Series 2 — Episode 14
Dead on Course

Production details

Episode 28
Production Number : 3501
VTR/ABC/1778
Teddington Studio 2

Schedule

Friday 25th May 1962

Saturday 26th May 1962

Running time

Expected: 52′25″
Actual running time with bumpers: 52′13″

The bumpers between the acts are generally 10 seconds from fade in to the “End of Act” bumper to the end of audio before the commercial, a 10 second still without audio, then cut to the next act bumper. This would play with the theme for around 10 seconds. Accordingly, with the episodes being in 3 acts, the running time of the action is approximately a minute less than listed above, minus the opening and closing credits (normally 0′16″, with a 2" fade, and anywhere from 0′41″ to 1′20″, hard cut or 1" fade or mix, respectively).

Regional broadcasts

This episode was broadcast in Italy on 4^th February 1966 (10:15pm, RAI 2) under the title of “Sabotaggio”. It was one of a limited run of ten episodes from series 2 and 3 that were broadcast on RAI intermittently throughout 1965 and 1966 under the title “Agente speciale”. It had originally been scheduled for 10:15pm on 21^st

TV Times listing

The TV Times listing incorrectly reads Vincet instead of Vincent for Donal Donnelly’s character.

Episode availability

• Video - original footage held by Studio Canal, available on the Studio Canal series 1&2 DVD set
• Script - clean archive copy of the camera script and scene breakdown
• Publicity Stills - at least 67

Murders

Click a name to see the face

Transport

Continuity and trivia

1. 3:05 — the shadow of the boom microphone dances over Freedman’s head.
2. 4:04 — the shadow of the boom microphone dances over Steed’s head.
3. 4:29 — The mid shot of Dr. King turning to talk to Steed when leaving Freedman’s office has the focus all wrong - the wall behind Dr. King is in focus, but he isn’t; the focus has been corrected at 4:44 when Steed crosses to join him.
4. 6:23 — A hair gets caught in the transfer plate at the bottom of the screen and remains until 7:30.
5. 11:37 — A hair gets caught in the transfer plate at the bottom right corner of the screen; it goes out of focus at 11:43 and starts oscillating at 18:18. It becomes trapped again at 22:22 and remains there unti lthe end of the episode.
6. 8:10 — Hughes is annoyed at Steed’s intrusion into his domain but Steed acts oblivious to the angst he’s causing.
7. 16:14 (16:00) - You can see Trevor Reid’s left eye twitch when Dr. King reveals his corpse and we have a close-up of his face.
8. 28:25 — Joyce’s Public House has the phone number Ballynock 342
9. 32:23 — the mid shot of Steed and Dr. King is slightly out of focus.
10. 34:31 — Deidre gives Gerry the number 42320 — which Steed translates initially (42:13) as GBDBO - the letters on the dial - Freedman corrects it to GCDB0 (the same numbers) and says that’s the callsign of the incoming 10:15 flight from Montreal.
11. 36:29 — the shadow of the boom microphone swing across Steed’s face.
12. 40:18 — another thread gets caught in the transfer plate and remains until the end of the episode.
13. 42:30 — Freedman’s phone number is Shamrock 424.
14. 43:00 — naughty Dr. King checks out Sister Isobel’s backside when he takes her into the alcove to question her about Margot’s death.
15. 45:00–45:10 — some distortion of the picture & again at 45:40, 45:47, 46:25 and 46:34 with the telecine inserts.
16. 50:35 — severe horizontal banding after the mix from insert to live.
17. The camera script notes 7 female extras and 4 male extras. With Bill Richards doubling up as man in bar and second ambulance man, and the corpse potentially being the same person as the navigator (there is a publicity still that shows he is in uniform) then they may have reduced it to 2 male extras.