INTERVIEW: A SAINT I AIN'T

Interview: Ian Dickerson. Spy Vibers might know Ian from his many projects around The Saint. He has recently published a new book, this time examining the life of Leslie Charteris. With a new Saint film just announced, it's a perfect time to learn more about Charteris and his famous creation. Welcome, Ian!

Congrats on the new book about Leslie Charteris! For readers who are new to the topic, can you give us a snapshot of who Charteris was?

Thank you! I’m just happy to see it out there and to hear that people are enjoying it.

Leslie was the creator of Simon Templar, a modern-day Robin Hood who was better known as The Saint. He wrote, edited and oversaw nearly a hundred books featuring the character. These books have sold over forty million copies and been translated into over thirty languages; to date they’ve provided the inspiration for fifteen feature films, three television series, ten radio series and a comic strip that was syndicated around the world for over a decade.

It’s more than that though. He was born in Singapore in 1907 and had been around the world three times before the age of twelve. Along with his mother and brother he settled in England and he went to Cambridge University to study law, but dropped out after a year because he found it boring and he was determined to be a writer. He took on a number of jobs but kept writing and his first novel was published in 1927. It was his third novel that introduced the Saint to the world. Eventually he became a translantic best-seller and moved to the USA, where he went to work in Hollywood, playing tennis with Marlene Dietrich, going sailing with Errol Flynn and writing a handful of films as well. All whilst overseeing the career of his creation. As many people have said, his life was as fascinating as one of his books. [Below: Return of the Saint annual].

How did you first get introduced to the Saint books?

When I was nine I watched Return of the Saint on TV and loved it. I discovered that one of my older brothers had a couple of books which had the word ‘Saint’ in the title so promptly purloined them in the hopes that they would be as good as the TV show. They weren’t, they were much better. I then spent several years and much pocket money, in an era long before the internet, doing what I could to acquire all the Saint books I could find. Oh, and joining the Saint Club of course.

The notion that there was a tradition of Saint Clubs for boys really appealed to me as a kid. I had no idea what went on, but I had a fantasy of boys gathering to practice skills like archery, boxing and gymnastics. How did those clubs come into being? 

Leslie set up the Saint Club itself in 1936, feeling that the enthusiasm for his creation ought to be funnelled into something constructive. Right from the outset any profits it made were donated to charity, initially supporting a hospital wing in London before the NHS was introduced. For many years afterwards the target of its philanthropy was the Arbour Youth Centre in Stepney, east London which was in desperate need of financial help. It was a local community centre for boys and girls where they could come and, as you said, practice skills such as archery and boxing. Such youth centres were quite common in most towns around the UK at the time, many of them living financially hand to mouth. At its peak a number of local Saint Clubs were set up, both in the UK and America, and all were encouraged to support worthwhile causes local to them.

Are there any remnants today?

Sadly not. The Saint Club moved away from the Arbour in the early 1990s when they were able to stand on their own two feet financially and since then we’ve donated our profits to causes nominated by Leslie’s family.

Very interesting to hear about that, thank you. What was the tone of Leslie's writing?

The tone of his writing, much like the character of Simon Templar, evolved throughout the years as did Leslie of course. The initial Saint adventures were full of cut and thrust -‘battle, murder and sudden death’ was the Saint’s philosophy and Leslie mixed it with a lot of humor and occasional political comment. Leslie himself would point out that whilst some of his plots weren’t terribly original he brought his audience along for the ride and they simply enjoyed the way in which he told the stories. As Leslie himself matured so did the Saint, and the tone of his adventures, and eventually he became the slightly world-weary man of the world, familiar to viewers from the 1960s TV series. [Below: Pan edition of The Saint’s Getaway].

Do you remember your early impressions as a reader?

Definitely... it was the humor and the style of writing that attracted me. I remember sitting on the sofa whilst my eldest brother read out a passage from The Saint’s Getaway to my other brother and I. It’s become one of my favourite passages from the adventures of the Saint;

"...he had done nothing desperately exciting for a long time. About twenty-one days. His subconscious was just ripe for the caressing touch of a few seductive stimuli. And then and there, when his resistance was at its lowest ebb, he heard and felt the juicy plonk of his fist sinking home into a nose.

