This actually turned out to be one of my favourite episodes in the single season of The Champions.
There's something of a plot, involving the theft of a microfilm, and British character actor Patrick Allen (as secret agent Westerman) is in the frame for it. But while Westerman is captured, the microfilm isn't, and it's down to Stuart Damon to get himself placed in the same prison cell as Westerman to try to figure out what happened to the microfilm.
Alexandra Bastedo (the main reason for watching this series) doesn't really figure in the plot, so the producers gave her a little "comedy" sketch at the front of the episode, where she picks up a couple of hitch-hikers, one of whom thinks it's okay to start feeling Sharon up. He gets himself slapped around (off-camera) for that. It's not the sort of thing you'd see it a tv show these days, or if it was, then it certainly wouldn't be treated as comedy.
The surprise bonus is an appearance by Gabrielle Drake, who'd be memorably featured as Lt Gay Ellis in the cult series UFO.
The episode was written by The Avengers regular Dennis Spooner, interesting because The Champions was running around the same time as the sixth and final season of The Avengers, the one which featured Linda Thorsen as Tara King.
I didn't really watch The Champions at the time and looking back at these shows I can see why. It's a little bland, especially when compared with The Avengers, and not even giving the three leads super-powers really peps it up much.
Production company ITC would continue trying to replicate ABC-TV's Avengers formula - eg, Department S, Strange Report and even Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) - without much success.
There's something of a plot, involving the theft of a microfilm, and British character actor Patrick Allen (as secret agent Westerman) is in the frame for it. But while Westerman is captured, the microfilm isn't, and it's down to Stuart Damon to get himself placed in the same prison cell as Westerman to try to figure out what happened to the microfilm.
Alexandra Bastedo (the main reason for watching this series) doesn't really figure in the plot, so the producers gave her a little "comedy" sketch at the front of the episode, where she picks up a couple of hitch-hikers, one of whom thinks it's okay to start feeling Sharon up. He gets himself slapped around (off-camera) for that. It's not the sort of thing you'd see it a tv show these days, or if it was, then it certainly wouldn't be treated as comedy.
The surprise bonus is an appearance by Gabrielle Drake, who'd be memorably featured as Lt Gay Ellis in the cult series UFO.
The episode was written by The Avengers regular Dennis Spooner, interesting because The Champions was running around the same time as the sixth and final season of The Avengers, the one which featured Linda Thorsen as Tara King.
I didn't really watch The Champions at the time and looking back at these shows I can see why. It's a little bland, especially when compared with The Avengers, and not even giving the three leads super-powers really peps it up much.
Production company ITC would continue trying to replicate ABC-TV's Avengers formula - eg, Department S, Strange Report and even Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) - without much success.