| Basile Lisque | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Vital statistics | |
| Planet of Origin: | Earth |
| Original era: | 20th Century |
| Species | Human |
| Gender: | Male |
| Appears In: | The Saviour of Earth |
| Portrayed By: | Christopher Lee |
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Basile Lisque was a scientific genius, industrialist, and criminal mastermind who clashed with the Second Inspector. As a perfect look-alike for the Inspector, he was also played by Christopher Lee in Season 5.
"The Saviour of Earth"[]
In the year 1997, as the world struggles with a severe energy crisis, the mysterious inventor M. Basile Lisque approaches the international business community with his remarkable solution. He unveils a prototype generator that he claims can produce unlimited power by siphoning energy from the conversion of ordinary water into "Polywater", and his company requires merely investment capital of one million pounds sterling for its mass production to save the world. The Inspector, distrusting Lisque's scientific and altruistic claims, embarks on an undercover mission to infiltrate his corporate headquarters in Monaco.
Thanks to an uncanny resemblance, the Inspector needs only adopt a thick glue-on moustache and a thick French accent to pass for the self-styled global benefactor. With the assistance of Aiden and Regina, he discovers that although the Polywater generator does indeed work, its megalomaniacal inventor plans to use it to power his secret project: the monstrous death ray he calls the Boson-Amplified Stimulated Irradiation of Lethally Ionised Streams for Killing. Fortunately, the Inspector tricks him into using the ray on himself through a clever ruse with mirrors.
The head-mounted prototype B.A.S.I.L.I.S.K. death ray
In the final scene, the disguised Inspector turns over the schematics for the Polywater generator to the UN, ironically ensuring Lisque posthumously receives recognition as "The Saviour of Earth".
Trivia[]
- Chiefly thanks to Lee's comic turn as the villain, this serial stands out among the Second Inspector's adventures for its unusual light, humorous tone. In one scene, for example, the Inspector hides from Lisque in his headquarters by pretending to be part of a huge poster advertising Lisque as "The Saviour of Earth". Later, he and Lisque re-enact the famous mirror routine from the Marx Brothers' film Duck Soup.
- While Lee expected extra compensation for his double-role performance, BTV executives hoped they could strike a two-for-one bargain. As heated negotiations over the serial's syndication broadcasts went on, the BTV archive department mislaid its master tapes (some of the more paranoid Inspectrum fans insist deliberately), and it would not be seen again until copies were discovered in 2012.