My ‘Professional’ Crush

I have a vague recollection of watching the iconic British TV show ‘The Professionals’ growing up as a child in the 80s.  But being a hardcore ‘girly’ girl I was pretty dismissive and uninterested in the various car chases, forward lunges and fist fights of its leading characters.  My Brother however, adored it and I remember that with much more clarity.

It wasn’t until I decided to venture home from work one day during my lunch break that my eyes were well and truly opened to the visual appeal, cheeky-chappy charm and downright irresistible pout of the one and only Bodie aka Lewis Collins.

I randomly tuned into ITV4 (a digital channel in the UK), where they continually show reruns of pre-historic ‘golden oldie’ British TV shows.  The Professionals was one of them.  Instead of opting for a crumby chat show, I decided to give The Professionals an opportunity to impress me, while I munched on my uninspiring ham sandwich.

And to my surprise, it did.

I was glued to it.

The cheesy one-liners, the schoolboy humour and the onscreen chemistry between the two leading characters (Bodie and Doyle), had me hooked.  Ok, I’ll admit that Lewis Collins was a huge contributor to my new appreciation of The Professionals.  And the storylines were so compelling, yes, utterly compelling…

I’m lying, I wouldn’t be able to relay any of the storylines.

However, I can remember Bodie’s (questionable) chivalrous manner and his comedic interactions with Doyle.  But don’t be swayed by my opinion, check out a few snippets of this iconic British show for yourself!

Let’s talk a little more about this captivating chap, shall we?  His character was portrayed as a ‘man’s man’, a bit of a lad, who liked to woo the ladies.  He was also a bit gruff and more than willing to get his hands dirty in the name of justice.  If I met someone like him in reality, he wouldn’t stand a chance but this was Lewis Collins. 

And he was HOT.

I was so captivated by this luscious specimen of a man that I even dedicated my Facebook Cover Page to him for a while.  In a very sophisticated and subtle manner, of course.

C’mon now, how many men do you know can pull off brooding masculinity in a Polo Neck?
Don’t even get me started on his pout.

Actually he was a man of many talents.

How had I spent most of my life in complete and utter ignorance of this man??  I had to Google ‘The Professionals’ because I didn’t even know this actor’s name.  There was only one thing for it: I had to buy the box set.  It cost me £60, which kinda stuck in my throat for 8 seconds but I got over it.  Intriguingly, I also find that the opposite sex are usually quite impressed when I mention that I have The Professionals box set, ya know?

I letched over, I mean watched every episode in a week.

So it was extremely saddening to learn today that Lewis Collins passed away yesterday in Los Angeles at the age of 67.  And even though he was out of the spotlight for quite some time, I received a number of texts from friends who were also saddened by this news.

His portrayal of Bodie in The Professionals is historic, boys growing up in the 70s and 80s wanted to be him and during this time he awoke the loins of trillions of female fans on a global scale and last year his antics on The Professionals roused my attention.  He may have been a 1970s and 80s stud but an intriguing onscreen presence, overtly masculine sex appeal and good old fashioned charm will never date.