This is another enjoyable and memorable episode of the series that chilled our Saturday nights back in the latter months of 1980.
I have to say, I loved this episode as a child, and thought it was one of the best - but, viewing it as an adult, you do have to suspend a large dose of disbelief.
The story's fairly simple - a lone woman (Penny) is woken one night at the country cottage she shares with her husband (Harry) by an intruder who bursts in demanding to see her husband (whom he says 'owes him'). Finding Penny alone, instead he tries to sexually assault her. Being country folk, Penny has a rifle nearby and shoots at the intruder (Charles) to defend herself.
When her husband returns the next morning, they find Charles' body out in the nearby woods where he must have staggered before collapsing dead.
Apparently Penny has a history of mental illness and, not wishing to draw unwanted attention from the police, they bury the body in the garden and conceal any evidence Charles had ever visited.
Relieved that the trauma is over, the try to return to normal life, but Penny starts to think that Charles may not actually be dead after all...
American actress Kathryn Leigh-Scott does well here as the victimized Penny - and gets to do a fair bit of screaming!
We also have the recognizable faces of Simon MacCorkindale as Harry, and Gareth Thomas, who plays the local policeman.
It's a story with many memorable scenes - I especially liked how they made even a white Range Rover appear spooky!
It is let down a bit towards the end though with a glaring continuity error - and it's hard to imagine how nobody working on the show managed to notice it.
Look out too for director Peter Sasdy's wife Mia Nadasi playing the role of an exotic tarot card reader .
It's a good, tense story where you do really feel for poor Penny, and it all eventually builds to a neat and memorable climax.
I have to say, I loved this episode as a child, and thought it was one of the best - but, viewing it as an adult, you do have to suspend a large dose of disbelief.
The story's fairly simple - a lone woman (Penny) is woken one night at the country cottage she shares with her husband (Harry) by an intruder who bursts in demanding to see her husband (whom he says 'owes him'). Finding Penny alone, instead he tries to sexually assault her. Being country folk, Penny has a rifle nearby and shoots at the intruder (Charles) to defend herself.
When her husband returns the next morning, they find Charles' body out in the nearby woods where he must have staggered before collapsing dead.
Apparently Penny has a history of mental illness and, not wishing to draw unwanted attention from the police, they bury the body in the garden and conceal any evidence Charles had ever visited.
Relieved that the trauma is over, the try to return to normal life, but Penny starts to think that Charles may not actually be dead after all...
American actress Kathryn Leigh-Scott does well here as the victimized Penny - and gets to do a fair bit of screaming!
We also have the recognizable faces of Simon MacCorkindale as Harry, and Gareth Thomas, who plays the local policeman.
It's a story with many memorable scenes - I especially liked how they made even a white Range Rover appear spooky!
It is let down a bit towards the end though with a glaring continuity error - and it's hard to imagine how nobody working on the show managed to notice it.
Look out too for director Peter Sasdy's wife Mia Nadasi playing the role of an exotic tarot card reader .
It's a good, tense story where you do really feel for poor Penny, and it all eventually builds to a neat and memorable climax.