The Protectors? Don't remember that one. As naff as The Champions? though it did have the fragrant Alexandra Bastedo to look at. Later, around 1977 there was The Professionals of course, another bunch of complete bastedos best forgotten.
Far, far worse than The Champions, Merc. And for all the wrong reasons.
AB was to be Marty Hopkirk's wife in Randall & Hopkirk before being seconded to The Champions - in fact she appears in one episode of R&H.
As you say, the next wave of British Action TV was The Professionals, Sweeney etc, but that magical wackiness element had gone. Suppose that's what happens when you start using Brentford for your location shots, notice the number of times the same tower blocks from The Haverfield Estate crop up....mind you, I did live about 5 minutes away at the time...cor blimey guvnor it's nice little tickle but a perishing liberty, I'll be bound etc etc. And even the lure of Stan Bowles, who we used to enjoy watching stumbling from pub to bookies and back, couldn't get me to take an interest in QPR.
Mmmm, threadliness. How's the pups, Molly?