The New Avengers, Series 1 — Episode 2
House of Cards
by Brian Clemens
Directed by Ray Austin
Production details
Produced:May, 1976Regional broadcasts
Broadcaster | Date | Time |
---|---|---|
Thames Television | 26/10/1976 | 8.00pm |
ATV Midlands | 29/10/1976 | 8.00pm |
Granada Television | 29/10/1976 | 8.00pm |
Anglia Television | 26/10/1976 | 8.00pm |
Border Television | 29/10/1976 | 8.00pm |
Channel Television | 29/10/1976 | 8.00pm |
Grampian Television | 29/10/1976 | 8.00pm |
Southern Television | 29/10/1976 | 8.00pm |
Scottish Television | 29/10/1976 | 8.00pm |
Tyne Tees Television | 29/10/1976 | 8.00pm |
Ulster Television | 29/10/1976 | 8.00pm |
Westward Television | 29/10/1976 | 8.00pm |
Harlech Television | 21/11/1976 | 7.50pm |
Yorkshire Television | 29/10/1976 | 8.00pm |
This episode was shown in the Netherlands before it was broadcast on any ITV region in the UK, see below.
TV Times listing



8.0 The New Avengers
By Brian Clemens
Patrick Macnee
Gareth Hunt
Joanna Lumley in
House of Cards
When suave Steed, aided by pretty Purdey and gallant Gambit, attempt to outwit sinister spy Perov, it sets up a game of cards in which the stakes are life or death.
John Steed | Patrick Macnee |
Mike Gambit | Gareth Hunt |
Purdey | Joanna Lumley |
Perov | Peter Jeffrey |
Roland | Frank Thornton |
Cartney | Lyndon Brook |
The Bishop | Derek Francis |
Spence | Mark Burns |
Jo | Geraldine Moffatt |
Suzy | Anne Andre |
Olga | Ina Skriver |
David | Murray Brown |
Vassil | Gordon Sterne |
Boris | Dan Meaden |
Tulliver | Jeremy Wilkin |
Frederick | Anthony Bailey |


International broadcasts
ABN2 Sydney, Australia | 23/02/1977 | 8.30pm |
---|---|---|
ABQ2 Brisbane, Australia | 23/02/1977 | 8.30pm |
ABV2 Melbourne, Australia | 23/02/1977 | 8.30pm |
ABS2 Adelaide, Australia | 23/02/1977 | 8.30pm |
CBS New York, USA | 20/10/1978 | 11.30pm |
TF1 France | 30/12/1976 | 8.30pm |
Suisse Romande, Switzerland | 9/11/1976 | 8.25pm |
French title | Le Château de Cartes | |
ZDF Germany | 1/06/1978 | 9.45pm |
German title | Herzdame | |
KRO Netherlands | 7/10/1976 | 8.25pm |
Dutch title | Kaarten des doods | |
Italy | 26/05/1978 | 8.40pm |
Italian title | La casa di carte | |
Spain | ||
Spanish title | ||
CXY Winnipeg, Canada | 3/3/1977 | 10.00pm |
Televisyen Malaysia PR1 | 17/11/1977 | 7.29pm |
TV Singupura 5 | - | - |
This episode was shown in the Netherlands on October 7 1976, nineteen days before it was broadcast on any ITV region in the UK. In fact this episode was the worldwide début of The New Avengers, ten days before the UK started. With this and The Midas Touch on October 14 1976, KRO had broadcast two episodes of The New Avengers before any ITV region showed any episodes at all.
Spain chose not to broadcast this episode.
TV Singapura appears not to have shown this episode.












Continuity and trivia
Perov must be a pretty good shot if he can kill a man with a single shot from a silenced pistol at that sort of range — the silencer would affect the bullet speed enough as it is…
Purdey’s bishop father was shot as a spy ten years ago, “but that was before he became a bishop” — her mother remarried!
Harvest Sunrise and Bate’s JoyOlga has a picture of Diana Rigg riding a white horse at Woburn Sands on her desk.
Tulliver’s real (pre-sleeper) name is Ivan Stobic.
The Transport
Marque | Colour | Number Plate |
---|---|---|
Ford Granada Mk I | blue | OMD 710L |
Leyland Mini Clubman [ADO20] 1976 | white | LDW 524M |
Audi 100 C1 1976 | claret | LVS 834P |
Steed’s “big cat” Jaguar XJ12 C Broadspeed 5.3 Litre Coupe Automatic 1976 | british racing green | NWK 60P |
Bell Model 47G-5A helicopter 1973 | green and red | G-BBER |
Purdey’s MGB Mk III 1976 drophead roadster | sandglow | MOC 232P |
Who’s Killing Whom?
Victim | Killer | Method |
---|---|---|
Ivan Perov (faked) | (self) | injection |
David Miller | Ivan Perov | silenced pistol |

The Fashions
- Gambit’s fashions
- Purdey’s fashions
-
- MIKE t-shirt (blue, with red writing), with a tiny white wraparound miniskirt, high white socks, white running shoes
- gold karate pyjamas
- lacey Catherine Buckley white blouse with purple patchwork skirt and scarf
- Catherine Buckley high-necked grey and silver dress, lots of looped buttons
- lingerie and silk dressing gown
- dark blue jumpsuit with green and blue print
- Steed’s fashions
-
- slate grey 3-piece single-breasted suit, pale blue shirt, purple tie with white spots
- tweed jacket, single vent, slanted, flap-covered pockets, green waistcoat, blue shirt, brown tie, cream riding trousers, brown boots
- single-breasted brown riding jacket with velvet collar, slanted covered waist pockets, no breast pocket, brown tie with white spots, blue shirt, crean riding trousers, brown boots
- green velvet tuxedo with dress shirt and black bow tie, frilled cummerbund??
- khaki riding jacket, cream shirt, navy tie with white spots, yellow waistcoat, beige trousers