Though there was a recurring supporting cast, the only actor to appear in all 71 episodes was Ian McShane, who played the eponymous role of Lovejoy, a likeable but roguish antiques dealer.
Lovejoy finds himself on the wrong side of a gang of antique burglars and needs to set out into the North Sea to solve the mystery.
This story was adapted by Ian La Frenais from the crime novel Firefly Gadroon by Jonathan Gash, the creator of the Lovejoy character.
Part 1: Lovejoy accompanies Lady Jane on a trip to Scotland to visit a friend who runs a large estate.
Needing to raise money, Jane's friend asks Lovejoy to organise the sale of an antique bureau, but he discovers that it has been replaced with a copy and decides to investigate.