The Man Who Gambled with Life

The suave Simon Templar has encounters with two gorgeous blonde sisters, who make idealistic statements about death. The Saint tracks down the ladies to a large remote country house, which is owned by a rich entrepreneur named Keith Longman (Clifford Evans). The ladies, Vanessa (Veronica Carlson) and Stella (Jayne Sofiano) are Longman's daughters. After he infiltrates Longman's home, the Saint finds out from the man himself that he is experimenting with cryogenics. Longman has a bad heart, and he is determined to freeze himself into suspended animation until years later, when he assumes that heart transplants operations will improve. Longman's freezing process has never been tested on humans--and he believes that the Saint will be the perfect subject.

When I first saw this episode I thought I was watching the Avengers, as it's the kind of story Steed and co. Would be involved in, but I guess it was an experiment, or even an ode to the Avengers; whichever it is, it's an intriguing episode that borders heavily on horror/sci-fi. The director is Freddie Francis who, of course, done countless hammer films, and here he keeps things watchable, but it is Joyce Sofiano as the eccentric daughter of the equally eccentric Longman who steals the scene.

A scientist invents a way for people to live forever (perish the thought!) and Simon Templar is lured in as a guinea pig by the scientist's two lovely daughters.

This episode is right out of "The Avengers" playbook. It even references "The Avengers" obliquely. Steed and Mrs. Peel would have made it more delightful and pulled it off with more candy-colored panache, but it's highlighted by the sisters.

While hardly a Bondesque plot, the scientist has the sort of workers Bond villains typically have on their payroll and the cast includes a young Steven Berkoff, who years later would play the nutty general squaring off against Moore's Bond in "Octopussy."

Veronica Carlson in a mini skirt, thigh length boots and displaying reasonable amount of cleavage; Steven Berkoff with a moustache; Clifford Evans with a toupee; stock footage; back projection and umpteenth times reused locations all appear in this episode. The village with the pond is Aldbury - used in The Avengers, The Dirty Dozen and The Shillingbury Blowers.

There's also a white mouse called Mimi that Templar confides in throughout. And there's a big monkey. All these things conspire to make this a charming and enjoyable episode which is fittingly used as the finale of ITV4's current rerun.

At one point Joyce Sofiano fells a man with a karate chop to the back of the neck, explaining: I saw it done on television! Simon answers: "Come on, Mrs Peel!"

Mansion, mad scientist, rooms full of computers with spinning discs going "clunk!" - obvious Avengers plot. Joyce even dresses up at one point in a turquoise suede suit, matching beret and white boots. And she tries to be quizzical and you wish she wouldn't. She is also all over Simon, coming up too close and gurning.

But the worst outfits are the matching onesies worn by the sisters. Tight bodies, billowing sleeves and trousers, in pink, blue and white chiffon.