The Protectors was more succsesful than I think I realized. The show had fifty-two episodes in two series' had a major star in it's lead role and (most supriseing of all) it was Anderson's highest rated programme since Thunderbirds. It also had more episodes than any other Anderson to date (That's in number of episodes not in total runing time. The forty-eight episode Space: 1999 had each of it's episodes an hour long, while the The Protectors was only a half.). So here is the episode guide. Enjoy.

#1: 2000ft to Die

#2: Brother Hood

#3: Disappearing Trick

#4 Your Witness

#5: The Quick Brown Fox: Confusing episode about money being funded to ex-Nazi's... I think.

#6: The Numbers Game: Drug smuggling. Over used story.

#7: Triple Cross: The opening title teaser isn't as dramatic as it sounds. But it gets you involved in an excellant episode. Includeing the unforgetable fade out image of Harry laying face down on a towel with the word Scrooge written on his back. The tracking equipment and the van: £15,000. That picture: Priceless.

#8: A Kind of Wild Justice: Lots of funny justice. Harry is shot in the chest in the teaser. Framiliar?

#9: One and One Makes One: Does that make sense? Only on TV. The story is truly unibelievable.

#10: See No Evil: Unbelivably, my mind completely wiped and I forgot entirely what this episode was about. Stareing at my computer screen is catching up with me. A blackmailed senator in Roma hires The Protectors to destroy photographs of the senator when he was druged by a crime syndicate. I love the villan.

#11: Balance of Terror: This story mirrors an old episode of Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons but it is one of the most intense ever made. A bomb hits London. Well of sorts.

#12: King Con: Con man is conned. It just makes your heart soar.

#13:The Big Hit: Remember Dragnet? Every episode started with "The Big ...."

#14: Thinkback: A pleasent mystery that slowly unravels in a fantastic episode. What's funny is when I watch these shows I can instantly identifiy back projected effects but the characters can't. Actually Rule was right about bad guys always shooting off their big mouths. Thankful they do. Otherwise there would be a lot less good guys.

#15: The First Circle: Gerry Anderson fans take note of this episode for it's guest star, Ed Bishop. He has done many Anderson productions includeing UFO and Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, both of those in starring roles. He died in early 2005.

#16: Chase: I love this episode. I belive The Avengers writer Brian Clemens wrote it. The scene where they try to blow up the lock teaches us a very important lesson. Never under estimate a woman's anger. Especially a red head.

#17: ...With a Little Help from My Friends: We meet Harry's family for the first (and last) time.

#18: For the Rest of Your Natural... A maniac captures the Contessa. But the ending is a little lacking. This is the third adaptation I've seen of an old Cathy Gale episode of The Avengers called Don't Look Behind You Lady. It was never a brilliant idea and I'm amazed it's been copied that many times.

#19: The Bodyguards:

#20: Talkdown: Brad Huron reincarnated! His actor anyway. Mostly a flashback but still great.

#21: A Case for The Right:

#22: A Matter of Life and Death

#23: It Could be Practicly Anywhere On the Island: Robert Vaughn's direction which tends to angle towards more comedy. His best friend plays the villan and his fiance' plays the girl. Gee what a coincidence. Lew Grade (Gerry Anderson's boss) said it was the worst episode of any series he'd ever seen. Quite an insult seeing as he had been responsible for more than dozen series over the years. Personally I think Vaughn intended the humor seen in later episodes of U.N.C.L.E. which isn't really funny.

#24: Vocal: Scott Tracy's voice actor plays a ventriloquist. The irony is lost on me. A fave. Mostly for Scott's appearence but this episode has a lot going for it besides. I love how developed the villans are. By the end of the episode wev;ve picked up as much about them as the lead characters.

#25: It was all over in Leipzig: Harry is subtely jealous of the Contessa's old boyfriend.

#26: Ceromony for the Dead: Is he alive or not? Can you figure it out?

Below is my second season episode guide. Please note IT IS NOT FINISHED. I am going to wrap it up soon though.

