I can remember seeing Ian Ogilvy in 'Upstairs Downstairs' in 1972 ( he played impotent poet 'Lawrence Kirbridge' ) and thinking how like Roger Moore he looked. If someone had told me then he would one day go on to inherit Moore's most famous role I would not have been the least bit surprised.The original 'Saint' ended in 1969 but was still being repeated by I.T.V. when Moore was doing the Bond films, mostly in daytime slots. Robert S. Baker, the producer, felt there was more mileage in the character and so in 1978 'Return Of The Saint' hit British television screens. I.T.V. networked it in a high-profile Sunday night slot.I was disappointed by the first few episodes. The character of Simon Templar seemed anachronistic at a time when 'The Sweeney' and 'Starsky & Hutch' ruled the roost. Ogilvy's trendy suits and the hideous saxophone/synthesiser theme music only made matters worse. The show's excellent title sequence had Templar's matchstick man trademark doing various 'Saintly' things such as jumping off a bridge, fighting a thug, and even kissing a girl! Baker hired Peter Allan Fields as 'Executive Story Consultant', but after a handful of episodes, he left, and Baker brought in as a replacement Anthony Spinner, who had worked on 'The Man From U.N.C.L.E.' and 'The Invaders' amongst other shows. Spinner wished to be credited as 'producer' and was, even though Baker was still in charge. He had the good sense to retain many of the original production team, such as writers John Kruse and Terence Feely, directors Leslie Norman and Jeremy Summers.The expensive location filming gave the series a glossy sheen, but lost it the charm of the Elstree-bound Moore shows. Ogilvy could have made an excellent 'Saint' had he been encouraged to develop his own personality and not simply impersonate Moore. He was also much too young for the role. 'T.V. Times' readers disagreed, they voted him 'Most Compulsive Male Personality' of 1979. He was also the recipient of a 'This Is Your Life' book that year, and walked into the Thames studio to great gales of applause.Loads of crumpet for Simon to work his charm on, including Kate O'Mara, Prunella Gee, Judy Geeson, Mary Tamm, Catherine Schell, Tessa Wyatt, Carolyn Seymour, Lynn Dalby and Gayle Hunnicutt. Amongst the best episodes were 'The Armaggeddon Alternative', a prophetic tale of a mad bomber at large in London, 'Murder Cartel', the two-parter 'Collision Course' ( later reedited into a T.V. movie entitled 'The Saint & The Brave Goose' ), and 'The Arrangement' ( a rip-off of Patricia Highsmith's 'Strangers On A Train', and boasting a fabulous guest shot from Carolyn Seymour as psychotic 'Lady Greer Stevens' ).'Return' was the last of its kind - the glossy, globe-trotting I.T.C. adventure series, a line that can be traced back to 1959 and the half-hour version of 'Danger Man'. Lew Grade switched to feature film production ( with middling results ) and no more 'Saints' were made.Its stock has increased over the years, mainly because the Simon Dutton and Val Kilmer versions were so appallingly bad!Parodied by L.W.T.'s 'End Of Part One' as 'Return Of The Doughnut'.

I have fond memories of watching it as a child I'm currently enjoying re-runs. The information about the Jaguar is really interesting. I'm very fond of it especially the tan coloured interior. I'm looking forward to getting the DVDs.Ian Ogilvy's interpretation of The Saint is very interesting. I like his sense of humour and I like the way he dresses. Collision Course is my favourite story especially part two. I'm very interested in getting the books to read as I have never been able to get the books. I first began watching the original Saint series as re-runs when I was 4 and still feel he has retained his special mystery. May the sign of The Saint be ever present.Ruth

This one should really be in the trivia section for this show listing.Jaguar were originally approached to provide the car for the Roger Moore series, but turned down the request stating that they were having trouble keeping up with demand for their then new E Type (XKE in the USA).Volvo's P1800 got the role and shot to instant fame, with Jaguar kicking themselves over the missed opportunity. They bent over backwards to provide the car for Ian Ogilvy's rendition of Simon Templar, and more than one car was used - spot the difference in interior trim: episodes shot in Italy have an XJS with a black cabin, others a tan cabin! In the recently released DVD set, Ian Ogilvy commented that the XJS was magnificent to drive - when it worked! Apparently, the quality and reliability of the car(s) left much to be desired with a multitude of faults encountered throughout the shoot, despite a full-time Jaguar technician being present. The most embarrassing incident was when Mr Ogilvy volunteered to drive the car back from Italy to the UK with his family and take a vacation en route, but the car broke down on them just several miles out of Rome! Mr Ogilvy does admit that Jaguar has improved much over the years and are considered good cars today, though.

I can't understand why this series is so hard to find(it does not appear to be available on video or DVD at this time). Ian Ogilvy is very good as the Saint. His 70s hairstyle is a bit dated(on viewing it today) but other than that he is suave and sophisticated.And who can forget his white Jaguar XJS! I remember seeing this series when it was first broadcast on CBC(Canadian Broadcasting Corp.) in 1978-79 and enjoying it tremendously. One episode that comes to mind is The Armageddon Alternative which has a madman threatening to blow up London using a nuclear bomb! The story was tense and the manhunt very realistic. The great thing about this series is the fact that they shot it all over Europe. Several very good actors appeared in the series including Britt Eckland, Ian Hendry, Linda Thorson and Catherine Schell Fans of the Saint should check it out if it ever comes back(Mystery network in Canada showed it last year but they seem to have stopped).