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Re: Avengers TV Series disks?

129.78.64.5

Hi,

>Also, was reading the covers. Saw the 64 series jackets, the ones
>w/Honor Blackman, say she was the first female partner for John
>Steed. Question - does that mean there were episodes with a male
>partner? When did the series start, and is the original episode
>on disk?

The Avengers was first broadcast in Britain in January 1961. The John Steed character played by Patrick McNee is the only constant, having appeared in every episode. In the first season he had a partner called Dr David Keel, played by Ian Hendry (who appeared in heaps of British TV series and films). Honor Blackman debuted in the first second series episode (September 1962) as Cathy Gale, and appeared in all of series 2 and 3 (1962-64). Dr Keel was written out at the end of series 1. Diana Rigg debuted in the first season four episode (September 1965). The show was in black & white until the end of season 5A - the first colour episode was broadcast in January 1967.

There were, in total, 187 episodes of The Avengers, however 26 of these were The New Avengers (1976-1977 with Joanna Lumley as Purdey). Some folks don't consider these episodes part of the *real* Avengers at all, but McNee was still there. A further 25 episodes are lost, and unfortunately these are all from the first series. One lone first series episode "The Frighteners" still exists, and is available on videotape (but I don't know about disk).

I remember the "feel" of the first series being a bit more "gritty" and realistic than later on. The show started as more of a standard spy and thriller series (a bit like Callan) and did not gain its later shape until series 2. Series 2 & 3 (Honor Blackman) and series 4, 5A & 5B (Diana Rigg) are thought of as the "golden era" in which the swinging 60s look and the over-the-top feel of the show was established. After Diana Rigg left it was never the same. The show's magic was in large part due to the relationship between the two strong leading characters, and Steed's later "companions" (Tara King and Purdy) just weren't of the same class.

The link below is to the best website regarding the Avengers - what you don't find there isn't worth knowing.

Cheers
TG



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