Eddie agrees to help a psychiatrist restore a patient's memory. But the man is in danger if he remembers too much…

EPISODE GUIDE

Series 2, Episode 9:

"WHERE WAS I?" written by PETER MILLER directed by JEREMY SUMMERS

CAST & CREW

Original BBC1 tx: 14 DECEMBER 1980 2115 - 2210hrs, watched by 9.4 million Filming dates: 29 September to 14 October 1980

"WHERE WAS I?" deals with a plan to spring convict Tom Laidlaw from prison

SYNOPSIS BY NICK:

Dr Fischer (actor ALAN DAVID, first seen in Series One's "HIGHER GROUND"), who treated Eddie at Fordingdale, reappears here to enlist his ex-patient's help

Eddie is cheered by a last-minute news report

NICK'S REVIEW:

The penultimate Shoestring episode presents another original case for Eddie, in which he must uncover what a man has forgotten. Viewers know what Amery has seen, but its significance is witheld from both Eddie and them until the final moments. The twist is rather obvious, in retrospect, but the number of plot turns, the pace of the script, the eccentric characters (the car park attendant and Ellery) and situations (the steam train, Eddie on the bicycle being towed by the horse) sustain the episode on repeated viewings. "Where was I?" displays the series' strength of blending off-kilter characters and situations within plausible settings and plots to produce a believable whole.

"WHERE WAS I?" is very much an action-packed Shoestring. Despite its relatively short lifespan the series saw a number of different storytelling styles.

ADDITIONAL COMMENTS BY DENE:

Jeremy Summers was an Avengers director, a fitting choice to helm this episode which is about as near as Shoestring ever gets to that classic 1960s adventure series (not that near really, but still…). The teaser is a strong one, dealing with the plight of Keith Amery, out camping on the moors when he happens upon the rehearsal of a plan to spring a convict from prison, and culminating in a nice dramatic zoom in on his face as he tells his wife that he really has no idea who he is. In these last few episodes the regular cast are obviously having a ball, and so are the viewers. All are totally at ease, and the scenes between Eddie & Don here (Don still concerned with Eddie's expenses) are warm and witty. The Avengers connection occurs to me because of the quiet countryside setting, the railway station, the steam train and the ticket booth attendant who -- with a change of cap -- doubles up as the ticket collector. Perhaps The New Avengers is a more apt comparison. Whatever, it is certainly one of the more action-packed of Eddie's adventures, and quite a far cry from the first few episodes produced only the previous year.

EPISODE GUIDE