Production No E.67.9.10 Production completed: July 9 1968. First UK transmission: October 9 1968. First transmission (USA): September 30 1968.
Regional broadcasts
Broadcaster
Date
Time
Thames Television
9/10/1968
8.00pm
ATV Midlands
10/10/1968
7.00pm
Granada Television
26/01/1969
8.25pm
Anglia Television
10/10/1968
7.00pm
Border Television
20/10/1968
8.10pm
Channel Television
10/10/1968
7.00pm
Grampian Television
9/10/1968
8.00pm
Southern Television
18/12/1968
8.00pm
Scottish Television
16/01/1969
8.00pm
Tyne Tees Television
9/10/1968
8.00pm
Ulster Television
10/10/1968
7.00pm
Westward Television
10/10/1968
7.00pm
Harlech Television
10/10/1968
7.00pm
Yorkshire Television
9/10/1968
8.00pm
TV Times listing
TV Times listing for October 9 1968, 8pm (London edition)Sydney Morning Herald listing for February 28 1969, 8pmThe Age listing for February 18 1969, 8.25pm
8.0 The Avengers
Already it is becoming clear that Steed is getting over his loss of Emma Peel and taking a shine to his new partner Linda Thorson. In the past, he has tended to keep his relationships with Cathy Gale, and then Emma, fairly impersonal, but it’s obviously going to be difficult with Tara. In Super Secret Cypher Snatch, an agent named Roger Jarret runs for his life from a cypher headquarters, pursued by an incongruous character, armed and wearing white overalls, a gas mask and a bowler. Jarret is played by 35-year-old actor Clifford Earl, who has previously appeared in The Avengers — and many other thriller series such as The Saint, Man in a Suitcase, The Rat Catchers and The Prisoner.
John Steed
Patrick Macnee
Tara King
Linda Thorson
Peters
John Carlisle
Maskin
Simon Oates
1st Guard
Alec Ross
Jarret
Clifford Earl
Vickers
Donald Gee
Ferret
Ivor Dean
Betty
Anne Rutter
Myra
Angela Scoular
2nd Guard
Lionel Wheeler
Davis
Anthony Blackshaw
Lather
Nicholas Smith
Webster
Allan Cuthbertson
Designer Robert Jones; Director John Hough
The Advertiser listing for March 6 1969, 8pmCourier-Mail listing for March 28 1969, 8pm
International broadcasts
Broadcaster
Date
Time
ABN2 Sydney, Australia
28/02/1969
8.00pm
ABQ2 Brisbane, Australia
28/03/1969
8.00pm
ABV2 Melbourne, Australia
18/02/1969
8.25pm
ABS2 Adelaide, Australia
6/03/1969
8.00pm
ABC New York, USA
30/09/1968
7.30pm
ORTF2 France
25/10/1969
9.55pm
Suisse Romande, Switzerland
15/07/1969
8.45pm
French title
Le document disparu
ZDF Germany
8/09/1970
9.00pm
German title
Das Glaspflege-Institut
KRO Netherlands
20/01/1970
10.00pm
Dutch title
De Glazenwassers
TTI Italy
23/12/1980 C51
Italian title
Scacco matto all'Ufficio Cifra
Spain
23/03/1970
11.00pm
Spanish title
El robo de las claves secretas
USA: New York Times listing for September 30 1968, 7.30pmUSA: Chicago Tribune listing for September 30 1968, 6.30pmUSA: Chicago Tribune repeat listing for December 23 1968, 6.30pmSwitzerland: Journal de Genève listing for July 15 1969, 8.45pmSwitzerland: Journal de Jura listing for July 15 1969, 8.45pmFrance: Le Confédéré listing for October 25 1969, 9.55pmNetherlands: Zierkzeesche Nieuwsbode highlights for January 20 1970Spain: ABC Madrid listing for March 23 1970, 11pmGermany: Hamburg Abendblatt listing for September 8 1970, 9pm
Netherlands: Leidsh Dagblad listing for January 20 1970, 10pmSwitzerland: Journal de Jura photo from this episode on July 15 1969
Continuity & Trivia
3:27 — The photograph of cypher documents under the titles has real information relating to the confusion around code words.
3:30–3:33 — Super Secret Cypher Snatch is one of those rare episodes with more than one title screen: (And there are grounds for saying it’s full title is Sepet Sucpre Cncehc Sypare : Super Secret Cypher Snatch).
4:09 — The boom microphone drops into shot as Mother is telling Steed and Tara about the dead agent.
4:35 — Mother gripes about the job being given to MI12 for them to be properly ‘blooded’.
6:00 — Betty has a red security pass, putting her on the same level as Steed, Tara and Lord Barnes.
7:42 — Roger Jarret’s address: 9 Phildeu Road London W8
7:49 — Ferret is wearing an Old Etonian tie throughout the episode.
7:49 — Peters’ glasses don’t fit him, and are crooked in every scene — was it deliberate?
7:50 — Coded message “With all my love, Yvette” is decoded by Ferret : With all — urgent, Love — crash priority, Yvette — our man in Paris
11:36–12:22 -When they inventory Jarret’s belongings, they find a comb (high frequency resonators), tie-clip (microphone), wallet (survival kit, K issue), cigarette case (.22 pistol with twin magazines and a self-loader), a pen (Tara suggests it might be a hand-operated short-range grenade but is told it’s a dispatch case).
HOWEVER, Tara’s notes, which we see as she unrolls the calendar page found inside the pen, read:
Personal possessions
1 comb, 1 wallet, 1 pr cuff links, 1 cigarette case
17:11 — When Peters zooms in with the projector, we see a completely different shot of Myra instead of an enlargement of the previous photo.
19:04 — Tara’s hair is completely different when she reaches the bottom of the ladder and looks back up.
20:05 — The scene of the men being dismissed is almost identical to the shot at 38:11, the actors are even on the same marks.
24:00 — Why does Steed have an oversized fountain pen?
24:26 — Lather calls the apprentice “Wilson”, but at 22:42 he called him “James”.
24:28 — A thread appears, dangling in the top right corner, in the shot of Lather.
27:40 — Steed has an antique phone in his car.
27:48 — Cypher HQ is in Lessington — all the lines are engaged and the security 010 number is out of service.
31:55 — There’s an odd flash of light against the wall in the top right corner.
33:40 — Ivor Dean is breathing as they examine his body.
38:16 — The man who just blocked the telephone lines and radioed in to give the all clear is one of the men at the trucks.
41:10 — Donald Gee looks straight down the camera lens as he finishes fitting the earpieces to Myra.
41:15 — The files taken out of the cabinet are for Henrik Rostov and Gerald Bancroft.
41:24 — Considerable product placement for several makes of camera, and the reel to reel tape machines.
43:50 — Patrick Macnee does some of the minor stunts for the fight.
45:31 — Tara didn’t hear the autosuggestion, so how did she wake (and why didn’t Webster?) when Steed set the alarm on his watch?
46:40 — The mid-shot with Lather and Steed in profile sees the return of the dangling thread at top right.