"The savour of that fruity squash wormed itself wheedlingly down into the very cockles of his heart. He liked it. It stirred the deepest chords of his being. And it dawned persuasively upon him that at that moment he desired nothing more of life than an immediate repetition of that feeling. And, seeing the nose once more conveniently poised in front of him, he hit it again.

"He had not been mistaken. His subconscious knew its stuff. With the feel of that second biff a pleasant kind of glow centred itself in the pit of his stomach and tingled electrically outwards along his limbs, and the remainder of his doubts melted away before its spreading warmth. He was punching the nose of an ugly man, and he was liking it. Life had no more to offer."

I was nine, couldn’t help but laugh. My only ambition in life then was also to punch the nose of an ugly man. Right from the outset I got the impression that Leslie was an author who had fun with the mechanics of writing; he enjoyed the vocabulary, he enjoyed putting the sentences together, he had fun with the actual act of writing. Many years later his daughter Paddy told me that she would often hear him chuckle as he sat at his typewriter. Sadly, I’m yet to find another author who gives me that same feeling.

You've reminded me of my own early impressions reading his books; Leslie's palatable sense of his delight on the words. Was Charteris drawing from earlier gentlemen-adventurer characters when he created Simon Templar?

Young Leslie was very well-read and I think a lot of the momentum for the Saint came from his fondness for Chums magazine, which featured a lot of adventure stories and was something he read in his formative years. I don’t think he was directly inspired by the likes of Bulldog Drummond and The Lone Wolf when he created the Saint, but I have my suspicions he may well have read one or two of them and thought he could do better.

Clearly Templar resonated and the works have had much more longevity than many creations by other authors. [Below: Charteris on camera 1939].

What did Charteris bring to his stories and creation that reflected his own unique point of view and experiences?

Leslie imbued the Saint with a lot of his thoughts and philosophies. Both were outsiders and both shared a desire to prick pomposity and where possible tweak the nose of the establishment. Leslie said of the Saint “certainly he thinks pretty much like I do” but there was also a healthy degree of creative license involved.

Both loved to travel. There was a period in the 50s and 60s, after Leslie had married his fourth wife Audrey, that everywhere that Leslie and Audrey went the Saint was sure to go.

What sort of elements of his life were you focusing on when you wrote your book?

For many years—decades even—Leslie had closely guarded his privacy and what was known of his life—in books such as Lofts and Adley’s The Saint and Leslie Charteris—was what he wanted to be known. I wanted to fill in the gaps; I wanted to discover more about his family, his time in Singapore and certainly more about what he got up to in Hollywood. He would have been equally horrified and fascinated by what I discovered, but I think even he would have agreed that it’s a story worth telling.

Were there any discoveries that really stood out for you? Did anything come as a surprise?

A number of things... I was fascinated with what I found out about his father’s family—there’s definitely a high-achievement gene in the mix somewhere there; I love the poem he had published in a national newspaper at the age of nine and a half and I had great fun discovering the real-life elements that appeared and influenced the adventures of the Saint.

Small things as well though -had his plans to open a curry restaurant in Hollywood in the mid-1940s come together then this book, and indeed the story of the Saint, might have been very different.

I think my biggest surprise was discovering an unfinished Saint story. Leslie had, by his own admission, a “sordid commercial mind” so naturally if he was going to write a story, it was going to be finished and it was going to be sold. Except this one slipped through the cracks.

That's an exciting discovery! Were you able to include any photographs or visual artifacts?

There are quite a few photos in the book, including one from his pilot’s licence (when he was just twenty two years old), one of him in his Lagonda and a rare one of his very good friend, radio scriptwriter Bruce Taylor. Plus there’s plenty that aren’t in the book that I will find a home for at some stage. [Ian Dickerson with Leslie Charteris 1992].

You’ve been involved in Saint projects for quite some time now. How did this all come about?

After Leslie died his widow Audrey encouraged me to keep the Saint Club going. This was at a time when the internet was starting to take off, so I set up websites, social media accounts and generally kept the thing ticking over. As is always the way with the Saint, requests to use the logo, to reprint the books, to adapt the books for television, came in from time to time and Audrey encouraged me to get involved and to respond to many of them on her behalf.

