Fast pacing and lots of humour make up for an otherwise fairly routine plot.

Performances from all the main players here are very good indeed and all the characters are likeable.

It's the banter and chacterisations of B & D that make this one worth watching. Bodie, jealous that Doyle gets to go undercover (literally!) to gain Shelley's confidence while he is ordered on stakeout, blasts at Cowley "How come the Bionic Golly gets all the best bits?!!". In fact it's quite clear throughout the most of the episode Bodie is not enjoying himself! Doyle, meanwhile, loves every minute of it, UNTIL he finds Shelley has been "cheating" on him! And the interaction between Doyle and Shelley is very natural (as well as some humorous dialogue).

More outrageously camp humour, too: "You alright?" / "Yeah but the natives are a bit friendly!" / "Yeah? Problem?" / "No – I'll just take the rotor arm out of her broomstick! Listen, the guy who had this flat before – what does he do?" / "Oh he's a ballet dancer.... but he's very nice!" / "Oh, really..."

And Bodie's scene as the electricity man is great fun, too – what a "nasty piece of work" he was!

Actually, that reminds me: Granada Minus really screwed this episode up: they completely cut the scene in which Cowley first meets and becomes suspicious of Masterson's secretary. Undoubtedly this left many viewers puzzled as to who she was and why Bodie was assigned to follow her! The other notable cut was one to the above electricity man scene.

The plot is pretty solid though Cowley correctly guessing who is responsible for the leak straight away was a bit too lucky, IMHO.

"He's from forensics, CID. I'm from CI5." / "What's the difference?" / "Well he's a technician and I'm an intellectual!!"

Serious stuff:

Bodie and Frances. Watching Bodie deal with poor Frances is a marvelous character study. Here we have dark (dressed in black) broody Bodie very upset about the way the woman is used by everyone. He sulks about it and admonishes Doyle to take care with her. (Doyle blows it.) He's uneasy when revealing to her the sordid details of her supposed lover's non-life. He takes her a comforting cup of tea. He calls what is happening to her "the unacceptable face of espionage". This is all in contrast to the fact that he and Doyle have made a bet on whether Doyle will bed Shelley and whether Frances will manage to trick "Luis" (no pun intended). Also when Bodie wins he refuses to take the money. It's no stretch to imagine he will visit Frances in hospital after the dust settles.

Very good character development.

Doyle, on the other hand, is quite happy about using Shelley. There's no indication she's suspect at the time but he tricks (no pun) her into bed quite shamelessly. It seems likely he just wanted some "playtime" and took advantage of the situation to indulge.

Again, good character material.

Silly stuff:

Well, this could be called the "backside" episode, since it is the sight of the rear of Shelley's decorated jeans that gives Bodie the clue that All Is Not Well and if you slow-motion through the scene when Doyle gets out of bed with Shelley and pulls on his jeans... Well, just do it and enjoy the view. <G> (thanks, Martin!)

Lots of nice teasing banter between The Lads in this one despite Bodie's glumness over Frances. The scene when Bodie goes to Frances' flat and has to deal with her mother and the tiny dogs is great fun.

I love the Chesterfield coat Cowley wears!

The finale gunfight is great! Love watching Bodie run and shoot! Excellent stunt driving and camera work.

Luis is a good red herring plot-wise. I have yet to show this to someone and have them figure the twists out before Bodie sees Shelley's jeans at the end.

The dummy run for the visit of a Middle Eastern official takes place in Pitt's Head Mews, W1, at the junction with Curzon Place, while the detective shoots Pilar in the subway on Park Lane. (Thanks to Stephen Carter)

Frances lives at this house in Uplands Close, off Monroe Drive, Richmond. The house is pictured here in June 2002... and there was still a familar-looking car outside!

Frances meets "Luis" first at the Royal Albert Hall and then the Holiday Inn at Swiss Cottage. Although it is now a Marriott hotel, it is still recognisable. (Thanks to James Snodgrass)

Mayfair's St George's Gardens, just off South Audley St was used Cowley's first meeting with Doad and Alousha.

Cowley's Granada is briefly seen with the license plate FEV 24T - the car's genuine number.

There seems to be some confusion in the script between the Royal Acadamy of Music and the Royal College. (Thanks to Louise Nadal)

In the final shootout scene, two fellow CI5 ops jump out of Bodie's car, yet prior to that he appears to be alone in the Capri?!

Important note to VHS/DVD buyers: the Contender versions from the late from 1997 and 2002 had to have ten seconds of footage trimmed from them during the scene where Doyle breaks into Shelley's flat. This was at the insistence of the British Board of Film Classification who deemed that it was a demonstration of "criminal technology" that could be emulated by people watching the episode. Load of cobblers, of course, but the all-powerful BBFC do not have to account for their actions. It is somewhat ironic that British fans can catch the scene fully intact on Granada Minus...

... however Contender's DVD re-releases of 2004 have the scene reinstated.

Sylvia Kay (Frances) played Hywel Bennett's dope-smoking mother in his popular sitcom Shelley, though she's probably better remembered for the 1980s Paul Nicholas sitcom Just Good Friends.

It's not clear how American actress Lise Hilboldt (Shelley) came to be was cast in the role (not that she didn't deserve to be!) as she doesn't seem to have appeared in any other British productions until 1983. Perhaps she was in the UK on a theatrical tour in '79?

Frederick Warder (the copper who opens fire on Pilar Hernandez in the pre-title sequence) went on to the terrific, off-beat gangland series The Paradise Club. Also starred in the controversial prison drama series The Governor.