Episode 71: Cathy Gale Era
Page 71 of 192
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A.K.A.
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Other Viewpoints |
El Extorsionador"
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Production completed: 20 December 1963
UK Premiere (London, Season 3): 18 January 1964
US Premiere (A&E cable): ca. 26 March 1991
When five of six agents all
working in the same area are lost in short order, Steed is called in to find out how. He tracks
down the sixth, who promptly turns Steed in as the killer of the other five. Steed is found
guilty and sent for interrogation. But Cathy has more faith in Steed than his superiors, and she
discovers that they are guilty of gross negligence in the management of their own interrogation
facility.
IMHO |
A sharp script enhances a solid premise with some gripping drama. Add to this Cathy's startling feelings for Steed, which are genuinely touching, and the fact that she rescues him from the clutches of death for a change! Terence Lodge delivers another exceptional performance—this one so creepy as to be unsettling. A few very minor technical issues are easily forgiven considering some otherwise decent effects: Steed's cell door isn't very cooperative at one point, and the air duct through which they escape is awfully wobbly.
Trivia |
Barry Letts, who played Oliver, was an actor who took the BBC Director's course in 1965 and started directing serial format shows. In 1969, when the current producer (who got his job because his successor had to be reassigned to help a failing show) decided to leave, Letts became the producer of Doctor Who, and ran the show for the next five and a half years. These days, he's the head of the Classic Serials department at the BBC. Not bad, eh? (contributed by Mark H. Stevens) Barry also appeared in the Police Surgeon episode, "Man Overboard."
Some scenes were pre-recorded on 19 December 1963 in advance of the main recording.
Essential Reading |
- Mrs. Peel... We're Needed by Piers Johnson