"They Keep Killing Steed" is the last story involving a double of Steed, and by far the weakest, despite director Robert Fuest's constant attention to detail, which keeps things interesting no matter what transpires. Ray McAnally ("The Positive Negative Man") is the lead villain Arcos, who kidnaps the real Steed to hold hostage while an imposter replaces him at an important peace conference, created by a serum that changes molecular structure, dubbed "instant plastic surgery" (THE OUTER LIMITS used the same serum in 1963's "The Hundred Days of the Dragon"). Steed manages to foil the sabotage plot by instigating multiple duplicates (we actually see a total of 7!), which, amazingly, all get through security, one after the other! None of it makes for a great episode, but Ian Ogilvy proves why he would be a fine replacement for Roger Moore a decade later in RETURN OF THE SAINT. Bernard Horsfall ("The Cybernauts" and "The Fear Merchants") appears as Captain Smythe, who orders all Steeds to be shot on sight, but one sneeze and you might miss the microscopic cameo from delicately lovely redhead Angharad Rees, star of Hammer's 1971 "Hands of the Ripper."
Review of They Keep Killing Steed
