Mit Schirm, Charme und Melone Two's a Crowd (1961–1969) Online

'Two's A Crowd' opens with a stunning teaser, one of the very best in the 'Avengers' series. A plane carrying a bomb swoops over London towards the Houses of Parliament. Is there a modern-day Guy Fawkes at work? No. The plane is in fact a toy, and the 'bomb' contains nothing more than a message for the eyes of Ambassador Brodny ( Warren Mitchell ) informing him of the imminent arrival in Britain of the notorious Russian spy 'Colonel Psev'.

A top level conference is due to take place, and Psev intends wrecking it. No-one has ever seen him, except for four other Russians: Alicia Elena ( Maria Machados ), Boris Shvedloff ( Alec Mango ), Pudeskin ( Wolfe Morris ) and Vogel ( Julian Glover ). In addition to having expensive tastes in food and drink, Colonel Psev also has a fondness for deadly toys.

While at a fashion show with fellow Russian Sergei Ivenko ( John Bluthal ), Brodny spots a man on the catwalk who bears a startling resemblance to John Steed, and a plan starts to form in his nasty little mind...

Written by Philip Levene, this entertaining episode is fairly straight by 'Avenger' standards. The one unusual aspect is the 'killer' toys. Poor Sergei is shot by a toy submarine, and the climax sees Steed and Emma attacked by model planes equipped with real ammunition. Julian Glover appeared a number of times in 'The Avengers', mostly as villains. He once joked that every time the audience saw him, they knew he would be the villain! ( He did, in fairness, play a good-guy in the Thorson episode 'Split!' ). Warren Mitchell was only a few months away from his most famous role - 'Alf Garnett' in 'Till Death Us Do Part' - when he did this, yet another of his 'funny foreigner' roles. He impressed viewers so much he was brought back the following season's 'The See-Through Man'.

The 'double' plot gives Patrick Macnee a chance to have some fun. His 'Gordon Webster' has a moustache, smokes like a chimney and calls everyone 'duckie' - very different to Steed! The idea of a conference under threat from a Steed doppleganger would be reused in 1968's 'They Keep Killing Steed'.

Directed by the great Roy Ward Baker, who sadly passed on last week at the grand old age of 93.

With a defence conference due to take place Steed is put in charge of security meanwhile the other side has brought in their top spy with plans to infiltrate the conference. That spy is known as Col Psev and nobody knows what he looks like; only his four assistants ever see him; even the ambassador at the embassy he is operating from has not seen him. All that is known about him is that he smokes a certain brand of cigar, drinks an unusual liqueur and likes working model aircraft. With this information Steed and Mrs Peel set about trying to identifying him. Meanwhile the enemy have found just the way to infiltrate the conference; a model who looks just like Steed is spotted and if the price is right he is happy to betray his country. At first it seems he will have no chance of passing himself off as Steed; he may look the same but getting the mannerisms of somebody as suave as Steed might prove impossible. Surprisingly it looks as if he has managed it as he fools Mrs Peel and she is captured… will the real Steed be able to save her and unmask Psev?.

This episode got off to a good start… just as I was thinking the aircraft we see about drop a bomb on London looked like an obvious model it turned out that is exactly what it was thus turning disappointment to amusement. The plot involving Steed's doppelgänger was rather fun and it was nice seeing Patrick Macnee playing the caddish double. As expected there were a few twists before Psev is unveiled in the episodes biggest twist. Warren Mitchell put in a good performance as Ambassador Brodny; before he went on to become the iconic 'Alf Garnett'. As one might expect for a TV show of its age some of the effects are a bit ropey; especially during the final model aircraft attacks, although given the budgets and technology available they aren't bad… at least we aren't meant to think they are real aircraft. Overall a good spy episode with some nicely tense moments and a good twist at the end.

This entertaining episode completed during the fourth season of The Avengers television series, shot in black and white, was originally aired in the United Kingdom 18 December 1965, and during the subsequent May was seen upon TV screens in the United States. The title is allusive to John Steed (Patrick Macnee)'s evidently having a doppelgänger, this exact copy being particularly perplexing to Steed's Avenger partner, Mrs. Emma Peel (Diana Rigg), as well as to those viewers who will immediately wonder at what may have brought about the appearance of his ostensible duplicate. Steed has been designated by his governmental office as chief of security for a defense conference to be held at a Cold War rival nation's embassy in London (actually the Edge Grove prep school in Hertfordshire). It has been determined that a mysterious secret agent, Colonel Psev, along with four aides, will be present at the upcoming convention, and since Psev has not been visually recognizable to the West, Steed is specifically charged with the ascertainment of the Colonel's true identity. The mentioned quartet of the enigmatic Psev's deputies have anteceded the Colonel to the embassy site and, in concert with their country's ambassador Brodny (Warren Mitchell), have formulated a thoroughgoing espionage exercise there that will audit the conference. By an astounding bit of luck, the group has located an exact replica of Steed, a clothing model named Gordon Webster whose complete lack of principles makes him ideal for the purposes of the spies who have come from behind the Iron Curtain. He even gulls Mrs. Peel. When she informs Steed of the existence of his duplicate, he retorts: "If I had a twin, I'm sure mother would have mentioned it." For those interested in the technological content of Avengers series episodes, there are recording devices (bugs) of several sorts, and also a remote controlled model aeroplane (Lancaster bomber), and a model submarine, the latter filmed at Tyke's Water Lake, Elstree, also in Hertfordshire. The scenario is overly complex, and may thereby cause some viewers to focus upon obvious breaches in logic and continuity, for what is, after all, a piece from a chain of tales that rely upon acceptance of fantasy. Nonetheless, outstanding performances (as ever) by Macnee and Rigg, in addition to a top-flight turn from Mitchell, will inspire a good many who view the film to grant it a high ranking.

"Two's a Crowd" is a rare disappointment, marred by weak villains and an inconsistent tone. Steed heads up security for an important conference, hoping to snare the elusive Colonel Psev, who has escaped detection for years because he's never been properly identified. The Colonel's circle of agents torment Ambassador Vladimir Jiroslav Brodny (Warren Mitchell, who would repeat the characterization in "The See-Through Man"), until they spot a male model who looks exactly like Steed, only without the scruples. It doesn't take long for them to convince the unpolished double to replace the real Steed, and start by convincing Mrs. Peel that he can actually pass for the real thing. Alas, the hapless Brodny can't hold a candle to Nigel Stock's Zalenko, Steed's friendly enemy from "Concerto," but once he fades into the background, things improve considerably, especially with Patrick Macnee's solid dual performance (he always complements his fellow actors). Warren Mitchell was already a series veteran ("The Golden Fleece" and "The Charmers"), but newcomer Julian Glover proved to be one of its most dependable villains, returning for "The Living Dead," "Split!" and "Pandora." Other veterans back again included Wolfe Morris ("The Yellow Needle" and "The Decapod") and Alec Mango ("Conspiracy of Silence"), but there was little difference between Psev's villains, the one major weakness of a mostly solid plot line.