	BAGMAN Written by: Terry Nation Directed by: John Hough Guest Stars: Stephan Chase, Patricia Haines, Lalla Ward A wealthy widow named Gurden Andersen has a daughter called Evi who is captured by a mysterious blonde man named Janson. He demands money in excange for her daughter- no police. Desperate, she turns to the Protectors for help. This episode isn't a fave. If anything I'd say it was an average example of a typical Protectors episode. Evi was played by an actress who was later in Doctor Who, a favourite sci fi of mine (GA excluded of course). THE BRIDGE Written by: Tony Barwick Directed by: Jeremy Summers Guest Stars: Richard Morant, Micheal Goodliffe, James Maxwell, Diana Quick The son of a rich man kidnapps a childhood friend to earn money for his "cause", A group of youth who plan to blow up a bridge when a US diplomat crosses. This episode was a real nail biter towards the end. You'd think it would hit David at some point that his plans are ruined. What's with his stubborness? Determination I guess. FIGHTING FUND Written by: John Kruse Directed by: Jeremy Summers Guest Stars: Lisa Daniely, David Suchet A gang of Red Army Group soldiers have stolen a priceless art collection and hold it to ransom. Again, the Protectors are called in. Sigh... Getting kind of tired of ransom episodes. But this episode is all right. I feel kind of sorry for all the busted paintings. Oh well. Though out most of the series, the Contessa wears her hair long, but in many different styles. But in this episode, suddenly, inexplicaply, her hair changes to a short black. Anybody know why? QUIN Writtten by: Trevor Preston Directed by: Don Leaver Guest Stars: Peter Vaughan To find a clients brother, the Protectors must first track down a ruthless crime ring boss, named Quin. This episode is hard to follow. Plus I don't like the Spanish theme. But the chase scene is kinda thrilling. One of the best in this season. LENA Written by: Trevor Preston Directed by: Don Leaver Guest Stars: Judy Parfitt, John Thaw, Rodger Lloyd Patrick A journalist friend of the Contessa involves herself in a fray when she tries to expose a crooked politician's hidden acts of evil. This is one of the more profound episodes. The ending is definately thought provoking. GOODBYE GEORGE Written by: Brian Clemens Directed by: Micheal Lindsay-Hogg Guest Stars: Paul Jones, Geraldine Moffatt A wealthy father hire the Contessa to "check up" on his son Caspar who lives in Venice with a mysterious friend named George Milworth. The Avengers' Brian Clemens wrote this episode. It shows to. Not that that is bad. Actually it's wonderful. After reveiwing all the first season episodes I found my favourites were all written by Clemens. The acting is great. The climax catches me wildly off guard and unprepared. One of my top 5 favourite second season episodes. IMPLICADO Written by: Tony Barwick Directed by: Jeremy Summers Guest Stars: Patrick Mower, Peter Firth A spanish drug runner plants drugs on a boy who was tricked into working for him. His mother, who is ill, hires the Protectors to rescue her innocent son. I don't like the feel of this episode. None the less Mower gives a fantastic performance. Very dull. Typically bad plot. The ending is one of those "too-sweet-to-be-genuine"s. But the climax suprises you. THE LAST FRONTIER Written by: Jean Morris Directed by: Charles Chrichton Guest Stars: Hildegard Neil, William Lucas A young USSR scientest abandons her work to come to England to marry her fiance. The Protectors are hired to smuggle her out. Notice this episode is written by a woman. Considering the story content that is very interesting. I like the first bit when they try and smuggle her out of the country. Then it turns to typical afternoon drama. But well acted out. BAUBLES BANGLES AND BEADS Written by: Terry Nation Directed by: Jeremy Summers Guest Stars: Frederick Jaeger, Yvonne Antrobus An elaborate jewel theft goes wrong when a gang member double crosses the others and takes the jewels on his own. His daughter is dragged into the mess as Harry and the Contessa are hired to recover the missing masterpeices. Very nice. The daughter turns in a superb performance that sells the whole thing. If it was done wrong, this episode would be corny. The story is still very good. PETARD Written by: Tony Barwick Directed by: Cyril Frankel Guest Stars: Iain Cuthbertson, Cyril Luckham, Mark Jones Someone has been leaking information on new product line at a cleaning product manufactuer. Harry is hired to find out who, how and to prevent it happening again. This episode is a fave. It is a very interesting concept. I've always been interested in industrial espionage. Why go to Russia or Africa or Japan when you can have exciting action in a local factory? Ian Cuthbertson is superb in comedic roles, but does very well. BURNING BUSH Written by: Trevor Preston Directed by: Don Leaver Guest Stars: Sinead Cusack, Ken Hutchison, Madge Ryan, Anthony Steel A man has hired the Protectors to find out where his daughter is. When he finds out she's become a member of an ocult, she wants Harry to get her out, but he gets a little more than he bargained for. They've done episodes on this in Space: 1999, The A Team and just about everything else. This one is so-so. But it could be better. BORDER LINE Written by: Anthony Terpiloff Directed by: Charles Crichton Guest Star: Geogia Brown A famous hungarian actress wants to bury her father in her native country and hires Harry to help her pull it off. A prety good episode. A bit talky but still okay. Well acted as shows of this calibar go. A standard episode. WAM Parts 1&2 Written by: Tony Barwick Directed by: Jeremy Summers Guest Stars: Prentis Hancock, Jill Townsend A girl's father hires the Protectors to check up on her, which leads to a mountain hi-jacking, and a ransom radio call. The only two part episode in the series. Excellant music by John Cameron. Brilliantly fits the episode. Cleverly written and probably one of my top favourites. DRAGON CHASE Written by: John Kruse Directed by: Charles Crichton Guest Stars: Donald Houston, William Dexter, Kenneth Colley A russian writer is smuggled into England but communist terrorists are sure to follow... This episode is a little disapointing. Very much a let down. None the less very exciting sequences. ZEKE'S BLUES Written by: Shane Rimmer Directed by: Jeremy Summers Guest Stars: Shane Rimmer, Paul Curran Harry meets an old friend piano player in a night club unaware that he is being forced to spy on Harry. Thunderbirds fans will notice Shane Rimmer as Zeke. One of the less action oriented episodes. Zeke is on the whole, a very mysterious character. DECOY Written by: Brian Clemens Directed by: Micheal Lindsay-Hogg Guest Stars: Ronals Radd, Mark Damon A dead man may not be so dead after all. And the death of Harry's friend only goes to prove it... This episode is what I consider one of the worst. A contridiction in dates degrades it. But it still has it's moments. The pre-credits sequence with the boat is unusal and supriseing. A POCKETFUL OF POSIES Written by: Terry Nation Directed by: Cyril Frankel Guest Stars: Eartha Kitt, Kieron Moore An international singing star's comeback is being disrupted by her hallucinations. But Harry wonders, is she really just ill? I'm not sure of the singer's little song. A little cheezy. The episode is beautifuly weird sequences that could scare a ten year old to peices. To the rest of us it's just cult TV beauty. Something out of the Avengers. SHADBOLT Written by: Tony Barwick Directed by: John Hough Guest Stars: Tom Bell, Georgina Hale Harry is on a return trip to London aboard a train. But things could get dangerous when he discovers a professional assain is on the same train with him. Tom Brown delivers an excellant performance. He plays a killer for hire with a poet like attitude. The final climax is superb and the last moment is thought provoking. SUGAR AND SPICE Written by: David Butler Directed by: Charles Crichton Guest Star: Debbie Russ A grudgeing group of businuess dealers are trying to capture a young girl that Harry has been hired to protect by her father. The catch? She can't know she's surrounded by people trying to kill her. TV producers just can't resist a script with a cute kid stuck in it. After "It could be practicly anywhere on the Island" It's the most comedic episode of the series. It's standard fare featuring an absolutely fantastic stunt fight. BLOCKBUSTER Written by: Shane Rimmer Directed by: Jeremy Summers Guest Stars: Christopher Neame, Maurice O'Connor A ton of platinum has been stolen and the Protectors have been hired to find it. But it seems the van the villans are driveing hasn't left the area and nobody's seen it. For those of you who owned a chemistry set this probably inspired some interesting fluids. It was a clever twist. Shane Rimmer (Zeke's Blues) wrote this episode. And did it well.

