12/07/2021

Dick Turpin Season Two Episodes 1 - 5

The Fox Part 1
16/02/80 W Richard Carpenter / D Gerry Poulson
“You silly slut!” "Hike off!”

Yes, with a barrage of ripe language and pacy action season two opens up with a two part story allowing the extra space several episodes last season could have done with to draw us further into the story. Picking up from the same point as last season ended with Dick and Swiftnick’s direction of travel decided upon by the toss of a coin the duo are en route to London when an old mate of Dick’s called Joe Cutler turns up mortally injured. Before he dies, he entrusts a key to be given to a woman though neglects to say who or where she may be though does mention “the devil’s chimney” and someone called Manderfell. Moments after he’s died a troupe of well dressed riders capture the duo and take them to the country seat of the very same Lord Manderfell. Played with icy relish by Donald Pickering, he appears about to let them go before tricking Swiftnick into answering his name whereupon their disguise is rumbled.




Manderfell is definitely a more refined antagonist that Glutton though no less cruel. A significant scene underlines how he beats his wife and you realise just how close to the bone this episode is. That it was shown in a teatime slot seems bold and would probably never be allowed now. Still that’s the fun of it. Richard Carpenter’s ability to pen scripts that bring a time period to life by filling it with strong characters- both good and bad- is always a pleasure to watch.

The fox is a recurring motif throughout even to the point of there being a stuffed fox’s head mounted on the wall of Manderfell’s dining room. Being a willing participant of fox hunting Manderfell decides to give Turpin a chance. He’ll be hunted across the vast estate and if he survives till sunset, Swiftnick can go free. Sooner or later most action- adventure series reach an episode involving the hero being chased against the clock and as directed by Gerry Poulson this is a full on affair in which we can almost smell the grass, mud and dogs as well as feel the blustery wind blowing around. It’s an interesting choice to show much of this without musical accompaniment allowing us to hear the sounds of both nature and the pursuit and it makes the whole thing seem more authentic.  I expect Richard O’ Sullivan must have felt rather for Turpin’s predicament when he saw this script knowing he’d have to endure a fair amount of it on camera. As ever he commits himself totally and not surprisingly looks genuinely knackered as the chase continues.

The episode also flicks back to the wonderfully monikered Poll Maggot, the “noisy trollop” from season one’s `The Capture` who betrayed Dick. She was married to Joe and now runs an inn also called The Fox. She does help Turpin at one stage though then declares they are even. It’s a good performance from Annabelle Lee who shows Poll as a down to earth character.

Given the two part format the ending of this episode does miss the opportunity for a cliffhanger being a rather perfunctory freeze frame of Dick running away but the benefits of the format are clear throughout.

 




The Fox Part 2
23/02/80 W Richard Carpenter / D Gerry Poulson
“I should have known I’d end up with nothing”

The art of successfully writing an engaging two- part story in any drama is to introduce curve balls that the first part didn’t hint at while keeping the trajectory of the story and this is a perfect example. Well staged though it was in part one another lengthy hunting sequence would become repetitive so Richard Carpenter unlocks the story in two unexpected ways. Firstly he has Swiftnick escape under his own steam (his lock picking abilities presumably learned very recently) enabling him to find and help the by now half dead Turpin. Secondly while the viewer and Turpin had assumed all along that Poll was the woman whom Joe’s dying messages was for it turns out that it was actually meant for his sister- Manderfells’ wife! Echoing Turpin’s line last episode about the fox sometimes becoming the hunter this all sets up a race to find the hidden fortune.

You can forgive the coincidence of Turpin happening to collapse by the roadside just as Switfnick rides towards the same spot because the climactic confrontation is so well put together leading to duel between Manderfell and Turpin (quite how he’s recovered so soon is best left unquestioned too!). That the episode concludes with another fox being spotted underlines how well Carpenter has assembled proceedings.

Needless to say there are sterling performances from all with Annabelle Lee’s feisty Poll being particularly amusing as she realises she isn’t going to get the money. Donald Pickering is so effective as Manderfell is determined to keep up appearances even when he is defeated. As for the devil’s chimney- well it is just an old chimney! What a fantastic way to start this second season.

 

Blood Money
01/03/80 W Richard Carpenter / D Gerry Poulson
“You despicable rogue.” “No traitor though, am I Sir John?”

