Leslie Charteris's square-jawed, blue-eyed hero loved, fought and stole his way through Europe in the 1930s, endlessly pursuing blondes, baddies and boodle. Adored by women and feared by his foes, he was known as 'The Saint' after the calling card he left at the scenes of his crimes - a sketch of a stick figure with a halo...

In Saint Overboard, a villain plans to steal a shipment of sunken treasure. Simon Templar will go to any lengths to stop him - even under the sea...

The Saint Plays with Fire sees our hero investigating a country house fire - and uncovering a Fascist conspiracy to seize power in France.

These two audio productions were originally broadcast on BBC Radio 4 between 28 August and 11 September 1995. Starring Paul Rhys as Simon Templar and with Patsy Kensit as Loretta (in Saint Overboard) and Fiona Fullerton as Valerie (in The Saint Plays with Fire), these two dramas are full of the charm and verve of the original stories.

The only really questionable acting comes from Kensit - whose range seems to move from poor to average - otherwise these are pretty entertaining stories.

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Nick Smithson