Roger Moore left big shoes to fill. Massive, actually. When he hung up the halo to become James Bond, the world thought Simon Templar was done for. But then came 1978. Return of the Saint hit TV screens, and suddenly, we had Ian Ogilvy. He didn't just play the role; he inhabited it with a sort of posh, lethal grace that felt entirely different from the Moore era. It wasn't just a sequel. It was a complete vibe shift for the late seventies.
Honestly, the show is a fascinating time capsule. It captures that weird, gritty-yet-glamorous transition between the psychedelic sixties and the neon-soaked eighties. You've got the Jaguar XJS replacing the Volvo P1800. You've got the European location shoots that actually felt like Europe, not just a backlot in Borehamwood. If you grew up with this show, you remember the whistle. That iconic theme tune by The Saint Orchestra—composed by Brian Dee and Irving Martin—is basically burned into the collective memory of British and international television.
The Impossible Task of Replacing Roger Moore
Let's be real: Ian Ogilvy had the hardest job in show business. Roger Moore was the Saint for nearly a decade. People didn't just watch the show; they identified Moore with the character. So, when Robert S. Baker decided to revive the franchise under the ITC Entertainment banner, the casting had to be perfect.
They looked at everyone. There were rumors about big names, but Ogilvy was the right choice because he wasn't trying to be Roger. He was younger. He was leaner. He had this slightly more cynical edge that suited the 1970s. While Moore’s Templar was often a wink-at-the-camera charmer, Ogilvy’s Simon Templar felt like he might actually hurt you if the situation called for it. This wasn't just a fluke of acting; the scripts in Return of the Saint reflected a world that was getting darker. The Cold War was dragging on, terrorism was becoming a regular news item, and the "gentleman thief" archetype needed to evolve.
I’ve heard fans argue for hours about who the "real" Saint is. Leslie Charteris, the man who created the character in the books, reportedly liked Ogilvy. That’s a huge stamp of approval. Charteris was notoriously prickly about adaptations of his work. If he thought Ogilvy captured the "buccaneer in the modern world" essence, then who are we to disagree?
Why the Jaguar XJS Defined the Series
Cars are characters in shows like this. You can't talk about Return of the Saint without mentioning the white Jaguar XJS. It was a bold move. The Volvo P1800 was a cult classic, but the XJS was the future. Or at least, what 1978 thought the future looked like. It was sleek, slightly controversial among Jag enthusiasts at the time, and perfectly matched Templar's new aesthetic.
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Interestingly, Jaguar was initially hesitant. They had reportedly turned down the original Saint series when asked for an E-Type, which is why Moore ended up in the Volvo. They didn't make that mistake twice. The XJS became a star in its own right, often featured in high-speed chases across the Italian Alps or the streets of London. It symbolized the jet-set lifestyle that the show sold to audiences who, let’s face it, were mostly watching from rainy living rooms in the UK or suburban America.
A Tour of 1970s Europe
One thing that makes this show stand out even now is the location filming. It wasn't cheap. ITC Entertainment, led by the legendary Lew Grade, was famous for spending money to make money. They wanted these shows to sell in America, and that meant high production values.
Episodes like "The Judas Game" or "The Brave Goose" weren't just filmed on a soundstage. They went to Florence. They went to the South of France. They went to the Alps. You can see the actual grain of the old European stones. You can see the real sun. It gives the show a cinematic quality that many contemporary series lacked. It felt like an event. Every Sunday night (or whenever it aired in your region), you were being whisked away on a holiday you couldn't afford, involving a murder you hopefully wouldn't have to deal with.
The Guest Stars and the Talent
The show was a revolving door for talent. You look back at the credits now and it’s a "who's who" of character actors and future stars. We’re talking about people like Britt Ekland, Gayle Hunnicutt, and even a young Pierce Brosnan (if you look closely at "The Village That Sold Its Soul").
The writing staff was equally stacked. They had veterans like Terence Feely and John Goldsmith. These guys knew how to pace an hour of television. They understood that a Simon Templar story needs three things: a beautiful woman in trouble, a villain who thinks he’s smarter than he is, and a clever twist that lets the Saint walk away with a smile and, usually, a bit of the villain's pride.
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Notable Episodes That Still Hold Up
- The Nightmare Man: This one is genuinely tense. It deals with a sniper and has a much more "thriller" feel than the standard caper. It shows the range Ogilvy had.
- Yesterday's Hero: A bit of a punch in the gut. It deals with an old mercenary friend of Simon’s. It’s about aging, loyalty, and the fact that the "good old days" weren't always that good.
