• title card: white all caps text reading ‘HOUSE OF CARDS BY BRIAN CLEMENS’ superimposed on Perov crashing through the glass door trying to catch his quarry
  • Jo looks at Steed’s photographs of Cathy, Emma and Tara
  • Low-angle shot of Purdey leaping into the air in her gold silk karate gi
  • Steed and Gambit visit Roland, who is more interested in the roses he has tied together in order to make a new hybrid
  • Perov stands atop a hill among the fields and steadies his pistol with his other hand around the wrist as he takes aim
  • Purdey and Gambit flank Steed who sits on the ground, holding the shield which saved his life

The New Avengers, Series 1 — Episode 2
House of Cards

by Brian Clemens
Directed by Ray Austin

Production details

Produced:May, 1976

Regional broadcasts

BroadcasterDateTime
Thames Television26/10/19768:00pm
ATV Midlands29/10/19768:00pm
Granada Television29/10/19768:00pm
Anglia Television26/10/19768:00pm
Border Television29/10/19768:00pm
Channel Television29/10/19768:00pm
Grampian Television29/10/19768:00pm
Southern Television29/10/19768:00pm
Scottish Television29/10/19768:00pm
Tyne Tees Television29/10/19768:00pm
Ulster Television29/10/19768:00pm
Westward Television29/10/19768:00pm
Harlech Television21/11/19767:50pm
Yorkshire Television29/10/19768:00pm

This episode was shown in the Netherlands before it was broadcast on any ITV region in the UK, see below.

TV Times listing

TV Times listing for October 26 1976, 8pm (London edition)
Sydney Morning Herald listing for February 23 1977, 8.30pm
The Age listing for February 23 1977, 8.30pm

8.0 The New Avengers
By Brian Clemens
Patrick Macnee
Gareth Hunt
Joanna Lumley
in
House of Cards

When suave Steed, aided by pretty Purdey and gallant Gambit, attempt to outwit sinister spy Perov, it sets up a game of cards in which the stakes are life or death.

John Steed Patrick Macnee
Mike Gambit Gareth Hunt
Purdey Joanna Lumley
Perov Peter Jeffrey
Roland Frank Thornton
Cartney Lyndon Brook
The Bishop Derek Francis
Spence Mark Burns
Jo Geraldine Moffatt
Suzy Anne Andre
Olga Ina Skriver
David Murray Brown
Vassil Gordon Sterne
Boris Dan Meaden
Tulliver Jeremy Wilkin
Frederick Anthony Bailey

International broadcasts

ABN2 Sydney, Australia23/02/19778:30pm
ABV2 Melbourne, Australia23/02/19778:30pm
ABC New York, USA20/10/197811:30pm
TF1 France30/12/19768:30pm
Suisse Romande, Switzerland9/11/19768:25pm
French titleLe Château de Cartes
ZDF Germany1/06/19789:45pm
German titleHerzdame
KRO Netherlands7/10/19768:25pm
Dutch titleKaarten des doods
Italy26/05/19788:40pm
Italian titleLa casa di carte
Spain
Spanish title

This episode was shown in the Netherlands on October 7 1976, nineteen days before it was broadcast on any ITV region in the UK. In fact this episode was the worldwide début of The New Avengers, ten days before the UK started. With this and The Midas Touch on October 14 1976, KRO had broadcast two episodes of The New Avengers before any ITV region showed any episodes at all.

Spain chose not to broadcast this episode.

Netherlands: Leeuwarder Courant hoofblad van Friesland listing for the world premiere on October 7 1976, 8.25pm
Switzerland: Journal de Genève listing for November 9 1976, 8.25pm
France: Gazette de Lausanne listing for December 20 1976, 8.30pm
Italy: Stampa Sera episode summary for May 26 1978, 8.40pm
Germany: Hamburg Abendblatt listing for June 1 1978, 9.45pm
USA: Chicago Tribune listing for October 20 1978, 10.30pm
USA: Chicago Tribune highlights for October 20 1978
USA: The Toledo Blade listing for October 20 1978, 11.30pm
Switzerland: Feuille d’Avis de Neuchâtel L’Express announces the return of John Steed with a photo
Netherlands: Leidse Courant photo of Joanna Lumley and announcement of the series
Switzerland: La Liberté long episode summary and photo for November 9 1976, 8.15pm
Italy: Radiocorriere listing. summary and photo for May 26 1978, 8.40pm

Continuity and trivia

Perov must be a pretty good shot if he can kill a man with a single shot from a silenced pistol at that sort of range - the silencer would affect the bullet speed enough as it is…

Purdey’s bishop father was shot as a spy ten years ago, “but that was before he became a bishop” - her mother remarried!

Harvest Sunrise and Bate’s Joy

Olga has a picture of Diana Rigg riding a white horse at Woburn Sands on her desk.

Tulliver’s real (pre-sleeper) name is Ivan Stobic.

The Transport

Marque Colour Number Plate
Ford Granada Mk I blue OMD 710L
Leyland Mini Clubman [ADO20] 1976 white LDW 524M
Audi 100 C1 1976 claret LVS 834P
Steed’s “big cat” Jaguar XJ12 C Broadspeed 5.3 Litre Coupe Automatic 1976 british racing green NWK 60P
Bell Model 47G-5A helicopter 1973 green and red G-BBER
Purdey’s MGB Mk III 1976 drophead roadster sandglow MOC 232P

Who’s Killing Whom?

Victim Killer Method
Ivan Perov (faked) (self) injection
David Miller Ivan Perov silenced pistol
Click a name to see the face

The Fashions

Gambit’s fashions
  1. rock & roll singer’ disguise - jeans covered in patches, hippy shirt, brown plaited belt, makeup
  2. navy chalk stripe single-breasted suit, 2 vents, with purple tie with white spot, pale pink shirt
  3. dark brown single-breasted 3-piece suit with flared trousers with a white shirt
Purdey’s fashions
  1. MIKE t-shirt (blue, with red writing), with a tiny white wraparound miniskirt, high white socks, white running shoes
  2. gold karate pyjamas
  3. lacey Catherine Buckley white blouse with purple patchwork skirt and scarf
  4. Catherine Buckley high-necked grey and silver dress, lots of looped buttons
  5. lingerie and silk dressing gown
  6. dark blue jumpsuit with green and blue print
Steed’s fashions
  1. slate grey 3-piece single-breasted suit, pale blue shirt, purple tie with white spots
  2. tweed jacket, single vent, slanted, flap-covered pockets, green waistcoat, blue shirt, brown tie, cream riding trousers, brown boots
  3. single-breasted brown riding jacket with velvet collar, slanted covered waist pockets, no breast pocket, brown tie with white spots, blue shirt, crean riding trousers, brown boots
  4. green velvet tuxedo with dress shirt and black bow tie, frilled cummerbund??
  5. khaki riding jacket, cream shirt, navy tie with white spots, yellow waistcoat, beige trousers

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