by Mark Murton

Original Air Date: November 10, 1978

Directed by: Terry Green

This review contains a slight Kitty Carnage Warning!

Cat Out Of The Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this episode.

Synopsis: Porn publisher Billy (Christopher Neame) is about to smuggle £300,000 of gold out of the country to fund a drug deal but fellow crooks Brice (Tony Caunter) and Escott (David Lodge), alerted by Billy’s double-crossing accountant George (Jonathan Elsom), have other ideas, as does Detective-Superintendent Hackett (Patrick Mower).

Purr Blurs: With Brice and Escott preparing to intercept the gold, which has been welded into the body of a car, George is at his flat hurriedly packing, ready for a quick getaway with his share of the loot, but Billy is onto him and arrives with a couple of heavies. Outside a tuxedo cat is sitting on the doorstep washing itself but stops to look at the door as it starts to open.

The door opens and George hurries out causing the cat to take flight (complete with poor cat screech).

Hackett learns that Billy has substituted the gold for explosives and with Brice and Escott about to set upon the car with an oxyacetylene torch he and his colleague Detective-Sergeant Bonney (Brendan Price) race to the scene. As Bonney exits the car there is a huge explosion and amid the billowing smoke and falling debris a gray and white cat exits at speed from inside building and makes a hasty exit stage right. (Presumably the building was checked for occupants before setting off the explosives leaving the uncomfortable conclusion that the cat was deliberately introduced into the scene just to film its terrified reaction!?!)

Final Mewsings: We can’t help wondering if that poor cat is still running!

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