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The Saint's Blog devoted to news and rumors about The Saint and Leslie Charteris. Simon Templar, alias The Saint, was played by Roger Moore in the 1960's TV show featuring the Volvo 1800.
Please e-mail any current news and rumors about The Saint to: 
Saturday, May 31, 2008
So Leslie Charteris' 100th birthday came and went without too much fanfare. Now, on the occasion of Ian Fleming's 100th birthday, in an attempt to bring James Bond back to his roots, The Fleming Estate has commissioned Devil May Care, a new 007 adventure by literary novelist Sebastian Faulks "writing as Ian Fleming."
This new James Bond novel was published on Wednesday, the 100th anniversary of the birth of his creator, Ian Fleming, and as befits the British fictional superspy, the plot was kept top secret -- although its publisher said it is a return to the original Bond, after so many adaptations of the character on film.
"Devil May Care" was penned by the award-winning British novelist Sebastian Faulks at the request of the late author's family.
"The new novel is in the spirit of the original and very funny," said Faulks, whose favorite screen Bond was Sean Connery.
Faulks reportedly read many of the early Fleming novels in order to capture the spirit of James Bond, and write in the same manner and style as the original books. Early reports are that he has done just that, and we hope that the same treatment is given to The Saint!
Devil May Care is available in all these versions:
Labels: 2008, James Bond
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Wednesday, December 05, 2007
 Breaking news on the forthcoming coming TV series of The Saint, and you heard it here first!
James Purefoy, who played Mark Antony in "Rome" is set to play the new Simon Templar in the forthcoming TV series of The Saint.
Bill Macdonald tells www.saint.org (the official website of The Saint Club) that his team is prepping a two-hour pilot for a European shoot. The reason for shooting in Europe is the current strike situation in U.S. would otherwise hold up production. Shooting in Berlin and Australia begins in April.
Bill goes on to say that the show is being produced by himself (William J. MacDonald), Geoffrey Moore (Sir Roger Moore's son), and Jorge Zamacona (most recently of "Oz").
James Purefoy, who will play the new Saint, was screen tested for the role of James Bond in 1995 for Goldeneye, and throughout 2004 and 2005 Purefoy's name was rumoured as a possible candidate to replace Brosnan as agent 007 in future James Bond films. These rumors surfaced again before the 2006 film, Casino Royale.Labels: 2007, Geoffrey Moore, James Bond, James Purefoy, Jorge Zamacona, TV, William J. MacDonald
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Thursday, October 18, 2007
 Sir Roger Moore was honored with a star on Hollywood's "Walk of Fame" last Thursday, October 11th, just three days ahead of his 80th birthday.
Roger Moore was present at a morning ceremony which saw the 2,350th star unveiled on Hollywood Boulevard. Moore's star is aptly located at 7007 Hollywood Blvd. The honor was for his work in such movies as the James Bond series from 1973 and 1985. Roger is the third Bond to be so honored, joining Sean Connery and Pierce Brosnan on the prestigious walk.
Sir Roger George Moore, KBE (born 14 October 1927) is an English actor known for his suave and witty demeanour. He may be best known for portraying two British action heroes, Simon Templar in the television series The Saint from 1962 to 1969, and James Bond in seven films from 1973 to 1985. He has been a UNICEF ambassador since 1991.
Happy 80th Birthday Roger, and congratulations on the star!Labels: 2007, Hollywood, James Bond, Roger Moore
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Monday, October 01, 2007
 We're sorry to hear that Lois Maxwell passed away in Australia on Saturday from cancer.
Lois Maxwell was probably best known to the world from her role as Miss Moneypenny in the James Bond films, but that was probably the smallest part she ever played. Saint fans might also remember that she guest-starred with Roger Moore in the October 7, 1966 episode of The Saint, entitled, Interlude in Venice.
Bond star Sir Roger Moore, who had known her for more than 60 years, spoke to the BBC about his friend and co-star:I'd known Lois from the beginning of my acting career, we were both drama students at Rada in 1944 and 1945.
We first played opposite each other in Pride and Prejudice. I was Darcy, she was Elizabeth. She was a very fine actress with a great sense of humour.
I think it was a great disappointment to her that she had not been promoted to play M. She would have been a wonderful M.
Lois was wonderful, absolutely perfect casting. It was a great pity that after I moved out of Bond, that they didn't take her on to continue in the Timothy Dalton films.
