Series 2 — Episode 14
Dead on Course

Production details

Episode 28
Production Number : 3501
VTR/ABC/1778
Teddington Studio 2

Schedule

Friday 25th May 1962

Camera rehearsal	10.00–12.30
Lunch break	12.30–13.30
Camera rehearsal	13.30–18.00
Supper break	18.00–19.00
Camera break	19.00–21.00

Saturday 26th May 1962

Camera rehearsal	10.00–12.30
Lunch break	12.30–13.30
Camera rehearsal	13.30–15.30
Tea break, Line up, Normal scan and Make-up	15.30–16.15
Dress Rehearsal	16.15–17.30
Line up	17.30–18.00
RECORDING	18.00–19.00

Running time

Expected: 52′25″
Actual running time with bumpers: 52′13″

The bumpers between the acts are generally 10 seconds from fade in to the “End of Act” bumper to the end of audio before the commercial, a 10 second still without audio, then cut to the next act bumper. This would play with the theme for around 10 seconds. Accordingly, with the episodes being in 3 acts, the running time of the action is approximately a minute less than listed above, minus the opening and closing credits (normally 0′16″, with a 2" fade, and anywhere from 0′41″ to 1′20″, hard cut or 1" fade or mix, respectively).

Regional broadcasts

Broadcaster	Date	Time
ATV London	29/12/1962	10.05pm
ABC Midlands	29/12/1962	10.05pm
ABC North	29/12/1962	10.05pm
Anglia Television	29/12/1962	10.05pm
Border Television	29/12/1962	10.05pm
Channel Television	29/12/1962	10.05pm
Grampian Television	-	-
Southern Television	29/12/1962	10.05pm
Scottish Television	-	-
Tyne Tees Television	29/12/1962	10.05pm
Ulster Television	29/12/1962	10.05pm
Westward Television	29/12/1962	10.05pm
Television Wales & West	29/12/1962	10.05pm
Teledu Cymru (WWN)	29/12/1962	10.05pm

International broadcasts

Broadcaster	Date	Time
ABN2 Sydney	10/02/1964	7.30pm
ABQ2 Brisbane	13/04/1964	7.30pm
ABV2 Melbourne	20/08/1964	7.30pm
ABS2 Adelaide	25/09/1964	8.30pm
RAI2 Italy	4/02/1966	10.15pm

This episode was broadcast in Italy on 4^th February 1966 (10.15pm, RAI 2) under the title of “Sabotaggio”. It was one of a limited run of ten episodes from series 2 and 3 that were broadcast on RAI intermittently throughout 1965 and 1966 under the title “Agente speciale”. It had originally been scheduled for 10.15pm on 21^st

January 1966 but was preempted by live coverage of the Simmenthal — Racing Malines basketball match for the European Cup.

TV Times listing

The TV Times listing incorrectly reads Vincet instead of Vincent for Donal Donnelly’s character.

Episode availability

• Video — original footage held by Studio Canal, available on the Studio Canal series 1&2 DVD set
• Script — clean archive copy of the camera script and scene breakdown
• Publicity Stills — at least 67

Murders

Victim	Killer	Method
Pilot	Male nun(?)	strangled
the passengers	the villains	blows to the head & forced crash landing on plane
Margot	Male nun	garroted
Mother Superior	Dr. King	fire bomb

Transport

Marque/type	Plate
several DC-3s	-

Continuity and trivia

1. 3:05 — the shadow of the boom microphone dances over Freedman’s head.
2. 4:04 — the shadow of the boom microphone dances over Steed’s head.
3. 4:29 — The mid shot of Dr. King turning to talk to Steed when leaving Freedman’s office has the focus all wrong — the wall behind Dr. King is in focus, but he isn’t; the focus has been corrected at 4:44 when Steed crosses to join him.
4. 6:23 — A hair gets caught in the transfer plate at the bottom of the screen and remains until 7:30.
5. 11:37 — A hair gets caught in the transfer plate at the bottom right corner of the screen; it goes out of focus at 11:43 and starts oscillating at 18:18. It becomes trapped again at 22:22 and remains there unti lthe end of the episode.
6. 8:10 — Hughes is annoyed at Steed’s intrusion into his domain but Steed acts oblivious to the angst he’s causing.
7. 16:14 (16:00) — You can see Trevor Reid’s left eye twitch when Dr. King reveals his corpse and we have a close-up of his face.
8. 28:25 — Joyce’s Public House has the phone number Ballynock 342
9. 32:23 — the mid shot of Steed and Dr. King is slightly out of focus.
10. 34:31 — Deidre gives Gerry the number 42320 — which Steed translates initially (42:13) as GBDBO — the letters on the dial — Freedman corrects it to GCDB0 (the same numbers) and says that’s the callsign of the incoming 10:15 flight from Montreal.
11. 36:29 — the shadow of the boom microphone swing across Steed’s face.
12. 40:18 — another thread gets caught in the transfer plate and remains until the end of the episode.
13. 42:30 — Freedman’s phone number is Shamrock 424.
14. 43:00 — naughty Dr. King checks out Sister Isobel’s backside when he takes her into the alcove to question her about Margot’s death.
15. 45:00–45:10 — some distortion of the picture & again at 45:40, 45:47, 46:25 and 46:34 with the telecine inserts.
16. 50:35 — severe horizontal banding after the mix from insert to live.
17. The camera script notes 7 female extras and 4 male extras. With Bill Richards doubling up as man in bar and second ambulance man, and the corpse potentially being the same person as the navigator (there is a publicity still that shows he is in uniform) then they may have reduced it to 2 male extras.