- Signal Stop: This episode is legendary for its atmosphere. Simon witnesses a murder from a train, but nobody believes him. It’s classic Hitchcockian suspense transplanted into the Saint’s world.
The "New" Saint’s Personality
Ogilvy brought a physical agility to the role. He did a lot of his own stunts, which was quite something back then. There’s a scene in the opening titles where he does a sort of leaping spin—it’s iconic. It signaled to the audience that this was an action show.
But it wasn't just about the punches. Ogilvy’s Templar was a polyglot. He was cultured. He knew his wine, his art, and his history. This was the "E-E-A-T" of the character—Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Well, maybe not trustworthiness if you were a corrupt politician, but you get the point. He was the man every guy wanted to be and every woman wanted to be with. Standard TV trope? Sure. But Ogilvy made it feel sophisticated rather than cheesy.
The Production Challenges Behind the Scenes
It wasn't all sunshine and Jaguars. The show was expensive to produce. Filming on location in the 70s meant dealing with local unions, unpredictable weather, and the sheer logistics of moving a film crew across borders before the European Union made that easy.
There was also the pressure of the American market. For a British show to be truly successful in that era, it had to break the US. Return of the Saint was picked up by CBS, but it was often scheduled in late-night slots or used as a mid-season replacement. This prevented it from becoming the massive "Dynasty-level" hit it perhaps could have been. Despite this, it found a massive following in syndication across Europe, Australia, and South America. In many countries, Ogilvy is the Saint, even more so than Moore.
Why Only One Season?
This is the question that haunts fans. 24 episodes. That's it. Why?
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The common wisdom is that it came down to a mix of rising costs and Ian Ogilvy's own career choices. Producing an hour-long action drama on film (not tape!) across multiple countries was becoming a financial nightmare as the 70s turned into the 80s. Inflation was rampant. Additionally, Ogilvy was wary of being typecast. He saw what happened to Moore—though, to be fair, "being typecast as James Bond" isn't exactly a tragedy.
There was talk of a second season, potentially moving the base of operations to the United States to appease American networks, but it never materialized. By 1979, the momentum had shifted. The show ended, leaving us with a near-perfect single season that doesn't have the "bloat" or "decline" many long-running series suffer from. It stayed lean. It stayed cool.
The Legacy and the Reboot Attempts
Since Return of the Saint went off the air, there have been several attempts to bring Simon Templar back. We had the 1980s TV movies with Andrew Clarke (The Saint in Manhattan). We had the Val Kilmer movie in the 90s, which... well, let’s just say it was a product of its time. Then there was the Adam Rayner pilot that sat on a shelf for years.
None of them quite captured the lightning in a bottle that the 1978 series did. Why? Because Return of the Saint was the last time the character was allowed to be a simple, high-stakes adventurer without needing a complex "origin story" or a gritty reboot makeover. It understood that Simon Templar is a myth. You don't need to know why he does what he does. You just need to see him do it.
How to Experience Return of the Saint Today
If you're looking to dive back in, or if you're a newcomer wondering what the fuss is about, you're in luck. The series has been beautifully restored on Blu-ray and DVD by companies like Network (in the UK). The high-definition transfers really make those 16mm film locations pop.
- Watch for the fashion: The safari jackets and wide lapels are a masterclass in late-70s style.
- Listen to the music: Beyond the theme, the incidental music by guys like John Scott is top-tier.
- Pay attention to the stunts: Remember, this was before CGI. When you see a car sliding toward a cliff, there’s a guy actually driving it.
Actionable Steps for Fans and Collectors
If you're looking to get into the world of the Saint, start with these specific actions:
- Track down the "Network" Blu-ray set: It’s the best visual quality available. If you're in the US, make sure you have a region-free player as many of the best versions are Region B.
- Read the original Leslie Charteris novellas: Specifically "The Happy Highwayman" or "The Saint in New York." It gives you a great perspective on how well Ogilvy captured the literary version of the character.
- Listen to the "Saint Cast" podcast: There are dedicated fan communities that break down every episode of both the Moore and Ogilvy eras.
- Visit the locations: If you’re ever in London, many of the filming locations around Knightsbridge and Chelsea are still recognizable. The "Saint's apartment" exteriors are a pilgrimage site for hardcore fans.
The show isn't just nostalgia. It’s a masterclass in international co-production and a testament to a time when TV felt like a grand adventure. Ian Ogilvy might have only had one season, but he made every second count. He gave us a Saint that was sophisticated, dangerous, and undeniably cool. In a world of gritty reboots, sometimes you just want a man in a white Jaguar to save the day and disappear into the sunset. That’s what Return of the Saint delivered, and that’s why we’re still talking about it.