Series 1 — Episode 26
Dragonsfield
by Terence Feely
Production No 3420, VTR unknown
Production completed: September 27 1961. First transmission: December 30 1961.
Production details
VTR (AMPEXING): Wednesday, 13th September 1961 18.00 — 19.00
PRE-AMPEXING: Wednesday, 13th September 1961 11.45 — 12.00
Read-through: Monday, 10th July 1961 at 10.30 a.m. at The Tower, Brook Green Road, Hammersmith. RIVerside 8641
Rehearsals: From Wednesday, 6th September 1961 to Monday, 11th September 1961 at The Tower, Hammersmith.
Camera Rehearsal: Tuesday, 12th September 1961 11.00 — 21.00 and Wednesday 13th September 1961 10.00 — 18.00
Studio details: Teddington Two
Production No. 3420
Tape No. unknown
Transmission: Saturday, 30th December 1961, 10 p.m.
We have no camera script for this episode but Herbert Nelson’s contract provides the rehearsal and recording dates, as well as the production order number 23.
Schedule
The exact schedule is unknown as there is no camera script available, but it would have been similar to other schedules for series 1. Herbert Nelson’s contract specifies the 6th September date for start of rehearsals and 13th September date for pre-recording, which we can take to also cover camera rehearsals and final filming as per other episodes of this first series.
Equipment
Unknown
Regional broadcasts
| ITV Broadcaster | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| ABC Midlands | 30/12/1961 | 10.00pm |
| ABC North | 30/12/1961 | 10.00pm |
| Anglia Television | 30/12/1961 | 10.00pm |
| ATV | 30/12/1961 | 10.00pm |
| Southern Television | 30/12/1961 | 10.00pm |
| Tyne Tees Television | 30/12/1961 | 10.00pm |
| Television Wales & West | 30/12/1961 | 10.00pm |
| Ulster Television | 30/12/1961 | 10.00pm |
| Westward Television | 30/12/1961 | 10.00pm |
| Scottish Television | - | - |
| Border Television | 30/12/1961 | 10.00pm |
| Grampian Television | 30/12/1961 | 10.00pm |
TV Times listing
10.0 THE AVENGERS
starring
IAN HENDRY
in
DRAGONSFIELD
Teleplay by Terence Feely
Also starring
PATRICK MACNEE
Cast in order of appearance
| John Steed | Patrick Macnee |
| Lisa Strauss | Sylvia Langova |
| Saunders | Alfred Burke |
| Redington | Ronald Leigh-Hunt |
| Susan Summers | Barbara Shelley |
| Jack Alford | Thomas Kyffin |
| Technician | Keith Barron |
| Secretary | Amanda Reeves |
| One-Fifteen | Eric Dodson |
| Boris | Steven Scott |
| Landlord | Michael Robbins |
| Peters | Herbert Nelson |
| Second technician | Morris Perry |
“The Avengers” theme composed and played by
Johnny Dankworth
Designed by Voytek
Directed by Peter Hammond
Two women show their interest in Steed
when, on a lone mission, he risks his life and
samples outer-space
ABC Television Network Production
The London edition ended with ABC Weekend Network Production.
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, but we have Herbert Nelson’s contract, stating rehearsal and recording dates, as well as the production order number 23
- Publicity Stills - 151
- Tele-Snaps - 82, 10 of the small Tele-Snaps are repeated at a larger size
Continuity and trivia
- Ian Hendry does not appear in this episode as he was filming Afternoon of the Nymph for Armchair Theatre, due to a clause in his contract that allowed Ian to appear in Armchair Theatre when “suitable scripts” were available. At such times, his character was to be written out of Avengers episodes to allow him to appear in these other productions. Leonard White didn’t want to release him at the end of the series but agreed so long as only one episode was affected.
- Saunders, the facility security man, has probably been given extra lines which might have originally been for Dr. Keel. He certainly takes part in more of the action that guest actors normally did in this first series.
- Even though Ian Hendry did not appear in this episode, the only episode for series 1 where he did not appear, he still received star billing in the opening credits, much as Patrick Macnee received second billing for Girl on the Trapeze and The Far Distant Dead despite not appearing in them. Hendry frequently had smaller roles during the live era when they alternated the leads.
- 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 - Given the similar plots and settings, it seems likely that this episode shared sets or props with The Deadly Air.