User Reviews

Overall, this is an outstanding episode. In The Experiment, Sharron is recruited to join an experiment involving scientifically altered super-humans. Dr Glind has somehow discovered that Sharron and her friends have special powers. He wants to test Sharron's abilities against those of his creations. It's Superhuman vs Superhuman.

A couple of things I liked: 1. The fight scenes - while the fight choreography could have been sharper, the fight scenes near the end are a blast. Really cool stuff. 2. Allan Cuthbertson - plays a ruthless killer as well as anyone. Always enjoying seeing his work. 3. The clever finale - I really liked the way The Champions were able to turn creation against master. I'm sure there's a lesson to be learned here if you look close enough.

A couple of things I didn't like (well, really only one thing I didn't like): 1. The ball tossing scene - to show the increased physical attributes and reflexes of Sharron and Dr Glind's experiments, they play a game of toss at high speeds. Unfortunately, all the director did was speed-up the film. It ends up looking rather silly.

As I said, The Experiment is an outstanding episode that I'm rating an 8/10.

I quite liked this one. A story about experimental superhumans so very '60s in tone but at least our heroes find themselves briefly matched although they could have played up the showdown a bit more. Nicholas Courtney shows up and it's all light and breezy, and terribly dated in the best way.

Welcome to my all-time favourite 'Champions' episode.

A man with incredible mental and physical abilities breaks through the heavily-guarded perimeter of a top secret research institute, only to become mindless moments later. NEMESIS agents Craig Stirling and Richard Barrett must find out who was controlling the intruder's actions. Sharron Macready is on holiday in England, or so her colleagues are led to believe. Major Cranmore ( Allan Cuthbertson ) of DI6 has requested her participation in a secret experiment involving agents of other security forces; they include the snooty 'Marion Grant' ( Caroline Blakiston ), 'Jean Jereau' ( Jonathan Burn ), 'Paul Lang' ( Peter J.Elliott ), and 'Susan Francis' ( Nita Lorraine ). In Beeston Lodge, Sussex, Sharron is subjected to a series of tests designed to probe her superhuman capabilities. The man behind the control voice is 'Dr.Glind' ( the late David Bauer ), a parapsychologist who knows about the Champions and is trying to duplicate their powers with the aid of a special E.E.G. machine that can boost the electrical centres of the brain. The flaw in the process is that the subjects' minds collapse within minutes.

Sharron is on screen more often than the others, and for once our heroes are pitted against foes with the same abilities as themselves. It contains some amazing scenes - the teaser with the intruder leaping over the fence, knocking out guards, and dodging bullets, Cranmore shooting the intruder in a hospital as the camera focuses on a child's spinning top, the volley ball game which is so fast you can barely see it, and the climactic fight. Bauer makes a good villain - he also provided the opening narration. 'Dr.Who' fans will doubtless recognise the late Nicholas Courtney ( sans moustache ) as 'Dr.Farley'. Caroline Blakiston registers as a bitchy agent who takes an instant dislike to our Sharron. The late Robert James ( 'Lesterson' in Dr.Who's 'Power Of The Daleks' ) is one of Glind's assistants.

Tony Williamson's script - along with 'The Beginning' - formed the basis for the one and only 'Champions' novel - 'The Sixth Sense Is Death' - published by Coronet Books in 1969. It was written by John Garforth ( who also wrote four 'Avengers' books ), and has a most unusual structure; 'The Experiment' forms the novel's core, with the events of 'The Beginning' related in flashback form by Sharron, Glind and Richard. Garforth fused the unrelated story lines by making Glind responsible for the germ warfare project in China the Champions nearly lost their lives destroying. There is a different ending with our heroes battling an army of brainwashed super-humans, all named 'Tommy Atkins', out to wreck Porton Down and release deadly germs into the atmosphere. Not a bad book, but clearly written before the author had a chance to view the series - his description of Tremayne as a 'degenerate youngster' is massively at odds with Anthony Nicholls' portrayal, and - get this - we learn that the nickname 'the Champions' was coined by journalists and gossip columnists!