An excellent conceit here, extortion backed up by efficient, silent demo assassination attempts to show the targets that they really mean business. As so often in the newer series though, it's undone a bit by silliness - chief blackmailer Needle breaking into TV transmissions to present his demands 60s gameshow-style.
A nice scene where Mrs Peel dominates timorous, tiny millionaire Lord Rathbone
(Leslie French returning from Death of a Great Dane.) Clifford Cox (the army sergeant in Spearhead from Space) as his gamekeeper btw.
Interesting that the threat in the climax comes from measures the central victim Unwin (Barrie 'Paris' Ingham) has taken to fight back. Very harsh final shot here with Steed and Mrs Peel laughing heartily at the sight of Needle's smoking corpse lodged in a tree.
Pex fact: Steed's fortune on display in the closing gag makes him worth £2083 6s 8d, or about 500 grand in contemporary terms.
Philately fact: Note the 4d blue Wilding definitive on the envelope that Steed's party invitation comes in - even though production started nearly two months after the new Machin definitives came out on June 5th 1967.
Also seen: John Baker (one of the Time Lords at the start of Colony in Space).
Previously seen: Frank Maher making his fourth appearance.
