To Russia with Panache (17 Nov. 1971)

Jason is abducted in order to help the Moscow police work out how three men on a workers' delegation,got into a lift and then,when the doors opened again,there was nothing left of them but ... See full summary »

Stars:

Peter Wyngarde, Andrea Allan, Elizabeth Counsell

Cast

Episode credited cast:
Peter Wyngarde	...	Jason King
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Andrea Allan	...	The Tall Girl
Elizabeth Counsell	...	Anna Brenskaja
Timothy Craven	...	Mavitch
Stefan Gryff	...	Krosnic
Tutte Lemkow	...	Kivich
John Malcolm	...	Colonel Kolkov
Mark Malicz	...	Danik
Richard Marner	...	Markovitch
Wally Michaels	...	Joseph
Michael Poole	...	Stavalov
Milton Reid	...	Janis
Pamela Salem	...	Alexandra Lanova
Gabor Vernon	...	Skirnof
Jeffrey Wickham	...	Povokov

Storyline

Jason is abducted in order to help the Moscow police work out how three men on a workers' delegation,got into a lift and then,when the doors opened again,there was nothing left of them but three piles of ashes. He discovers that they made their exit from the lift by means of a trap door but comes to appreciate that they are part of a larger plan to tunnel into the Kremlin to steal art treasures.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure

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Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 November 1971 (UK)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Scoton, Incorporated Television Company (ITC)

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

User Reviews

The dedicated follower of fashion

Jason King started life as a character in the series Department S, which was more serious in substance. However, there was obviously mileage in giving the bouffant-haired dandy a showcase of his own. Cue some dodgy fashions, bad jokes, cartoon fights, and a 70s cult character.

To Russia With Panache, quite apart from the Bond reference, is high camp at its best, with the usual doses of sexism and xenophobia seen in many shows of the period. Jason is abducted by a saucy maid and her henchman and sent parcel post to Moscow to investigate just how three diplomats turned to ashes in an elevator.

Aiding or hindering are three comedy male comrades, and a couple of pouting females - but will he crack the case? Hugely entertaining fluff and benefiting from a wonderfully ripe performance from Peter Wyngarde, always a striking presence in any show he turns up in.

Look out for the lack of location shooting and widespread use of fur and rubber. And, as you would expect, there's an ending which would not shame Sean Connery's master agent.