Series 3 — Episode 4
The Nutshell

Production Schedule

Episode 3 (crossed out, should be 55)
Production Number : 3602
VTR/ABC/2675
Teddington Studio 1

Thursday 9th May 1963

Friday 10th May 1963

Running time

Expected: 51′25″
Actual running time with bumpers: 51′30″

The bumpers between the acts are generally 10 seconds from fade in to the “End of Act” bumper to the end of audio before the commercial, a 10 second still without audio, then cut to the next act bumper. This would play with the theme for around 10 seconds. Accordingly, with the episodes being in 3 acts, the running time of the action is approximately a minute less than listed above, minus the opening credits (normally 0′16″ with a 2″ fade) and closing credits (anywhere from 0′41″ to 1′20″, hard cut or 1″ fade or mix).

Equipment

Transmission

This episode was broadcast in Italy on 5^th November 1965 (9:15pm, RAI 2) under the title of “Segretissimo”. It was one of a limited run of ten episodes from series 2 and 3 that were broadcast on RAI intermittently throughout 1965 and 1966 under the title “Agente speciale”.

TV Times listing

Murders

Click a name to see the face

Continuity and trivia

Time codes here include the Studio Canal logo from the remastered 2010 set, which runs for 18 seconds.

1. 4:14 — Steed’s telephone identification codes are 08238 and 64035.
2. 5:00 — Steed is surprised when Cathy knows she’s to take him to Phoenix Square and angered that she knew the call was coming but said nothing.
   "The boot’s on the other foot", Cathy quips.
   When they get to the centre, she has a security pass although the guard notes, “that’s the one, Mrs. Gale”, suggesting she has several.
3. 6:15 — Steed’s pass is number 110262.
4. 7:43 — The Nutshell - THErmo-NUclear Target zone SHELter.
5. 8:04 — the lift goes down underground, but the numbers on the indicator go up. Steed also mentions the 43rd floor for the civil servants (which is where they get out), but the indicator only goes to 13.
6. 8:25 — Steed is unfamiliar wht The Nutshell - they are on level 43 — he normally gets off at the 18th floor.
7. 9:14 — Disco (Director of Intelligence, Security & Combined Operations) is waiting to give a personal briefing.
8. 11:04 — Disco explains that “Big Ben” is Bi-lateral Infiltration Great Britian Europe & North America - a list of all known double agents on both sides of the Cold War.
9. 11:06 — The shadow of the boom mike can be seen moving across Steed’s face when Disco is telling him and Cathy about Big Ben.
10. 15:44 — Edina Ronay (Elin) stumbles over her line.
11. 17:39 — the focus puller runs the camera into the chairs in front of Elin and there’s an audible clunk to go with the shake of the camera.
12. 17:39 — Steed wishes Elin good luck then the camera crashes into something, wobbles, and then a thump is heard before Elin can reply.
13. 18:44 — Sylvia Sims has a cameo as the still image Susan brings up which searching the archives.
14. 20:15 — Steed accidentally breaks the microscope as he tries to raise the lens.
15. 20:53/29:11 — there’s a smudge on the camera lens at the top of the picture (Cathy CU/Venner CU)
16. 21:30 — Steed claims to be calling from Special Branch - much to Cathy’s astonishment - and tells Laura that the girl is Elin Strinberg, a Swedish cabaret artist who lives at Marquesite St, off Tottenham Court Road (top floor, number 5). Laura tells this to Venner and adds the postcode W1. Needless to say, there is no such street.
17. 21:47 — Patricia Haines (Laura) trips over her line and laughs as she finishes it.
18. 24:38 — Elin was killed by a bullet from a .38 Richardson CAR revolver - standard security services issue - fired from about 7 feet. The bullet chipped the sternum and entered the right ventricle, exiting between the 4th and 5th ribs. She would have been unconscious immediately and died several minutes later.
19. 26:24 — when Steed grabs the headphones for his short-wave radio, he pulls the whole thing over and hastily ad libs:

    STEED: Ooh! I think she’s alright, let’s check, hold on.

20. 28:00 — Disco dictates a memo: “To Zones 12, 19, 18, 60. Secret Supremist, Priority Zenith. 1836 204605 82.” He asks Laura to dispatch it to Command Centre, operation codeword “Bismarck”.
21. 31:17/31:42 — Jason is listed in Big Ben as record number 235/RG - Jean Pierre Avon, known as Jason. Aged 48 years & 2 months, born Berlin.
22. 31:39 — Venner mentions that Steed has a prison record.
23. 36:18 — Steed asks for the Pouilly Fuissé with roast chicken and new potatoes - and all the vegetables. When he receives it, Venner demands he tell them all he knows and takes it away again.
24. 38:10 — above Steed’s fireplace is a large portrait of Steed in Late Victorian attire. Alex reads the plaque out - R.K.J. de V. Steed, presented by the Bagnell & Wintle Hunt, 1892.
25. 41:33 — a spot on the top left of the camera lens.
26. 42:05 — Steed tells Venner he doesn’t smoke, but he does in episodes before and after this one!
27. 44:17 — two smudges near the centre of the camera lens.
28. 46:04 — Venner organises for there to be a temporary outage of The Nutshell’s security system so he can offer to buy the microfilm from Steed, but the static interference is heard a few seconds before it appears on the screens in Disco’s office. He offers Steed £30,000 but accepts Steed’s counter-offer of £50,000.
29. 46:50 — a black spot stays at the top of the picture for most of the scene of Alex search Steed’s flat.
30. 46:59 — Alex leaves Steed’s living room to search his grandfather clock after being told where to look, but you can see the shadow of someone in what ought to be an empty living room.