They seek him there,
Those Frenchies seek him everywhere....
I'd been aware of the existence of the 1950s TV series of The Scarlet Pimpernel for some time, but I'd never got round to watching it before.
Well, I've now seen the first episode, and it is a delight!
I'd been a bit worried it would be very mannered and stage-y, but the cramped sets actually make the sword fighting more believable, and the acting is first rate all round.
Marius Goring makes an excellent Pimpernel, and it was a bonus to discover that Robert Shaw is playing his friend and lieutenant Sir Anthony in the first episode. He was great fun in The Buccaneers as a pirate captain trying to live a more honest life. Even better, the Prince of Wales is played by my favourite Friar Tuck, Alexander Gauge!
Patrick Troughton turns up in the second episode, as another of the Scarlet Pimpernel's friends, Sir Andrew Ffoulkes.
At the end of the first episode, Sir Percy kisses the girl he's rescued. Since he worshipped the ground his wife Marguerite walked on in the books, I don't think he would have done that if she'd been around for the TV series, so I can only conclude that Sir Percy is single for the moment.
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