The Saint was a long-running ITC mystery spy thriller, airing in Britain on ITV between 1962 and 1969. It centered on the Leslie Charteris literary character, Simon Templar—a Robin Hood-like adventurer with a penchant for disguise.
It is unusual for being one of only a few British shows to end up on American network television. Because of the strong American performance of the initial black-and-white seasons in first-run syndication, NBC picked up the show as a summer replacement on its evening schedule in 1966. Thus, the programme ended its run with both trans-Atlantic prime time scheduling and colour episodes. It also proved popular beyond America and Britain, eventually premiering in over 60 countries . With almost 120 episodes, the programme is exceeded only by The Avengers as the most productive show of its genre produced in Britain.
The Saint is a modern day Robin Hood of sorts. He steals from rich criminals (gangsters and the like) and keeps the loot for himself. And he usually manages to get the rich criminals put behind bars after he's stolen their goods. Of course, Chief Inspector Claude Eustace Teal regards him as a common thief, regardless of who he steals from, so the Saint must always stay one step ahead of the doggedly persistent Inspector Teal. Fortnately, his wit, charm, and savoir faire make this a fairly easy task, and the series chronicles his various exploits. Written by Afterburner
