The Avengers (TV Series) Fog (1969) User Reviews

A Victorian killer in '60s London

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 23 July 2015]

As delegates arrive in London for a peace conference one of them gets separated in the fog. He is then murdered by a caped swordsman in a manner reminiscent of the infamous 'Gaslight Ghoul' a killer who operated in Victorian London. It isn't long before more delegates are killed in a similar fashion and each time a horse drawn cab is heard in the area but not seen. Clues lead Steed and Tara to the Gaslight Ghoul Club; a private society which is dedicated to all things concerned with the Victorian killers whose member all dress like him. As they close in on the possible killer anybody who might be able to identify him is killed and ultimately Steed and Tara are in danger.

This episode is clearly inspired by people's continued fascination with Jack the Ripper. It nicely captured the dense fogs London once suffered from… in this case artificial fog as the Clean Air Act had reduced classic peasoupers to history! The fact that delegates of a peace conference are the ones getting killed is a fairly minor detail, presumably to justify Steed and Tara investigating rather than the police; what this is really about is seeing them catch an interesting killer. The fog filled narrow alleyways create a nice atmosphere as does the sound of house drawn carriages. The murder scenes are inevitably fairly tame but there is some decent action; notably when Steed demonstrates his skill with a blade when he finally confronts the killer. Overall a fun and atmospheric episode.

Nigel Green and Guy Rolfe

[kevinolzak · 8/10 · 13 May 2011]

"Fog," as the title implies, is drenched with misty atmosphere, another splendid Jeremy Burnham script effectively rendered by director John Hough. Cobblestone streets, flower sellers, organ grinders, and a man specializing in knife sharpening, all evoking 19th century London as a modern day 'Jack the Ripper' stalks the members of a disarmament conference. The first half sets up the murders, while the second has The Avengers investigating an exclusive club devoted to the legendary Gaslight Ghoul (the entire episode takes place in one fog shrouded night). Guy Rolfe had appeared in many shows on both sides of the Atlantic (Karloff's THRILLER), and played the title role in 1961's "Mr. Sardonicus," while Nigel Green, previously seen in a smaller part in "The Winged Avenger," tops the guest cast as the club president, who also happens to be an expert surgeon. Also featuring Paul Whitsun-Jones ("Man with Two Shadows," "The Wringer," "Room Without a View"), Norman Chappell ("Dance with Death," "Dead of Winter," "The Gilded Cage," "Dial a Deadly Number," "Murdersville"), David Lodge ("Epic"), John Garrie ("The Winged Avenger"), Arnold Diamond ("Who's Who???"), Frank Sieman ("Six Hands Across a Table"), and William Lyon Brown ("Death's Door").

"Never say die!"

[ShadeGrenade · 10/10 · 6 April 2009]

London is in the grip of a thick fog. Delegates arrive to attend the World Disarmanent Conference. Steed is there to greet them. One gets lost, and is murdered by a mysterious figure in a cloak and top hat.

Steed and Tara trace a clue to the 'Gaslight Ghoul Club', a secret society dedicated to unearthing the mystery of London's most notorious serial killer, a 'Jack The Ripper' type figure who mysteriously disappeared around 1888.

It would seem the Gaslight Ghoul has arisen from the grave, and his blade is as sharp as ever...

Jeremy Burnham's story - one of my favourites - appears to be set in Victorian London - foggy, cobblestoned streets, gas lamps on every corner, organ grinders, flower sellers - yet the dialogue establishes the era as the late 1960's. Mother drives around in a Mini Moke fitted with powerful lamps! Atmospheric direction by John Hough, later to direct the Hammer Horror film 'Twins Of Evil'.

That splendid actor Nigel Green, who plays 'Sir Geoffrey Armstrong', was 'Sir Lexius Cray' in 'The Winged Avenger'. David Lodge's contribution to this episode was excised. When Channel 4 repeated this in the mid-90's, they cut out a sequence involving knives.

A classic episode, The Fog delivers.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 14 September 2022]

Members of The International Disarmament Committee are being picked off by an unknown killer, who's styled himself on Jack The Ripper.

Despite being studio bound, it looks great, excellent use of sets and costumes, the one thing they got spot on here was the murky atmosphere, the accompanying music also fits perfectly.

Something of a chiller, a Victorian gothic whodunnit, not a genre I thought I'd see on The Avengers, but this show always had the ability so surprise. I know the plot is a little out there, but it's more along the lines of a straight up thriller, countless suspects to consider.

For me this was Patrick Newell's best showing as Mother so far, always quirky, but his monologue shows just how good he was, I listened with glee as he rambled on.

Classic episode, 9/10.

My Favorite Tara adventure

[wnewman106 · 17 June 2010]

I'll try not to use the word "atmospheric" more than 3 or 4 times here, but atmospheric it is. There are some problems here in the amount of happenings in one night's time, though. How can anyone write a diary in an hour that could be aged enough to fool the President of the Gas Light Ghoul Club? Try that with the Jack The Ripper fans and see......no, wait...that was indeed done with some of the fans wasn't it? Steed's solving of the mystery clue was certainly obscure (fever of living???), his finding a costume shop open late at night was fortuitous, and his fight with the villain wasn't one of his best. Still, this was one of the best episodes of the entire series and had most of the elements that made The Avengers the show that it was. Did I mention this was atmospheric, atmospheric?

A disarming Jack the Ripper-style killer

[coltras35 · 10/10 · 28 April 2022]

A group of foreign delegates visiting a fog-bound London for an international disarmament conference are bumped off by someone imitating the Gaslight Ghoul, a Victorian Mass murderer, whose notoriety has inspired a group of professional men to start their own Gaslight Ghoul club, its aim being to unmask the original killer. Steed joins the club to discover the identity of the latter-day culprit.

Just reading the above is enticing enough; fog, horse drawn carriages, cobbled side streets, men with beards and cloaks - a killer at large. There's plenty of atmosphere, some genuine tension, and of course the usual Avengers quirkiness. Tara King, in particular, is really good in this one. She's quite an energetic one, looking quite baffled as things unravel. The only disappointment is the fight sequence between Steed and the dastardly fiend. With steed's fencing skills I expected a lengthier sequence. Nigel Green and the smooth Guy Rolfe co-star.

Lost in the fog...

[canndyman · 5/10 · 2 September 2019]

This rather unusual episode towards the end of the Tara season has never been one of my favorites, and is somewhat of an oddity. Based loosely on Jack the Ripper, the story revolves around the unlikely return of the mysterious Victorian street murderer the 'Gaslight Ghoul' - who has seemingly adopted the said ghoul's alter-ego (& disguise) in order to pick out and murder delegates at a disarmament conference being held in London.

The biggest drawback of the episode is the fact that it is completely studio-bound - this very likely being due to the fact that it was recorded over the Christmas period of 1968, when outdoor conditions would have been challenging. This gives it a rather cramped feel, and it has the look of an Avengers stage production, rather than a filmed episode.

For those who can stay the course, we do of course get to see 'whodunnit', & a rather fitting fight scene at the climax. The episode is saved in part too due to the presence of the ever-reliable Nigel Green, who gives a satisfyingly characterful performance.

All in all though, a bit of a disappointment, & an episode only really suitable for completists.