User Reviews

Somebody is targeting the world's ear, nose and throat specialists… in the opening scene we see one of them opening and envelope; it is apparently empty by he soon starts violently sneezing then dies. Mother puts Steed and Tara on the case. Tara goes to warn other ENT specialists but the first she goes to see receives a similar envelope and dies before she can see him. The only real clues are the envelopes the dead men had in his hand; Steed sets about investigating who purchased a batch recently while Tara goes to see another expert. He too dies but this time Tara sees the killers leaving and gives chase; unfortunately for her they turn the tables on her and capture her! Steed meanwhile traces the envelopes to Anastasia Nursing Academy. Suspicion falls on Colonel Maurice Timothy, recently returned from Malaya, who runs a drug research clinic. Steed pays the place a visit and soon receives an envelope from them; of course he survives their plot and returns to save Tara.

This story is classic 'Avengers' with villains creating a deadly virus, which they intend to sell to the highest bidder, setting out to eliminate those who may have been able to develop a cure. The way they deliver their deadly post; turning up is a Rolls Royce, is amusingly quirky. The case is interesting and the people behind it aren't too obvious. There is plenty of action; while I still think Mrs Peel was a better character than Tara I do believe Linda Thorson was more believable than Diana Rigg in the fighting scenes and those in this episode were a good example of this. The guest cast, including Fulton Mackay, do a solid job. Overall a pretty good episode.

This episode opens with a classic 'Avengers' teaser - Harley Street doctor Camrose ( Hamilton Dyce ) opens his mail, and is perplexed to find an empty envelope addressed to him. Only it is not as empty as it seems - inside is a microscopic germ, a distillation of the common cold. In mere seconds, Camrose has literally sneezed himself to death.

He is the latest in a line of doctors to die the same way. Fearing a major flu epidemic could be about to engulf the country, Mother dispatches Steed and Tara to investigate. The trail leads first to the Anastasia Nursing Academy, and then to the home of Colonel Timothy ( Retired ), played by Roland Culver, who runs an anti-allergy clinic.

Glover ( Fulton Mackay ) is in league with the A.N.A.'s Matron ( Sylvia Kay ) to develop the ultimate weapon - a bug that kills in seconds by inducing so much sneezing in the victim that all air to the lungs is cut off. They will sell it to the highest bidder once it is perfected. First, they must kill the only doctors who might have found an antidote...

Jeremy Burnham wrote this originally for the Emma Peel series, under the title 'Atishoo! Atishoo! We All Fall Down!'. It is based on a suitably outrageous premise, peopled by fine actors of the calibre of Valentine Dyall, Henry McGee, Dudley Sutton, Charles Lloyd Pack ( father of Roger ), and has some good moments, but strangely never becomes the classic it promises to be. I think Paul Dickson, the director, took it much too seriously. He also worked on 'The Champions' and 'Department S' - with far greater success.

This was Fulton Mackay's second appearance in 'The Avengers' - he was in 'Return Of The Cybernauts' and reappeared later in the Thorson series in the final episode 'Bizarre'. Sylvia Kay, who plays 'Matron, was 'Mrs.Warrender' in John Sullivan's 'Just Good Friends'.

Mother's office is strange even by his standards - it looks like an unfinished film set, with a pool and stepladders galore. During the briefing, Rhonda gives both Steed and Mother ice cream cornets! Colonel Timothy's clinic is a wonderful piece of design - so that we never forget its main purpose, the main corridor wall has a gigantic nose carved from stone! A different director, such as Robert Fuest or Charles Crichton, would I think have made a better episode. At least it got Burnham's stint as 'Avengers' writer off to an above average start.