The Protectors

This series almost works. Almost. But thirty minutes (or, rather, 25 minutes of runtime) just aren't enough. I always thought Robert Vaughn and Nyree Dawn Porter had the beginnings of a strong on-screen chemistry. But it never really happened. And it wasn't just because of the background presence of Gerry Anderson, whose sci-fi series cast with humans (UFO and Space: 1999) often rivaled his puppet populated sci-fi series, such as Fireball XL5, for stiffness and lifeless performances. No, it was mainly a matter that just as soon as Harry and the Contessa began even the mildest of banter the producers had to move the story along to get in all the action scenes and wrap things up at the end of a half hour.

Otherwise, the makers of the series seem to be flying by the seat of their pants throughout. And this is not necessarily a bad thing. There are lots of interesting and even novel, for the time, camera shots and action sequences. All in all, not a bad way to spend a half hour. For all its faults, there is more imagination in the shooting of The Protectors than there is in most of the static drama series on TV today.

The Protectors is an effective globe-trotting action series from the 1970s about an intrepid group of investigators lead by Harry Rule, with consistent help from the Contessa di Contini and Paul Buchet (although poor Paul sometimes just pops up for a scene or two). Each episode sees the group take on villains and solve crimes, but the 25-minute episodes do mean that things are a bit abrupt. Indeed, some episodes lack clear resolution, introduce villains late into the drama, and the feel of others is a bit like flipping the channel 25 minutes in on a 50-minute drama and then picking up on the action as it isn't always clear why the team are on the case. Robert Vaughn is as cool as usual and Nyree Dawn Porter wears some eye-catching 70s hats, but more time per episode would have been a good thing.

I hope I never grow up enough to think this show is awful.I can see why people think it is dated,but I like it.The first episode is one of the best,it was very exciting. The theme tune is great as well as catchy.I often find myself humming it. Gerry Anderson fans might like it,but I think other people will think it is terrible.

It is one of my favourite Gerry Anderson shows.

Different to most of the competing cops and capers shows around at the time, "The Protectors", a rare Gerry Anderson project not involving puppets or science fiction, had episodes only clocking in at 25 minutes or so and thus, as I remember it, failed to secure a real prime-time TV slot on original release in 1972. However this gave it the benefit of appealing to casual viewers who didn't have an hour to spare to watch say, "The Persuaders" or "Mission Impossible" to name but two.

Yet there's something to be said for the brevity of the individual programmes as there's less padding and more directness in the story lines and there's little time to be bored. Yes, most of the shows I've seen seem to rewrite the same four or five plot-lines, and seem to invariably include some foreign intrigue, overseas locations, a kidnapping, a daring rescue, a punch-up and some cliff-hanging finish before the end credits roll and that great theme tune, bellowed out by Tony Christie.

Obviously over so many shows there is some variation in the quality of the writing but the direction, probably of necessity, is uniformly brisk and to the point. The casting of the leads is very pleasing, I loved Robert Vaughn in "Man Fom U.N.C.L.E." and while he's not the lean mean (lady)-killing machine he was back in the 60's, as team leader Harry Rule, he commits well to his part and rarely looks bored. Nyree-Dawn Porter is still the beautiful English rose she was in "The Forsyte Saga", certainly not faded and is surprisingly adept in her role as the stylish and resourceful Contessa Di Contini, while Tony Anholt does well enough as third wheel Paul Buchet, suave Frenchman, although his accent occasionally crosses back over the Channel.

I'm working my way through an old DVD box-set I bought ages ago and am quite enjoying the task. My teenage heart at the time was in thrall to the more escapist shows of the era like "The Champions", "Department S" or "Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)", but I'm happy to commit 25 minutes of my time to Harry and the Contessa, any day of the week.

Don't ask why some things stick in one's head 30 years later, but the opening theme of "The Protectors" went like this:

In the avenues and alley-ways Where the soul of man is easy to buy, Everybody's wheelin', everybody's dealin' All the lower living are high.

Every city's got 'em, Can we ever stop 'em? Some of us are gonna try...

Dum-dumm-DE-Dum-dum..

For the cosmic two cents that it's worth.