The New Avengers, Series 2 — Episode 4
The Lion and the Unicorn

by John Goldsmith
Directed by Ray Austin

Produced:May, 1977

I do not have a TV Times / TV Weekly or other contemporary British listing for this episode, if you have one, please get in touch.

Another Ray Austin, so another cast of thousands; the opening sequences of the car chase were lifted from a Rover commercial produced by Austin & Clemens.
10:40 — Obvious overdub of someone shouting, “Brilliant!” - it’s supposed to be Steed but definitely isn’t Macnee’s voice.
14:15 — if the Unicorn doesn’t drink, why is there so much champagne in his apartment?
16:40 — it doesn’t look like the Unicorn, perched on the corner of the table, could possibly have been in line with the bullet passing through the mirror.
This is the first of the French episodes and it’s easy to spot that the soundtrack for Marco’s part was originally in French.
Note the Qantas, Printemps, Kansai Yamammoto and Yves Saint Laurent product placement!
The Parisian car chase was intended to have a keystone cops slapstick feel, but is more Benny Hill (see enlargement).
24:07 — Script error or fluffed line? Steed says, “It looks suspiciously like checkmate” but I think that “stalemate” would be more appropriate.
24:20 — the flustered conte shakes Purdey’s hand and kisses Gambit’s
This episode has a video Q&A and commentary with John Goldsmith, Ray Austin and Philip Hawkins on the Lives in the Pictures YouTube channel.

Marque	Colour	Number Plate
Steed’s Rover 3500 SD1 Automatic	lemon	MOC 229P
Mercedes 250 E	steel blue	19 KF
Volvo 244 GL	navy	KPH 976P
Ford Capri	white, black vinyl roof	HRX 200P
Ford Transit	white	CBM 815N?
Daimler Majestic Major limousine	black	?
BMW fastback	blue	?
Gambit’s Jaguar XJS	red	NRW 875P
Purdey’s Leyland Mini	red, black vinyl roof	1577 RO 95
Security van	grey-green, white roof	734 ADT95
Citroën	black	2492 FN 92
Renault Saviem 602 lorry	blue with white ‘Autos Camions’ writing	9968 DY 93
Streetsweeper’s three-wheeler utility	orange	-
Citroën 2cv van	steel	834 .. ..