Desmond Pereira How could you not resist singing along to Tony Christie's wonderful rendition of "Avenues & Alleyways"? I love this series not for the plots that went nowhere, but for the great cast of Robert Vaughan, Nyree Dawn Porter (deceased) in a pseudo-Italian accent and the very handsome Tony Anholt (deceased) who looked decorative, spoke with a French accent and was always elegantly attired). A special mention needs to be made for Yasuko Nagazumi who plays Harry Rule's talented and elegant personal assistant. Check out her hairstyles and creative costumes!This series epitomised the stylish early 70's when men wore fitted suits, silk neck-scarves and sexy shoes, when women wore outrageous dresses, make-up and very high, creative hairstyles.Another Gerry Anderson production (I'm a fan of his work, especially UFO), this series was very much like "The Persuaders", set all over continental Europe and featuring some interesting guest stars of the day. The locations alone are worth watching for.Watch this series just for the fun and the retro memories. Don't take the story lines too seriously - it was just the early 70's; and that's what mattered!

perwilvil I have seen various ITC shows in reruns on television, but not this one until recently. I wasn't expecting much after seeing another short-lived ITC show, The Baron (awful), but this one really shines. The production values on this show really show, with some fantastic cars (Citroen SM, Rolls Royce Slver Shadow, and Jensen Interceptor), stylish clothes, and actual location shooting. Granted some of this is 1970's kitsch, but it looks pretty glamorous compared to the excellent Saint series, which in my opinion was compromised somewhat by its lack of location work. Even big budget American shows like Mission:Impossible shied away from location work. It was always filmed at the studio, and the sets always looked familiar . . . but not The Protectors. The half-hour format format really lends itself to tight stories without excessive dialog. And Gerry Anderson really pulled together some great talent on this one, particularly the writers. One of the let downs is Robert Vaughn, who is okay, but doesn't seem very interested in what he is doing. Nevertheless, he is head and shoulders above Steve Forrest in the Saint ripoff, the Baron, though significantly short of the stylish Roger Moore. Its a shame this show didn't last longer as ITC had a good formula on its hands.

berryhair776 Those that remember the show....Does anyone have an idea who the mystery silhouette is at the end of the opening sequence of the show? The Tony Christie theme song rocks. Can't keep it out of my head even 30+ yrs later. Does anyone know the words to it? Is there a DVD set even thought it was one season. 70s British TV....AHHHHHH, what memories. Bring back Secret Agent, The Prisoner, The Thunderbirds, the Persuaders(Great theme song I might add) and my all time favorite......Benny Hill....Thank god for the BBC America Channel. Back to The Protecters...Robert Vaughn is doing a show thief show now(God bless him)..What are the others doing?

Thomas E. Reed I remember seeing this series in Saint Louis, running as the last thing Sunday night. As an old fan of "The Man from UNCLE," I was curious to see Robert Vaughn playing an older, cynical, grouchier version of Napoleon Solo. Vaughn's personal liberal sentiments occasionally showed through, in one episode involving a military intelligence case. His Harry Rule character showed nothing but contempt for the way the military operated and its goals.On the other hand, there was a small amount of goofiness. One episode I recall had Rule and his Italian costar stopping a neo-Nazi plot. Instead of contributing the gold they seized that was intended to revive the Third Reich to a charity cause, they stuck it in a Swiss bank. Not precisely heroic behavior.One other note: Faberge, the perfume company, made the series (it was "A Brut Production") and the show contained a lot of "barter" spots for the Brut line of men's care products.