What are some of the other projects you’ve created or overseen?

Well I’ve written a number of books including The Saint on TV and The Saint on the Radio -the content of which I’m sure you can figure out. And, probably sooner rather than later given the way things are moving with the new film, I will at some stage finish up The Saint in the Movies and The Saint in Comics as well.

I’ve also edited two volumes of the radio scripts that Leslie and Denis Green wrote for the Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce long running radio version of Sherlock Holmes. Doing that inspired me to write a history of Sherlock Holmes on American radio, which was published last December.

As an offshoot to the Saint work it was whilst researching the old black and white Saint films that I became intrigued by the adventures of the Falcon who, in certain incarnations, was very Saintly. So I wrote a book about him called Who is the Falcon?

I wrote, produced and directed a number of documentaries for Network DVD on the making of The Saint TV shows which initially went as extras on the box sets but have now been given their standalone release.

A few years ago I oversaw the reprints of the original Saint books for Mulholland in the UK and Thomas & Mercer in the USA which was fun, for I had the bright idea of getting people to write introductions to them. It was fascinating to discover the effect the books have had on people.

I was co-producer on the 2017 TV movie of The Saint, which starred Adam Rayner and I believe is still available on Netflix.

So many fantastic projects! I think we're all very fortunate that you have been able to bring your passion and respect for the work as a custodian, creator, and advocate for Leslie's legacy. How has the response to your new book been so far?

Very encouraging. I first mooted the idea of a biography just after Leslie died, and whilst I worked on it and pitched it to various people over the years I was increasingly afraid it would read like a patchwork rather than a cohesive story. Thankfully the team at Spiteful Puppet and Chinbeard have helped me tell a fascinating story.

Where can readers find it?

You can order it online, direct from the publishers here. And they’re having a 20% off sale which runs until early March [use code "2020"].

Great timing! I see that stock is low, so Spy Vibers should order quickly to guarantee a copy of the book. Ian, thanks so much for chatting with me today. I look forward to hearing more as new projects develop. Spy Vibers can read our 2015 interview about The Saint on Radio here. John Buss and I interviewed Return of the Saint star, Ian Ogilvy, here. Ian's fantastic documentary Saint Steps In... To Television here. [Below: some of Ian Dickerson's projects].

