The Champions "The Silent Enemy" #1.20 (1969) (TV)

The Champions investigate mass deaths on a submarine, 15 March 2017

A missing nuclear submarine, the Kepple, suddenly appears off the coast of Scotland. All 100+ crew members are found dead at their stations. Cause of death: simultaneous cardiac arrest. The Champions are called in to investigate by retracing the last trip taken by the Kepple. What they find is a mysterious, unchartered island. The island serves as a laboratory for a scientist working for a foreign government. He has discovered a gas that causes death by an apparent natural cause – cardiac arrest.

The Silent Enemy is a really nice episode. It moves at a good pace with little time for a dull moment. From fight scenes to a submarine crash to planes dropping bombs – it's packed with so much goodness. And I appreciate that much of the plot's mystery wasn't revealed until the end. It kept up the suspense. As is unfortunately too common, Richard and Craig get to do the heavy lifting while Sharon is left with little to do. Richard and Craig's brief scenes on the island are really well done. Sharon does get a chance to steal at least one scene as she comes down the long ladder into the submarine – much to the delight of the crew on-hand. I got a real chuckle out of it. Besides the regulars, the supporting cast is quite good. One performance, in particular, stands out. I can't decide if it was good or so over-the-top I can't stop thinking about it, but Esmond Knight's character (known only as the Minister) is so wound up, I'm surprised he didn't have a real life heart attack. The Silent Enemy gets a solid 7/10 from me.

7/10