Series 4 — Episode 8
A Surfeit of H₂O

Production

Production dates: 30/04/1965 — 11/05/1965

Brian Tesler, Production Controller for ABC Television, considered Colin Finbow’s script lacked the pace and excitement of the other scripts and thought it too ‘science fiction’ when it was originally submitted on 11 November 1964. It was heavily rewritten and returned to Tesler on 15 April 1965. He asked for two more amendments which were supplied on 26 April. In 1992 Brian Clemens said in an interview that not a single word of the final script was written by Finbow, who had not lived up to expectations.

Filming started as soon as Room without a View wrapped on 29 April 1965. Sindey Hayers once again took the directorial duties and made use of extensive location filming near Radlett.

Regional broadcasts

TV Times listing

International broadcasts

This episode was not very well received outside Britain — Italian, American, German, French, and Swiss contemporary broadcasts did not include this episode.

Episode Rating

Subject	0–5
Direction	3½ stars
Music	3 stars
Humour	3½ stars
Intros/tags	3 stars
Villains	3 stars
Plot	3 stars
Emma	3 stars+
Sets/Props	4 stars
Overall (0–10)	6½ stars

A potentially good episode is marred by the protagonists — just why are they killing people with rain anyway? Emma looks great in a raincoat that is probably a few sizes too small.

The Fashions

The Cars

Who’s Killing Whom?

Click a name to see the face

Continuity and trivia

1. 
   Sue Lloyd went on to play ‘Hanna Wilde’ in the stage play of The Avengers, opposite Simon Oates’ Steed (you can see him in You Have Just Been Murdered). After that, she had a long career in Crossroads.
2. 3:15 and throughout — the Austin Mini Moke that Mrs. Peel drives in this episode, BOX 656C, was driven by The Dave Clarke Five in their film, “Catch Us if You Can”; Dave and the Five drive it to the meat market at the beginning of the film in order to appear in a commercial for meat — “Meat is Go!”. (Dave Clarke was a stuntman before being in the band, which forms the basis for the movie).
3. 3:27 — Driving down the country lane to the scene of Ted Barker’s death, Mrs. Peel takes her eyes off the road while driving, and the car swerves. A car’s horn blares to warn them, and they lunge for the wheel, just in time, but no car ever passes them!
4. 5:31 — We see a close-up of a wide metal bowl collecting water drips but Eli doesn’t put it down on the floor until 5:47.
5. 15:35 — It’s 9 o’clock at night, but the sun is shining brightly in the exteroirs with Mrs. Peel in the PVC suit.
6. 17:44 — Sidney Hayers takes a leaf out of Peter Hammond’s directorial book with a shot through the huge glass bottle containing the cucumber.
7. 26:58 — Steed and Emma, with their meteorological instruments, are spotted in the field by Smythe and Dr. Sturm. Soon afterwards they drive away, and Frederick is seen hiding behind a tree. I assume he came out of the hatchway but even so, in bright sunshine, while wearing a black raincoat, it’s unlikely he wouldn’t be seen.
8. 28:00 — Dr. Kelly notes that Mrs. Peel has taken a recording of 67.8% humidity, unheard of in England but common enough in tropical to Mediterranean climates.
9. 28:50 — Why do they leave Sir Arnold alone in the field if their equipment has just been smashed?
10. 29:39 — When Steed goes back to the wine factory after the meteorological equipment is destroyed, the shadow of a boom mike is in shot as he approaches the door to the store and his way is blocked by Frederick.
11. 30:40 — the open door showing a vaulted corridor in the back of the wine store is a painted backdrop.
12. 31:19 — Dr. Sturm turns on the tap in the lab to show Steed the source of the ‘rain’ sound. Later on, Frederick turns off the tap in the background (32:15) while Sturm and Smythe are watching Sir Kelley then, after ordering him drenched with rain, the tap is running again (33:19).
13. 32:40 — Dr. Kelly drops his spectacles when the deluge starts and starts groping for them on the ground. He moves away in his search, knocking over the table, but the next close-up (32:56) has him back at the original position.
14. 33:02 — one of the crew accidentally gets into shot as Sir Arnold stumbles about in the rain.
15. 36:16 — another overt bondage scene, this time with Emma strapped inside the wine press and subjected to the minutely controlled downward pressure.
16. 40:13 — Steed’s relatives: Upon seeing the outline left by Dr. Kelly’s body in the muddy ground he observes, “I had an auntie used to make biscuits like this”.
17. 40:14 — as Patrick Macnee deliveres the line above, the boom microphone dips briefly into shot.
18. 39:30 — The secret hatchway from the meadow into the sewer is carefully hidden by tamped-down grass and dirt, as found by Steed and Jonah. After Sir Arnold Kelly is killed, Martin Smythe and Frederick haul his body away and hide it in the sewer, presumably via the hatchway. So, how did the hatchway get covered and hidden, and grass and dirt get tamped back down on it after the two men were inside?
19. 42:12 — Steed & Jonah turn at the sound of Emma screaming as the press drops onto her — but we don’t hear her. The scream FX has been cut, it was probably too much for the censors or producers to allow.
20. 44:42 — As Dr. Sturm walks away, Emma wryly observes, “You diabolical mastermind, you…”
    “A diabolical mastermind”, something of a catchcry for “The Avengers”, first appeared in The Master Minds.
21. 45:50 — When Steed frees Emma from the vegetable press, he mutters, “now press this lever up… or was it down?” Emma answers, “I think it was up.” Steed then says, “well, let’s be different and try down”. Successful, he notes, “you were looking at it upside down.” Good thinking! Except that… the top of the control panel would have completely blocked her view of the lever, as well as all the other controls!
22. 47:00/48:04 — The technician who tries to attack them with the bottle and is knocked out turns up moments later, rushing into the rain-making room with Frederick and Dr. Sturm, but turns into Smythe (as he is Geoffrey Palmer’s stand-in). When they’re all dragged out again, the technician is still lying on the floor and has the others laid out around him.
23. 48:04 — It looks like Mike Stevens standing in for Patrick Macnee during the fight. Billy Westley replaces Diana Rigg, as always. Joe Farrer, who was just knocked out by Jonah before, stands in for Geoffrey Palmer.
24. 49:47 — After the big fight, everyone is soaked to the skin. As they drag the bad guys out of the rain room, they’re all suddenly much drier, with hair no longer matted down, and not even leaving footprints or puddles on the floor! (A similar problem occurred in You Have Just Been Murdered).
25. 50:58 — that’s not Macnee and Rigg in the Mini Moke in the closing scene!
26. Running time: 51′54″
27. Brian Tesler, Production Controller for ABC Television, considered Colin Finbow’s script lacked the pace and excitement of the other scripts and thought it too ‘science fiction’; little remains of the original draft in the broadcast print.