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EPISODE FIVE: ENEMY OF THE STATE
Original UK transmission: 26th October 1966
Filmed: December 1965
Screenplay by Dennis Spooner
Directed by Jeremy Summers
Synopsis: The Baron and Cordelia Winfield (Sue Lloyd) are in Eastern Europe at an art auction when Cordelia is suddenly taken prisoner by the authorities and accused of espionage. It seems that the world of antiques is not all as it seems, as compelling evidence seems to point to her being about to contact Ronald Bell (Richard Carpenter), a Western agent who has just been captured by the state and has confessed to being on the point of receiving funds through Cordelia and Mannering. In fact, the whole enterprise has indeed been a cover for Templeton-Green (Colin Gordon) to get the funds through to Bell, who has since been taken prisoner. At the last minute, however, a double agent known as Rishner (Brian Phelan) has found out about the capture, and thus has warned The Baron, stopping him from going to contact Bell at an agreed rendez-vous where the police would be waiting. However, Rishner has been too late to stop Cordelia, who is intercepted at the Koblinz Bar, where Bell is shot by the police, and she is arrested as a foreign agent. Having been knocked unconscious by Rishner, seemingly the only way to stop him from also suffering the same fate as Cordelia, the Baron finds himself at a British safe house with Templeton-Green and other embassy staff. However, he reveals that the British will not yet disclose what has happened: politics means that they will have to wait until she starts a trial, where an exchange for another agent may take place. These events, however, could take several years. Mannering, however, is not impressed, and makes for the police headquarters where Cordelia is being held, only to be immediately escorted towards the border by the police after only a brief meeting with her. However, he manages to force the car taking him out of the country to crash, and, getting his hands on another car, drives back to the safe house with one of the government officials in handcuffs as a prisoner. He then undertakes a daring plan to kidnap Head of Security Szoblik (Anton Diffring) and exchange him for Cordelia involving a banana, a level crossing, a Mercedes and a VW Beetle. Amazingly, despite having an informer working against him, the plan comes into fruition, and he and Cordelia are able to swim, literally, across the border in a hail of gunfire, thus escaping the country for good.
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Script: Performances: Cars/Sets/Locations: General
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