The Professionals

'The Professionals' came into being at a time when the media was obsessed with secret services, specialist divisions, gun crime, and terrorism. For five years this expensive LWT series had a prime time slot just after the watershed and entertained us with its mix of violence, cars, guns, and sexist banter.

Lewis Collins (Bodie) and Martin Shaw (Doyle) became household names in their portrayals of the laconic, cynical, and fearless agents who saved the day from grenade-carriers, gunmen, and gangsters. Gordon Jackson as Cowley, their boss, had another plum TV role and was perfect in it. Sexist and silly the series may have been, but it has perhaps stood up better than other crime programmes made in the late 1970s.

Curtailed too soon because of the mood of the time, 'The Professionals' still looks good when viewed today, and enjoys re-runs on one of the many digital TV channels.