Series 6 — Episode 1
Game

Regional broadcasts

Broadcaster	Date	Time
Thames Television	2/10/1968	8.00pm
ATV Midlands	3/10/1968	7.00pm
Granada Television	19/01/1969	8.25pm
Anglia Television	3/10/1968	7.00pm
Border Television	13/10/1968	8.10pm
Channel Television	17/05/1969	8.25pm
Grampian Television	2/10/1968	8.00pm
Southern Television	11/12/1968	8.00pm
Scottish Television	9/01/1969	8.00pm
Tyne Tees Television	2/10/1968	8.00pm
Ulster Television	3/10/1968	7.00pm
Westward Television	17/05/1969	8.25pm
Harlech Television	3/10/1968	7.00pm
Yorkshire Television	2/10/1968	8.00pm

TV Times listing

International broadcasts

Broadcaster	Date	Time
ABN2 Sydney, Australia	10/01/1969	8.00pm
ABQ2 Brisbane, Australia	14/02/1969	8.00pm
ABV2 Melbourne, Australia	31/12/1968	8.30pm
ABS2 Adelaide, Australia	2/01/1969	8.00pm
ABC New York, USA	23/09/1968	7.30pm
ORTF2 France	18/10/1969	9.55pm
Suisse Romande, Switzerland	10/06/1969	8.35pm
French title	Jeux
ZDF Germany	17/11/1970	9.00pm
German title	Puzzlespiel
KRO Netherlands	17/02/1970	9.50pm
Dutch title	Spelletjes
TTI Italy	7/12/1980 C51
Italian title	Puzzle
Spain	16/02/1970	11.10pm
Spanish title	Juego

There is a great deal of confusion in Swiss newspapers in 1969. Most newspapers have Game (incorrectly called Yeux — “Eyes” instead of Jeux — “Games”) on June 10 1969 and They Keep Killing Steed — Mais qui est Steed? — on June 17 1969. L’Impartial and La Liberté confuse things as they have an extended summary for Game on June 17 1969, despite the listing saying it is Mais qui est Steed?. The Journal de Jura lists Yeux on 10 June, report on 16 June that Mais qui est Steed? will be shown tomorrow, then on 17 June their listing has Jeux, alongside a summary for the same episode — the same episode summary as in L’Impartial, so I assume it was supplied by TV Romande. Even more confusingly, Journal de Sierre does not show The Avengers on 10 June at all — and all the times for other programmes have changed. Mais qui est Steed? does not appear in the rest of the run that ends in September, so it seems most likely that some newspaper go the order wrong OR TV Romande switched the episodes around at the last moment, just as they may have done with the previous two episodes, Get-A-Way! and The Curious Case of the Countless Clues. This would explain why only some papers had a different listing and the reptition of Game. It is just possible that in some areas such as Vallais Game was pre-empted on 10 June and screened on 17 June instead, and those regions never saw They Keep Killing Steed at all.

This episode was not broadcast in Italy until 1980.

