Manhunt

It is six months since Greg left Whitecross with Agnes and Jack. Jack is lying injured
in some woods, waiting for some wild dogs to pass on. He's in a bad way. Jack takes
his chance and hurries off, but the dogs soon track him down. He climbs a tree to
escape them.

Seth, the blacksmith, finds him some time later and takes him back to the home he
shares with a woman called Susan. He realises who Jack is and reminds Susan of
Greg's departure from Whitecross. Apparently Charles has since moved on to
Challoner. Seth thinks it is too late to call him using the new phone system that
Charles has set up. Jack has a fever now and is slipping in and out of consciousness.
Susan notices that Jack is clutching letters addressed to Charles Vaughan and Jenny
Richards...

The next morning Seth calls Charles at Challoner. Charles is convinced that the letters
must be from Greg and tells Seth he will come over to him to open his letter himself.

Charles is accompanied at Challoner by Pet, Hubert, Jenny, John and Lizzie. When
Jenny hears the news she insists that she will join Charles on his trip. They set off
after Charles instructs Hubert, who is complaining of toothache, to man the phone.

At Seth's home, Jenny and Charles learn that Greg is with Agnes and that he wrote to
them from a place called Wellingham in Suffolk. They did get to Norway but the
people there are still in a desperate state. Greg plans to talk to as many people as he
can about their plight on his way back to Jenny and Charles. Charles relays all this to
Hubert via a phone call. Jenny wants to go to Greg and is concerned that he may be
'with' Agnes now. Charles assures her that she is very important to Greg. She is not so
sure.

Jack stirs a little later and Jenny tries to find out about Greg. She becomes hysterical
when Jack starts shouting out about Greg and a broken arm. Charles calms her down
and promises her they will set off to find Greg in the morning.

Back at Challoner, Hubert is telling Pet the news, but is becoming preoccupied with
his toothache. At Seth's home, Charles and Jenny have set off, Jack wakes and starts
to mumble about dogs, Greg and Agnes and says that "he'll be killed..tear him to pieces
...Miedel, must stop him...he'll kill him". Seth and Susan are none the wiser.

At Challoner, Pet hears the latest news from Seth by phone. He thinks someone should go
after Jenny and Charles as it sounds like Greg is in danger. Pet explains that apart from
Hubert, that everyone else is at Whitecross. When Pet tells Hubert the news he reveals that
he can ride a horse. Pet promises him something medicinal to help his toothache if he
will set off after Jenny and Charles.

Hubert follows Charles and Jenny for some days. Charles finds that one of the horses has been
favouring a leg so they are forced to travel on, on one horse.

Back at Challoner, Lizzie tells John that she doesn't think Jenny will come back. Meanwhile
Jenny and Charles hear a man screaming for help. The man has been staked out on the ground.

Charles frees the man and he runs off. Charles suspects that he was a junkie. Their actions
have been observed by a man in a military uniform and they are taken captive.

At a nearby settlement they are brought before a man called Colonel Clifford. Charles
observes that they are very organised there. Clifford wants to know if they are travelling
alone and initially ignores their questions about Greg.

Clifford tells them that Greg left the settlement in good health a week ago accompanied
by Agnes. He explains that Greg was making his way back to them as fast as Agnes would
let him . Apparently Jack left the settlement with a bad cold. He also tells them that they
make drugs there and that their scientist called Miedel is invaluable to their cause.

Miedel introduces himself to Charles and Jenny and extols Greg's virtues to the latter. He
tells them that Greg and Agnes have gone on to Nettleton following a route devised by
Agnes from her father's map, in order to obtain support to help her people on the way.
Jenny is desperate to go on after them, but Miedel is insistent that they stay the night
after their long journey.

In his makeshift laboratory Miedel explains that he is synthesising a substitute for pethadine,
which is itself a substitute for morphine. He relates how expensive it is to make the drug in
terms of time. Charles is suspicious of the setup, especially when he learns that they charge
a small levy for the drugs produced. Miedel insists that they only ask for the raw materials
and subsistence from neighbouring communities.

Charles questions Miedel about the man, Roberts, who he released in the woods. Miedel
knows of him, but claims not to know what had been done to him.

Hubert is still pursuing Charles and Jenny and is now in agony with his bad tooth. He tries
to remove it using horsehair and a barn door but is painfully unsuccessful.

Miedel confronts Clifford about Roberts' treatment. Clifford claims he was only protecting
what they have and reminds him that Roberts almost killed him last week. He describes
Roberts as 'a junkie by choice'.