	WHEELS Written by: Tony Barwick Directed by: David Tomblin Guest Stars: Dinsdale Landen, George Pravada A man has stolen some important papers from a bank and Harry and Co. are hired. But the bank doesn't want the actual papers, just copies. This episode is exciting, fast paced and represents the best sides of the Protectors. Unless your into fine drama. Me, I perfer clever fast paced adventures. There is some marvelous car race footage that makes the episode. THE TIGER AND THE GOAT Written by: Trevor Preston Directed by: Jeremy Summers Guest Stars: Douglas Wilmer, Derek Godfrey British intelligence is useing her as bait to lure her ex into a trap. They say he's crooked but... Fair episode. On average it is standard Protectors fare. With excellant guest stars and a suprise twist. THE INSIDER Written by: Trevor Preston Directed by: Don Leaver Guest Stars: Stuart Wilson, Donald Hewlett A film has literally been stolen while in pre-production. As Harry is being hired, the man who has stolen the film walks into the room, offering the film at ransom. But the man mysteriously disappears in the elevator... This episode was creative. A rare idea. Of course it falls under that all to often used catagory of kidnap/ransom only it's a film, not a person or a pet. Very good. TRIAL Written by: Robert Banks Stewart Directed by: Charles Chrichton Guest Stars: Joss Ackland, Gwen Cherrell, Richard Hurndall A man's son is on trial for a crime he didn't commit and his mother comes to Harry. Not to free her son, but to find her husband, an ex-mental paitient, who has gone missing. Beleive me, it's not what it sounds like. I know your thinking weird 60s and 70s Avengers type insanity but this is really much more callous than that. ROUTE 27 Written by: Terry Nation Directed by: Don Leaver Guest Stars: Micheal Coles, Jeremy Wilkin A load of drugs are hidden and Harry is the only one alive who knows where it is. He plots to trap the drug dealers when they come looking for him... Oh well. So much for grand show finale. None the less it's not at all bad. A decent ending to a fantastic, but under rated show!