After graduating in 1972, Baigent made extensive travels to different countries, as a freelancer. He did stints as a war-photographer in Laos and as a fashion-photographer in Spain, before arriving at England in 1976. While working at the BBC photographic department and doing night shifts at a soft-drinks factory, he came across Richard Leigh via a TV producer who was producing a series on the Knights Templar. Leigh was to be his frequent co-author across his entire professional life. The two joined Henry Lincoln in unravelling the alleged mystery of Rennes-le-Château in France, the details of which were put forward in "The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail".