Private investigator Adam Knight (John Turner) advertised his services in the newspaper in a highly theatrical way: “Knight Errant ’59. Quests undertaken, dragons defeated, damsels rescued. Anything, anywhere, for anyone, so long as it helps. Fees according to means.”
Styling himself ‘a 20th Century Sir Lancelot’, Knight established the Knight Errant agency as a consultancy dedicated to helping anyone with any problem.
Knight was assisted by Liz Parrish (Kay Callard), a former columnist for the Daily Clarion, and by Peter Parker (Richard Carpenter) – not Spiderman, but an idealistic young novelist who worked as Knight’s leg-man and researcher in order to get experiences he could use in his novels.
A later addition to the team was Adam’s new business consultant, Toby Hollister (William Fox), a spirits tycoon.
The series (which premiered in 1959) was originally titled Knight Errant ’59 and after the first year, John Turner left the series. It was explained that Adam Knight had gone to Canada to run his uncle’s farm.
The Knight Errant agency continued without him in a second series re-titled Knight Errant Limited.
The agency was now headed by Stephen Drummond (Hugh David), an ex-publisher who was more interested in people than in books.
At this point, the agency took on several staffers who were obviously ‘characters’, including Drummond’s secretary Frances Graham (Wendy Williams), new assistant Greg Wilson (Stephen Cartwright) and retired army man Colonel Cope-Addams (Alan Webb). The overall quality of the series suffered as a result of the changes.
The show was distinguished by off-beat plots and unusual characters with quirky motivations – very similar in flavour and spirit to The Avengers, which is hardly surprising as two of Knight Errant‘s principal scriptwriters (Philip Levene and Roger Marshall) later contributed scripts to The Avengers.
Honor Blackman, who starred as the leather-clad Cathy Gale in The Avengers, got some early experience as a guest star on Knight Errant.
Adam Knight
John Turner
Liz Parrish
Kay Callard
Peter Parker
Richard Carpenter Toby Hollister William Fox
Stephen Drummond
Hugh David
Frances Graham Wendy Williams Gregory Wilson
Stephen Cartwright Colonel Cope-Addams
Alan Webb
A later addition to the team was Adam’s new business consultant, Toby Hollister (William Fox), a spirits tycoon.
Honor Blackman, who starred as the leather-clad Cathy Gale in The Avengers, got some early experience as a guest star on Knight Errant.
