The Sandbaggers is a British spy thriller television series created by Ian Mackintosh, about men and women on the front lines of the Cold War. Set contemporaneously with its original broadcast on ITV from 1978 to 1980, The Sandbaggers examines the effect of espionage on the personal and professional lives of British intelligence officers and their American colleagues. All but three of the 20 episodes of the three series were written by Mackintosh, who died during the recording of series three. The series was produced in Leeds by Yorkshire Television.