The Curious Case of the Countless Clues

Episode aired Apr 3, 1968
52min

7.2/10

S7.E19

With Miss King out of action nursing a broken ankle Steed goes it alone when Scotland Yard colleague Sir Arthur Doyle brings him in on a murder enquiry, with an abundance of clues, each one ... Read allWith Miss King out of action nursing a broken ankle Steed goes it alone when Scotland Yard colleague Sir Arthur Doyle brings him in on a murder enquiry, with an abundance of clues, each one pointing to an illustrious suspect. In fact bogus cops Earle and Gardiner are operating a ... Read allWith Miss King out of action nursing a broken ankle Steed goes it alone when Scotland Yard colleague Sir Arthur Doyle brings him in on a murder enquiry, with an abundance of clues, each one pointing to an illustrious suspect. In fact bogus cops Earle and Gardiner are operating a racket whereby they deliberately incriminate worthies as murder suspects and then blackmai... Read all

7.2/10

147

Top credits

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Patrick Macnee and Linda Thorson in The Avengers (1961)

Kenneth Cope and Reginald Jessup in The Avengers (1961)

With Miss King out of action nursing a broken ankle Steed goes it alone when Scotland Yard colleague Sir Arthur Doyle brings him in on a murder enquiry, with an abundance of clues, each one pointing to an illustrious suspect. In fact bogus cops Earle and Gardiner are operating a racket whereby they deliberately incriminate worthies as murder suspects and then blackmail them. Their latest target is Steed and his supposed victim is Miss King. —don @ minifie-1

broken ankle tow truck pair of killers blackmail clue 2 more

Genres
Parents guide
- Add content advisory

Trivia
Sir Arthur Doyle is a blatant send up of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He is even dressed like Sherlock Holmes complete with a deerstalker cap and a pipe.

Goofs
At the climax of their fight, Tara hits Gardiner over the head with her paintbox, causing actor Kenneth Cope's (or possibly his stunt double's) toupee to visibly slip. On regaining consciousness, his character's "hair" is flawless again.

Quotes
John Steed: [examining an x-ray of Tara's leg] How'd you get this?
Tara King: Doctor propped me up in front of a machine and pushed a little button...
John Steed: [small chuckle] The accident, how did it happen?

Connections
Spoofs Perry Mason (1957)

Top review

8/10

Curiously underrated

One of the first Tara King episodes of The Avengers, The Curious case of the Countless Clues was made during a tempestuous time in the series' history and might never have seen the light of day, or been butchered within an inch of its life (as was the fate of The Great Great Britain Crime, which became Homicide and Old Lace).

As it is, its one of my favourite Tara episodes. True its not particularly witty or bizarre - its a straight forward thriller. But a great cast, a neat central idea and a perfectly suspenseful ending combine to make a top notch episode. Watch out for villains Earle and Gardiner (a pun on Perry Mason creator, Erle Stanley Gardiner), two of the creepiest and best played baddies Tara comes up against.

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