The Duchess Assignment

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“The Duchess Assignment”
Thunderbirds episode
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 21
Written by	Martin Crump
Directed by	David Elliott
Original airdate	17 February 1966
Episode chronology
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"Move - and You're Dead"	"Brink of Disaster"
List of Thunderbirds episodes

"The Duchess Assignment" is the 21st episode of the first series of the Supermarionation television series Thunderbirds. It was the 23rd episode to be produced. Its original air date on ATV Midlands in the United Kingdom was 17 February 1966. It was written by Martin Crump and directed by David Elliott.

1 Synopsis
2 The Cast
3 Main Equipment
4 External links

[edit] Synopsis

Deborah the Duchess of Royston has fallen on hard times recently and in a French casino she is spotted by an old friend Lady Penelope but the roulette table she is playing on is fixed and the croupiers steal her money as well as the owner who Parker soon has a gun fight with but all is stopped. Later they chase the owner back home to get the money back but are unfortunate. A few days later she goes to Royston Castle, which is up for sale due do Deborah having no money. But she has one thing left: a portrait of a gazelle next day Jeff Comes over for the London air display and Penelope tells him about the Duchess so later they go to an art exhibition and they see a "Portrait of a Gazelle" by Bricasso like she loves, and Jeff knows a friend in New York he must see about it. His name is Wilbur Dandridge the Third. Mr Dandridge is very interested and asks whether he can borrow it for six months so all is arranged and soon the Duchess flies over to New York with the painting.

But just before her arrival Mr Dandridge's chauffeur Hendrix gets made knocked cold by two crooks who were at the casino, Chandler and Brophy, who disguise as the drivers. Later Deborah arrives in New York Central airport and she does not know about Hendrix but Mr Dandridge does. Later in the car, Chandler tells her Dandridge has asked for her to go to his country house far away from New York City. The house is an old shabby house and he locks her in the Basement full of gas. Penelope and Parker are worried that Deborah is not in New York City. Brophy however has taken the painting to Mr Dandridge but he knows who he is and gets out his gun but accidentally shoots the painting.

So Penelope calls Tracy Island and informs Jeff that she is locked in a basement so he sends Scott and Virgil out there and tells John to keep an eye on the Duchess' signal. When Scott arrives he looks down from the sky at the house and says it looks lonely then an explosion goes off and the basement is on fire. Scott lands and Virgil soon arrives Scott tells him that the Mole will be needed so Virgil drives the Mole out of pod 3 and digs down the basement. But the Duchess has fell cold due to the heat then a wall is about to come down which will affect the basement so Scott drives the Domo out holds up the wall but cant hold it and it falls over and caves the basement in just before Virgil and the Duchess are in there way up in the mole. But there's no signal so Scott calls base and tells them but a few moments later the Mole returns to surface with them both safe and sound. Later they take her to hospital in England then fly home. Lady Penelope comes to see her then Parker and Mr Dandridge come in and he tells her about it and then she reveals that the painting was always hidden in her umbrella and says that he can borrow it for 6 months then she wants to go to a special place: the casino.