Series 4 — Episode 1
The Town of No Return

Production

Production dates: 29/10/1964 - 13/11/1964 & 21-30/07/1965

The initial production of the episode, being the location shooting in Norfolk, was scheduled for November 2 1964 but commenced several days earlier, on 29 October with Peter Graham Scott directing and Elizabeth Shepherd as Diana Rigg. Wrapping up the locations, they returned to the studio and filmed those scenes on November 13 1964 at Elstree.

The production office, notably Brian Tesler and Howard Thomas, were disappointed with the end result, citing a lack of chemistry between Patrick Macnee and Elizabeth Shepherd. Sheherd had also made herself unpopular with the crew for continually suggesting changes to the script, so the expensive decision to let her go and find a new leading lady was made.

Twenty actors were called in for auditions, quickly reduced to a final eight until Dodo Watts recommended that Clemens and Fennell watch a recent episode of Armchair Theatre called The Houthouse. The producers liked what they saw in Diana Rigg and she was called to join the screen tests at Elstree. Brian Clemens thought Moira Redmond was the best choice but he was overruled and the producers decided instead to go with the relatively unknown Rigg and history was made.

After Elizabeth was let go from the series for not being right for the character, the episode was shelved as Peter Graham Scott was transferred to re-shoot The Murder Market, replacing Wolf Rilla. Scott was also directing The Master Minds in December 1964 so it must have been a hectic couple of weeks. Production was restarted some months later, with Roy Baker directing and Diana Rigg as Emma Peel, and lasted from 21 July until around August 3 1965. Some of the original footage is retained in the final episode, notably the dog chase sequences.

Regional broadcasts

TV Times listing

International broadcasts

Italy did not see this episode in the 1960s, the title comes from the Tele Torino International broadcast in the 1980s, and DVD releases.

In the UK this was the first episode but for some unknown reason ABC in the USA made it the last episode of their first series of The Avengers, which must have confused viewers no end.

Episode Rating

A splendid start to the season, but that might be because it was filmed a while down the track - Steed and Mrs. Peel have instant electricity on screen, creating a classic.

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Continuity and trivia

1. There’s a delightful synchronicity between this episode and From Venus with Love - both are the first episode of the season and both feature Steed arriving at Mrs. Peel’s flat while she’s practicing her fencing.
2. This episode must have been a breath of fresh air for viewers back in 1965 — extensive use of location filming give it an openness that is new to the series, which had been predominantly studio-bound for its first three series.
3. 3:14 — Diana Rigg’s first 12 seconds on air is behind a mask, keeping the viewing public in suspense waiting to see the new Avengers girl in action.
4. 4:10–4:30, 4:40–4:50 — stunt players (Rocky Taylor and possibly Dorothy Ford) substituted as we switch to the MS, returning to the stars after Steed is forced into the armchair, then again after Mrs. Peel is trapped in the curtains.
5. 6:00 — Steed declares there’s no restaurant car on the train, so they’ll have to rough it. He produces a caddy of China & Indian tea, cups, a silver milk jug and teapot (but no lemon), a cake stand with marzipan delights and a whistling, boiling kettle from his carpet bag.
6. 6:30 — Mrs. Peel prefers lemon in her tea, but as Steed only has milk, she has two sugars with milk.
7. 6:39–6:42 — the locomotive 6108 is a Great Western Railway 6100-class 2–6-2T (stock footage from before Railway Nationalisation in 1948 even though the locomotive was in service until August 1965), but a later shot (8:24–8:29) of the train is different - the locomotive is a Fowler Class 4 2–6-4T, built by the London Midland & Scottish Railway between 1927 and 1934 (with very great thanks to Nigel Wassell).
8. 10:19 — the 33rd Squadron RAF honour board at the back of the bar turns up again in The Hour that Never Was with the heading changed to Hamelin Air Base. All the officers names below are exactly the same.
9. 13:20 — Smallwood goes off to see old Tom without paying for his round of drinks and Piggy Warren doesn’t try to stop him.
10. 14:40 — Has Steed stolen Simon Templar’s suitcase? His has the initials ST emblazoned on it.
11. 13:40–18:40 — A continuity error occurs when Smallwood goes looking for his brother Tom. He passes through the town with his suitcase in his right hand (13:40), putting it down near the forge in the smithy (15:10). He then proceeds to the church without it (17:20/17:52), but in the reverse angle of his approach to the church (17:31/17:54), and the beginning of his flight from it (17:55/18:22), the suitcase is back; only to disappear a moment later (18:40) when he’s chased by Saul and the bloodhounds (Thanks to Jenna Clayton).
12. 17:55 — We see Saul near the wall following Smallwood, then cut to him back at the cross, then again to down the hill from the wall.

13. Newell	Horsbrugh?

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    19:15–23, 19:55–20:00 — Film from the original shoot was used where suitable and causes the odd continuity error. Most obvious is the scene where Smallwood is being pursued by the dogs. In one shot (19:55–20:00/19:42–19:50) you clearly see that the man running is fair haired, and much slimmer - I think it’s Walter Horsbrugh wearing spectacles but it might be a stand-in for him — maybe Joe Phelps — who was also chased in the original script, but the scene was deleted — the only hint that he was similarly pursued in the final print is his muddy and savaged state when he stumbles into the schoolhouse.
14. 23:55 — when we switch from the location shot to the studio, you can see the shadow of the gantry on the backdrop at the top right corner of the screen and Mrs. Peel has two shadows as she walks down the sand dune. On the commentary track with Brian Clemens, he says they’re still on the beach but it’s the reverse shots of Steed and the shot of him throwing a stone that were on location; this is definitely now in the studio. Later on, as they chat on the beach, they’re clearly using a matte as you can spot the haloing and occlusions.
15. 27:30 — An example of casual Sixties sexism with a gratuitous closeup of Mrs. Peel’s stockinged legs. This sort of thing is repeated often with Mrs. Peel over the course of the next two series.
16. 30:10/30:55–31:05 — Mrs. Peel’s wearing gloves when she discovers the vandalised parish records, but she’s bare-handed in the close-up - a piece of left-over Elizabeth Shepard footage, or a stand-in?
17. 34:28 - one of the tins is marked "DUMMY"
18. 34:10/35:14 — When the real Mark Brandon collapses and dies, his head falls to the floor. A moment later, as Emma examines the photograph, his head is resting on his arm.
19. 39:15 — The first appearance of the steel-reinforced bowler hat. Steed taps the steel rim on the forge after defeating Saul and later (48:16), taps the steep top against the bunker door after defeating the soldiers.
20. 42:30 — When they’re traversing the tunnels before emerging in the bunker, it fairly obvious that the set is only about 20 yards long at most and has painted backdrops. They must have walked back down the same set twenty times, with ladders moved in and out and the drops changed around, much like the lift in Death at Bargain Prices.
21. In the climactic battle, Joe Farrer stands in for Allan Macnaughton while Cliff Diggins stands in for Patrick Macnee. Billy Westley Jr and another short stuntman in a blonde wig, maybe Art Thomas, stand in for Diana Rigg and Juliet Harmer respectively. When the vicar recovers and fights Emma Peel, it’s Ray Austin who does the tumble down into the trapdoor in place of Jeremy Burnham, but I think beforehand it’s Rick Jones as Jeremy’s stand-in.
22. running time: 52′11″