Selected Spy Vibe Posts: Diabolik Interview, New 007 Song, Diabolik Figures, Diabolik Sounds, Diabolik Set Design, Diabolik Park Ride, Danger Diabolik Blu, Count Arthur Strong, Honey West Title Cards, Bowie Day, New Year Cosmonauts, Neil Innes R.I.P., Claudine Auger R.I.P., OHMSS at 50, Italian Job 50th OST, Charles Schulz Modern, Paul Desmond, Python 50th, Randall Hopkirk 50th, Thunderbirds Day, Lazenby Returns to MI6, Dr. John R.I.P., Spy Vibe Radio: Lupin III, Lupin Ska, Spy Vibe Prime, Zigomar Translation, The Village: Part 1, Monkey Punch R.I.P., Bubble Girl 63, ITC Soundtracks, Spy Vibe Radio: Public Eye, UFO Prime, Spaceship to Mars, Modesty Blaise Companion, Spy Vibe Radio: Fantomas, George Day, Fantomas Blu, Dark Shadows Doc, Bedazzled Blu-ray, Mary Quant Exhibit, Laika Calypso, Lost in Space Japan, Spy Dust Calypso, Atomic Cafe, John Barry Mono, Interview: John Barry Book, Land of the Giants Score, Skyfall Concert, Dearest Emma, Spy Vibe Radio: Upperseven, Ogilvy at Elstree, Mabuse Propaganda, Bond Beatles Day, Spy Vibe Radio: Liquidator, Diabolik LP, Fab Dresses, Eurospy Music Collection, Beetle Bailey in West Berlin, Why Mort Walker?, Spy Vibe radio: The Beatles Help!, Avengers Critical Guide, The Spotnicks, Benny Spies, James Pond 0017', Satire Stones, Annette Andre Book, Cat Day, Spy Vibe Radio: Get Smart, Caine: My Generation, Interview: Ian Ogilvy, Horror of Party Beach, Sylvie Vartan Renown, Ringo At 78, Dark Shadows Strips, Spy Vibe Radio: Flint, Archie Batman 66, Paul at 76, Beatles Pac-Man, Spy Vibe Radio: Jerry Cotton, The Invaders, 007 Horowitz Book Tour, McGoohan/Prisoner Event at Elstree, The Prisoner Interviews Vol 1, British Underground Press, Interview: Fab4 Mania, Bond Cocktail Book, Bond at Bletchley, Spy Smasher, Spy Vibe Radio: Peter Gunn, Agent Zero M, New Prisoner Comic, Dr. No Villains Edition, Spy Vibe Radio: Danger Diabolik, Dr. No 60th, Oy-Oy-Seven, Spy Vibe Radio (UFO), Cold War Comic Strips, Thunderball Event, Mission to India, Mort Walker Celebration, Peter Wyngarde Celebration, Batman 66 Exhibit, Prisoner Fifty Event, Ian Fleming Publications 2017-2018, Interview: Ed Hulse Pulp, Avengers Audio Drama, Interview: Callan At 50, Interview: Playboys, Spies, Private Eyes, TWA Returns, Spy Vibe Radio 8, Interview: Ryan Heshka, Mid-Century Modern Schulz, Agent Werewolf, Johnny Sokko 50th, Interview: Trina Robbins, Eddie Izzard, The Prisoner Capt Scarlet 50th, Hugh Hefner R.I.P., Jack Good R.I.P., Interview: Shaken Not Stirred, Callan 50th, Spy Vibe Radio 7, The Prisoner 50th Event, Spy-Fi Event, Kaho Aso 007, Two Million, Bo Diddley, Carnaby Pop, Le Carre Events, Billy Bragg Skiffle, Elvis 68, Jack Kirby The Prisoner, Casino Royale Concert, Review: The Prisoner Vol 2, Interview: The Prisoner Essential Guide, Maud Russell Mottisfont, Spy Vibe Radio 4, Batman Gallants, Adam West R.I.P., Village Triangle, Roger Moore R.I.P., Spy Vibe Radio 3, Sgt Pepper 50th, Satanik Kriminal OST, 60s Overdrive, Make Love in London, Spy Vibe Radio 2, Spy Vibe Radio 1, James Bond Strips, Propaganda Mabuse, Interview: Police Surgeon, XTC Avengers, 1966 Pep Spies, Batman Book Interview, Exclusive Fleming Interview, Avengers Comic Strips, Robert Vaughn RIP, UNCLE Fashions, Thunderbirds Are Pop!, Interview: Spy Film Guide, Lost Avengers Found, The Callan File, Mission Impossible 50th, Green Hornet 50th, Star Trek 50th, Portmeirion Photography 1, Filming the Prisoner, Gaiman McGinnins Project, Ian Fleming Grave, Revolver at 50, Karen Romanko Interview, Mod Tales 2, Umbrella Man: Patrick Macnee, New Beatles Film, The Curious Camera, Esterel Fashion 1966, Exclusive Ian Ogilvy Interview, 007 Tribute Covers, The Phantom Avon novels return, Ian Fleming Festival, Argoman Design, Sylvia Anderson R.I.P., Ken Adam R.I.P., George Martin R.I.P., The New Avengers Comics, The Phantom at 80, 007 Manga, Avengerworld Book, Diana Rigg Auto Show, The Prisoner Audio Drama Review.

INTERVIEW: PLAYBOYS, SPIES, PRIVATE EYES

Writer and pop culture historian Alan Hayes stopped by the Spy Vibe lair this week to tell us about his new book, Playboys, Spies, and Private Eyes -Inspired by ITC, which he co-edited with Rick Davy (The Prisoner – The Essential Guide, The Unmutual). The new book features essays centered around classic ITC series such as The Saint, Man in a Suitcase, Secret Agent, and The Prisoner. Hayes has authored a number of cool books about classic spy shows, including Two Against the Underworld (about dawn of The Avengers), and Avengerworld (an essay omnibus about The Avengers -I contributed the Afterword about Patrick Macnee). Hayes also runs the Randall and Hopkirk Declassified website and he has been a regular contributor on Spy Vibe. Congratulations on the new book, Alan, and welcome back to the lair!

