25 replies to this topic

[mccartney007]

I've been curious about this program for awhile now and I was wondering if anyone here has any thoughts on it? I've never seen it, but it seems like something I would enjoy.

[ACE]

It's very much something you would enjoy.

Nyree Dawn Porter
Robert Vaughn
Tony Anholt

are The Protectors who "exist to protect those in peril and work for a private organization, unrestricted by the technicalities which so often hamper the law"

In other words, vigilantes. Damn due process and justice, eh?!

With a theme song, Avenues And Alleyways, by recently rediscovered, Tony Christie, this has all the hallmarks of those Lew Grade/ITC/Monty Berman, champagne taste, beer budget Brit actioners you so love.

Except the guy behind his was master of Supermarionation, Gerry Anderson.

Macca007, you'll be all over this like a Brioni suit.

ACE

[marktmurphy]

It's getting a repeat run on ITV4 at the moment.

[David Schofield]

It's very much something you would enjoy.

Nyree Dawn Porter
Robert Vaughn
Tony Anholt

are The Protectors who "exist to protect those in peril and work for a private organization, unrestricted by the technicalities which so often hamper the law"


ACE

And, of course, the guy who was seen only in silhouette in the titles....

[mccartney007]

It's getting a repeat run on ITV4 at the moment.

Have you been watching MTM? What are your thoughts on the series?

[Roebuck]

I've been curious about this program for awhile now and I was wondering if anyone here has any thoughts on it? I've never seen it, but it seems like something I would enjoy.

Protectors is entertaining enough, but plot driven. The characters never got to display much in the way of personality. Myself, I think the problem was trying to squeeze three leads into a half hour show. Anderson placed the blame with Robert Vaughn, whom he thought was something of a cold fish. He proposed to Lew Grade that they should kill off Vaughn's character, Harry Rule, and replace him with another actor who would play Harry's younger brother.


BTW Mark. as a car buff here's a bit of trivia you might like. Dinky Toys had tooled a model of the V8 Jensen Interceptor and intended to release it in Protectors packaging, but the show was cancelled before the model was released. Someone at the company suggested releasing the car as a Jason King tie-in (despite King driving a Bentley Continental) with plastic figures of Jason pouring a glass of champagne and a mini skirted blonde. I've tried hunting this down at collectors marts, but nobody seems to have seen one so I'm beginning to doubt it actually went into production.

[marktmurphy]

It's getting a repeat run on ITV4 at the moment.

Have you been watching MTM? What are your thoughts on the series?

To be honest I've only caught a few seconds of it so far. It's on while I'm n the way home from work! Plus the other cult shows that ITV4 are showing are of a little more interest to me, to be honest. Return of the Saint is the one I really try and catch.

BTW Mark. as a car buff here's a bit of trivia you might like. Dinky Toys had tooled a model of the V8 Jensen Interceptor and intended to release it in Protectors packaging, but the show was cancelled before the model was released. Someone at the company suggested releasing the car as a Jason King tie-in (despite King driving a Bentley Continental) with plastic figures of Jason pouring a glass of champagne and a mini skirted blonde. I've tried hunting this down at collectors marts, but nobody seems to have seen one so I'm beginning to doubt it actually went into production. frown.gif

Ooh, there's a Jensen in it? I might try and watch! Of course they could have popped it in The Saint packaging in the 80's, as the Simon Dutton version drove one. But it was in blue and had a '1 ST' numberplate, rather than being a white car with the 'ST 1' 'plate! Silly sausages!

[mccartney007]

Protectors is entertaining enough, but plot driven. The characters never got to display much in the way of personality. Myself, I think the problem was trying to squeeze three leads into a half hour show. Anderson placed the blame with Robert Vaughn, whom he thought was something of a cold fish. He proposed to Lew Grade that they should kill off Vaughn's character, Harry Rule, and replace him with another actor who would play Harry's younger brother.   

Seems like something I'd probably enjoy. Here comes another charge on the plastic again! Dang the UK and their fine television programming!

BTW Mark. as a car buff here's a bit of trivia you might like. Dinky Toys had tooled a model of the V8 Jensen Interceptor and intended to release it in Protectors packaging, but the show was cancelled before the model was released. Someone at the company suggested releasing the car as a Jason King tie-in (despite King driving a Bentley Continental) with plastic figures of Jason pouring a glass of champagne and a mini skirted blonde. I've tried hunting this down at collectors marts, but nobody seems to have seen one so I'm beginning to doubt it actually went into production. 

You never know -- you might just find a prototype-ish type thing out there sometime!

[marktmurphy]

I do remember happening along a lovely prototype (or perhaps just scratch-built) Living Daylights Aston model at an Aston owners club race meeting a few years back. Bit pricey, though.

[marktmurphy]

Incidentally, Macca, have you seen Hustle? Its the BBC's update of this style of drama (with a rather large splash of Ocean's 11 thrown in) and it happens to star Robert Vaughan! It's rather fun.

[mccartney007]

Incidentally, Macca, have you seen Hustle? Its the BBC's update of this style of drama (with a rather large splash of Ocean's 11 thrown in) and it happens to star Robert Vaughan! It's rather fun.

Hmm... No, I haven't even heard of it. Is this a new program or a semi-older one?

[ACE]

Oh, you'd like Hustle, Macca007.
I think it was out last year.

[marktmurphy]

Incidentally, Macca, have you seen Hustle? Its the BBC's update of this style of drama (with a rather large splash of Ocean's 11 thrown in) and it happens to star Robert Vaughan! It's rather fun.

Hmm... No, I haven't even heard of it. Is this a new program or a semi-older one?

