Who remembers The Professionals? I for one was hooked on this as a teenager, despite it being, as Martin Shaw described it, a one-dimensional show.
It was a major inspiration for the amateur action video series “STRIKE” which I helped on in high school.
It’s amusing to look back on the original Professionals title sequence now — perhaps the frame rate or other artefacts in Youtube make it look particularly cartoon-like, but it’s not hard to see why they changed it:
From season two it was re-done to this more well-known (and I think markedly better) title sequence — and I suspect re-edited into most season one episodes as well:
The music is very 70s, isn’t it. Now I have it as an earworm.
For Profesionals fans, check this different version, which include Gordon Jackson/George Cowley introducing the premise of the show… perhaps this was the export version, a bit like non-UK versions of recent Doctor Who episodes have included an introduction from Amy.
Pre-Professionals, there’s also this scene from the New Avengers, which featured Martin Shaw and Lewis Collins working together before they appeared as Bodie and Doyle.
8 replies on “Current earworm: The Professionals theme”
Yeah, very 1970s! I guess our kids will be looking back on the ’90s and 2000s and laughing at TV/culture as of then.
I’m (just) old enough to remember the original Avengers from the 1960s – the best series was with (now Dame) Diana Rigg.
As I watch the UK broadcast versions of Doctor Who I’ve only just heard the Amy Pond introductions when the kids were watching episodes on ABC2. I had to go back and check the episodes to make sure I hadn’t heard them before.
I don’t recall ever seeing either of those shows, I must not have been paying enough attention.
Love “The Professionals”, still watch it every six months or so. Doyle and Bodie make contemporary police show characters look like a bunch of pussies. The stories really mirrored real life at the time – e.g. the left-wing terrorists, Cold War shenanigans, race relations, police corruption, Middle East issues, and thrashing the hell out of Ford Capris.
I prefer the older one with the heeling over Rolls.
Never seen or heard of the show but I actually prefer the first title sequence. It’s got somewhat of a narrative to it whereas the second one just appears to be random shots stitched together.
Ha! I remember watching it with my Dad; one of the few non-sports-related TV shows he watched. I think that most of the attraction for me was being able to stay up later than usual.
Yeah, used to watch it back then too. along with http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN9XzC6ChuE – there’s another earworm for you…