A recently unearthed clip from a 1980s TV series shows an unlikely meeting between a Hollywood star and a local extra who would go on to become one of Malta's most successful politicians.

In the clip shot in Malta from an episode of Remington Steele – a TV series starring Stephanie Zimbalist and Pierce Brosnan – the celebrated actor who would go on to play the role of James Bond is seen stealing a karozzin from a pair of newlyweds.  

The bride is none other than Helena Dalli – at the time, a model and actress who represented Malta in the Miss World Contest in London – before obtaining a doctorate and embarking on a successful political career which would lead her to her current role as as European Commissioner for Equality.

The episode, which is shot on the island and titled ‘Maltese Steele’, is listed on IMDb as being aired on 16 October 1984. “Laura and Remington search the exotic Mediterranean isle of Malta for a missing corpse and stumble upon an ancient cross, which hides a dangerous secret,” the synopsis teases. 

The clip goes on to show the pair tearing through the streets of Malta, ditching the karozzin for a motorcycle and interrupting a traditional game of bowls before causing a disturbance at a fish market and clattering down the famed stepped streets of Valletta.