Ambassador to the enemy.
Starring Paul Brooke, Ian Hogg, Maggie Steed and Charles Dance, alongside Michael Kitchen, Anthony Howell, Michael Simkins and Honeysuckle Weeks.