The Saint

Roger Moore had earlier tried to buy the production rights to the Saint books himself before being cast, and was delighted to finally get to play the part.

Roger Moore was reportedly offered the role of James Bond at least twice during the show's run but had to turn it down both times due to his television commitments, only accepting Bond in 1973 after finishing ITC's The Persuaders!.

In the early episode "Luella," another character actually mistakes Simon Templar for James Bond; the episode also features David Hedison, who later appeared alongside Moore in the Bond film Live and Let Die.

Chief Inspector Teal was played by three different actors (Campbell Singer, Norman Pitt, and Wensley Pithey) in early episodes before Ivor Dean took over the role from the episode "Iris" (7 November 1963) onward.

Roger Moore eventually became co-owner of the show with producer Robert S. Baker when it switched to colour, with the production credit changing to Bamore Productions; most of the wardrobe Moore wore in the series was actually his own.

Templar's iconic white Volvo P1800 with the number plate ST1 was used because Jaguar had rejected the producers' request to supply an E-type, so Volvo stepped in with their newly introduced car for promotional value in 1962.

Unlike its rival The Avengers, whose first series were videotaped, The Saint was shot entirely on film from the beginning, and the entire series was filmed at Associated British Elstree Studios in Hertfordshire with very little actual location shooting.

To simulate different international locations without leaving the studio, the production used early blue-screen technology, painted or projected backdrops, revolving painted backdrops for moving scenes, and look-alike doubles for shots where the Saint was seen at a distance entering buildings or driving past at speed.

The show eventually aired in over 60 countries and generated a profit of more than £350 million for ITC, and with almost 120 episodes it is exceeded only by The Avengers as the most productive British show of its genre.