Return of the Saint
| Return of the Saint | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Created by | Leslie Charteris |
| Starring | Ian Ogilvy |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of episodes | 24 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 48–50 min. |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Original release | 10 September 1978 – 11 March 1979 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | The Saint |
Return of the Saint was a British action-adventure television series that aired for one season in 1978 and 1979 in Britain on ITV, and was also broadcast on CBS in the United States. It was co-produced by ITC Entertainment and the Italian broadcaster RAI and ran for 24 episodes.
Return of the Saint is a revival/updating of The Saint, a programme based upon the stories of Leslie Charteris that had originally aired from 1962 to 1969 and starred Roger Moore as Simon Templar (the character, in turn, had been introduced by Charteris in a series of novels and short stories dating back to 1928). The new series starred Ian Ogilvy as Templar, an independently wealthy, somewhat mysterious "do-gooder" known as "The Saint". Templar is shown travelling around Britain and Europe, helping out the people he encounters, though he is also often summoned by past acquaintances.
The series borrowed a few storytelling elements from its predecessor. Once again, each episode began with Simon narrating an introduction to set the scene for viewers, and each pre-credit sequence ended with an animated halo appearing above Templar's head as he was identified. The series also made a recurring reference to the 1930s–40s film series, and the 1940s radio series that starred Vincent Price as Templar: just before the opening credits begin, a short musical phrase is heard that is not part of the theme music for the Return of the Saint, but is the character's signature theme from film and radio.
Other than these cosmetic touches, there is no continuity implied between the Ogilvy and Moore series.
One major difference between the two series is that the original was mostly filmed in British studios and locations (although set around the world), while many episodes of Return were filmed on location throughout Europe. The music was written by John Scott and, like the last colour season of the previous ITC production, incorporated Leslie Charteris own theme, which had previously been used in films and on radio. For the French version, Scott's music was replaced with a theme incorporating vocals (as had happened to previous Saint composer Edwin Astley with Danger Man), but Charteris' eight-note theme remained.
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