She had a tremendous sense of humour. She used to sing dirty songs, from the Canadian women's army in which she'd served.
We'd done a number of episodes of The Saint and The Persuaders together, so over the past 60 years I'd seen a great deal of her. But unfortunately, not over the last couple of years.
She had a quite a wide range of parts before she went into the Bond franchise. I'm afraid she got sort of typecast as Miss Moneypenny, that's what producers do, unfortunately, they put people in categories, they don't seem to move people out of them.
At the National Movie Awards, I presented an award to [Bond producers] Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson. It's a pity the timing was so bad, we really could have given her a tribute then. Your kind donations to the Komen Foundation can help find the cure for certain kinds of cancer.Labels: 2007, James Bond, Lois Maxwell, Roger Moore, Susan G. Komen, Wikipedia
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Monday, June 18, 2007
From: Bill Krzastek
Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2007 23:12:24 -0400
Subject: ST1's Trip To Canada Part 2
 Hello to All,
Welcome to Part 2 of "ST1"s trip to Canada. While at the Fleetwood Country Cruize-In at London, Ontario, ST1 was visited by another legend, Mr. George Barris, the "King of the Kustomizers". Mr. Barris is known worldwide for the many custom, film, and TV cars he designed and built since the 1950's such as the TV Batmobile, Munsters Coach, the Ala Kart, and dozens of others. Several of Mr. Barris's creations were on display but even he was interested in seeing "ST1", the Roger Moore "Saint" Volvo.
Mr. Barris has a website where he interviews people and talks about their cars. He chose "ST1" to be part of this and in the attached photos, we see Mr. Barris interviewing me (and vice-versa) about the car. During the interview, I found out that Mr. Barris has a connection to Roger Moore: turns out that Mr. Barris built a car for Sir Roger's first Bond film "Live and Let Die" and had actually met Mr. Moore during filming. "A real gentleman" is how Mr. Barris described Sir Roger.
 Also on hand was Tony Davey, restorer of "ST1" who had flown over from England for the show. Tony is seen being interviewed by Mr. Barris in one of the photos. Plus, Irv Gordon, owner of the 2+ million mile Volvo can be seen in the backround of the first photo being interviewed from the folks from Old Cars Television. Small world indeed.
Best Regards to All,
Bill KrzastekLabels: 2007, Bill Krzastek, George Barris, Irv Gordon, James Bond, Roger Moore
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Saturday, February 17, 2007
Gorilla Sushi is holding Roger Moore to account for the death of fashionable men's hats. I've been watching the 007 marathon they had on Starz ("007 in '07"), and the thing that strikes me most from the earlier episodes (most notably the opening gunshot scene), and I realized that the hat in the opening gunshot barrel vanished when Roger Moore took over as Bond.
So I'm blaming Roger Moore's term as James Bond, and his dislike for hats (he never wore a hat as The Saint, either) for killing the entire hat industry. Labels: 2007, James Bond, Roger Moore
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Friday, November 24, 2006
 Think of any cult/fantasy television show of the 1960s or '70s and the chances are that they were created by ITC, the company owned by legendary media tycoon Lew Grade. For the first time in one book, the incredible stories behind the making of these enduringly popular shows are told by the actors, directors and creators involved in bringing them to the small screen. Robert Sellers' stellar list of almost fifty interviewees includes such international stars as Sir Roger Moore, Tony Curtis and Robert Vaughn; legendary animators Sylvia and Gerry Anderson; Jane Henson, widow of Muppets creator Jim Henson; Oscar nominated director Franco Zeffirelli; and cult stars such as Peter Wyngarde and Ian Ogilvy. Arranged in eight chronological sections, "Cult TV: The Golden Age of ITC" contains a wealth of anecdotes and detail that will delight fans of these remarkable series and cult television in general. The book is introduced with a foreword from former "James Bond" and "The Saint" star, Sir Roger Moore and contains an afterword by Gerry Anderson.
Order Cult TV from Amazon UK today, or pre-order Cult TV from Amazon USA.Labels: 2006, Amazon.com, Ian Ogilvy, James Bond, Roger Moore, Tony Curtis, TV, Val Kilmer
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Wednesday, November 15, 2006
In an article in the China Daily, Roger Moore says the Daniel Craig is "absolutely super" in the role of James Bond in the new movie, Casino Royale. In the same article, Roger Moore hints at a remake of The Saint which might involve both Roger and his son Geoffrey Moore.
