avle0702_thefardistantdead_1417Doctor Keel assists humanitarian efforts following a cyclone in Central America – and discovers a far-reaching conspiracy…

This is a bit of an odd one, and must have seemed that way to the TV audiences at the time. It’s one of the rare occasions that David Keel is out on his own, without help from Steed, and he’s partnered for much of the time with a female equivalent. Maybe it was an attempt to see if Ian Hendry’s character could sustain episodes without Macnee’s… Whatever the root cause in the 1960s, its positioning in the Big Finish releases means that it’s an interesting “what if” for the future of the show – what has Keel learned from Steed, and how far has he come personally across the twenty-five episodes from the man whose fiancée was shot?

There’s rather more suspension of disbelief required in this one as well – characters turn up where they really have no right to (there weren’t that many transatlantic flights in 1961), and Keel is taken seriously without being connected to any form of official organisation – but that’s inherent from John Lucarotti’s storyline and the telesnaps. Tom Mallaburn’s script provides motivations for the bad guys, and covers up some of the plotholes, and gives Anthony Howell’s Keel some powerful moments towards the end of the episode. Karina Fernandez gives a spirited performance as Keel’s fellow doctor and again there’s lots of doubling up from the cast to give this the feel of a much bigger production.

Verdict: An interesting alternate route for the Avengers. 8/10

Paul Simpson