Series 3 — Episode 6
November Five
by Eric Paice
Designed by Douglas James
Directed by Bill Bain
Production No 3611, VTR/ABC/2965
Production completed: September 27 1963. First transmission: November 2 1963.
Production Schedule
Episode 64
Production Number : 3611
VTR/ABC/2965
Teddington Studio 1
Thursday 26th September 1963
Camera rehearsal | 10.00–12.30 |
Lunch | 12.30–13.30 |
Camera rehearsal | 13.30–18.00 |
Supper | 18.00–19.00 |
Line-Up | 19.00–19.30 |
VTR INSERTS (2) | 19.30–21.00 |
Friday 27th September 1963
Camera rehearsal | 10.00–12.30 |
Lunch | 12.30–13.30 |
Camera rehearsal | 13.30–15.30 |
Tea break, Line-Up, Normal Scan, Make-Up |
15.30–16.15 |
Dress rehearsal | 16.15–17.30 |
Notes | 17.30–18.00 |
Line-Up | 18.00–18.30 |
VTR | 18.30–19.30 |
NOTE: There will be 2 VTR Inserts recorded on the eve. of 26th Sept.
- 2:00 — telecine insert of footage — maybe stock — of Westminster Bridge & House of Parliament.
- 14:02–16:30 — VTR insert 1 — Steed on the House of Commons House of Commons terrace, scene 8 [shots 52–76] — he interrupts Swinburne and St.John to drop the bombshell of Cathy contesting the by-election and introduces her to them.
- 47:30–47:40 — telecine insert — fireworks in the sky then cut to:
- 47:40–49:42 — Telecine 2 — House of Commons terrace scene 24 [shots 186–199] — Dyer and the workman meet and plan to set the device, they are interrupted by Steed who kills the workman and apprehends Dyter.
- 49:42–50:59 — VTR Insert 2 — House of Commons lobby, scene 25 [shots 200–203] — Steed and Cathy farewell Mrs. Dove and sum up the case.
Running time
Expected: 51′25″ excluding commercial breaks
Actual running time with bumpers: 51′40″
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 credits (normally 0′16″ with a 2″ fade) and closing credits (anywhere from 0′41″ to 1′20″, hard cut or 1″ fade or mix).
Transmission
Broadcaster | Date | Time |
---|---|---|
ATV London | 2/11/1963 | 10.05pm |
ABC Midlands | 2/11/1963 | 9.50pm |
ABC North | 2/11/1963 | 9.50pm |
Anglia Television | 2/11/1963 | 9.50pm |
Border Television | 2/11/1963 | 10.05pm |
Channel Television | 2/11/1963 | 10.05pm |
Grampian Television | 3/11/1963 | 10.35pm |
Southern Television | 2/11/1963 | 10.05pm |
Scottish Television | 2/11/1963 | 10.25pm |
Tyne Tees Television | 2/11/1963 | 9.50pm |
Ulster Television | 2/11/1963 | 9.50pm |
Westward Television | 2/11/1963 | 10.05pm |
Television Wales & West | 2/11/1963 | 9.50pm |
Teledu Cymru (WWN) | 2/11/1963 | 9.50pm |
International broadcasts
Broadcaster | Date | Time |
---|---|---|
ABN2 Sydney | 2/06/1964 | 8.00pm |
ABQ2 Brisbane | 24/08/1964 | 7.30pm |
ABV2 Melbourne | 31/12/1964 | 7.30pm |
ABS2 Adelaide | 12/02/1965 | 8.30pm |
TV Times listing





9.50 The Avengers
starring
Patrick Macnee
Honor Blackman
in
November Five
By Eric Paice
Cast in order of appearance
Returning officer | John Murray Scott |
Michael Dyter | Gary Hope |
Mart St. John | Ric Hutton |
Gunman | Frank Maher |
John Steed | Patrick Macnee |
First lady | Aimee Delamain |
Major Swinburne | David Langton |
Arthur Dove | David Davies |
Catherine Gale | Honor Blackman |
Fiona | Iris Russell |
Joe | Joe Robinson |
Mrs. Dove | Ruth Dunning |
The Avengers theme composed and
played by Johnny Dankworth
Honor Blackman’s clothes
designed by Frederick Starke
Story Editor Richard Bates
Designed by Douglas James
Produced by John Bryce
Directed by Bill Bain
In which Steed buys a firework and Cathy stands for Parliament . . .
ABC Weekend Network Production
The TV Times listing incorrectly lists Ric Hutton’s character as being Mart St. John instead of Mark St. John, and Joe Robinson’s character as being Joe instead of Max.
Murders
Victim | Killer | Method |
---|---|---|
Dyter | Farmer | Shotgun (faked) |
Swinburne | Farmer | Strangled? |
Mark St. John | Dyter | Shotgun |
Farmer ? | Steed | Revolver |

Continuity and trivia
- 1:32 — The votes in the by-election were: William Arthur Frederick Briggs — 13,847 votes; Michael Osborne Dyter — 17,152 votes
- 2:00 — The opening credits feature a cut under the titles, from Dyter’s covered-up body to a telecine insert of footage — maybe stock — of Westminster Bridge & House of Parliament.
- 2:21 — the scene starts with a pan over a slide of the interior of the House of Commons, much as they’d done for the Old Bailey in Brief for Murder, so as to avoid expensive location filming.
- 14:02–16:30 — VTR insert 1 — Steed on the House of Commons terrace — he interrupts Swinburne and St.John to drop the bombshell of Cathy contesting the by-election.
- 17:27 — Cathy limps slightly after her fight with the farmer.
- 21:39 — You can see St.John on his mark, waiting for the director to tell him to move into the set.
- 30:35 — Dove struggles with the script — “The Anglia div.. er .. division”
- 34:02 — the exercise wall rocks backwards as Cathy uses it to launch off on the rope.
- 37:25 — the negatives Cathy is looking at seem to be of football matches.
- 37:33 — One of Steed’s family jokes — he’s checking St.John’s typewriter and says, “broken f, a squint i, h above the line”. Cathy asks what it is and he replies, “A very good description of my Aunt Queenie”.
- 39:25 — Cathy has a video intercom on her front door.
- 47:30–47:40 — telecine insert — fireworks in the sky then cut to:
- 47:40–49:42 — VTR insert 2 — Dyter and the workman on the terrace, Steed arrives and a gun fight breaks out.
- 48:23 — Macnee glances at the director for his cue.
- 49:42–50:59 — VTR Insert 2 — House of Commons lobby, scene 25 [shots 200–203] — Steed and Cathy farwell Mrs. Dove and sum up the case.
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