Series 6 — Episode 29
Take-Over

Regional broadcasts

Broadcaster	Date	Time
Thames Television	23/04/1969	8.00pm
ATV Midlands	18/04/1969	8.00pm
Granada Television	24/08/1969	8.25pm
Anglia Television	17/09/1969	8.00pm
Border Television	4/05/1969	7.25pm
Channel Television	13/08/1969	8.00pm
Grampian Television	23/04/1969	8.00pm
Southern Television	23/07/1969	8.00pm
Scottish Television
Tyne Tees Television	23/04/1969	8.00pm
Ulster Television	18/04/1969	8.00pm
Westward Television	13/08/1969	8.00pm
Harlech Television	18/04/1969	8.00pm
Yorkshire Television	26/04/1969	8.00pm

TV Times listing

International broadcasts

Broadcaster	Date	Time
ABN2 Sydney, Australia	20/06/1969	8.00pm
ABQ2 Brisbane, Australia	18/07/1969	8.00pm
ABV2 Melbourne, Australia	9/03/1970	9.00pm
ABS2 Adelaide, Australia	26/06/1969	8.00pm
ABC New York, USA	14/04/1969	7.30pm
ORTF2 France	10/10/1970	8.35pm
Suisse Romande, Switzerland
French title	Noël en Février (TF2:1 in new series)
ZDF Germany
German title	Stille Tage auf dem Land
KRO Netherlands	4/06/1971	9.36pm
Dutch title	De kleine operatie
TTI Italy	1982 C5
Italian title	Il complotto
Spain	18/05/1970	11.10pm
Spanish title	Los intrusos

This episode was one of five that were left out of the initial run of series 6 in Melbourne, Australia, and was eventually rescreened in 1970 after the “Steed’s Choice” series of repeats of seven selected episode from series 5.

This episode was not broadcast in Switzerland or Germany at the time; Italy didn’t see it until 1982.

Continuity & Trivia

1. 4:00 — Tara gives Steed a shotgun belonging to her uncle, who had never used it. When Steed asks why, she says the young man married the uncle’s daughter of his own free will.
2. 14:31 — Obvious back-projection used for the driving scene with Steed in the Rolls-Royce.
3. 15:15 — Steed knocks at the garden door with a “shave and a haircut” knock.
4. 15:22 — Steed greet them with the words, “Happy Christmas”.
5. 16:02 — Steed explains that Bill and her were taken prisoner in Nanking, no window in the cell, we lost track of time.
6. 19:13 — “I haven’t seen a room clear so quickly since Freddy Furman took a live skunk into the Turkish Baths”
7. 20:34 — “I spend all my money on new noses”.
8. 24:21 — Is that product placement for the brand of Steed’s watch?
9. 24:28 — you can see the crew’s equipment reflected in the glass of the picture frame on the wall.
10. 32:55 — When Steed hides behind the tree, both the close-up of him and the mid shot of Fenton are out of focus.
11. 38:31 — there’s a ribbon sticking out over the top centre of the camera lens as Lomax approaches the window and uses his binoculars.
12. 42:40 — Tara is bound and gagged by Fenton and Sexton.
13. 44:00 — Cyd Child takes over in defeating Circe.
14. Running time: 49′57″

The Transport

Marque	Colour	Number
Rolls-Royce Phantom V Limousine by H.J. Mulliner, Park Ward 1963 limousine	black	7 HYU
Riley 9hp Vee-Twin Tourer 1907	dark green with white and gold	YU 4301
Rolls-Royce Phantom I H.J. Mulliner [80KR] 1929	pale lemon	UU 3864
Land-Rover 109\" Series II 1958 soft-top utility	dark green	UFK 521

Who’s Killing Whom?

Victim	Killer	Method
Handcuffed man	Fenton Grenville	phosphor bomb
Sergeant Groom	Fenton Grenville	phosphor bomb
Gilbert Sexton (?)	John Steed	thrown off staircase

The Fashions

Tara bright yellow plastic mac and sou’wester. black rollneck skivvy, stocking and boots brown leather jerkin with brass chain belt, black rollneck skivvy and trousers red rollneck skivvy with black trousers and jacket, black shoes

Steed brown suit (felt collar) with yellow shirt with black pinstripe and brown paisley tie midnight blue tuxedo (satin shawl collar) with ruffled pale blue shirt and midnight blue bow tie, ruby in silver setting on silver chain hunting gear — black wellington boots, dark green waterproof jacket, beige rollneck skivvy with orange and brown stripes around neck, kid gloves, brown suede jacket and forest green trilby, khaki canvas trousers brown suede bomber jacket, fawn skivvy, houndstooth trousers and tan slippers