Piling on the action from the opening seconds `Blood Money` is a superb example of how to perfectly fill an episode with a mix of adventure and character. Now confidentially linking stories Richard Carpenter brings back Sir John Glutton, now on his uppers reduced to squatting in his own house along with sheep and an uninvited guest in the form of wily Isaac Rag. Somewhere there’s an unwritten series about Isaac whose every scene sparkles thanks to Alife Bass’ interpretation of the role. Rag knows how to deal with each person he comes into contact with while he and Sir John are well matched tricksters. Rag agrees to transport letters to Colonel De Courcey, letters that expose his fellow plotters against the King. It is this common enemy that eventually brings Turpin and Sir John together in an increasingly desperate situation.

With his usual style and a generous number of extras to play soldiers Gerry Poulson navigates the swift turn of events skilfully. He mixes pacy skirmishes with slower character moments shot mostly in close up to emphasise the empathic way the actors now react to each other after working together for a while. As for the athletic fight sequences they are well staged if a little improbable given it’s Turpin and Swifnick versus about twenty soldiers. And why hasn’t Switfnick got a sword yet? He seems to wade into each fight with a large tree branch!

The cast are clearly having a ball hurling themselves into proceedings with gusto. Christopher Benjamin delights as the fallen but not beaten Glutton, his eager eyes sensing when opportunity knocks for Sir John. As mentioned Alfie Bass is excellent as always while there are some fabulous instinctive reactions from Michael Deeks in this episode. You have to feel sorry for Swifnick who makes a couple of bad mistakes in this story but I like the way Carpenter maintains his inexperienced behaviour rather than turning him into a hero straight away.  Richard O’Sullivan manages to balance Turpin’s sense of fairness with his irritation at both his sidekick and his pursuer while Michael Culver gets to yell at his troops and more or less everyone! A lot!

 


Deadlier Than the Male
08/03/80 W John Kane / D Dennis Abey
“Love is a very good wine. But not to be drunk too often.”

A young Lyndsay Duncan glistens in this tale of thief taker Catherine Langford who falls for Dick Turpin even though it is her actions that cause him to become a prisoner of the vengeful Lord Faversham. The latter sets it all up to pay back Turpin from a previous encounter, shown at the start of the episode, but afterward Catherine seems to realise she likes him. On IMDB this episode scores higher than any other which is surprising as it is paced awkwardly and repeats the idea of the deceptive woman which has already been done, much more interestingly, in the first season. You can see the twists a mile off and without Richard Carpenter holding the pen, the dialogue comes across as somewhat forced and un-unatural.

That being said it is interesting to see two actors who would become well known television names nearer the start of their career. Lyndsay Duncan shows the combination of charm and power that would ensure she went on to play a lot of memorable roles. Simon Rouse enjoys himself as the haughty self absorbed Faversham though is ill served by a narrative that never lives up to it’s words. Faversham’s anger for revenge is easily side tracked first by Catherine but then by a somewhat silly idea of having a duel after Turpin has been drugged. This is staged with clumsy camera work and a bizarre effect meant to show the effects of the drugs on Turpin. There’s a good enough idea in here somewhere but the finished episode doesn’t find it.

 


 The Elixier of Life
15/03/80 W John Kane / D Charles Chrichton
“You’ve seen the last of your swag and I’m a ruined woman” “That’s common knowledge isn’t it?”

They seem to give John Kane the zanier episodes to write but unlike the previous one, `The Elixier of Life` makes for a decent enough brew. Holed up in The Fox waiting for fence Harry Simms to return with their swag, Dick and Swiftnick are joined by the extravagant ridiculously bewigged Doctor Mandragola who claims, amongst other things second sight and a life giving elixier. Simms has actually been captured and when troops turn up at The Fox looking for Turpin, the latter has to affect a disguise in a hurry. As Dr Mandragola is somewhat inebriated from his elixier, Dick assumes his role. It’s a romp alright enlivened by some lively performances.

John Junkin affects the worst Scottish accent you’ll ever hear though whether this is deliberate or not is unclear but he inhabits the role with vigour. Hilda Braid is the temporary innkeeper Abby whose reactions are priceless as the character is easily fooled by the magical shenanigans. The real surprise is a very comedic performance from Michael Deeks who becomes the Doctor’s simple minded assistant Daft Jamie having to take a kicking from the soldiers while remaining in character. Add in Michael Robbins as a second in command whose war stories clearly irritate others and you have a fun ensemble. Richard O’Sullivan dons the Doctor’s wig to declaim the occult meanderings Turpin makes up on the spot.

What follows is a breath away from pantomime as the group try to fool the soldiers while rescuing Harry. There’s a golden routine in comedy that actors should take their roles seriously whatever silly things they are asked to do and this applies here. Everyone is on point and the results are amusing if slightly unbelievable. Would a hardened troop of soldiers really be fooled by such a thin disguise and the Doctor’s “paraphernalia”?



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