BEIJING, Nov. 2 -- Sir Roger Moore has backed the new James Bond Daniel Craig, saying he will be "absolutely super" in the role of the secret agent.
Sir Roger, who played Bond during the 1970s and 1980s, was unveiling a plaque at the Elstree film and television studios yesterday.
He said: "I am fed up with everybody attacking poor Daniel Craig, I am sure he is going to be absolutely super."
Sir Roger was unveiling the plaque to mark the six years he spent filming at Elstree when he played Simon Templar in the hit TV series The Saint.
He said: "I spent eight to nine years of my life literally working every day from crack of dawn till sunset, sometimes through the late nights. "It`s good to be back."
Sir Roger was joined by some members of the cast and crew of The Saint, and hinted there may be a remake in the pipeline, thanks to his son.
He added: "I think my son may be remaking it in the very near future and he might even give me a part." Labels: 2006, Elstree Studios, Geoffrey Moore, James Bond, Roger Moore, TV, Val Kilmer
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Wednesday, October 25, 2006
With great delight, Wesley Britton of Spy Television fame would like to announce three new articles now posted at his website:
Untold Stories of 007: Writer Ronald Payne Shares Some Secrets
In the first part of my talks with writer, agent, and raconteur Ron Payne, Ron talks about his connections to 007 historian O. F. Snelling and his work to update Selling's 1964 classic Bond study; Ron's friendship with George Lazenby; and Ron's stories about so much more--like his first movie job--keeping director John Ford upright!
Untold Stories of 007 (Part II): The James Bond Curse?
In Part II, Payne describes his attempts to work on an official Bond film, his trying to connect with Thunderball producer Kevin McClory, insider notes on Never Say Never Again, and some Bond might-have-beens.
Untold Stories of 007 (Part III) The Secret Script to Warhead
Speaking of might-have-beens, here Ron tells the story of what was in the 1976 never produced Bond script, Warhead, written by Sean Connery, Kevin McClory, and Len Deighton.
All this is now at www.WesleyBritton.com under the "SpyWise" button, then scroll down to the "Interviews with Insiders" section.Labels: 2006, Amazon.com, James Bond, TV
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Saturday, September 02, 2006
Young Simon Templar
Here's a thought...my eldest son has recently discovered both Young James Bond and Alex Rider (he's only 7, so I'll give him a year or two before I let him discover the Saint).
Of course, I couldn't miss the opportunity to read the books either and they got me thinking. The Bond books in particular are rather splendidly written; Charlie Higson has done a superb job of taking Fleming's character to Eton and shows an excellent understanding of how to put together a Bond story.
Would a Young Simon Templar work?Labels: 2006, James Bond
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Tuesday, March 22, 2005
 Crossplot starring Roger Moore was released on DVD today. You can order it from Amazon today.
SYNOPSIS
Roger Moore stars in this action-packed thriller as a British ad executive whose relations with a model from Hungary involve him in a scandalous web of romance and death. Set in London in the 1960s, CROSSPLOT sees an ordinary businessman's life turned upside down by the deception of a beautiful woman. Moore's character manages to maintain a certain cool and suave demeanor throughout the most flustering of situations, and his style ranks up there with the likes of James Bond.Labels: 2005, Amazon.com, DVD, James Bond, Roger Moore
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Tuesday, April 13, 2004
 A&E has released the first season of black and white Roger Moore episodes on DVD. In 1962, Roger Moore arrived in a big way with the instant classic The Saint, which he played Simon Templar, an ex-con Robin Hood-type thief who steals from the rich... and keeps it for himself. Usually mistaken for a James Bond-like secret agent, Templar was more compassionate than Moore's unflappable alter ego and was less likely to use a gun or gadget to get out of a sticky situation. More often than not, Templar relied upon wits and his trusty white Volvo to escape a dilemma, and for six seasons he weaved effortlessly through caper after caper while heavily influencing later series The Avengers, The Man From U.N.C.L.E and Mission Impossible, not to mention loaning a riff or two to 007 himself.
Includes all 12 first-season episodes. 3 DVDs. 1962/b&w/10 hrs/NR.
Buy The Early Episodes Set 1 from A&ELabels: 2004, DVD, James Bond, Roger Moore, Volvo
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Friday, January 30, 2004
 Spy Television (Released January 30, 2004)
By Wesley Britton
Praeger Press
$39.95
What is Spy Television?
