Series 3 — Episode 15
The White Elephant
by John Lucarotti
Designed by Philip Harrison
Directed by Laurence Bourne
Production No 3616, VTR/ABC/3168
Production completed: November 22 1963. First transmission: January 4 1964.
Production Schedule
Episode 69
Production Number : 3616
VTR/ABC/3168 and 3168A+B
Teddington Studio 1
Tuesday 21st November 1963
Camera rehearsal | 10.00–12.30 |
Lunch break | 12.30–13.30 |
Camera rehearsal | 13.30–18.00 |
Supper break | 18.00–19.00 |
Line Up | 19.00–19.30 |
VTR Inserts | 19.30–21.00 |
Friday 22nd November 1963
Camera rehearsal | 10.00–13.00 |
Lunch break | 13.00–14.00 |
Camera rehearsal | 14.00–15.30 |
Tea break, line up, normal scan and 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 |
Running time
Expected: 51′25″ excluding commercial breaks
Actual running time with bumpers: 51′41″
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).
Equipment
Cameras: | Five Pedestals VTR Insert: 3 Pedestals, Mole Crane with Zoom |
---|---|
Sound: | 3 booms, Grams, Tape, FX |
Telecine: | ABC Symbol/Avengers Opening |
VTR Inserts: | VTR/ABC/3168 A+B |
VTR Inserts:
- 3168A — 33:30–34:13 — Steed breaks into the foundry, fights with the welder and then discovers Snowy in the back room.
- 3168B — 47:29–49:49 — Steed and Cathy fight Conniston and Brenda in the zoo grounds.
Transmission
Broadcaster | Date | Time |
---|---|---|
ATV London | 4/01/1964 | 10.05pm |
ABC Midlands | 4/01/1964 | 9.10pm |
ABC North | 4/01/1964 | 9.10pm |
Anglia Television | 4/01/1964 | 9.10pm |
Border Television | 4/01/1964 | 9.10pm |
Channel Television | 4/01/1964 | 9.10pm |
Grampian Television | 4/01/1964 | 9.10pm |
Southern Television | 4/01/1964 | 10.05pm |
Scottish Television | 4/01/1964 | 9.10pm |
Tyne Tees Television | 4/01/1964 | 9.10pm |
Ulster Television | 4/01/1964 | 9.10pm |
Westward Television | 4/01/1964 | 9.10pm |
Television Wales & West | 4/01/1964 | 9.10pm |
Teledu Cymru (WWN) | 4/01/1964 | 9.10pm |
International broadcasts
Broadcaster | Date | Time |
---|---|---|
ABN2 Sydney | 2/02/1965 | 8.00pm |
ABQ2 Brisbane | 19/04/1965 | 7.30pm |
ABV2 Melbourne | 21/02/1966 | 8.00pm |
ABS2 Adelaide | 10/01/1966 | 8.00pm |
TV Times listing





10.5 The Avengers
starring
Patrick Macnee
Honor Blackman
in
The White Elephant
By John Lucarotti
Cast
George | Martin Friend |
Noah Marshall | Godfrey Quigley |
John Steed | Patrick Macnee |
Catherine Gale | Honor Blackman |
Brenda Paterson | Judy Parfitt |
Fitch | Bruce Barnabe |
Joseph Gourlay | Toke Townley |
Madge Jordan | Rowena Gregory |
Lawrence | Edwin Richfield |
Lew Conniston | Scott Forbes |
Directed by Laurence Bourne
Produced by John Bryce
In which Steed tracks a white elephant and Cathy hunts big game
ABC Television Network Production
Note that the TV Times refers to “Bruce Barnabe” rather than Bruno Barnabe.
Murders
Victim | Killer | Method |
---|---|---|
George | Lew Conniston | blunt instrument |

Continuity and trivia
- Martin Friend, last seen as the bullied Hammond in The Gilded Cage, returns two episodes later as the amiable George. They were recorded a month apart but broadcast 8 weeks apart as episodes 7 and 15 so maybe audiences didn’t notice.
- 1:23 — there’s a heart shaped smear on the lens of camera 1A, just to the right of dead centre in Hammond’s CU.
- 1:27 — The opening credits feature a fade out under the titles, then a fade in to the daffodil on which Steed is practicing yogic concentration.
- 2:23 — there’s a smudge on the lens of camera 4B, vertically middle, 1/8 in from right.
- 5.43 — you can see some equipment move out of shot as the camera returns to Noah.
- 8:22 — soft ivory : an average pair of male elephant tusks can weigh up to 50 lbs.
- 8:44–9:58 (8:30) — a fly made it way into the transfer booth when the film was being remastered for DVD, and buzzes alarmingly around Steed’s head — it remains on screen for over a minute. The recent “remastering” sadly didn’t correct this, and the fly remains.
- 10:17 — the origin of Little Britain’s “Margaret” joke? Fitch calls for Gourlay and there’s a distant “Yes?” in reply. Steed even glances at the camera like Walliams did all those years later.
- 16:44 — there’s an enormous crash off camera as Gourlay and Lawrence are talking, I assume one of the other cameras crashed into a set when being moved into position for the next shot.
- 18:15 — two episodes in a row (production wise), Cathy finds a man hanged in a cupboard — she last found Edwards in The Medicine Men. The episodes were broadcast 6 weeks apart as episodes 9 and 15 so maybe audiences didn’t notice.
- 29:40 — Steed rings Mr. Walmsley of the National Anthropological Society to ask that an inquiry be made into the disappearance of Professor Thaddeus Lawrence.
- 29:50 — Steed’s phone number is WHItehall 0011.
- 35:00 — you can clearly see Brenda through one of the windows of Noah’s office — you’d think he would have spotted her as he peered out the window on the landing.
- 39:10 — Cathy tricks Lawrence into using a garotte instead of a gun, and easily overpowers him.
- 47:40 — The fight between Steed and Conniston at the end resulted in a cruelty probe into ABC Television, as many of the animals on set are clearly agitated by the noise. There were reports at the time that a hornbill died during filming. Their cage is right where Conniston keeps firing his revolver; both are still standing at the end of the scene, but still turning their heads.
- 48:00 and throughout — the cameramen keep losing focus during the dimly-lit fight scene, notably at 49:10.
- 50:19 — as Cathy berates Steed, you can see a camera moving into position through the open bookshelves behind Steed.