Intrigue

Invited to a weekend house party by Sir Basil Turton and his younger wife Natalia, John Bannister is struck by the lady's infidelity. She tries to undo his pyjamas and is plainly having an affair with another guest Major Haddock. Jelks, Sir Basil's loyal butler, has also noticed and when Natalia gets her head stuck in an abstract sculpture he knows precisely how to cut her down to size.—don @ minifie-1

By his own admission, Sir Basil Turton has been utterly uninteresting to women until he succeeded to his father's title. At that point, his estates and wealth suddenly increased his eligibility and, amongst others, Natalia gained his attention. They married. However, Natalia was not wholly enraptured of Basil. Many male house guests were to "divert" her from her matrimonial ties, much to the chagrin of the elderly retainer, Jelks, who found his lady's distractions profoundly disturbing and embarassing, not least for the effort involved in hiding them from his master. Eventually, Sir Basil, enjoying a cigarette in the pergola with a Jelks-interrupted suitor John Bannister, sees his wife engaged in horseplay with Major Haddock which results in her putting her head through a (Henry Moore-style) wooden sculpture. Sadly (!) she can't get her head out again. And after watching for a while, from the pergola, Sir Basil trots over and, with white petroleum jelly tries to lubricate her out ot the predicament. Sadly, no joy, in spite of gags about shuffling her ears.

Then, Jelks approaches with the solution.

Remember, this a stately hlome, with all sorts of armorial stuff.

He brings with him an ancient war-axe, double-headed.

So, what to do?

Cleave the wooden sculpture to free the straying wife, or....

well, look at the title of the episode...