Remington Steele, unlike other private investigators, actually didn't exist at the outset of the TV series. Let me explain. The star of the program was Laura Holt played by Stephanie Zimbalist. Laura had studied to become a private investigator, did an apprenticeship then started her own PI business. Unfortunately she had no clients whatever and concluded that this was because no-one believed that a female private eye could cut it.

Enter Remington Steele. Laura invented him and made him her boss. All of a sudden, the agency had more cases than they knew what to do with. If that seems a rather odd way to carry on, there's a further twist.

A man turns up claiming to be Remington Steele. Of course he isn't but he won't reveal his own identity and he won't leave. Laura rather likes him, however, and he's very charming and, played by Pierce Brosnan, very good looking.

Steele joined the agency, which consists of Laura, Murphy Michaels (another investigator played by James Read) and their secretary, Bernice (Janet DeMay). He took the credit for being the "boss" while Laura did most of the work. She also attempted to find out who he really was but it appeared that although he didn't have a name, he did have a past which was revealed piece by piece. Inevitably there was an attraction between Steele and Laura which culminated in their marriage at what should have been the end of the last season.

In the meantime, an IRS agent, Mildred Krebs (Doris Roberts), who has been trying to prosecute Steele for non-payment of income tax, joins the agency and more of Steele's past surfaces. Previous girlfriends in trouble pop up from time to time together with rumours of Steele's criminal activities.

The wedding should have been the end of the line but NBC decided that they were on to a good thing and insisted on one last season, comprising a couple of feature length programmes and a two part climax in which a deep secret from Steele's past surfaces, together with the inheritance of an Irish castle.

This was a fun series with enough of a taste of mystery and romance to make it popular, although the final "series" wasn't up to the standard of the rest.