After his stint as Mad Jack Miller in The New Avengers, John Castle gets to play another, slightly less eccentric character. In fact his presence has to be one of the main reasons for watching - a thoroughly likeable lunatic! Bodie's right, though - it does seem incredible someone that is even slightly mentally unstable would be employed by CI5.

The unfolding of the storyline is actually fairly straightforward once we know what's happening. In that sense it is a tiny bit disappointing that there are no little twists along the way. Nevertheless it still ranks as one of my faves.

As Sharon notes, the scene where Bodie, Doyle and Tommy are crossing over to the warehouse contains some great dialogue, though the following scene where they are looking for the raiders in the building went on for too long. (This was cut down by Granada Plus so, ironically, improved it!)

Interesting to note that, even in this early episode, even the Great Cow made mistakes.

The all-action finale is well filmed and the touching scene where Tommy's body is taken away ("Don't put him in the same wagon as them!") shows that, although the lads regarded him as a nutter, they still cared.

A great episode!

"Be cool with Tommy - you know he's crazy." / "Cowley wouldn't accept that: nobody in the Big A is crazy." / "'Motivated', then. His whole family was wiped out by terrorists, you know." / "Unlucky.... that they overlooked Tommy." / "That's a lousy thing to say!" / "Tommy's a lousy thing to be!"

The plot is questionable. First, no one seems terribly undone that the American jerk is murdered, though they are quite eager to find the killers. Second, it seems HIGHLY unlikely that any newspaper would actually publish addresses! Names, yes. But addresses? Uh...

Ah, well.

Doyle chews gum in this one. Nervous? And there's a lovely moment right out of Hollywood Westerns when Bodie, Doyle and Tommy are walking toward the bad guys' hideout. Nice camera work there.

Bodie is also "edgy" in this episode. Both Lads look VERY tough throughout. We see more of Doyle's cop background in the people he knows and the places he's able to go. Bodie makes more bad jokes, this time in truly bad taste! The writing that involves the Tin Can character is excellent! When it comes to helping and supporting his boss, Bodie suddenly shows considerable thoughtfulness and charm. Lewis does some fine work with just his expressions – he's clearly become quite comfy with his character and is giving "him" more range.

R/T's are used for the first time, giving an opportunity toward the tense climax for some comedic relief. Again very nice work by LC with MS playing the straight man. Watch Bodie's face during the hiding-in-the-bushes segment.

The Tommy character is fascinating, and Bodie's criticism of him coupled with an expression of grief after his death makes fodder for speculation. Does Bodie actually identify with the "mad bastard" in spite of his earlier denial to Doyle? "The difference is, Doyle, I do it, but I don't enjoy it." Really?

Doyle is quite brutal at the end, deliberately hurting the surviving bad guy, his voice crackling with fury. Doyle is furious, but Bodie looks so sad.

Interesting.

Watch Bodie's expression in the car before they pass the pub.

And watch MS's face when the champagne is passed around. <G>

The hijack scene was filmed on the A41 near the Tring by-pass. At the time this road was still under construction and, therefore, was ideal for the story. CONFIRMED

Mr May lived in Pinewood Green, Iver Heath.

Cowley orders Mad Tommy to get over to "Jock's Cafe" in Brands Hill, Colnbrook. In fact this is a real location and still stands today... albeit rather encroached upon by much smarter premises. (Thanks to "Grant")

The High Street in Watford used to house a large brewery (now demolished) which provided the location for the gang's hideout and subsequent shoot-out with Mackay (John Castle) and the lads. Little point going there now, to be honest, as it's barely recognisable. CONFIRMED

The snooker club was a studio set at at Harefield Grove studios.

The newly-weds hotel is The Compleat Angler but there is disagreement on which one it is! Mick Matthews thinks it is at Dorney Reach, just east of Maidenhead, while Cliff Isherwood reclons it's the one in Marlow.

The large riverside house that was used where the killers attack CI5 with the motorboat and car is in Datchet, just east of Windsor - you should be able to spot it from the riverbank.

The pub that Cowley drives past (and Bodie wants to stop at!) might be the Kings Head on Wycombe Rd, Prestwood, near Great Missenden. (Thanks to Bob Rocca)

The scene of old Mr May coming under fire and that of the CI5 back-up squad were clearly filmed outside different houses (though in the same street).

When Tommy questions the loading-bay worker, we see him close the black Capri's door. When he returns to the car a second later, the door is open! Thanks to John Hammond for that one!

* James McAteer is actually a pseudonym for well-known TV scribe P J Hammond (who, amongst many other things, created and wrote the strange sci-fi series Sapphire and Steel. Apparently Hammond did not care for certain "alterations" to his script (I guess this means it was slightly re-written by Brian) and asked that his name be removed from it. Many thanks indeed to Simon Coward for info!

In fact there is something very strange about the filming of this episode. Scenes such as that of the newly-weds in the hotel grounds were clearly shot during summer, while others such as the truck driver being gunned down involve bare trees and actors' breath visible, so obviously filmed many weeks later. Also the drive-by shooting at Mr May's (the old chap with the dog) and subsequent arrival of a CI5 squad car arriving are two scenes that were clearly filmed months apart: in the latter the trees look noticeably barer than when the villains' car roared past.

The only conclusion I can draw from all of this is that Hammond's original script commenced shooting in the summer as planned while many scenes were (re-)shot in the autumn as a result of Brian's later rewrite. (Thanks to Gareth Bevan and Bob Rocca.)

John Castle (later to appear in 'Man Without a Past' and 'Hostage') has had an extensive career guesting in 1960s ITC productions such as The Prisoner, the BBCs epic I, Claudius and their 1994 remake of Little Lord Fauntleroy.

American Bruce Boa (Patterson) actually had a more illustrious career in Britain, though usually in guest roles in stuff like The Avengers, The Saint and The Champions. He was also the corrupt American cop in Dempsey and Makepeace. Most memorably, however, he thwarted Basil in the Fawlty Towers episode 'Waldorf Salad'. ("Took some sidestreet called the M4" / "Well most British cars have steering wheels!").

Anthony Bailey (Latymer) was a Mark 1 regular, having already been seen twice in The New Avengers and would also star alongside John Castle in 'Man Without a Past'. The Internet Movie Database carries no records for him beyond 1978, so I assume he quit acting or passed away.

Christopher Neil (the bridegroom) had starred in Rock Follies but quit acting in 1979 to become a record producer (perhaps most famously for Sheena Easton).

Luan Peters (lady in the sports car) is best remembered as the Australian guest in the Fawlty Towers episode 'The Psyciatrist' who ends up with suspicious-looking handprints all over her front!

Robert McBain (Mr Lewis) also appeared in 'Operation Susie' as the CI5 lawyer. He popped up fairly regularly in minor support roles throughout the 1970s and 80s television, including the 1985 drugs-bust drama Operation Julie.