"The Murder Market" was half finished with Elizabeth Shepherd in the role of Mrs. Peel, when she was abruptly replaced by Diana Rigg (did any other change of actress yield more superlative results?)
She had completed her new scenes by December 14 1964, and the results would be aired as the seventh episode nearly a year later, November 12 1965. In hindsight, it seems almost remarkable that everything works so smoothly, there's virtually no transition necessary to bridge the gap between Cathy Gale and Emma Peel. It also appears that the writers had a better grasp of the Steed-Emma relationship, due to the much warmer banter between the two stars, which emphasized the humor far more than in previous seasons. The plot is an excellent one, with a matrimonial agency doubling as a murder-for-profit outfit, with the marvelous Patrick Cargill (later seen in "The Fear Merchants") handling new clients such as Steed and Emma. Steed reveals that he tried working ("too much like work!") and has a wealthy (fictitious) cousin that he'd like to be rid of, while Emma demands a husband who has "stamina!" Steed must earn his mettle by killing Mrs. Peel when she is discovered to be a spy, and the two exchange some outrageous banter while she lies in state, holding a bottle of champagne ("we can't have you hiccoughin' in the coffin!"). Naomi Chance had already appeared in "Death on the Rocks," and John Woodvine had done "Dead of Winter," going on to do "Look- (stop me if you've heard this one) But There Were These Two Fellers..." Edward Underdown, criminally wasted in a throwaway role (and soon to appear in the Bond feature "Thunderball"), returned for "The Living Dead," Penelope Keith returned for "Something Nasty in the Nursery" and "Take Me to Your Leader," A. J. Brown returned for "Small Game for Big Hunters" and "The Winged Avenger," and Peter Bayliss returned for "Get-A-Way!" Canadian actress Suzanne Lloyd, as a character identified by Steed as Canadian, is not to be confused with British actress Sue Lloyd, who appears in the next broadcast episode, "A Surfeit of H2O" (Suzanne Lloyd is the mother of soap actress Tracey E. Bregman).
Review of The Murder Market
