The Avengers (TV Series) Immortal Clay (1963) User Reviews

The search for unbreakable ceramics

[Tweekums · 8/10 · 28 April 2017]

This episode opens in a small pottery factory in Staffordshire. They produce top quality china but it isn't cheap and the owners are in financial trouble. There is a chance though; one of the owners is convinced that he is on the brink of inventing an unbreakable high quality ceramic. It looks as though somebody is keen to find out about the tile when the body of an industrial spy is found in the clay. Cathy is in the factory researching for a book and One-Ten soon dispatches Steed, under the guise of a member of the ceramics council. As the investigation begins it becomes clear that a pottery expert from Leipzig, in East Germany, is interested in acquiring the 'unbreakable tile' by whatever means necessary; however there is no suggestion that he is involved in the murder. There is also an undercurrent of sexual tension at the factory with one senior worker jealous of any attention other men give to an attractive female employee.

This was an interesting episode that features two mysteries; who killed the man in the clay and who is trying to steal the 'unbreakable tile'… assuming it actually exists. There are plenty of suspects with plenty of motives. There is a decent amount of action and a few tense moments. It was fun to see Steed's boss again and interesting that he doesn't really approve of Cathy's involvement. The cast does a solid job making the story a little more believable than many instalments. Overall I'd say this was a pretty good episode.

Better than some say.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 7/10 · 20 January 2024]

Cathy goes undercover at a ceramics factory, where a friend of hers claims to have discovered a formula for unbreakable china, a formula that enemy agents are keen to get their hands on.

I get why there's a bit of discontent about this episode, it's not to everyone's taste, but I thought it was quite fun. Such was the variety and breadth of this show, that unbreakable teacups really did form the basis for a plot.

As an ex employee of Wedgwood, I can assure you that a bone china teacup would take all of my seventeen stone, it's a ridiculously strong and durable substance.

Lots of talk about a reboot, I genuinely don't see how it's going to work, the 60's was just a totally different time, who'd have the sheer audacity to pen a story about unbreakable teacups.

Lots of familiar faces here, but I'm not sure the likes of Paul Eddington or Steve Plytas shine through here, Blackman stood out for me.

The accident prone night Watchman was an interesting character, he had me on edge every time he was near a cup or saucer.

7/10.

Very pretty blonde girl saves episode big-time!

[bobforapples-40146 · 7/10 · 29 July 2023]

No, not Honor Blackman. I wrote of the guest beautiful girl who wanted to be a beauty queen in the ep. Forget the bad reviews on here discussing unimportant men in the ep. That beauty queen wannabe brings the ep up from 3 or 4 stars to a solid minimum of 7! The setting outside of her was dull mostly taking place in a pottery factory. That setting simply was not best. This pretty woman guest carried every scene she was in. There was an ep of Man About the House ( In praise of older men)where Chrissy dated a married man (Mr. Cross). I thought this pretty lady in this guest started on that particular ep of MATH as Mrs. Cross. There was a resemblance. But it was a different lady in this Avengers ep!! This lady was Deedee Sullivan. The lady on MATH was Audrey Nicholson. Important and interesting observatioñ!

The Unbreakable Tile

[profh-1 · 5/10 · 26 October 2022]

An inventor at a small, failing ceramics firm believes he's created an unbreakable ceramic. However, industrial spies are after it, as it could have applications in the rocket and space industries. When one of the spies turns up dead at the factory, Steed is sent to investigate, and finds a complex web of intrigue and soap-opera going on!

When I first saw Season 2 in the 90s, this was definitely one of the episodes focusing on a specific industry that I found escessively-talky. It's grown on me, but the fact that the 2009 remastered Region 2 DVD version has HARSH sound which makes a lot of the fast-paced dialogue difficult to understand isn't helping. (I really should check my 90s videotape recorded off A&E to compare quality.)

Cathy's already on the scene writing a book about the ceramics industry when the body is discovered. Steed is sent in posing as a member of the Ceramics Board, and is forced to spend 24 hours beforehand studying a book on the subject to pass himself off as an "expert". This reminds me of what Holmes had Watson do in "The Illustrious Client" (one of the 1965 Douglas Wilmer episodes of that series). One-Ten is very snippy and impatient with Steed, blaming him for an invalueable piece of ceramic being stolen under his nose, and also complaining that he "disapproves of amateurs being involved" with regard to Cathy. Although "Death Dispatch" was broadcast 3 episodes before this and filmed even earlier than that, this really makes that episode seem like it should have been "held back" even further than it was, since in there, it's One-Ten who recruited Cathy before even telling Steed about it! The more I see One-Ten (Douglas Muir), the more he reminds me of Alexander Waverly from U. N. C. L. E., except I kinda like One-Ten more.

Another great cast. Paul Eddington is "Richard Marling", the owner of the firm, who's so worried they may go under he's neglecting his wife; I'll always remember him most as the disbelieving husband in THE DEVIL RIDES OUT.

