Berman and Baker obtained the TV and film rights to The Saint, this was to become another huge success in their careers. They soon were able to became independent producers, thanks to the enormous success of their previous work.

The next step for Berman was The Champions, taking on the producer role by himself.

"I believe in giving people want they want," he says. This philosophy has seen him become one of the most successful British producers in the industry. *

Born in Tottenham, England, in 1932, Dennis Spooner has been one of the best, and most successful, scriptwriters in the British TV industry. After leaving school at the age of 13, Spooner worked in a variety of jobs, from being a postman, clerk, window-cleaner, factory worker and a importer-exporter. He was drafted into the Royal Air Force, it was during this period when he found his calling in life. While stationed in Egypt, he was involved in radio programmes, meeting many entertainers and after completing his national service, went into theatre as a comedian. Though he wasn't successful as a comedian, he found he was quite competent in writing his material. Eventually he realised that writing, rather than performing, was where his future looked most promising.

He soon came into the TV industry, writing drama, rather than comedy. He wrote episodes for The Avengers, No Hiding Place, Coronation Street and other series. He met Gerry Anderson, who would teach him more about scriptwriting than any other person did before. Spooner wrote episodes of Fireball XL-5, Stingray and the Thunderbirds. He also worked on Dr. Who, becoming a script editor on the series for a year. Spooner, in collaboration with Richard Harris, devised the Man in a Suitcase series together.

ITC offered him a contract to write ten scripts a year, and wrote many episodes of The Baron, before creating The Champions with Monty Berman. *

The following is a very special contribution by none other than Dennis Spooner's sister, Anne Frost:

Dennis was born on 1 December 1932 in Tottenham, North London, the eldest child of three he had two sisters. Primary education and secondary modern senior school. He left school at 14 and became a telegram boy for the Post Office. Worked in offices and even played professional football for Leyton Orient for a while. Was also a boy scout and got the taste for show business always being included in Ralph Reader's Gang Shows.

1950 bought National Service and he served his with the RAF - and was stationed in Suez during which time he joined their 'concert party'. After National Service he went back to office work where he met and married his wife in 1954 and they had three children during the 60's-70's.

Soon after he married he decided he wanted to try a career in show business and met Leslie Garbon. They worked on a double act like Morecambe & Wise and although they got work, they realised it would not be enough for them to succeed in this field; they did manage to play the London Palladium for a time when there was a variety show being staged there.

Dennis wondered if his talent lay in writing rather than performing and wrote a half hour script for Harry Worth who sent him £5 for it. Harry screened Dennis' comedy - which went down very well - and he wrote and asked Dennis for more which is how he got started.

He then wrote and submitted other episodes for programmes (ie: one for Coronation Street in the 60's)...which were always accepted... and attending the show business functions he was invited to, met future contacts who approached him for contributions. Behind the scenes he was beginning to become known.

Between the 60's - 80's he has written episodes for Bergerac, The Professionals, Dr Who, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet, Stingray, The Avengers and countless others, as well as having ideas of his own which his how all his series Randall & Hopkirk, Man in a Suitcase, The Champions, Department S and Jason King etc..came about. Along the way he made great friends with Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and Brian Clemens who in later years he worked with almost totally.

On various series he was asked to be script editor and had an office at Elstree Studios. During this time he learnt how to play bridge and used to enter tournaments - one day having no-one to partner him and finding one other who needed a partner ended up playing more than one competition with Omar Sharif; and then went on to write one or two books about Bridge also.

Producers in America heard and saw his talents via The Avengers and in the early 80's he was invited three to four times per year for appromately six weeks to the USA to work on Dempsey & Makepeace scripts.....often staying with Patrick McNee who he'd made friends with during filming of his The Avenger scripts.

As if this wasn't enough he also used to play occasional football for the Showbix XI when asked. His most successful play was The Sting in the Tail..which is still being shown at times world-wide including the USA.

Dennis still loved theatre work and his last performance was with Watford Rep Company as President Roosevelt in their production of Annie.

I always remember Dennis telling me that one of the nicest people he ever met was William Conrad who used to be "Cannon", a real gentleman was how Dennis described him.

Dennis died suddenly..'dropped dead'. you might say... of a heart attack on Saturday evening 20 September 1986...11 months after his mother. He was aged 53. He was a very kind, quiet, generous man - liked his own company - but always had an air of comedy, he could always find something amusing in every situation. His work never affected him - he always remembered his background and roots....and it is true what Brian Clemens said of him..that he was as happy talking to a dustman as a Duke........

A couple of years ago I was out and just happened to pass by a couple of chaps having a chat ... one was singing Dennis' virtues, and I guess I thought that was a one off.. so how wrong I've been proved.

Dennis' used to lecture sometimes at the Screen Writers' Guild; and he'd use everyday occurrences funny or sad to give him inspirations. I remember once many arguments leading up to a wedding in the family - Dennis must have thought this very amusing as he created an episode of Bergerac around this topic. He used to use family and neighbours' names also a lot...so we've all had a mention, and anything we ever 'got up to' has been screened one way or another...!!

Randall and Hopkirk and The Champions were created as a result of mine and our mother's many conversations about the after-life and ESP, so as I say there was always something 'related' to a lot of his work.