Series 3 — Episode 11
The Golden Fleece
by Roger Marshall and Phyllis Norman
Designed by Anne Spavin
Directed by Peter Hammond
Production No 3603, VTR/ABC/2715
Production completed: May 24 1963. First transmission: December 7 1963.
Production Schedule
Episode 56
Production Number : 3603
VTR/ABC/2715
Teddington Studio 1
Thursday 23rd May 1963
| Camera rehearsal | 10.00–12.30 |
| Lunch break | 12.30–13.30 |
| Camera rehearsal | 13.30–18.00 |
| Supper break | 18.00–19.00 |
| Camera rehearsal | 19.00–21.00 |
Friday 24th May 1963
| Camera rehearsal | 10.00–12.30 |
| Lunch break | 12.30–13.30 |
| Camera rehearsal | 13.30–15.30 |
| Tea break, line up, normal scan, make-up |
15.30–16.15 |
| Dress rehearsal | 16.15–17.30 |
| Notes | 17.30–18.00 |
| Line-up | 18.00–18.30 |
| VTR | 18.30–19.30 |
Running time
Expected: 51′25″ excluding commercial breaks
Actual running time with bumpers: 51′54″
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 credits (normally 0′16″ with a 2″ fade) and closing credits (anywhere from 0′41″ to 1′20″, hard cut or 1″ fade or mix).
Equipment
| Cameras: | 3 Pedestals, Turner Arm. |
|---|---|
| Telecine: | Caption scanner. |
Transmission
| Broadcaster | Date | Time |
|---|---|---|
| ATV London | 7/12/1963 | 10.05pm |
| ABC Midlands | 7/12/1963 | 8.55pm |
| ABC North | 7/12/1963 | 8.55pm |
| Anglia Television | 7/12/1963 | 8.55pm |
| Border Television | 7/12/1963 | 10.05pm |
| Channel Television | 7/12/1963 | 10.05pm |
| Grampian Television | 7/12/1963 | 8.55pm |
| Southern Television | 7/12/1963 | 10.05pm |
| Scottish Television | 7/12/1963 | 8.55pm |
| Tyne Tees Television | 7/12/1963 | 8.55pm |
| Ulster Television | 7/12/1963 | 8.55pm |
| Westward Television | 7/12/1963 | 8.55pm |
| Television Wales & West | 7/12/1963 | 8.55pm |
| Teledu Cymru (WWN) | 7/12/1963 | 8.55pm |
| ABN2 Sydney | 9/06/1964 | 8.00pm |
| ABV2 Melbourne | 7/01/1965 | 7.30pm |
TV Times listing
8.55 The Avengers
starring
Patrick Macnee
Honor Blackman
in
The Golden Fleece
By Roger Marshall
and Phyllis Norman
Cast in order of appearance
| Captain Jason | Warren Mitchell |
| Major Ruse | Tenniel Evans |
| Sgt. Major Wright | Barry Linehan |
| Mrs. Kwan | Yu Ling |
| Mr. Lo | Robert Lee |
| John Steed | Patrick Macnee |
| Catherine Gale | Honor Blackman |
| Esther | Lisa Peake |
| Jones | Michael Hawkins |
| Private Holmes | Ronald Wilson |
Story Editor Richard Bates
Producer
John Bryce
Directed by Pater Hammond
In which Steed hunts a modern Robin Hood; and Cathy joins the army
ABC Weekend Network Production
Murders
| Victim | Killer | Method |
|---|---|---|
| Jimmy Jones | Mr. Lo | Run over |
Continuity and trivia
Time codes here include the Studio Canal logo from the remastered 2010 set, which runs for 18 seconds.
- 00:30 — You can tell it’s Peter Hammond directing - the episode starts with close-ups of action and objects and it’s not until 01:28 that we see anyone’s face. The episode is strewn with close-ups and shots through glass (e.g. 9:00).
- 8:00 — what sort of Chinese restaurant serves sake?
- 14:00 — the camera completely loses focus as Steed takes Cathy’s place at the door, I suspect they’re preparing for the shot in the mirror of her walking away at 14:04
- 16:05 — Cathy is infuriated when Steed finally reveals that Lo, the gold smuggler, is staying at the Yam Sing restaurant, and she throws a cushion at him. She’s even angrier at 30:00 when she realises her museum job was set up by Steed.
- 21:00 — Captain Yorke & Corporal Jones were dealing with the Hong Kong connection.
- 24:10 — When Cathy remarks, “oddly enough, my rent doesn’t pay itself” Steed suggestively says, “I did suggest an alternative arrangement” and blows gently on her forehead.
- 36:09 — a hair gets trapped at the bottom right of the screen and wavers in and out of focus. It disappears at 38:48.
- 42:57 — A minor theme of the season occurs in this episode, when Steed is seen reading a Tintin book.
In this episode it’s a French-language copy of “Tintin Au Pays de l’or noir” (Tintin in the land of black gold). He answers the phone by saying “Allô allô, ici ci”, in reference to a panel where a radio operator is reporting the sabotage of an oil pipeline just before Tintin first discovers Doctor Müller. The panel reads: “Pendant ce temps… Allô… Allô… ici station de pompage nº12… Enregistrons un manque total de pression… Le pipe-line doit être crevé en amont… Envoyez d'urgence une équipe de secours…” (1971 edition, page 26)
- 46:41 — when Cathy throws Wright against the fence, the entire thing nearly falls down.
- 47:25 — you can see the sides of the hut are canvas as Wright hits it and he is thrown by Cathy, moments later, you can just see the shadow of the boom microphone on Ruse's head.
- A couple of cars make a rare appearance here - an army Land-Rover, Jimmy’s elderly Austin which Mr. Lo kills him with, and a Zündapp Bella in the back of the garage.