For those without a taste for golf, "The Thirteenth Hole" is not likely to change their opinion. Death by golf ball, coupled with the occasional bullet ("guaranteed to put a hole in one every time") are just two of the bigger obstacles on this unusual course. Patrick Allen ("Kill the King") easily stands out among some weak villains, but the big match showing off Steed's disconcerting game provides the highlight. Francis Matthews, veteran of Hammer's "The Revenge of Frankenstein" (1958) and "Dracula-Prince of Darkness" (1965), returned for "Mission ... Highly Improbable," Peter Jones returned for "The Curious Case of the Countless Clues," and Hugh Manning returned for both "The Superlative Seven" and "Thingumajig." The camera just loves Diana Rigg as it begins with her shoes, moving up to a view from eye level, and Donald Hewlett gets the best ever line propositioning Mrs. Peel: "I wouldn't mind giving YOU a stroke or two, on or off the course!" (he also puts forth a golf joke about 'drinking and driving'). The show did have its own fashion line of course, and no wonder.
