1.04 - Nightmare

Post by **Allard** » Tue Oct 16, 2018 7:54 pm

LOST EPISODE - episode summary from The Avengers Dissolute website:

When Professor Braintree disappears, his wife calls her Doctor for advice. Whilst giving Faith some counselling, an attempt is made on Keel's life - somebody thinks he is the Professor! Steed's plan to use Keel as bait brings the Doctor close to death on an operating-table, before the killer is unmasked and the Professor, unaware of all the fuss, returns home after suffering from temporary amnesia.

Post by **dissolute** » Thu Jan 28, 2021 8:29 pm

I've updated my page for this episode for the 60th anniversary after doing more research:

https://www.dissolute.com.au/the-avenge ... tmare.html

NIGHTMARE
BY TERENCE FEELY
Production completed: 28 January 1961. First transmission: 28 January 1961

This episode summary is written from the published synopses and other previously published material as this episode is now lost. The final filmed production may have been different.

Professor Braintree's assistant, Williams (Gordon Boyd), finds the Professor's laboratory empty with an experiment half-finished. A short time later, Carol takes a call from Faith (Helen Lindsay), the professor's wife, wanting to know if he's at the doctor's surgery. She arrive later to discuss her concerns with Dr Keel, who prescribes her a sedative to calm her nerves (I'm surprised he didn't give her a cigarette!). As he is doing so, Commander Reece (Michael Logan) arrives, claiming to be from MI5 and mistakes Dr Keel for the missing professor, wanting to take him into protective custody. When Keel tries to explain he's not the professor, Reece tries to force Keel into his car but Steed arrives and Reece beats a hasty retreat. They give chase but he eludes them after a chase through seedy London back streets.

Steed realises Keel has been injured in the pursuit and takes him to a hospital for treatment by Dr Brown (Robert Bruce). While they wait, Steed convinces Keel to pretend to be the professor so they can apprehend the kidnappers. Keel agrees and goes to the laboratory where, sure enough, another attempt is made by Reece and another man. Unfortunately, Williams gives away that Keel is not the professor and the kidnappers panic and shoot Dr Keel as they escape.

Keel is rushed to hospital again, requiring surgery for the gunshot wound. The anaesthetist, Dr Jones (Redmond Bailey), is the other man who tried to abduct him and plans to kill him while he's being operated on. Carol realises who the anaesthetist is, but is tied up by Reece before she can warn Steed. Steed manages to intervene when he realises something is going wrong with Keel's oxygen levels during the operation. Jones then grabs a scalpel from Dr Miller (Robert Sansom), intending to finish the job, but is thwarted in the attempt and Reece is also rounded up as Carol is freed.

Keel is back at his surgery, recounting the nightmare of a mission when the Braintrees arrive, the professor recovered from the bout of amnesia brought on from overwork. They all share a drink in celebration of a good outcome for all involved.

Frankymole · Post by **Frankymole** » Fri Jan 29, 2021 1:07 pm

dissolute wrote:I've updated my page for this episode for the 60th anniversary after doing more research:

https://www.dissolute.com.au/the-avenge ... tmare.html

I've always wondered what the crooks were up to in the first place, and why they were after the professor. Were they forcing him to make drugs for them to sell? Thus they might panic when he seemed to "do a runner".

Post by **dissolute** » Sat Jan 30, 2021 2:12 am

Yes, it's not very clear. Alan had suggested he was working on medical advances which they wanted to steal, but that's only because one of the kidnappers is an anaesthetist so it's a pretty long bow to pull.

Frankymole · Post by **Frankymole** » Sat Mar 20, 2021 7:12 pm

A problem seems to have developed (no pun intended) with most of the pictures no longer appearing on the web page:

Post by **dissolute** » Sun Mar 21, 2021 10:35 pm

Ah, that would be me forgetting to upload the two new pictures. Thanks!

Frankymole · Post by **Frankymole** » Sun Mar 21, 2021 11:18 pm

dissolute wrote:Ah, that would be me forgetting to upload the two new pictures. Thanks!

No problem, proves I'm reading it

I like how Keel is hanging from a wall, with a nice easy-to-use ladder only a few feet to his left!!! What a mistake to make

Post by **dissolute** » Sun Mar 21, 2021 11:37 pm

Frankymole wrote:
dissolute wrote:Ah, that would be me forgetting to upload the two new pictures. Thanks!
No problem, proves I'm reading it I like how Keel is hanging from a wall, with a nice easy-to-use ladder only a few feet to his left!!! What a mistake to make

I was reading through "Blind in One Ear" and Patrick has an anecdote about "chasing a fake MI5 man through Soho, climbing over walls and rooftops and down alleyways" (or something like that). This is the only episode with a fake MI5 man, and Dr Keel was injured in the chase so I chose a shot where he's obviously slipped after climbing up the wall to illustrate that. They could conceivably have climbed the ladder (there are in fact a couple of publicity stills where they are doing so) and them he slipped as they walked along the top.

Frankymole · Post by **Frankymole** » Sun Jun 13, 2021 2:10 am

The Big Finish audio is excellently written. Using a dangerous psychotropic drug as the centre of the research project explains the episode title and gives some highly effective scenes of threat, especially to Keel who really gets put through the wringer in this one (definitely feels like a Terence Feely episode) - it also removes the rather daft conceit that Professor Braintree went AWOL due to "amnesia brought on by overwork". Altogether the best interpretation I've come across, and which ties the tangled threads into a satisfying whole.

GeorgeD · Post by **GeorgeD** » Mon Jul 04, 2022 1:08 am

I think i figured out my question. So deleted
With bf scripts would be helpful to know whose speaking