The Long Goodbye

This was definitely one of the best episodes of "The Persuaders" I've yet seen as I rewatch the entire series, the first time I've looked in on it since I was a boy of 10 or 11 when it first hit the TV screens.

This episode, directed by Roger Moore himself, who cleverly contrives a small part for his own young daughter, combined elements of cold war tension, big business extortion and a topical, environmentally friendly message around a scientific formula which could eliminate the need for oil going forward.

The long dead remains of an eminent scientist are accidentally discovered on purpose deep in the heart of Scotland by Danny and Brett on a tip off from the judge. In the late man's possession is his own revolutionary calculation which could be worth millions in the open market and soon attracts the interest of a number of different parties. The deceased's will puts his daughter Carla in possession of the system and it's not long before three pretty young women come forward all claiming to be her.

In the meantime Danny is kidnapped but keeps his wits sufficiently about him, while he is being driven to the captive house, to remember the various landmarks and sound effects en-route which will enable him to retrace his journey later on and so set up the finale. This is when Brett, naturally, comes to the rescue in a wonderfully of-its-time bubble-car promoting a new soap brand where he's previously schmoozed way past the resistance pretty young sales-girl driving the car in time-honoured James Bond style, to then race to the rescue leaving the real Carla to make a noble decision which she believes is best for the planet although we could definitely do with that formula now given how the world has turned against fossil fuels.

With lots of shots of vintage cars in real London locations adding period charm, not to mention Danny's ridiculous outfit of the day which seemed to comprise a lady's low-cut collarless blouse with an extravagant cravat-tie around his neck, all adding to the fun, bar some ugly process shots used for the various car journeys employed, I really enjoyed this episode.

The plot here is just predictable, classical for this series, no surprise. But what could we expect more, you have here all the ingredients the PERSUADERS fans seek for. Not the best nor the worst.... Instead of a treasure, our two leads find a corpse, more precisely a skeleton, in a crashed plane since twelve years. And besides this "corpse", there is a magic formula to permit to make oil useless for the industries all over the world...You have understood that there will be a hunt around our leads to grab this formula, billions of dollars worth formula. The last minute is the best of the series, the best very ending of the whole show. The most brilliant.

Brett and Danny stumble onto the wreck of a light plane (complete with the now skeletal remains of its pilot) hidden deep in the wilds of Scotland, where it crashed a decade earlier. It appears the pilot was a professor who had discovered a secret formula which could be worth millions - which they also discover in the wreckage.

It appears the Judge had set them up for their Scottish vacation in the hope they'd find the missing plane on their travels - and it now seems there are various desperate parties vying for the formula, including more than one young woman who all claim to be the dead Professor's only daughter.

This is a memorable and enjoyable episode with a strong cast - not least the lovely actresses who have guest roles, including a fun appearance from Valerie Leon as the soap-promoting 'Space Queen', complete with roadworthy space buggy!

We also later see Peter Sallis - many years later of course to find international fame providing the more talkative half of the Wallace and Gromit duo. We also see Roger's young daughter Deborah Moore in a cameo as a schoolgirl. Danny's observational skills serve him well when he's taken hostage in a London taxi cab, and the pursuit by Brett is fun to watch as he desperately tries not to lose his partner. The story is intriguing, and keep you guessing till the end as we wait and see exactly who will end up with the hotly-desired formula.

The plot is the usual fluff carried by the leads charm. but the episode is notable for the presence on screen of four iconic Seventies beauties: Valerie Leon, Madeline Smith, Anouska Hempel and Nicola Pagett.