What is the book about and how did the project evolve?

Playboys, Spies and Private Eyes – Inspired by ITC is, in a nutshell, a series of personal love letters to spy-fi television series from the ITC stable. This company, which was formed in the 1950s to make filmed series for Independent Television, produced a succession of popular and memorable series which have touched the lives of millions. Therefore it seemed an excellent second step after the Avengerworld anthology which I edited for Hidden Tiger in 2016. That book, like this one, was written by a team of writers who gave their services for free, with the book’s proceeds being donated to charity. The Avengers book has so far raised more than £800 for Champion Chanzige, a charity which resources a primary school in South Tanzania, while this one is designed to benefit the Born Free Foundation, which is the favoured charity of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) actress Annette Andre, who has kindly written the foreword for the new book.

The project evolved through discussions between myself and Rick Davy, author of The Prisoner – The Essential Guide (Quoit Media), and grew out of an initial idea to extend the Avengerworld concept to The Prisoner, to produce an anthology of fan memories and anecdotes about that iconic series. When it became clear that another publisher was coincidentally working on a very similar project for The Prisoner, we decided to widen our scope to include all the ITC spy-fi shows. If I’m honest, I think it’s a better and more varied read for that, too. 

What is the scope of the book? How many ITC series are covered in the essays?

In commissioning writers, both Rick and I have endeavoured not to be too prescriptive beyond the essays being written from personal perspectives. It means that in addition to the wide range of ITC shows under the spotlight, the chapters also have a variety to them, hopefully meaning that the reader will never know quite what to expect. The book plots a chronological course through ITC’s oeuvre, starting in the 50s with The New Adventures of Charlie Chan and concluding in the late 70s with Return of the Saint. All the ‘big-hitter’ shows are covered – in most cases with multiple chapters – as are the majority of the series that are less well known. In total there are 35 chapters, with 19 distinct series being tackled. But these chapters are as much about the writers themselves, their experiences as fans of those shows, and what they were inspired to do by them. We were also keen to pitch some of the contributors into unfamiliar territory, for instance asking fans of one show to write about others they had never seen before, therefore offering fresh perspectives. 

Does it focus on the spy/thriller shows, or are the historical adventures also included?

The former. We are of course aware that ITC were responsible for a wide range of programming – the spy/thriller genre was just one string to their bow. Shows such as The Saint, The Prisoner and Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) retain a high profile, as do the Gerry Anderson Supermarionation and live action shows produced under the ITC banner in the 60s and 70s, but the company also produced period dramas like The Adventures of Robin Hood, lighthearted fare such as From A Bird’s Eye View and Shirley’s World, and music shows such as This Is Tom Jones. The ITC catalogue is pretty immense… and therefore it seemed sensible to limit ourselves to one genre – or we’d end up with a book so large and unwieldy that it would barely be marketable!

I really enjoyed contributing to the Avengerworld book, and it seemed to gather quite a community around a love of the series. Can you talk a bit about the ITC community and the contributors to this project?

As you might imagine due to the number of series that the company made, the ITC community is somewhat more fragmented than the one for The Avengers, and there is indeed significant crossover, with many Avengers fans also being devoted to the ITC shows. Indeed, there are a small number of writers who have written for both the Avengerworld book and this, though we made a conscious decision to approach new writers for the most part as we felt that many people who wrote for Avengerworld would have similar memories of the ITC shows (we were determined that Playboys, Spies and Private Eyes shouldn’t just be the Avengers book with the series name changed!). 

