"Consilio et prudentia"
(Sneaky is best)*

 

ROGER MOORE LORD BRETT SINCLAIR	TONY CURTIS DANNY WILDE

Rosemary Nicols Melanie Sadler	Cy Grant Richard Congoto	Andrew Keir Sir John Hassocks	Tom Adams Piers Emerson
Carmen Munroe Carmen Congoto	Clifton Jones Dr Kibu	Michael Martin Jackson	George Woodbridge Gregory Ward
Alan Chuntz valet	Tommy Godfrey Benny Ryan	Arthur Brough Moorehead	Robert Cawdron Leyland

 

ORIGINAL AIR DATE 8th OCTOBER, 1971

*thanks to William Simon for providing me with a scan of an original Persuaders TV guide blurb in which contained the Latin wording.
 

A neglected old mansion suddenly comes to life without the knowledge of its owner, Lord Brett Sinclair. The unexpected outcome is that Brett has to impersonate himself, with Danny as his butler, when probing the mystery.

The mansion, Greensleeves has belonged to the Sinclair family for generations but it has been many years since a Sinclair was in residence; It's upkeep has been the responsibility of a trusted aging butler named Moorhead. By chance, Lord Brett Sinclair discovers considerable work has been done on the building; when he travels to the country seat he finds a group of strangers have revived Greensleeves and have taken up residence.

Remembering his old school motto, Consilio et prudentia (sneaky is best), Brett decides to investigate further rather than blowing the whistle on the unauthorised goings-on and enlists the aid of his best friend, Danny Wilde.

Gaining access to the library of Greensleeves via one of many secret tunnels about the building, Brett discovers a letter addressed to theatrical agent, Benny Ryan, asking him to try to find an actor who resembles Lord Brett Sinclair.

In order to discover the purpose for so intricate a deception, Brett masquerades as an out of work actor and presents himself at the office of Ryan. He is promptly sent to Greensleeves - to impersonate himself!

Greensleeves new occupants, Sir John Hassocks, Piers Emerson and Melanie Sadler, are impressed by Brett's resemblance to himself and hire him. They explain that they are from the Foreign office and are engaged in secret talks with Richard Congoto, the Prime Minister of Zanda. Congoto has reluctantly agreed to travel to England  for talks but only because his old school chum, Brett Sinclair will be present at the meeting. Brett is told that on the eve of the talks 'he' went off  in one of his 'famous huffs' - after agreeing to allow the Foreign office access to Greensleeves. They say that without Sinclair present, Congotto will not be party to any talks.

To prepare who they think is merely an actor who bears an uncanny resemblance to Brett Sinclair, for the 'role', intensive tutoring into Brett's history and family is overseen by the attractive Melanie. Brett proves to be, naturally enough, a bright student - a factor which will eventually unmask him as the real Brett Sinclair.

Danny, meanwhile, has arrived at Greensleeves in the guise of a dodgily-accented Hungarian butler, Gregor - replacing Moorehead, who has departed at the behest of Brett.

Presently, Congoto arrives with his daughter Carmen and Finance Minister Kibu. Brett greets Congotto with their schooldays secret handshake, suggesting there is trouble afoot. Melanie's increasing suspicions about
Brett's identity allow him no opportunity to expose the crooked set-up to Congotto. Within minutes of the initial meeting, Brett is coshed unconscious and imprisoned in the cellar.

Back upstairs, Hassocks reveals the truth about the phony set-up to an unimpressed Congoto. The trio are in no way associated with the British Government; they actually represent a consortium of mining companies interested in Zanda's substantial nickel deposits, and have employed this 'harmless enough deception'  to lure Congoto to England. After listening to what the consortium offers in the way of a deal, Congoto dismisses Hassocks and the consortium as liars and cheats and moves to leave. He is stopped at gun-point and finds that Kibu has played a large part in the deception - going so far as to have arranged the removal of a large part of Zanda's treasury coincident with Congoto leaving the country. As if this blackmail was not enough, Hassocks suggests that Congoto's daughter, Carmen, will be killed unless he signs the contract. Melanie baulks at the threat of violence and begins to have second thoughts.

While all this has been going on upstairs, Danny has found Brett in the cellar but can't get the cellar-door open. Brett has found another secret passage but needs Danny on the other side to help open the entry. As the only way into the catacombs is through the library, Danny causes a diversion to get everyone out of the room. Melanie, who has had a change of heart about her part in the whole affair, joins Danny and together they go into the secret passage to rescue Brett.

But Hassocks discovers the passage and despatches some armed henchmen after Danny, Melanie & Brett. After rescuing Brett, the trio find themselves being chased through the passages of Greensleeves. Coming back into the house they are confronted first by Hassocks & Kibu, then by the henchmen, whose bullet clips have since been exhausted.

The traditional fight ensues but with a difference. Grabbing a rapier from a coat of arms on the wall, Danny engages one of the lackeys in a bit of classic swashbuckling while Brett resorts to the more traditional method of bashing the crap out of his adversaries.
 

	When Danny And Brett 'break-into' the house, Danny picks up a photo of a young Brett with his parents. The photo is actually of Moore, his wife Luisa and their two children, Deborah and Geoffrey.
	The red mini-minor in which Danny, disguised as Gregor the butler, arrives at Greensleeves is the same car that Jean Hopkirk drives in Randall & Hopkirk (deceased)submitted  by Jaz Wiseman
	When Brett & Danny first jump over the wall into the grounds of Greensleeves they are actually jumping over the wall out of the grounds. The first shot has the pair climbing over the wall into the grounds right enough but when the shot changes to the 'other' side it is actually an  image of the pair exiting the grounds. The Producers shuffled this latter sequence out of script order.Cutting on the action of Brett jumping the wall the editors knew that anyone watching for the first time wouldn't notice the cheat but didn't reckon on home video and smart-arse fans. submitted  by Jaz Wiseman
	Tony Curtis gets to show-off the fencing skills he acquired for such films as The Purple Mask and The Black Shield of Falworth, helping consolidate this episode as one of the most popular of the series
	Adding to his repertoire of unconvincing foreign accents and impressions, Tony Curtis performs his piece de resistance when he tackles the brogue of the Hungarian butler, Gregor
	This episode see's Roger Moore getting in on the 'really convincing' disguise act (false moustache)  - so cunning a disguise, it completely fools the occupants at Greensleeves into believing Sinclair is actually an actor pretending to be Brett Sinclair

	Rosemary Nichols is of course better-known as Annabelle Hurst of Department S
	However bad Curtis' atrocious Hungarian accent is, it goes relatively unnoticed in comparison to the unconvincing beard forced on Andrew Keir (Hassocks) - so obviously false that Brett Sinclair enquires if its a Wig Creations original
	Arthur Brough, who plays the part of the butler, Moorehead, is probably most recognisable to television viewers as Mr Grainger from Are You Being Served