How much does a deeply cherished childhood memory affect the choices we make? For Marcus, his father and the Saint affect his decisions in fashion, interior design, cars, how he feels about himself, the meaning of “cool” and his life philosophy. It was the beginning of autumn in 1978 when Marcus sat down in front of the family television set to watch the first episode of Return of the Saint. He was just six years old and as soon as he saw the white stick figure with theabsurd halo rakishly tilted above his head disarming a bad guy while an exciting theme tune played, he was bloody well hooked for life.
(Throat tightens a bit. Haven’t we all been here?)
While Marcus later came to appreciate Roger Moore’s take on the role, the Saint will always be to him … Ian Ogilvy.
A grey suede jacket was worn by the green-eyed, 6-foot-tall Ian Ogilvy in a number of episodes of the Return of The Saint. When Marcus first saw Simon Templar wearing this jacket he decided that is how he wanted to look when he grew up. He looked so much cooler than 007 and even than the Man from UNCLE, all in their suits and ties.
In Marcus’s boy mind, he did not see Simon Templar as a spy. Nor was he a secret agent. He did not take missions from a boss, he had no license to kill, and he did not even carry a gun. He did not go looking for trouble, but whenever he saw it, he welcomed it, and he would never look away. He chose to help people if he felt they were worth helping and would otherwise be helpless. He was not afraid to look figures of authority in the eye and say what he felt needed to be said.
In the books written by Leslie Chateris, he was referred to as ‘Simple Simon’ more than once. The Saint was indeed simple — but “simple” does not mean stupid. Simon Templar was uncomplicated. The world was black and white to him — you were either right or wrong; the law was an irrelevance and sometimes it only stood in the way of the “ungodly” receiving the punishment they deserved. He was a crusader — a knight without a king.
“What aspect of his character was there not to admire?” Marcus asks.
His beloved Father sat Marcus in front of the televison for the first episode all those years ago saying, “I think you’ll like this. James Bond used to play him.”
The two of them watched The Return of the Saint every week together until the show finished. Marcus did not get see it again until it was released on DVD — sadly. Marcus’s Father was no longer with Marcus to watch together.
Marcus was impacted with the ultimate image of “cool” as a child, and that image, was definitely influenced by the Saint. This, even to this day April 5, 20178, has a strong effect on the choices he makes in interior design, clothing and hairstyle — often on a subconscious level! Even the car, such as a Volvo or a Jaguar, he may drive has been Simon Templar’s choice in one incarnation.
Marcus discovered the Leslie Chateris novels in recent years, and while he finds it impossible to paint the Ian Ogilvy’s Saint he knows into his mind while reading them, they are a fantastic read, he says. His advice is to just be prepared to appreciate the books for what they are and treat them as you would a novel by Agatha Christie set in the 1930s or 40s.
There is a story begging to be told and heard behind every Suzahdi leather jacket or vest purchase, each handcrafted and tailored to the storyteller’s size and wishes. The story of Marcus Templar … his last name became “Templar” sometime in his adult life...