There have been several ITC fan clubs, but to the best of my knowledge, they have always been for specific series – The Saint, Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), The Persuaders! – and we are delighted to say that we have chapters written by people who ran those fan clubs (Ian Dickerson, Vanessa Bergman and Jaz Wiseman), and it’s fascinating to read their accounts of what it was like to be in the driving seats of fandom. We’ve also engaged a number of professional writers – Robert Fairclough, Steve O’Brien, Gabriel Hershman, Max Pemberton and Robert Morton – plus industry insiders – Jon Older, Stephen La Rivière – and (coining an Avengers phrase) a superb team of “talented amateurs”. Some of these run websites about the individual series, write blogs, attend events and/or visit filming locations. And there’s me. Twice. But people can easily skip those two. :)

Additionally, we are privileged to have Elaine Spooner (daughter of writer/series creator DennisSpooner) on board; she has contributed the perfect afterword for the book. Finally, the book is enhanced greatly by the cover design and artwork of Shaqui Le Vesconte, some of which you can see accompanying this interview. Shaqui has worked with me before on Avengers and Police Surgeon projects – and I’m always blown away by what he delivers.

What are some of the stories that surprised you or stood out during the editing process? Did you discover new perspectives after reading the essays?

There are dozens of wonderful anecdotes related by our writers, and it almost seems unfair to highlight one or two over the others… but from a personal perspective, since my two favourite ITC series are (this week!) The Prisoner and Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased), I’d have to highlight Vanessa Bergman’s vivid memories of her 1970 meeting with Mike Pratt, the marvellous actor who brought Jeff Randall to life, and who died tragically young in 1976, and Robert Fairclough’s recollections of an unexpected and characteristically enigmatic phone call from Patrick McGoohan in the early 2000s. But there’s much more besides – stories of Leslie Charteris, Dennis Spooner and how The Champions were reunited 40 years on. The chapters are written with such affection for the shows and the people who made them that you can’t come away unaffected –  and always in a positive way. Also, there’s a lightness of touch to the essays – this is a fun read, perfect for the Christmas holidays; something to warm the heart when it’s cold outside!

Part of the proceeds from the project are going to help a charity. Can you tell us more about that cause?

Actually, all the proceeds – once we clear production and delivery costs – will be donated to the Born Free Foundation. As mentioned before, they are Annette Andre’s favoured charity, and as such we are delighted to follow her suggestion that they be the beneficiary of Playboys, Spies and Private Eyes. This is what she says about the BFF: “I’ve been a lifelong animal lover and advocate for their care both in captivity and in the wild. For more than twenty-five years, I’ve been an active supporter of the Born Free Foundation (BFF), founded by Virginia McKenna and her husband Bill Travers, stars of the film Born Free, and run today by their son, Will Travers. Years ago, I went to hear Ginny and Bill give a talk on their efforts to close zoos in the UK that mistreated the creatures in their care. I was hooked instantly, and began giving talks on the BFF’s many projects to rescue and protect wildlife wherever threatened. Along the way I became close friends with Ginny and Bill and expanded my efforts to include investigating zoos and circuses to expose inhumane conditions. The BFF remains a vital part of my life.”

The classic ITC shows established so much of what we understand about modern day spy adventures. After working on the book, I wonder what your thoughts are about the legacy of classic ITC programming?

The thing I find interesting about the ITC spy thriller series – something I only learned long after watching them as a kid – is that they were produced quickly and on the cheap, and that no-one working on them expected them to have the longevity that they have ultimately enjoyed. I always thought they looked classy, a step above the studio-bound videotaped productions that filled our TV screens in those days. These were like mini-feature films, with high production values, and sometimes they really pushed the boundaries of television drama. Certain episodes of Danger Man, Man in a Suitcase, The Champions, and ALL of The Prisoner spring to mind. The fact that today, nearly forty years on from the last hurrah of ITC spy-fi, these series are still being repeated on television and are being restored in High Definition, reaching new audiences, proves that the company’s output was something special. Although these days I can tell that Roger Moore was standing on a cold Borehamwood backlot and not on the sunny French Riviera in The Saint, back then it didn’t matter. Today, it’s part of the charm of these series. Through the magic of television they took us to foreign climes at a time when – for me at least – the family holiday wasn’t to Alicante but to a farm in North Wales. ITC expanded our horizons. The Prisoner continues to be influential (The Truman Show, Wayward Pines, anyone?) and barely a year passes without whispers of a remake of this series or that…

Where can readers find the book?

At the moment, the book is available to pre-order from Quoit Media, and is due in mid-December. Until publication, the book is being offered at the discounted price of £11.99 including UK delivery (RRP £12.99 + P&P). After publication it will be available from retailers such as Amazon. We ask people to support us and buy, as the better the book sells, the better Born Free does out of it!

