The Avengers
The Avengers
British Thriller
Possibly Britain’s most successful television export, The Avengers (1961–69) was the last English-made television show to find a prime-time slot on U.S. network television. Originally The Avengers was designed to showcase the breakout star of Police Surgeon (1960), Ian Hendry, in the role of a doctor who, after the murder of his fiancée, joins forces with mysterious secret agent John Steed (Patrick Macnee). Six episodes were initially scheduled; 26 were made (three were videotaped) before Hendry left. Macnee continued to star in The Avengers for another eight years (136 episodes), finally resuming his role in 1976 in New Avengers (produced by Fennell and Clemens). During the subsequent five seasons, he was teamed with three female sidekicks: Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman), a widowed, leather-clad, martial arts expert with a Ph.D.; Mrs. Emma Peel (Diana Rigg), an aristocratic young widow, successful industrialist, psychologist, and skilled fighter; and, finally, Tara King (Linda Thorson), a young professional secret agent with less charisma or self-reliance than her amateur predecessors.
The Avengers, 1961–69; Patrick Macnee, Diana Rigg, 1966–69.
Courtesy of the Everett Collection
Bio
Once Macnee was teamed with Blackman, the show started to develop its characteristic flavor. Steed became more upper-class, dressed in increasingly dandified Edwardian fashion, while Gale represented a new vision of the strong, intelligent, active, and equal woman. Shot on multiple-camera video, these episodes did not display the same flair for the fantastic as the later filmed series (indeed, they look very much like the period’s realistic “kitchen sink” dramas), but the narratives did start to flirt with the bizarre and unexpected.
During this same period (1962–64), there was increasing American interest in The Avengers, culminating in 1964 when ABC bought the series for the fall 1965 season. The network wanted a filmed series, so the show went on hiatus for nearly a year, reappearing on ITV in 1965 with new star Rigg. ABC chose to wait until 1967, when color episodes would be available rather than risk showing an imported black-and-white series while the U.S. networks were converting to all-color TV. After two seasons, Rigg left and was replaced by Thorson (1968–69). ABC canceled the show in 1969 because audiences sharply declined after it was scheduled against the new hit Rowan and Martin’s Laugh-In. Although The Avengers continued to garner top ratings in Britain and throughout Europe, production stopped (it was never officially canceled) because the production company, Associated British, now relied on U.S. money.
While The Avengers is often considered part of the James Bond/cold war cycle of espionage thrillers, it actually dealt less with international issues and more with changes in modern Britain. Narratives explicitly engaged with issues of colonialism, national heritage, and questions of imperial British history, often parodying the nation’s past, its institutions, and its stock stereotypes such as the English gentleman and the retired army major. This humorous reflection on national identity was combined with a fascination with spaceage technology and an emphasis on modern femininity, a juxtaposition that recalled Britain’s own long emergence out of postwar deprivation into the new, trendsetting world represented by Carnaby Street and the Beatles.
See Also
Series Info
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John Steed
Patrick Macnee
Dr. David Keel
Ian Hendry
Carol Wilson
Ingrid Hafner
One Ten
Douglas Muir
Cathy Gale
Honor Blackman
Venus Smith
Julie Stevens
Dr. Martin King
Jon Rollason
Emma Peel
Diana Rigg
Tara King
Linda Thorson
“Mother”
Patrick Newell
Rhonda
Rhonda Parker
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Leonard White, John Bryce, Julian Wintle, Albert Fennell, Brian Clemens
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161 50-minute episodes
ITV
January 7, 1961–December 30, 1961
September 29, 1962–March 23,1963
September 28, 1963–March 21, 1964
October 2, 1965–March 26, 1966
January 14, 1967–May 6, 1967
September 30, 1967–November 18, 1967
September 25,1968–May 21, 1969
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ABC
March 1966–July 1966
Monday 10:00–11:00
September 1966
Thursday 10:00–11:00
January 1967–September 1967
Friday 10:00–11:00
January 1968–September 1968
Wednesday 7:30–8:30
September 1968– September 1969
Monday 7:30–8:30