Brand spanking. there're two seasons on DVD- it's a stylish conman show from the makers of Spooks. Very light and fluffy, but good fun.

I'm sure there'll be clips here:


www.bbc.co.uk/hustle

Oh bollocks to it, I can't make this bloody hyperlink thing work.

[mccartney007]

I'll definately check it out then. Cool! Thanks MTM and ACE!

[mccartney007]

I'll definately check it out then. Cool! Thanks MTM and ACE!

[Moore Not Less]

I'm sure there'll be clips here:


www.bbc.co.uk/hustle

Oh bollocks to it, I can't make this bloody hyperlink thing work.

Try the link below.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/hustle/

Hustle is one of my favourite TV programmes of recent years. Jaime Murray plays the lone female (Stacie Monroe) in the group of con-artists. Murray is one of the names that has been rumoured to be in the running for Vesper Lynd. I happen to believe that she has the looks and the acting chops to portray Vesper convincingly.

Edited by Moore Not Less, 04 December 2005 - 07:28 PM.

[Bond Bombshell]

Roebuck hits the nail on the head when he says the frustrating thing about The Protectors is its half hour running time, and on ITV4 that includes adverts! Consequently, each episode seems to begin with five minutes of garbled plot, before twenty minutes of car chases, punch-ups, and shoot-em-ups. The Adventurer, also currently being shown on ITV4, suffers from exactly the same problem. However, The Protectors is still a lot of fun, even though its very much of its time, and the theme tune is one of the best ever. How sad that Robert Vaughn is the last Protector and member of the Magnificent Seven left standing. At least David McCallum is still alive.

Here's a small treat for MTM and anyone else who's interested - a pic of the seldom seen Simon Dutton version of the Saint with that fabulous blue Jensen.

 Dutton__Simon.jpg   93.92KB   66 downloads

[Roebuck]

Here's a small treat for MTM and anyone else who's interested - a pic of the seldom seen Simon Dutton version of the Saint with that fabulous blue Jensen.

I want to yell at him to get his foot off the bumper.

[mccartney007]

I found the first season of HUSTLE on eBay. Does anyone know if season two is out in region 1 format? Or did it just recently come out in a region 2 format?

[George Kaplan]

Hope nobody minds me bumping this...

I'm soon to finish up watching this series for the first time (watching about two episodes a week). I have to say I really liked the first season overall but felt the second season really suffered; the characters seemed to be clueless more often and a lot of the "spy" type stuff seems to have disappeared. The idea that there's a network of operatives in THE PROTECTORS, Rule's supercomputer, etc.

Second season stories seem to try to be more then politically aware but still don't come off very well; they also seem to try for too many downbeat endings and they don't seem to work as well.

Still enjoyed it overall, but I think I really favor the first season.

[Yellow Pinky]

Still enjoyed it overall, but I think I really favor the first season.

I've only seen the first season, which I was able to rent through Blockbuster Online a few years ago. They are fun, and have lots of great big picture concept plots running through them, but as was posted earlier, the 30 minute format really limits anything of depth developing. As a result, there's a lot of crazy coincidence and luck that comes into play in order to keep those plots hurtling forward.

[George Kaplan]

Yeah, I'll give you that. And yet it also never bothers me (which is probably down to liking the leads a lot and they have an ability to sell me on the lucky coincidences). It would have been better as an hour show to develop some of the ideas that go by at a whiz and give the characters room to breathe a bit.

But I even like the comedy episode ("It Could Be Practically Anywhere on the Island") that seems to be hated from the reviews I've read, so maybe I was just in the right mood for it.

[James. C]

My favourite episode is "The First Circle" with UFO's Ed Bishop. The finale is a cracker

[George Kaplan]

I have mixed feeling on "The First Circle". Great performance from Ed Bishop and a good idea, generally but I think some parts feel really rushed. I really thought upon watching it that it would have benefited from having more time to build. A solid episode and I guess its better to be left wanting more of it than less!

As I think about the series some more, in regard to the second season, I think I miss the two reoccurring characters - the Contessa's driver/bodyguard Chino (Anthony Chin who you might recognize from bit parts in A VIEW TO A KILL, YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE, GOLDFINGER, and DR. NO) and who could have been a big use to the Contessa in season 2 and Harry's judo instructor / assistant Suki (Yasuko Nagazumi who shows up in a bit part in YOU ONLY LIVE TWICE as well as a regular in the second season of SPACE: 1999).

I wondered if they weren't there for budgetary reasons in Season 2 - something I'd already wondered about the series since all three leads end up using Harry's flat as their base of operations as opposed to having their own places (like at least the Contessa did in Season 1).

Edited by George Kaplan, 14 November 2012 - 02:27 PM.

[James. C]

"A number of small changes were made to the format of THE PROTECTORS for the second season, athough theres were primariily cosmetic and went largely unnoticed by viewers. The main change was the loss of first season regular actors Anthony Chinn and Yasuko Nagazumi as, respectively, Chino and Suki. Both characters had appeared throughout the series' first season but were not felt to have made a substantial impact so they were dropped, although Chino continued to be seen in the opening titles of each instalment. The concept of The Protectors Organisation itself was played down in the second series episodes, and no other Protectors were seen apart from the three leads. Indeed, the computer communications console that had been a prominent part of the lounge set in Harry's apartment during the first season vanished altogether in the general refurbishment of the apartment set, which now incorporated a brown leather sofa in place of the previous black one" - The Complete Gerry Anderson: The Authorised Episode Guide, Chris Bently, 2003

[AMC Hornet]

I haven't seen the series - just the title sequence on YouTube, but I have to ask:

How did they get away with using clips of the helicopter/flower truck chase from FRWL in the titles?

Surely I can't be the only one to notice that.