Jason King

Jason King is a spin-off from the series Department S (1969), in which the title character first appeared as a dandyish author working as part of a team of investigators, before leaving to focus solely on writing his Mark Caine novels.

The series was created by Dennis Spooner and produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment, the company behind hit shows like The Saint and Danger Man.

Unlike previous ITC series shot on 35mm film, Jason King was filmed on 16mm in order to cut production costs.

Episodes were specifically written to incorporate travel to various European locations, since Peter Wyngarde had already been sent on outdoor location shoots before the series began, and this footage was later worked into the filmed narratives.

The fictional Mark Caine novels often had four-word titles echoing Ian Fleming's James Bond books, such as 'To China Yours Sincerely', a parody of 'From Russia With Love'.

The first episode humorously contrasted two versions of a Mark Caine novel adaptation: King's own stylish and classy vision versus a television executive's version full of clichés and more revealing costumes for the women, with Wyngarde playing Mark Caine in both interpretations.

Mike Myers cited Jason King's fashion sense as an inspiration for his character Austin Powers.

Jason King also influenced Kim Newman's fictional psychic crime fighter Richard Jeperson, particularly in terms of clothing style.

The character was parodied by The Two Ronnies in a 1973 sketch, with Ronnie Corbett imitating King's mannerisms, and later by Peter Richardson as 'Jason Bentley' in the 1993 Comic Strip Presents episode 'Detectives on the Edge of a Nervous Breakdown', a parody Wyngarde said he found flattering though he insisted the real Jason King would never wear crushed velvet.