I find this one of the more enjoyable entries in the series. It aired on Christmas day and is built around a story in which Steed and Mrs. Peel are invited to a Dickensian Christmas party at one of England's stately homes, owned by Mervyn Johns, who is a renowned collector of Dickensiana.
At the Christmas Eve party, everyone must dress in costumes derived from one or another of the novels. Mrs. Peel winds up as Oliver Twist. Steed, ominously, is assigned the identity of Sidney Carton of "A Tale of Two Cities," the debauched alcoholic who recovers his humanity in time to sacrifice his life for someone else.
The plot, what there is of it, has something to do with drugs, mental telepathy, hypnosis, induced dreams, premonitions, and wringing state secrets out of Steed's mind. The Sidney Carton business has nothing to do with the story and is simply an excuse to film a nightmare and have a few subtle jokes.
Especially appealing is the notion of the Dickensian Christmas with its punch, puddings, and roast goose. There's a fireplace and a fiddler playing jigs. The set decorator deserves a two-shilling emolument.
It's curious that the Dickens collector who has laid on this affair is Mervyn Johns. This is the Mervyn Johns who dreamed "The Dead of Night" in its entirety. That's a movie I would recommend watching if you really want to be spooked. And a tip: A slight chemical alteration of the mind, and the film will REALLY make your hair stand on end. I believe Johns was also Bob Cratchett in the early 50s version of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," the best version in my view.
At the Christmas Eve party, everyone must dress in costumes derived from one or another of the novels. Mrs. Peel winds up as Oliver Twist. Steed, ominously, is assigned the identity of Sidney Carton of "A Tale of Two Cities," the debauched alcoholic who recovers his humanity in time to sacrifice his life for someone else.
The plot, what there is of it, has something to do with drugs, mental telepathy, hypnosis, induced dreams, premonitions, and wringing state secrets out of Steed's mind. The Sidney Carton business has nothing to do with the story and is simply an excuse to film a nightmare and have a few subtle jokes.
Especially appealing is the notion of the Dickensian Christmas with its punch, puddings, and roast goose. There's a fireplace and a fiddler playing jigs. The set decorator deserves a two-shilling emolument.
It's curious that the Dickens collector who has laid on this affair is Mervyn Johns. This is the Mervyn Johns who dreamed "The Dead of Night" in its entirety. That's a movie I would recommend watching if you really want to be spooked. And a tip: A slight chemical alteration of the mind, and the film will REALLY make your hair stand on end. I believe Johns was also Bob Cratchett in the early 50s version of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol," the best version in my view.