When an agent is killed during a 'diving accident' in the moat of a Scottish castle Mrs Peel heads north posing as somebody who can help the owners make money from the castle. It is clearly a suspicious death
most people don't grow by several inches when they die! When Mrs Peel gets there we see Steed is already there; posing as historian 'Jock McSteed' and wearing a kilt! The castle belongs to Clan De'ath and apparently it is haunted by the pipe-playing ghost of the infamous thirteenth laird who was bricked up in the castle walls after betraying the clan. Once settled in Steed goes fishing; in order to investigate the moat, while Mrs Peel investigates the dungeons where she discovers a variety of medieval torture devices. It soon becomes apparent that something is going on but it isn't obvious who is involved; the laird, Ian De'ath, who doesn't want anybody in his castle; his cousin Angus, who is very keen to make more money; or members of the staff who run the estate when the cousins are away.
While this episode was filmed in Kent the creators used just about every Scottish stereotype short of a guest appearance by Nessie to make us believe we are in the highlands; all the main male characters wear kilts and it isn't long before we hear the skirl of the pipes. This would be laughable in most series but it seems to suit the somewhat surreal world of 'The Avengers' it is almost worth watching just to see Steed in a kilt and Mrs Peel in a tight-fitting tartan costume! The plot is enjoyably far-fetched as is the secret route to the villains' lair though an iron maiden in the basement a route that leads to the demise of the chief villain. The story was well told with a nice degree of threat and an air of mystery we know something is happening but exactly what the villains are doing isn't obvious until quite late in the story. Overall this is a fun story if not a classic.
While this episode was filmed in Kent the creators used just about every Scottish stereotype short of a guest appearance by Nessie to make us believe we are in the highlands; all the main male characters wear kilts and it isn't long before we hear the skirl of the pipes. This would be laughable in most series but it seems to suit the somewhat surreal world of 'The Avengers' it is almost worth watching just to see Steed in a kilt and Mrs Peel in a tight-fitting tartan costume! The plot is enjoyably far-fetched as is the secret route to the villains' lair though an iron maiden in the basement a route that leads to the demise of the chief villain. The story was well told with a nice degree of threat and an air of mystery we know something is happening but exactly what the villains are doing isn't obvious until quite late in the story. Overall this is a fun story if not a classic.