MARTIN Shaw wowed us in the ‘70s as one half of detective duo The Professionals and in 2015 he’s still grabbing the ratings as principled cop Inspector George Gently.

His character Ray Doyle and sidekick William Bodie (Lewis Collins) worked largely outside the law in The Professionals. Gently, though, in the modern eponymous series set in the ‘60s, is an old-school detective trying to come to terms with policing when the lines between cops and criminals were quite blurred.

The setting for this is Northumberland and County Durham, with all the colour of that fabulous countryside and characters.

Shaw has long been a popular telly choice. He was also the main character in Judge John Deed, another series often repeated.

Amazingly, he is now 70, still looking good and as charismatic as ever. Shaw could have been dismissed early on as just a pretty face but his enduring acting skills have ensured his worth has always been valued.

I guess, however, he’s still got plenty of female fans out there.