Charles and Jenny feel like prisoners and are highly suspicious of Clifford's regime.
Jenny wonders if Greg fought the setup here and was killed or even that he may be
alive and holed up somewhere in the settlement. They decide to have a look around.

At Seth and Susan's place, Jack is much improved, but very concerned when he
learns that only Hubert has gone after Charles and Jenny. Meanwhile, the pair are
snooping around the settlement.

They are soon apprehended and prevented from entering a building which is for
'authorised personnel only'. Charles attacks their captor and urges Jenny to get
away. She runs off as Charles is surrounded by more of Clifford's men.

Jenny makes it away from the settlement, whilst Charles is taken to see Clifford.
Clifford explains to him that they have been under attack from groups who want
to steal their drugs. He advises Charles that he and Greg have no chance of federating
the country if they are frightened and suspicious.

Clifford explains Miedel's background to Charles and how Agnes and Greg left some
Norwegians behind to become his new students since Roberts, who had been his previous
apprentice, went off the rails and stole some opium. Clifford believes Miedel and his work
is invaluable and must be protected with force if necessary. Roberts is part of a group of
primitives who are trying to obtain a substitute for LSD. Charles is still suspicious of Clifford.

Clifford goes on to explain that there is a plastic skeleton staked out on the other side of
the settlement to provoke fear and ward off attacks and that when they stake attackers out
they can free themselves once they stop panicking. Charles apologises for his hasty
conclusions.

Hubert finds the skeleton and is unsurprisingly perturbed. Jenny runs into him and is
overjoyed to see a familiar face.

Jenny has been followed. She takes Hubert's gun and fires at the man.

Jenny goes on to the camp to rescue Charles. They run into Charles and Clifford
and Jenny claims she has twenty people with her. Before Charles can explain
anything, Jenny throws a gun to him, which hits him in the head, knocking him
out.

Clifford finds Hubert in the woods. He is brought back to the settlement where
Miedel extracts his tooth.

Now friends, with misunderstandings forgotten, Miedel and Clifford wish Charles,
Jenny and Hubert luck as they set off after Greg.

Episode Review

Manhunt is very much a bridging episode. This is obvious not least from the fact that it was written by producer, Terence Dudley. New ground rules and a new tougher look immediately mark the third series apart from its cosier predecessor. Set six months after the events of New World, here we are re-introduced to our Survivors in locations and situations with far darker overtones and motifs. Clearly word has gone out between seasons that the regulars need to look grimier to befit a world that is now over two years on from the death. Everyone looks like their hair and clothes need a good wash. Their generally high spirits have changed too. Of the series' two leads, Jenny is now utterly bereft at the loss of Greg and absolutely desperate to see him again, whilst Charles is embittered and pessimistic at every turn. Only Hubert seems to be coming into his own, as dwindling numbers at Challoner have accelerated his importance and usefulness.

The episode's plot is superficially complex, marrying together as it does themes of suspicion and propaganda. The settlement visited by Charles and Jenny has all the makings of a fascist stronghold and they are suitably cautious as to its purpose. Disappointingly however all their fears are ultimately revealed to be unfounded as the settlement turns out to be as bona fide as the guest characters have been telling them it is throughout the episode. The episode's biggest problem is the tremendous amount of exposition involved. There is simply far too much talking and not enough action. The last five minutes are terribly rushed and the simplicity of these revelations just don't feel like an adequate pay-off, especially when the alternative could have been a 'Terry Nation style' rescue of a captive Greg and Agnes.

Colonel Clifford's opinion that Charles is too suspicious and frightened to federate the country is easily the most interesting strand of the episode. Clifford's views remind us that our heroes are flawed and that the brave new world discussed by Greg and Charles back in Pet's cosy kitchen is a very long way off, if not an impossible dream. Ultimately Manhunt is quite depressing in terms of its message, but nevertheless stands as one of the series' most realistic and gritty episodes to date.

Rating: 6/10

Episode 27: Manhunt

writer: Terence Dudley
first broadcast: 16th March 1977

Regular Cast:

Charles Vaughan: Denis Lill
Jenny Richards: Lucy Fleming
Hubert Goss: John Abineri
Pet Simpson: Lorna Lewis
Jack Wood: Gordon Salkilld
John Millon: Stephen Dudley

and introducing:

Lizzie Willoughby: Angie Stevens

Guest Cast:

Colonel Clifford: Michael Hawkins
Miedel: Anthony Jacobs
Seth: Dan Meaden
Susan: June Brown
Summers: John Rolfe
Roberts: David Friedman

designer: Geoff Powell
director: Peter Jefferies
producer: Terence Dudley
episode recorded: 17th - 23rd February 1977