Macnee was promoted to star and Steed became the focus of the series, initially working with a rotation of three different partners. By the time production could begin on the second series, Hendry had quit to pursue a film career. Production of the first series was cut short by a strike. Series 2–3 (1962–1964) Patrick Macnee as John Steed and Honor Blackman as Cathy Gale The missing television episodes are currently being recreated for audio by Big Finish Productions under the title of The Avengers – The Lost Episodes and star Julian Wadham as Steed, Anthony Howell as Dr Keel and Lucy Briggs-Owen as Carol Wilson. Additionally, the first 15 minutes of the first episode, "Hot Snow", also exist as a telerecording the extant footage ends at the conclusion of the first act, prior to the introduction of John Steed. At present, only three complete Series 1 episodes are known to exist and are held in archives as 16-mm film telerecordings: "Girl on the Trapeze" (which does not feature Steed), "The Frighteners" and " Tunnel of Fear". As was standard practice at the time, videotapes of early episodes of The Avengers were reused. There was little provision for editing and virtually no location footage was shot (although the first shot of the first episode consisted of location footage). The series was shot on 405-line videotape using a multicamera setup. The role of Carol Wilson was initially offered to Jan Watson, who turned it down for another film. Hafner had played opposite Hendry as a nurse in one episode of Police Surgeon. ![]() Carol assisted Keel and Steed in cases, and in at least one episode (" Girl on the Trapeze") was very much in the thick of the action, but without being part of Steed's inner circle. The other regular in the first series was Carol Wilson ( Ingrid Hafner), the nurse and receptionist who replaced the slain Peggy. As seen in one of the three surviving episodes from the first series, " The Frighteners", Steed also had informants among the general population to aid his investigations, similar to the " Baker Street Irregulars" of Sherlock Holmes. While Steed and Keel used wit while discussing crimes and dangers, the series also depicted the interplay-and often tension-between Keel's idealism and Steed's professionalism. Hendry was considered the star of the new series, receiving top billing over Macnee, and Steed did not appear in two of the series' episodes.Īs the first series of The Avengers progressed, Steed's importance increased, and he carried the final episode solo. Steed asks Keel to partner with him, as needed, to solve crimes. ![]() A stranger named John Steed who was also investigating the ring appears, and together Keel and Steed set out to avenge Peggy's death in the first two episodes. The Avengers began with the episode " Hot Snow", in which medical doctor David H Keel (Hendry) investigates the murder of his fiancée, office receptionist Peggy, by a drug ring. While Police Surgeon did not last long, viewers praised Hendry, and ABC Television cast him in its new series The Avengers, which replaced Police Surgeon in January 1961. The only constant was John Steed, played by Patrick Macnee.ĪBC Weekend TV produced a single series of Police Surgeon, in which Ian Hendry played police surgeon Geoffrey Brent, from September through December 1960. The Avengers was marked by different eras as co-stars came and went. JSTOR ( September 2018) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message).Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.įind sources: "The Avengers" TV series – news Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section. ![]() This section needs additional citations for verification. ITV produced a sequel series, The New Avengers (1976–1977), with Patrick Macnee returning as John Steed, and two new partners. By 1969, The Avengers was shown in more than 90 countries. After a merger with Rediffusion London in July 1968, ABC Weekend became Thames Television, which continued production of the series, subcontracted to ABC Television Films. The Avengers was produced by ABC Weekend TV, a contractor within the ITV network. ![]() The final episode, "Bizarre", aired on 21 April 1969 in the United States, and on in the United Kingdom. The first episode, " Hot Snow", aired on 7 January 1961. The series screened as one-hour episodes for its entire run. Dresses and suits for the series were made by Pierre Cardin. His most famous assistants were intelligent, stylish, and assertive women: Cathy Gale ( Honor Blackman), Emma Peel ( Diana Rigg), and Tara King ( Linda Thorson). Hendry left after the first series Steed then became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants. It initially focused on David Keel ( Ian Hendry), aided by John Steed ( Patrick Macnee). The Avengers is a British espionage television series, created in 1961, that ran for 161 episodes until 1969.
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