Death Of A Batman
by Roger MarshallDesigned by Paul Bernard
Directed by Kim Mills
Clarence Wrightson, Steed's batman in Munich at the end of the War, dies and his wife Edith (Kitty Attwood) and son John (David Burke) arrange the estate.
Steed attends the funeral and reading of the will. Another former officer under which he served in the Great War, Lord Teale (Andre Morrell) also attends and both are astonished when he leaves his wife £180,000.
Wrightson was a draughtsman, and Steed suspects collusion between him and Lord Teale, now an investment banker. Teale tells his partner, Van Doren, what happened at the testamentary reading and they realise they're in trouble and need to raise money quickly. Cathy goes to Wrightson's house to photograph the share certificates on the wall, and is attacked by Teale's butler, Cooper (Ray Browne) who escapes unidentified by Cathy.
Lady Cynthia (Katy Greenwood) is one of Teale's clients, and calls to discuss her portfolio. Lord Teale tells her to keep everything, but as soon as she leaves he sells every single stock.
Steed finds the photographed share certificate to be genuine, and finds that Teale has a mania for electronics firms, having bought controlling shares in 17 of the nation's firms, and he's angling for the firm run by Gibbs (Geoffrey Alexander) who tells Steed he needs to sell the company due to heart problems.
Steed inveigles himself with Cynthia while Cathy installs herself at Teale and Van Doren, Steed having arranged for the old receptionist, Jenny, to leave precipitately. She's worried when she recognises Cooper, but Steed tells her he'll arrange everything.
John tries to blackmail Teale, telling him he knows how they made their millions - his father gave then advance warning whenever he was required to draught a new share certificate - and Teale takes him back to the office to discuss terms. Steed has pretended to ask Teale to manage a friend's electronics firm, but Dave spills the beans about him investigating and Teale orders John to kill him so as to earn his £10,000 'pension'.
Van Doren is given the gun while John hauls in Cathy, but can't kill Steed and hands over the gun. Steed and Cooper burst into the room at the same time, but Cooper has been paid off by Steed - I Corp all the way - and helps them take Teale and Van Doren in.
Teale had only wanted to save Britain's electronics industry from foreign takeover, but Steed will not be swayed.
