The New Avengers, Series 1 — Episode 10
Sleeper

Production details

Produced:September, 1976

Regional broadcasts

Broadcaster	Date	Time
Thames Television	12/01/1977	8:00pm
ATV Midlands	7/01/1977	7:30pm
Granada Television	7/01/1977	7:30pm
Anglia Television	12/01/1977	8:00pm
Border Television	16/03/1977	8:00pm
Channel Television	7/01/1977	7:30pm
Grampian Television	16/03/1977	8:00pm
Southern Television	7/01/1977	8:00pm
Scottish Television	16/03/1977	8:00pm
Tyne Tees Television	16/03/1977	8:00pm
Ulster Television	7/01/1977	7:30pm
Westward Television	7/01/1977	7:30pm
Harlech Television	12/12/1976	7:50pm
Yorkshire Television	16/03/1977	8:00pm

TV Times listing

International broadcasts

ABN2 Sydney, Australia	13/04/1977	8:30pm
ABV2 Melbourne, Australia	13/04/1977	8:30pm
ABC New York, USA	6/10/1978	11:30pm
TF1 France	19/02/1977	9:47pm
Suisse Romande, Switzerland	19/04/1977	8:20pm
French title	Le «Z» 95
ZDF Germany
German title	Schlaf über der Stadt
KRO Netherlands	16/12/1976	8:25pm
Dutch title	Slaap
Italy	31/08/1978	10:05pm
Italian title	Operazione silenzio
Spain	26/07/81	7:35pm
Spanish title	Gas letárgico

Sleeper is listed in nearly every single Australian broadcast schedule against both April 13 and May 4, 1977. It appears to have been pre-empted in its original broadcast by Dirtier by the Dozen as there are daily listings (as opposed to weekly guides) that show the switch - the daily listings normally did not indicate the episode title so having these do so seems to confirm the late schedule change. To confuse the issue, however, The Bananacoast Opinion printed a lengthy exposé of the plot for Dirtier by the Dozen in their May 4 edition. Did the Far North Coast have a different schedule? It seems unlikely, as Victoria and other states seem to have had the same change. Perhaps the editor noticed the repetition of Sleeper and ran the other plot line as being from the only apparently unaccounted for episode.

French contemporary television schdules list this episode incorrectly as “Le «Z» 95” but the sleeping gas is S-95. Later schedules and French release corrected it to “Le «S» 95”.

Stampa Sera gives a time of 10.30pm for this episode instead of 10.05pm as listed elsewhere.

Continuity and trivia

Hardy’s phone number is 246–8000, and Gambit’s is 245–6090

We see Mike’s apartment properly for the first time, and it’s even more hideous than Purdey’s!

This episode has a video Q&A and commentary with Cyd Child and Philip Hawkins on the Lives in the Pictures YouTube channel.

Continuity

• It’s daylight when Brady is handing the S-95 over at the bus, but it’s supposed to be the middle of the night!
• Why doesn’t Purdey just kick her door in?
• Why does Steed drive through Hammersmith if both Mike & Purdey living in the affected area of the S-95, which is centred around the City of London?
• Brady send Chuck and Bart to sector 5 to check out the report of Purdey’s car, but wasn’t Bart already on one of the road blocks? Well, it’s obvious that some scenes were changed around in the editing room, probably when they realised Brady saying “roadblocks have been set up” seemed stupid without any visual evidence. The consequence of this is we first see Bill, Chuck, Bart and Benny head off in stolen cars and set up their guard posts - Chuck and Bart in the Volvo, and Ben at the pub at Yacht Haven - altohugh Phil turns up there to help him, rather than Bill. The next minute, we see all of them assisting in the first couple of robberies and then Brady sends them off to sectors 3 (Bill and Benny) and 5 (Chuck and Bart), which ought to have led to the footage of them running to the carpark and stealing the cars. Just why Phil and Bill swapped positions might just be an extra bit of continuity - or to avoid an ugly lawsuit from the makers of “Bill and Ben”.

The Transport

Marque	Colour	Number Plate
Bell 206 Jet Ranger helicopter	blue & white	?
Steed’s “big cat” Jaguar XJ12 C Broadspeed 5.3 Litre Coupe Automatic 1976	british racing green	NWK 60P
Purdey’s MGB Mk III 1976 drophead roadster	sandglow	MOC 232P
AEC Reliant - Plaxton Panorama Elite coach ( ‘Jack Crump’, Denham Coaches, Bucks)	beige	VHV 111G
Morris Mini Minor Deluxe MkI [ADO15] 1966	red	FHO 650D
Ford Cortina MkIII 1971	yellow	?
Volvo 144 GL with sunroof 1973	two tone - sky blue & royal blue	WJH 291M
bicycle	black	?
Triumph 2000 Mk 2 1970	yellow and black	KLK 466K
Rover 2000 TC 1969 Policecar	white	HNK 312G
Volkswagen Golf N 1 (Typ 17)	silver	MYK 663P
Austin Mini Minor 1000 1973	pale yellow and black	TGH 128M
Austin Mini Van 1969	green	DTW 888G
Jaguar Mk X 1962	red	?
Austin FX4 1968 taxi	black	?
Rover 75 (P4) 1959	grey	?
Volkswagen Combi van	blue	?
Ford Cortina 1300 MkIII 1976	purple velvet metallic	MCF 115P
Mini 1000 Radford MkIII [ADO20] 1972	mustard	CVF 372K
unknown car	white	NPN 246F
Morris Marina Mk I [ADO28] 1973	white	RBH 761L
Triumph Spitfire Mk 3 1967	navy	OLR 784E
Austin Mini Minor 1000 1973	gold	YBW 191M
MGB	red	--- --1N
Bell Jet Ranger II 206B helicopter 1973	yellow, black & white with Alan Mann Helicopters logo	G-BBEU

Who’s Killing Whom?

Victim	Killer	Method
Frank Hardy	Tina	silenced pistol

The Fashions

Gambit’s fashions

1. brown double-breasted suit, cream shirt, brown tie
10gambit
2. cream shirt, brown tie, brown trousers, later with trademark brown suede jacket
10gambit
3. green balaclava, camouflage jacket
10gambit

Purdey’s fashions

1. red, white, green floral print dress, handbag
10purdey
2. blue silk pyjamas with white designs
10purdey
3. pilots uniform, scarf, helmet
10purdey

Steed’s fashions

1. navy single-breasted 3-piece suit, white shirt, blue tie with white spot
10steed
2. green balaclava, camouflage jacket
10steed