Let's get an update on this important question: Alan, what would your ideal bachelor pad or secret lair look like if you lived in a spy/adventure world?

Well, as a very happily married man, I don’t think about bachelor pads these days (actually, I don’t think I ever did!), but a secret lair… Tempting… As someone who adores staying at Portmeirion, it’d be hard not to just plump for that, but I like finding the unexpected in mundane settings, so perhaps The Beatles’ knocked-through terraced houses from Help! (1965) would admirably serve my need for world domination… After all, who’d look for a diabolical mastermind in Aisla Avenue, Twickenham?

Your secret is safe! More information about Alan's publications at Hidden Tiger Books. Related posts: Interview: Alan Hayes (early Avengers Book), The Prisoner Audio Review vol 1, The Prisoner Audio Review vol 2, Avengerworld Book, Umbrella Man, Interview: The Prisoner Guide,  Portmeirion Photography 1, Portmeirion Photography,  Interview: Ian Olgivy, Interview: Brian Gorman Avengers Interview: Mike Richardson, The Saint Interview: Ian Dickerson, Avengers Interview: Rodney Marshall, Avengers Interview Rodney Marshall 2, John Buss Interview, Jaz Wiseman Interview, Farewell Steed. 

In other news, check out my episodes of Cocktail Nation radio as I introduce some of the great spy classics and soundtracks: Episode #1 (Danger Man) and Episode #2 (The 10th Victim), Epsiode #3 (On Her Majesty's Secret Service), Episode #4 (Roger Moore/The Saint), and Episode #5 (The Avengers), Episode #6 (The Prisoner), and Episode #7 (The Ipcress File), Episode #8 (The Man From U.N.C.L.E.). Enjoy!

Selected Spy Vibe Posts: TWA Returns, Spy Vibe Radio 8, Interview: Ryan Heshka, Mid-Century Modern Schulz, Agent Werewolf, Mata Hair Exhibit, Johnny Sokko 50th, Interview: Trina Robbins, Eddie Izzard, The Prisoner Capt Scarlet 50th, Hugh Hefner R.I.P., Jack Good R.I.P., Interview: Shaken Not Stirred, Callan 50th, Spy Vibe Radio 7, The Prisoner 50th Event, Spy-Fi Event, Kaho Aso 007, Two Million, Bo Diddley, Carnaby Pop, Le Carre Events, Billy Bragg Skiffle, Elvis 68, Jack Kirby The Prisoner, Casino Royale Concert, Review: The Prisoner Vol 2, Interview: The Prisoner Essential Guide, Maud Russell Mottisfont, Spy Vibe Radio 4, Batman Gallants, Adam West R.I.P., Village Triangle, Roger Moore R.I.P., Spy Vibe Radio 3, Sgt Pepper 50th, Satanik Kriminal OST, 60s Overdrive, Make Love in London, Spy Vibe Radio 2, Spy Vibe Radio 1, James Bond Strips, Propaganda Mabuse, Interview: Police Surgeon, XTC Avengers, 1966 Pep Spies, Batman Book Interview, Exclusive Fleming Interview, Avengers Comic Strips, Robert Vaughn RIP, UNCLE Fashions, Thunderbirds Are Pop!, Interview: Spy Film Guide, Lost Avengers Found, The Callan File, Mission Impossible 50th, Green Hornet 50th, Star Trek 50th, Portmeirion Photography 1, Filming the Prisoner, Gaiman McGinnins Project, Ian Fleming Grave, Revolver at 50, Karen Romanko Interview, Mod Tales 2, Umbrella Man: Patrick Macnee, New Beatles Film, The Curious Camera, Esterel Fashion 1966, Exclusive Ian Ogilvy Interview, 007 Tribute Covers, The Phantom Avon novels return, Ian Fleming Festival, Argoman Design, Sylvia Anderson R.I.P., Ken Adam R.I.P., George Martin R.I.P., The New Avengers Comics, The Phantom at 80, 007 Manga, Avengerworld Book, Diana Rigg Auto Show, The Prisoner Audio Drama Review.