An instant hit in 1977, The Professionals was a fast-moving and occasionally sharp-shooting action series about a couple of cool dudes in a fictional secret service organisation, CI5. The creation of Avengers veterans Brian Clemens and Albert Fennell it was often gritty stuff, leavened by the mildly subversive attitudes of Bodie (Lewis Collins) and Doyle (Martin Shaw) who ultimately are always loyal to their gruff boss George Cowley (Gordon Jackson). Helped by witty, if rampantly sexist, dialogue and trousers of sterility defying tightness, Bodie and Doyle enjoyed a good run as 1970s sex symbols. Jackson’s often exasperated Cowley kept them in line with just the right degree of Puritanical steel.

The first series set the standard for five successful years, milking the dramatic potential of a rich gamut of scenarios, from international espionage to racism and religious evangelism; Bodie and Doyle usually being called upon to protect a controversial figure from the assassin's bullet. Shaw would later dismiss The Professionals for its stereotypical violence and for a long time refused to allow reruns. In fact, as cult television goes, it has weathered well. Many of its themes are as relevant today as they were then. The constantly elliptical script ("I want you to see that he's… well taken care of") is tremendous fun. And despite the macho drive, the whole thing has a camp archness which betrays its Avengers pedigree. Great for a nostalgic wallow.

On the DVD: The Professionals on disc still displays the slightly ropey quality of late 1970s television film complete with brassy soundtrack. Presented in 4:3 format, the original production values disconcertingly recreate the original post-homework viewing experience. But the DVD extras are the thing here. Interactive menus allow you to drill down into the history of each of the 14 episodes, cross-referencing guest stars. And there's an appropriately camp fashion note.--Piers Ford

The second series of The Professionals hit television screens running in 1978, with Martin Shaw and Lewis Collins now wearing their roles--and their trousers--as the fearless CI5 duo, Bodie and Doyle, like second skins. Brian Clemens' creation, based on the notion of a special crime-busting unit, targeting terrorism, espionage and international wrong doing, crackles with humorous one-line exchanges, car chases, shoot-outs and punch-ups, all under the auspices of Gordon Jackson's George Cowley, a man with a tight reign on his team's anarchic tendencies. "Anyone who disobeys will spend the rest of his life watching trawlers in the outer Hebrides," he warns, with no expectation that his star boys will take a blind bit of notice.

The formula works time and again. And it's so unmistakeably British: the irony-laden scripts; action which always seems to be filmed on the dankest of autumn days; locations which run the gamut of every dreary ring road, piece of urban wasteland and derelict warehouse within 30 miles of central London; and the kind of committed performances from a succession of stalwart guest stars which defines the quality of British television drama. Defiantly of its time, The Professionals is mercifully free of self-conscious political correctness and perhaps because of that, and despite the stylised violence at its heart, it retains an innocence and a quirky sense of humour which its modern equivalents--anything starring Ross Kemp or Robson Green--can never hope to match. TV heaven, of a sort.

On the DVD: The Professionals, Series 2 comes in a package that has been lovingly and skilfully compiled to satisfy the most demanding of fans, with all 14 episodes digitally remastered and presented in sharp 4:3 format matched by a clean mono soundtrack. The extras--interactive mission briefs, snatches of Cowley's orders, car and fashion notes and guest star listings--are topped by an interview with creator Brian Clemens and composer Laurie Johnson. Anecdotes abound, covering casting decisions, the television production climate of the late 1970s and the hopelessness of British Leyland. The excellent booklet includes even more, with descriptions of the filming process and the actors' physical training, plus minutiae for the dedicated Professionals anorak. --Piers Ford