Before he was James Bond, Sir Roger Moore was a television star and played the title role of "The Saint." He plays Simon Templar, an agent, who investigates crime like an American movie actress who is kidnapped with her co-star and a jewelry theft. Roger Moore is handsome and charming as the star. The episodes are crisp and fresh. I love the locations in London, England. The episodes are well written and executed in style with a talented cast and crew. The episodes are entertaining without being violent. It's no wonder that he was a perfect successor to play James Bond. I always liked him as Bond the best.

I will just add to the praise of this classic 1960's series, great stuff. I notice a lot of American fans of the series which poses a question. Did the American TV networks show the Saint and the Avengers in prime time slots because the shows were mainly set in 1960's Britain, then the most fashionable place on the planet ? And did US interest in these Brit ITC shows wane when the Beatles broke up and swinging London faded away ? I was thinking that when Time magazine famously described London as swinging in 1966 the US TV networks wanted series set in Britain that offered escapist fare in places that viewers in middle America couldn't imagine travelling to. Certainly audiences took to Roger Moore for the Saint lasted longer than the other ITC series. I also feel the Saint was Roger Moores finest hour. When he became James Bond the series was moving beyond reality and into cliché with less credible plots. In a sense the Bond films needed a bigger budget than the Saint and it had to show on the screen, hence the detachment from reality. The Saint shows that Roger Moore could play it straight in credible plot lines.

The modern day Robin Hood. This show is a classic. James Bond without the gadgets, or over the top criminals are here. The Saint was the work of Leslie Charteris; an Asian-American writer who penned many books and his character came to life in many 40's B-movies. There was even a show; with Vincent Price as the Saint. The defining Saint was of course Roger Moore's Simon Templar. A suave, sophisticated jet setter who always was available to do a good deed. His character had an edge; a perception at least, of an international rogue. He was first and foremost a man with a strong sense of right and wrong and would do anything to make things right. The Saint ran from 1962-1969 and is still beloved and with good reason. Roger Moore does the Saint with a flair and the supporting characters are always well defined and twists and turns of the plot are always there. There was an informal ensemble cast and many of the same actors play different characters. I had mixed feelings about Inspector Teal (Ivor Dean), he is always duped and his character, although well played, was a bit of an idiot. Still Inspector Teal had some charm. The series had recurring writers including my favorite: Terry Nation. (For those Doctor Who fans, Terry Nation is of course, the creator of the Daleks). Harry Junkin was the writer of the more fluid episodes.Anyone who appreciates mystery, intrigue and well played characters, has to appreciate the Saint. The Saint gets 9.9/10 stars.

It's been a lot of episodes I've watched. Even if I remembered better Roger Moore as 007 after Sean Connery, I prefer him as Simon Templar, debonnaire ex-con who works discreetly with the law (with a sometimes suspicious, but cooperative Inspector Claude Teal) and gets justice his way. Most of the times he arrives in some situations in which he accidentally gets involved. The ladies who shared the screen with him at the time were mostly good looking, even if they were villains...What I like about the Saint is that he has class, even in the worst situations, and can defend himself...And at the end, gets 10% of the loot...for himself, so he can go to the next Crusade, to another Damsel in distress or a sticky situation in which only the Saint can solve...A great cult series...