Continuity & Trivia

1. 3:00 — Dexter is suddenly lower down the ladder again.
2. 3:26 — The angle of the ladder as Dexter approaches the “REWARD” doors is completely different to that when he was climbing (unless the wall is supposed to be heavily slanted).
3. 4:14 — Dexter’s body has been left at the children’s playground in Merton Park.
4. 5:44 — Steed’s words, “Check them for me at Jig Creations” have been dubbed in.
5. 6:45–7:00 — The Master doing the jigsaw is one of those cringe-making sped up sequences, this time reversed to throw salt into the wound.
6. 9:51 — The manservant uses chloroform to kidnap Averman.
7. 10:40 — An obvious stuntman for Macnee, it’s probably Paul Weston, judging by his height.
8. 11:54 — An early masking technique to put Averman’s face on the television screen. It’s used again at 39:50 to show Steed in the ‘Game’.
9. 19:18 — The trench looks especially fake in this shot.
10. 19:37 — Anthony Newlands nearly falls into the trench when he tries to leap out and his foot misses the ledge.
11. 21:00 — Linda Thorson looks straight down the camera — is she that embarrassed by her terrible lines, or that she just about fluffed them?
12. 21:18–21:30 — vertical scratch on tape
13. 25:00 — the Brigadier’s medals are:
    CBE, DSO, Military Cross 1939–45 Star, Africa Star, Italy Star, France and Germany Star Defence Medal, War Medal 1939–45, Korea Medal, United Nations Service Medal for Korea, Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal
14. 25:30 — It looks like they’re in the same field as they met Mother in Super Secret Cypher Snatch and had their picnic at the end of All Done with Mirrors.
15. 26:00–26:30 — That’s Joe Dunne standing in for Anthony Newlands and doing the fall over the windscreen.
16. 28:55 — Steed refers to Witney’s “academical” colleagues. Is that even a word?
17. 34:55 — Is that Romo Gorara doing Garfield Morgan’s stunts?
18. 35:03 — The manservant uses chloroform to kidnap Tara, this time leaving behind the pad of gauze and finishing the jigsaw, so Steed would know to come after them.
19. 36:30 — The Master has the book “Missing Pieces” on his table.
20. 39:50 — When the “Super Secret Agent” contest begins, the background music becomes a harpsichord-tinged piece reminiscent of “High Wire”, Edwin Astley’s “Danger Man” theme.
21. 41:00–47:30 — Steed’s tasks in the ‘Super Secret Agent’ Game:
    • 41:08 — You encounter fiendish Japanese wrestler — but he’s not very Japanese! — reward of a key, attached to the wrestler’s earring
    • 41:58 — You must disconnect time bomb — reward of the gun
    • 43:18 — You room is sealed with booby traps — the chamber in which Steed collects the gun seals and he has to choose which of the six doors is safe to go through — reward of magazine for gun.
    • 44:16 — You must penetrate dark tunnel — at 44:40 Steed’s hat is cut in two by a descending sheet of metal — reward of ammunition for the gun, only one bullet of which is live.
    • 45:00 — You are confronted with six thugs — Bristow adds “six assailants at six second intervals”.
22. 45:00–47:30 — Paul Weston and Cyd Child stand-in for the fight as Steed and Tara.
23. 45:20 — there’s a hair stuck to the screen near bottom centre as Steed dispatches the thug with six dots on his jersey.
24. Running time: 49′24″

The Transport

Marque	Colour	Number
Lotus Racing Car Simulator	british racing green	(7)
Austin Cambridge	pale grey	?
Austin Cambridge	pale grey	?
Rolls-Royce 40/50 h.p. ‘Silver Ghost’ 1923 H.J.Mulliner tourer (chassis number 46LK)	pale lemon	KK 4976
Military 6cwt command vehicle	forest green	33 PC 31

Who’s Killing Whom?

Victim	Killer	Method
Cooty Gibson	Bristow	Simluated car crash
Dexter	Bristow	Poisonous snakes & ladders
Professor Witney	Bristow	Crushed in machine
Averman	Bristow	Forced heart attack
Brigadier Wishforth-Browne	Bristow	Toy cannon
Bristow	John Steed	Deflected lethal weapon

The Fashions

Tara bright yellow lapel-less jacket with navy trim and matching miniskirt, worn with a navy collarless polo shirt with white piping pale blue jersey minidress with long sleeves magenta blouse with black vest and culottes pale lime minidress, buttoned front, with snakeskin calf boots hot pink minidress with v-line neck and long sleeves pink blouse with navy vest and culottes lemon-lime bouse and green skirt

Steed light grey three-piece suit with lilac shirt and lavender tie grey three-piece suit with fawn shirt and brown paisley tie brown suit (felt collar) with white shirt and mahogany tie blue three-piece suit with lavender shirt, burgundy tie and black bowler taupe suit with felt collar, brown bowler, pale lime shirt and brown paisley tie hideous grey paisley shirt with black slacks