The Avengers
 Mrs. Peel & Mr. Steed |
For the uninitiated, The Avengers is a stylish blend of espionage, fantasy and quasi-science fiction that appeals to Anglophiles who enjoy witty, sentimental, slightly off-beat television, and don't mind terribly dated plots. This British production acquired quite a global following back in the late sixties [...]
Airing in Great Britain from January 1961 through September 1969, and comprising 161 episodes, The Avengers became one of the most popular television series of all time, eventually reaching audiences in 120 countries, a record that still stands today. Much of the show's international popularity was due to the eventual pairing of Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg as uber-agents John Steed and Emma Peel.
The Steed/Peel episodes have a formula as familiar and comfortable to fans as their favorite bathrobe. Curious events take place (usually involving murder), Steed and Emma investigate, there is a big fight, and at the end our heroes ride off into the sunset, each time via a different mode of transport. Tongue is always firmly implanted in cheek--goofy mad scientists and fiendish enemy spies abound, and their frequent plots to take over the country/world are often downright silly.
What makes all of the absurdity so endearing is the wonderful chemistry between Steed and Emma, and their droll observations on their circumstances, no matter how dire. Interestingly, some of their clever banter was written by Macnee and Rigg, who virtually invented their characters themselves, since the producers were--almost literally--making things up as they went along. Indeed, one of Macnee's favorite recollections is of an early script that said, "Steed stands there." But the director demanded he do something more than that.
John Steed (Patrick Macnee) is the common thread of the series, during the course of which he had six different partners. When the series premiered, his partner was physician Dr. David Keel (Ian Hendry). Then came two seasons of anthropologist Catherine Gale, played by Honor Blackman (perhaps best known by Americans as Pussy Galore of 007 fame). She was not always Steed's partner during the show's second season; occasionally he was accompanied by physician Dr. Martin King (Jon Rollason) or jazz singer Venus Smith (Julie Stevens).
The Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman) episodes were not seen in the U.S. until 1991 when A&E ran them on cable, and so very few Americans are familiar with them. They contrast markedly with those of the filmed seasons to come--Steed was quite a different fellow, and he came across as much more "raw." So, too, did the episodes themselves, as they were shot on videotape and almost entirely on studio sets. While sprinkled with wry humor, the stories were generally more serious as compared with the purely fanciful shows to come.
It wasn't until his third full-time partner, the brilliant Mrs. Emma Peel (Diana Rigg), that Steed became the highly sophisticated, ultra-British gentleman spy for which he is best known. And while some regard Steed as something of a James Bond knock-off, The Avengers in fact predated the 007 films. (Macnee has remarked that he hated Ian Fleming's stories, in particular the way James Bond treated women.)
Of course, there is no question that (Dame) Diana Rigg was a strong draw, especially for male viewers, but there's much more to appreciate than the eye candy she provides. Mrs. Peel is highly intelligent, strong, capable, cool and sophisticated, all of which makes her intensely interesting and an ideal role model for like-minded women. And considering the era of the show, she was way ahead of her time.
Here are 25 episodes of The Avengers from the Blackman & Rigg years:
| 1962-3 ~ Macnee & Blackman | |||||
| Bullseye | |||||
| The Mauritius Penny | |||||
| Death Dispatch | |||||
| 1963-4 ~ Macnee & Blackman | |||||
| The Gilded Cage | |||||
| Don't Look Behind You | |||||
| Mandrake | |||||
| Build a Better Mousetrap | |||||
| 1965-6 ~ Macnee & Rigg | |||||
| The Town of No Return | |||||
| The Cybernauts | |||||
| The Murder Market | |||||
| 1967 ~ Macnee & Rigg | |||||
| From Venus With Love | |||||
| The Fear Merchants | |||||
| The Bird Who Knew Too Much | |||||
| The Winged Avenger | |||||
| Never Never Say Die | |||||
| The Superlative Seven | |||||
| A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Station | |||||
| Something Nasty in the Nursery | |||||
| Who's Who | |||||
| The Return of the Cybernauts | |||||
| Death's Door | |||||
| Dead Man's Treasure | |||||
| The Positive, Negative Man | |||||
| Murdersville | |||||
| Mission Highly Improbable | |||||
| 1968 ~ Macnee, Rigg, & King | |||||
| The Forget-Me-Knot | |||||
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