Queen of Sin (1.6 Mb, mpeg with audio)
Hellfire clubs were a short-lived feature of the eighteenth century. Among the most famous was established by Francis Dashwood (1708-1781), Member of Parliament and sometime friend of Benjamin Franklin. From around 1745, a club was set up at Mendemham, then at Wycombe.
The "Superior Order" consisted of 12 members who took part in basic forms of Satanic worship. The balance between taking part in the occult, parties and political gossip is not known, although all three seem to have been practised.
The motto of the club was fay ce que voudrais, or do what you will.
The modern day equivalent was perhaps best summed up in the episode of The Avengers, entitled A Touch of Brimstone.
The Avengers was a cult British TV programme from the 1960s, also shown in America. In fact, this particular episode was banned in the USA.
Aficionados can check out the cast and crew involved, taken from the episode itself.
In the episode, John Cartney is present at many scenes where important people are humiliated by practical jokes. Mrs Peel discovers that Cartney runs the Hellfire Club, which has plans to blow up the British Cabinet at Calverstone House to effect a coup.
The lead actor, Patrick Macnee says about the series, and this episode in particular:
"One liked to touch on sexual perversion and bring in things like leather, rubber and tying-up. That appealed to me ...
In one show, 'A touch of Brimstone' - considered too kinky for America, where it was banned - Diana played a Sin Queen dressed in a whalebone corset, high, laced boots and a spiked dog collar ... A 38 second sequence in which Di was whipped by the villain were cut." The Avengers and Me, by Patrick Macnee with Dave Rogers
What was the fuss about? The following is a 14 second quarter-size video-movie of the scene where Mrs Peel is uncloaked as the Queen of Sin.
It is worth adding that the outfit itself was designed by (now Dame) Diana Rigg, the actress playing the role.
The story goes through the following stages, illustrated with some small video captures.
Part 1 - IntroductionLast update 03 April 1998 by Steve.