Gary Watson is "Allen Marling", obsessed with making a technological breakthrough while frustrated that his older brother doesn't have any faith in him. Apart from 2 other AVENGERS episodes, I've also seen him in an 80s MISS MARPLE. I confess, I kept confusing him with Anton Rodgers, there was some resemblance.

James Bree is "Miller", the sculptor, a "small" man who's absolutely obsessed and jealous over "Anne" (Rowena Gregory), the flirty secretary with dreams of becoming a film star. She's in love with Allen, but is having trouble convincing Miller she's not really interested in HIM! It drives him to desperation and even grand theft. Bree seems perpetually typecast as obsessive weirdos, as he was in the Douglas Wilmer SHERLOCK HOLMES episode "The Six Napoleons", where he had a positive fixation on "The Great Emperor!" He was also in 2 DOCTOR WHO stories, "The War Games", and "The Ultimate Foe".

Steve Plytas is "De Groot", an industrial spy whose front is that of an international sales rep. He wants the "unbreakable" tile and will go to any means to get it. I've seen him in 2 AVENGERS, 2 DANGER MANs, 2 SAINTs, a PHILLIP MARLOWE, a 1986 SHERLOCK HOLMES ("The Six Napoleons"-- talk about story typecasting!), plus ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE, REVENGE OF THE PINK PANTHER, BATMAN (1989, the so-called plastic surgeon) and GOLDENEYE!

And then there's Frank Olegario as "Blomberg", the pro wrestler-styled brutal henchman (no self-respecting villain should be without one). I've also seen him in 3 SAINTs, a DANGER MAN, DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER and INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM (of course!).

Writer James Mitchell did 5 AVENGERS-- 2 in season 1 (both lost), 2 in season 2 and 1 in season 3. He also did 5 episodes of THE TROUBLESHOOTERS and was the creator of the much-more sombre spy show CALLAN, for which he wrote 35 episodes!

Richard Harding directed 7 episodes of THE AVENGERS, all in season 2. I'm guessing he had a bit of trouble with the tight confinement of some of this story's sets, given that in one scene the camera clearly (and loudly) slammed into a table, and later, during the climactic fight scene it was very hard to make out what was going on, we didn't really get to see Cathy DO anything, and I'm not even sure how Blomberg was over-powered. Oh well! (They can't all be great.)

Suffice to say, at the end, it looks like Richard & Anne's marriage may be happily back on track.

Immortal Clay

[Prismark10 · 4/10 · 7 August 2019]

Immortal Clay is a dense but dull mystery. It is almost like a soap opera.

A small pottery factory run by two brothers is in debt. One of the brother's after many false dawns might have invented an unbreakable ceramic tile. One-Ten tells Steed this could have a significant industrial impact and needs to be protected against foreign espionage.

When Steed arrives at the pottery factory, there is already a dead body when an industrial spy is found dead. An Eastern European trying to persuade workers with a bribe and a question mark as to whether an unbreakable tile has even been created.

In terms of science The Avengers were ahead of the curve. As One-Ten mentions such a tile could be used on a rocket and the Space Shuttle did have heat resistant tiles.

Apart from industrial espionage there is an undercurrent of jealousy as a blonde ceramic worker who wants to be a beauty queen attracts several suitors. The story and production is just too silly and unengaging.

Steed takes a crash course in pottery, Cathy is the expert

[kevinolzak · 4/10 · 11 January 2011]

"Immortal Clay" is set at a pottery shop run by two debt-ridden brothers, Richard Marling (Paul Eddington, later seen in "Something Nasty in the Nursery"), who handles the business end, and Allen Marling (Gary Watson, from "Death on the Slipway," "Lobster Quadrille," and "Wish You Were Here"), the young genius handling production. In the last of his ten appearances (half of which are lost episodes from season one), One Ten (Douglas Muir), Steed's superior, wants to know if an unbreakable ceramic has been discovered by Allen Marling, but does not approve of Cathy Gale's frequent involvement, her being an "amateur!" A dead body is found drowned in a vat of liquid clay, and was apparently on friendly terms with Richard Marling's wife Anne (Rowena Gregory, later seen in "The White Elephant"), who complains about her husband being too busy to spend time with her. There is also the airhead blonde assistant (Didi Sullivan) in love with Allen Marling, which drives her ardent suitor Harry Miller (James Bree, later seen in "Killer") mad with jealousy. A desperate Miller decides to steal Allen's unbreakable invention and sell it to De Groot (Steve Plytas, later seen in "A Touch of Brimstone"), a foreign importer ready to make a killing on the deal. Uninteresting soap opera stuff, but that's really all there is.

Immortal clay

[coltras35 · 5/10 · 10 December 2023]

Has Allen Marling created an unbreakable ceramic cup? One-Ten sends Steed as a pottery expert from the government to investigate as it could be used for missile nose cones, while Cathy, pretends to write a book on pottery and is at the factory for research. Enemy spy De Groot bribes Miller to steal the tile after his colleague Lander is killed and the corrupt potter forms it into a cup, destined for a trade fair behind the Iron Curtain.

It's interesting episode which is marred by soapy subplot, too many characters and too much talk - despite this I found it watchable, especially about ceramic factory and the intrigue.