Le retour du Saint

The Return of the Saint was a hit show in Nigeria. Who can forget the pre title sequence which ends with a halo appearing above the head of Simon Templar well played by Ian Oglivy? The halo is accompanied by the Saint jingle which then metamorphoses into one of the best credit sequences I have seen on TV. We see the Saint symbolized by the stick man as he is driving, being chased by a man, knocking the man out, jumping from a bridge into a car, kissing a girl on the beach as she suggestively throws away his halo. Awesome. The electronic music that accompanied the sequence made it outstanding.

Comparisms between Ian Oglivy and his predecessor Roger Moore are inevitable with the views leaning favourably to Roger Moore. Roger Moore was outstanding as Templar but Oglivy was also a worthy successor even though both interpreted the role differently.

Roger Moore played the role with is usual tongue in cheek which he would bring over to his role as James Bond. Oglivy was more intense and grim in his role, a hard thing to do with his pretty boy looks.But both men clinched it differently.

Sadly, the same cannot be said for Val Kilmer in the 1997 movie which was a disaster. I remembered the expectations that I had for the movie. I early went into a Pavlovian twitch waiting for the stick man symbol, the theme song, the jingle, the halo. There was nothing in the movie to appeal to the nostalgia of the fans who grew up watching the Saint on TV. No wonder the movie bombed!

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).

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 remember this being on telly on a Sunday night. I knew the theme and credits but never took an interest in watching any episodes. Cut to 2024 and I'm finally catching up with the series and it's pretty good! Roger Moore's replacement Ian Ogilvy does a great job as a tougher more sardonic Saint. He's not afraid to shoot someone if he has too, nor dangle villains over cliff edges until he gets answers. Great location filming (mainly sunny Italy and raining London), lovely ladies and good guest stars abound. Yes some of the stories are thin but a few are good with gritty ingredients (men raping girls then killing them?). This is a good show and a pity it didn't go to a second series. Ogilvy was born for the part and would have been a good 007 on the strength of this, but Roger was occupying that seat! The last of the great ITC action series.

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