• title card: The Far Distant Dead superimposed on a hurricane-struck village
  • publicity still: Dr. Keel treats the injured villagers
  • publicity still: Dr. Keel visits the widow of the poisoned man
  • publicity still: Dr. Keel speaks to Mateos
  • publicity still: Drs Keel and Sandoval question Caron
  • publicity still: Dr. Sandoval pulls a gun on Zeebrugge

Series 1 — Episode 21
The Far Distant Dead

by John Lucarotti

Production No 3418, VTR unknown
Production completed: August 14 1961. First transmission: August 19 1961.

Production details

Studio details: Teddington Two
Production No. 3418
Tape No. unknown
Transmission: 19th August 1961, 8.50–9.47 p.m.

Schedule

Camera rehearsals were held on 13th and 14th August, 1961, in a schedule similar to the other episodes of this time. The VTR recording took place on the evening of 14th August from 6pm to 7pm.

Regional broadcasts

ITV BroadcasterDateTime
ABC Midlands19/08/19618.50pm
ABC North19/08/19618.50pm
Anglia Television19/08/19618.50pm
ATV19/08/19618.50pm
Southern Television19/08/19618.50pm
Tyne Tees Television19/08/19618.50pm
Television Wales & West19/08/19618.50pm
Ulster Television19/08/19618.50pm
Westward Television19/08/19618.50pm
Scottish Television19/08/19618.50pm
Border Television--
Grampian Television--

TV Times listing

TV Times listing for August 19 1961, 8.50pm (Northern edition)
TV Times listing for August 19 1961, 8.50pm (London edition)

8.50 THE AVENGERS
starring
IAN HENDRY
in
THE FAR DISTANT DEAD
Teleplay by John Lucarotti
Also starring
PATRICK MACNEE

Cast includes:

Luis Garcia Reed de Rouen
Dr. David Keel Ian Hendry
Dr. Ampara Alverez Sandoval
Katherine Blake
Hercule Zeebrugge Francis de Wolff
Rayner Tom Adams
Godoy Andreas Malandrinos
Mateos Michael Mellinger
Inspector Gauvreau Guy Deghy

The Avengers theme composed and played by
Johnny Dankworth
Designed by Robert Fuest
Producer LEONARD WHITE
Directed by Peter Hammond

A cyclone and a tin of cooking oil lead David
Keel and a beautiful Mexican woman to a
mass murder

An ABC Television Network Production

The London edition ended with An ABC Weekend Network Production as usual, and also has a close-cropped photo of Ian Hendry above his name.

Episode availability

  • Video - no original footage is known to exist; a video reconstruction is available on the Studio Canal series 1&2 DVD set
  • Audio - reconstruction in The Lost Episodes vol. 7, by Big Finish
  • Script - none
  • Publicity Stills - 57
  • Tele-Snaps - 79, 10 repeated at a larger size

Transport

Marque/type Plate
jeep

Continuity and trivia

  1. Max North’s Tele-review piece in the August 19 edition of the Manchester Evening News states that “The Avengers, on ITV to-night, tells of the hunt for the makers of a poisoned cooking oil, which kills those who use it, and is an idea based on a true story.” Whether Max’s statement is true or not is another story.
  2. This is one of only two episodes of The Avengers that doesn’t have Patrick Macnee make an appearance, the other one is Girl on the Trapeze. Patrick still received second billing in the opening credits.
  3. Reed de Rouen, appearing here as the Mexican police chief Luis Garcia, was also one of the story editors for series 1, having replaced Patrick Brawn in May 1961. He left his editor rôle in October 1961, probably due to the Equity Strike but would return in series 2 as the character Jack Dragna in The Removal Men and the scriptwriter of Six Hands Across a Table (under the name Reed R. de Rouen - his middle name was Randolph). I have assumed he wouldn’t be acting in an episode he was also editing so I’ve listed John Bryce as the story editor, especially as Reed edits the next episode and they seemed to be alternating in the rôle.
  4. The Avengers by Dave Rogers (ITV Books/Michael Joseph 1984 paperback reprint, p. 21) lists Reed de Rouen’s character as Zun Garcia rather than Luis Garcia. This may be due to a name change between the draft script and the final production.
  5. Patrick Macnee received second billing for this episode despite not appearing in it, much as he did in Girl on the Trapeze.
  6. Ingrid Hafner also doesn’t appear in this episode, one of six throughout the first series:
    Hot Snow (obviously, as her character had not yet been introduced), Crescent Moon, Death on the Slipway, Toy Trap, The Far Distant Dead, and Dragonsfield

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