Spy Television is the first full-length overview of every TV spy show broadcast from 1951 to the present. For fans of series such as The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Avengers, Get Smart, The Wild Wild West, The Prisoner, The Saint, I Spy, the X-Files, La Femme Nikita, Alias and 24, you'll find information and insights that will please the most die-hard expert as well as casual watchers. Lovers of short-lived and almost forgotten series like VR5, I Led Three Lives, The Protectors, The Sandbaggers and The A-Team will learn how these shows came to be and why they disappeared. Friends of Macgyver, The Equalizer, and even Wonder Woman will learn how Hollywood saw their series as more than prime time entertainment--spy shows tell us much about how Hollywood thinks we think.
From cover to cover, Spy Television is more than behind-the-scenes information, production histories, and revelations from casts and producers. Extensively researched, Spy Television explains the contexts in which spy shows were created, explores the influence of spy TV on our culture, and points to unexpected connections between actual espionage and our feelings about undercover operatives, past and present.
Spy Television is a book for experts, fans, and students of TV, popular culture, the history of the Cold War, and what's really going on in shadowy government agencies. Lovers of science-fiction and detective shows will find surprising connections between their favorite shows and the secret worlds of secret agents. And lovers of 007 will find pages and pages showing how the world's most famous secret agent was part of TV history from the 1950s to the present. Spy Television is a book for school and public libraries as well as bookshelves of aficionados of every aspect of the genre, from the influence of old-time radio to the impact of 9/11.
What's in Spy Television?
The Table of Contents shows the scope of Spy Television:
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Chapter 1: Defining a Genre
Chapter 2: The Roots of a Family Tree (1900-1961)
Chapter 3: Bond, Beatles, and Camp: The Men From U.N.C.L.E.
Chapter 4: More British Than Bond: John Steed, The Avengers, and Feminist role-playing
Chapter 5: Cold War Sports and Games: I Spy and Racial Politics
Chapter 6: The Cold War and Existential Fables: Danger Man, Secret Agent, and The Prisoner
Chapter 7: The Page and the Screen: The Saint and Robin Hood Spies
Chapter 8: Interchangeable Parts: Missions: Impossible
Chapter 9: Bond on the Prairie: From The Wild Wild West to the Secret Adventures of Jules Verne
Chapter 10: Tongues in Cheek to Tongues Sticking Out: Get Smart and the Spoofing of a Genre
Chapter 11: Also Rans and New Branches: Network Secret Agents From 1963-1980
Chapter 12: Reagan, Le Carre, Clancy, Cynicism, and Cable: Down to Earth in the 1980s and 1990s
Chapter 13: The Return of Fantasy and the Dark Nights of Spies: The X-Files, La Femme Nikita, and the New Millennium
Chapter 14: Active and Inactive FILES: Alias, 24, The Agency and 21st Century Spies
Conclusion
The Past, Present, and Future of TV Espionage: Why Spies?
Chapter Notes
References
How to Get Spy Television
Order Spy Television from Amazon USA today!
Endorsements from the Experts
"Britton has conducted an exhaustive analysis of a unique time in our cultural history--the spy craze of the 1960s and its subsequent ripple effects over the years. He's left no stone unturned in digging up not only the classic entries in this genre, but also the obscure, the forgotten, and the one-season wonders. I thought I knew every entry in this genre, but his book reminded me of many I'd forgotten, and informed me on many I had missed completely. This book is the definitive history of the spy phenomenon that was a cultural outgrowth of the Cold War."
-- Jon Heitland, author of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Book: The Behind the Scenes Story of a Television Classic
"Wesley Britton has his finger squarely on the pulse of the TV spy. A wonderfully comprehensive examination of the numerous spies who have passed through our living rooms over the decades, Britton's SPY TELEVISION covers the espionage gamut from AVENGERS to WILD WILD WEST. A must-have for anyone interested in the history of this all-important TV genre."
-- Danny Biederman, Writer/director of the James Bond featurette "A Spy For All Seasons," Author, "The Best of Bond...James Bond" (EMI Publishing), Author, "The James Bond Collection" (Warner Bros. Publishing), Screenwriter, "The Avengers: The Journey Back," "Gavilan" (MGM)Labels: 2004, Amazon.com, James Bond, TV
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