Paul, Harry and The Contessa
The Protectors is a British Action Series produced by Gerry Anderson for ITC Entertainment and aired on ITV for 1972-74 in two series of 26 episodes each. It was one of the last popular action/adventure series to be produced in the Dramatic Half-Hour format.The Protectors are a pan-European group of empowered private detectives taking commissions from anyone from regular joes to governments in matters involving protection, spy work and the subduing of particularly dangerous or troublesome individuals. Their main operatives are the dashing Harry Rule (Robert Vaughn), the charming and multi-talented Caroline aka the Contessa di Contini (Nyree Dawn Porter) and the ever-reliable Paul Buchet (Tony Anholt). What exactly motivated The Protectors, how their organization works or how they reached their evidently upper-class lifestyle was scarcely elaborated-upon as episodes focused on straightforward tales of action and suspense.
Not to be confused with the 1971 martial arts movie. The distribution rights are now the property of FilmRise and the series is streaming in North America on Tubi and Prime Video.
The Protectors contain examples of
- And Starring: Guest performers were usually billed as "Guest Artists", a notable aversion on "A Pocketful of Posies" - Eartha Kitt played a singing star being subjected to Gaslighting by her husband and by her best friend. - Kitt is the only person the series to receive "Guest Star" credit.
- Similarly, On "Sugar And Spice", Debbie Russ gets "With" credit as Vicky (the little girl under their care).
- The Bad Guys Win: "The Last Frontier" where the Protectors have to, well, protect a brilliant Russian scientist who wishes to defect in order to marry her British politician boyfriend. the politician had give the British government access to the scientist's brilliant work... although she had no intention of working for any government after her marriage. the scientist decides to return to Russia... she's murdered at the airport. Whether the pursuing Russian agents or the Smug Snake British Military Intelligence officer's agents (to ensure neither side could take advantage of her brains) killed her is never revealed.
- Breather Episode: Some episodes fell into this category like "King Con" (a comedic low-stake story about scamming an art scammer) "Sugar And Spice" (with the team having to protect a little girl* without her knowledge) and the all-out comedy episode "It Could Be Practically Anywhere On The Island" (with Harry (the Contessa and Paul are notably absent from this episode.) on Malta getting mixed up with an Arkansas millionairess* and her dog. And microfilm with spies are after. It all verges on panto.
- Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: The Contessa's chauffeur/bodyguard Chino and Harry's live-in assistant Suki vanished without explanation during series 2. Maybe Suki was going through astronaut training.
- Dead All Along: In "Ceremony of the Dead", the wife of the dictator of a Banana Republic hires the Protectors to provide additional protection while he is transported for medical care. It is eventually revealed that the man was dead before she made the call, and that the whole thing was setup to delay the news of his death long enough for her to secure her hold on the succession.
- Driven to Suicide: Jim Palmer at the end of "It Was All Over In Leipzig", one of the more Contessa-centric episodes. an old flame (and fellow Protector) Jim Palmer turns out to be the Big Bad and can't convince her to give him another chance, he shoots himself in front of her.
- Gold Digger: In "King Con", the Contessa enlists the help of the other Protectors to get back at a serial scammer who seduces desperate widows to steal their priceless antiques.
- How We Got Here: "Talkdown" begins with a kidnapped Harry being left in a pilot-less plane by the episode's Big Bad (said pilot), with a lot of the episode explaining how he got wound up in this predicament.
- Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane: In "Burning Bush", a Canadian tycoon hires the team to get her heiress daughter Anne out of the hands of a religious cult - especially they have a habit of having recruits leave all their worldly goods to the cult. The leader is a true believer. But one disciple (Mark - played by Ken Hutchison, some viewers will know as The Dragon from Ladyhawke) is happy to take their money and kill Anne along with Harry (whose gone undercover as a homeless drunk seeking salvation. But in the climax, a mighty rushing wind mysteriously bursts through into the room and somehow, Mark has shot himself dead.
- Nazi Grandpa: In the "Quick Brown Fox", the Protectors are hired to investigate the dealings of a wealthy retired Nazi who funds the activities of other Nazis throughout the globe with a Swiss Bank Account.
- Voice Changeling: In "Vocal", Paul is blinded and captured by a gang who need intel from him. They get a man perfectly capable of imitating Harry's voice to coax the information.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: In "The First Circle" USAF Col. John Hunter still haunted by his experiences in the Vietnam War (which was still in progress when the episode first aired). Things come to a head at an unused airbase - neither Harry nor the police can prevent one of the series' most Downer Endings.
- Stock Footage: In the opening sequence, the shot of a bridge being blown up is taken from the 1957 movie Campbell's Kingdom, and the one of a helicopter lunging at a truck is from the climax of From Russia with Love.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: In ""Balance of Terror", a rogue Soviet scientist believes that the world powers will only wake up to the dangers of biological warfare when a tragedy happens just as the world only woke up to the danger of nuclear warfare after the nuke dropped on Hiroshima, and intends to make his point by activating a highly deadly virus in the middle of London.
- Written-In Absence: Brian Clemens' script for "Vocal" was specifically structured to minimise Harry Rule's direct involvement so Robert Vaughn could set up to direct "It Could Be Practically Anywhere On The Island". Harry's working elsewhere with only his voice heard (until the tag at the end).