The New Avengers, Series 1 — Episode 13
Gnaws
by Dennis Spooner
Directed by Ray Austin
Production details
Produced:October, 1976Regional broadcasts
Broadcaster | Date | Time |
---|---|---|
Thames Television | 21/12/1976 | 8.00pm |
ATV Midlands | 28/01/1977 | 7.30pm |
Granada Television | 28/01/1977 | 7.30pm |
Anglia Television | 21/12/1976 | 8.00pm |
Border Television | 2/03/1977 | 8.00pm |
Channel Television | 28/01/1977 | 7.30pm |
Grampian Television | 2/03/1977 | 8.00pm |
Southern Television | 28/01/1977 | 8.00pm |
Scottish Television | 2/03/1977 | 8.00pm |
Tyne Tees Television | 2/03/1977 | 8.00pm |
Ulster Television | 28/01/1977 | 7.30pm |
Westward Television | 28/01/1977 | 7.30pm |
Harlech Television | 13/03/1977 | 7.25pm |
Yorkshire Television | 2/03/1977 | 8.00pm |
TV Times listing



8.0 The New Avengers
Patrick Macnee
Joanna Lumley
Gareth Hunt in
Gnaws
By Dennis Spooner
It’s big, it’s huge, and it’s very, very deadly. It lives underground and it eats people. Steed and Gambit are the hunters, and Purdey is the bait.
Steed | Patrick Macnee |
Purdey | Joanna Lumley |
Gambit | Gareth Hunt |
Charles Thornton | Julian Holloway |
Walters | Morgan Shepherd |
Carter | Peter Cellier |
Harlow | John Watts |
Girl | Anulka Dubinska |
Motor mechanic | Ronnie Laughlin |
Ivan Vhislenko | Jeremy Young |
George Ratcliffe | Patrick Malahide |
Joe | Keith Marsh |
Arthur | Ken Wynne |
Malloy | Keith Alexander |
Couple in car | Denise Reynolds Peter Richardson |
Director Ray Austin; Producers Albert Fennell, Brian Clemens
The original TV Times listing incorrectly credited Anulka Dubinska as “Pretty Girl”, and Peter Richardson and Denise Reynolds as “Couple in car”, but no such characters appear in this episode; I’ve tracked them down in Sleeper.


International broadcasts
ABN2 Sydney, Australia | 20/04/1977 | 8.30pm |
---|---|---|
ABQ2 Brisbane, Australia | 20/04/1977 | 8.30pm |
ABV2 Melbourne, Australia | 20/04/1977 | 8.30pm |
ABS2 Adelaide, Australia | 20/04/1977 | 8.30pm |
CBS New York, USA | 29/12/1978 | 11.30pm |
TF1 France | 26/02/1977 | 9.32pm |
Suisse Romande, Switzerland | 26/04/1977 | 8.15pm |
French title | Le monstre des égouts | |
ZDF Germany | ||
German title | Das Ungeheuer | |
KRO Netherlands | 23/12/1976 | 8.25pm |
Dutch title | Knabbelaars | |
Italy | 17/08/1978 | 10.05pm |
Italian title | Paura sotto la città | |
Spain | 19/07/81 | 7.35pm |
Spanish title | El roedor | |
CXY Winnipeg, Canada | 10/03/1977 | 10.00pm |
Televisyen Malaysia PR1 | 26/01/1978 | 7.26pm |
TV Singupura 5 | 27/07/1977 | 8.30pm |










Continuity and trivia
What is this? The Talons of Weng-Chiang or Planet of the Spiders? (see image 2) It almost seems as if the writers of Doctor Who and The New Avengers are joined at the hip, given the flow of ideas between the two shows.
This episode has a video Q&A and commentary with Ray Austin, Renée Glynne and Philip Hawkins on the Lives in the Pictures YouTube channel.
The Transport
Marque | Colour | Number Plate |
---|---|---|
BMW 2002 1971 | slate blue | ? |
Who’s Killing Whom?
Victim | Killer | Method |
---|---|---|
Edward Harlow | Charles Thornton | blow to the back of the head |
Ivan Borovich | the rat | mauled and eaten |
Patrick Malloy | the rat | mauled and eaten |
George Ratcliffe | the rat | mauled and eaten |
Mechanic | the rat | mauled and eaten |
Tramp Joe | the rat | mauled and eaten |
Carter | the rat | mauled and eaten |
Charles Thornton | the rat | mauled and eaten |
the rat | Gambit | rocket gun |

The Fashions
- Gambit’s fashions
-
- brown suede jacket, light brown shirt with dark brown pinstripe, brown tie
- navy pinstripe suit, navy tie, pale lilac shirt
- light brown checked single-breasted 3-piece suit with flared trousers, pale yellow shirt, grey tie
- light brown cord jacket with elasticated waist, epaulettes on shoulders, matching cord jeans, cream rollneck
- light brown cord jacket with elasticated waist, epaulettes on shoulders, matching cord jeans with yellow collared shirt, pale green cravat
- navy pinstripe suit, navy silk tie, pale blue shirt
- Purdey’s fashions
-
- brown rollneck long-sleeved woollen, matching cardigan, dark brown trousers
- Burberry overcoat over a black dress, scarf and umbrella, brown ankle boots
- black jumpsuit with hot pink lining and lapels, shortsleeved, multicoloured headscarf
- blue & white hooped long-sleeved shirt, yellow belt over it, pale jeans (or light blue trousers?) tan boots
- cream nightdress
- dusky pink t-shirt with purple patchwork Catherine Buckley skirt and matching scarf
- cream blouse with cream cravat, pearls, gold and white multilayer skirt with tasseled hems
- Steed’s fashions