The Hour That Never Was
| Company type | Television episode |
|---|---|
| Industry | Entertainment |
| Founded | October 23, 1965 |
| Headquarters | United Kingdom |
Key people | Patrick Macnee, Diana Rigg, Gerry O'Hara, Roger Marshall |
The Hour That Never Was represents the ninth installment in the fourth season of the 1960s British spy-fi series The Avengers, featuring Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg. It premiered on 23 October 1965 via Scottish Television, with ABC Weekend Television airing it four days afterward. Direction was handled by Gerry O'Hara, while the script was penned by Roger Marshall.
Plot
Following a car accident that halts just before 11 o'clock, Steed and Mrs Peel explore a deserted RAF base nearby. Inside, they find a lounge prepared for a gathering but completely empty, clocks frozen in time, and fish immobilized in a tank. Outside, an unattended vehicle leaks petrol, buildings stand vacant, and a milk cart lies abandoned. They locate the living quarters of a man named Geoffrey, which are deserted except for an electric shaver left running. After spotting a fleeing milkman who is subsequently shot dead, Steed and Mrs Peel delve deeper into the mystery.
They come across an unconscious rabbit, and then notice the milkman's body mysteriously vanishing. Mrs Peel later encounters the body again amid an overwhelming high-pitched sound shaking the facility. Steed finds a homeless man who confirms hearing the noise. Approaching the gatehouse, Steed is rendered unconscious.
The scene then rewinds to the moment of the crash; Mrs Peel is nowhere to be found. Upon returning to the base, Steed observes normal activity resumed and old acquaintances who deny any vagrant residing there. The dog leads Steed to a deceased tramp just as the milkman drives away with the body on his cart. Investigating further in the cookhouse, Steed discovers the milkman alive and witnesses new bodies being transferred from the medical center.
Steed subdues a guard and uncovers Mrs Peel bound and unable to recall events following their crash. She theorizes that those at the base have been hypnotized for sabotage purposes. While examining equipment, they hear a piercing noise broadcast over speakers, confirming their theory.
An old ally reveals a scheme involving auctioning off 30 hypnotically controlled military personnel to interested parties. Steed and Mrs Peel foil this plan but are temporarily incapacitated by laughing gas released during their confrontation.
Cast
- Patrick Macnee as John Steed
- Diana Rigg as Emma Peel
- Gerald Harper as Geoffrey Ridsdale
- Dudley Foster as Philip Leas
- Roy Kinnear as Benedict Napoleon Hickey
- Roger Booth as "Porky" Purser
- Daniel Moynihan as Corporal Barman
- David Morrell as Wiggins
- Fred Haggerty as Driver
- Ray Austin as dead milkman (uncredited)
- John Bennett as the cook (uncredited)
- Cliff Diggins as a thug (uncredited)
- Royston Farrell as an Officer (uncredited)
- Terence Plummer as equipment operator (uncredited)
Production
Filming occurred between 5 and 20 July 1965. The set designer intentionally applied a form of "meiosis" to create an ambiance of desolation and neutrality within the airfield structures. Additionally, ITC regular director Ray Austin made an uncredited appearance portraying the dead milkman.