Although not nearly as popular as I assumed it to be at the time, The second series of 'The Avengers' was - for me - a must-see programme.
The earlier series starred Honor Blackman and never seemed to quite find its focus, but when Emma Peel appeared; the programme gelled into something quite wonderful.
I can think of no other show that has been so quintessentially British. Running through the mid-sixties, it embodied all of the fun, optimism and excitement of that swinging decade. Patrick McNee's John Steed set a benchmark for the modern interpretation of a gentleman. Impeccably dressed, dandily-mannered, genteel, urbane, mature, but still fit and intelligent, an educated man of action yet with a hint of eccentricity vouchsafed by such accessories as a steel bowler-hat and an altimeter in his Bentley. Ofsetting this modern take on tradition came Diana Rigg's Emma Peel. The fully emancipated action-woman 20 years ahead of her time. a Lara Croft who shopped in Beauchamp Place. Younger, lithe, and always ready for action, often turned-out in a figure-hugging leather cat-suit and a slick little Lotus 'Elan' sports car, more Tomboy than débutante.
This dynamic duo complimented each other perfectly in a relationship that was never crude or vulgar, that always retained a platonic professionalism despite its lingering hint of romance.
They were special government agents of some sort or other, and got into extremely bizarre scrapes. The 'Cybermen' had them contending with robot assassins. Another programme found them dealing with seeds from space that could grow into man-eating plants. Yet another programme entailed assassins able to charge-up like capacitors and electrocute their victims. Then there were domestic cats that could be turned into tigers, fountain pens that injected their victims hearts with poison, a house that was a trap that drove people insane, and so on. Today these themes don't seem quite so far-fetched.
'The Avengers' held just the right cocktail of excitement, humour and imagination, buoyed-up by the winning personalities of its stars and their amazing chemistry. It never flagged.
Diana Rigg made such an impact that she seemed to define the feminine Avenger, eclipsing Blackman and leaving an act that was impossible for Linda Thorsen - her replacement as the drippy 'Tara King' - to fill. Riggseemed to have been there a lot longer than the 2 years or so that she was.
With her departure, the format was a busted flush. It later became a threesome and had a slightly harder edge as 'The New Avengers'. But the moment had passed, the joy and innocence were no more. It was the 1970's.
The earlier series starred Honor Blackman and never seemed to quite find its focus, but when Emma Peel appeared; the programme gelled into something quite wonderful.
I can think of no other show that has been so quintessentially British. Running through the mid-sixties, it embodied all of the fun, optimism and excitement of that swinging decade. Patrick McNee's John Steed set a benchmark for the modern interpretation of a gentleman. Impeccably dressed, dandily-mannered, genteel, urbane, mature, but still fit and intelligent, an educated man of action yet with a hint of eccentricity vouchsafed by such accessories as a steel bowler-hat and an altimeter in his Bentley. Ofsetting this modern take on tradition came Diana Rigg's Emma Peel. The fully emancipated action-woman 20 years ahead of her time. a Lara Croft who shopped in Beauchamp Place. Younger, lithe, and always ready for action, often turned-out in a figure-hugging leather cat-suit and a slick little Lotus 'Elan' sports car, more Tomboy than débutante.
This dynamic duo complimented each other perfectly in a relationship that was never crude or vulgar, that always retained a platonic professionalism despite its lingering hint of romance.
They were special government agents of some sort or other, and got into extremely bizarre scrapes. The 'Cybermen' had them contending with robot assassins. Another programme found them dealing with seeds from space that could grow into man-eating plants. Yet another programme entailed assassins able to charge-up like capacitors and electrocute their victims. Then there were domestic cats that could be turned into tigers, fountain pens that injected their victims hearts with poison, a house that was a trap that drove people insane, and so on. Today these themes don't seem quite so far-fetched.
'The Avengers' held just the right cocktail of excitement, humour and imagination, buoyed-up by the winning personalities of its stars and their amazing chemistry. It never flagged.
Diana Rigg made such an impact that she seemed to define the feminine Avenger, eclipsing Blackman and leaving an act that was impossible for Linda Thorsen - her replacement as the drippy 'Tara King' - to fill. Riggseemed to have been there a lot longer than the 2 years or so that she was.
With her departure, the format was a busted flush. It later became a threesome and had a slightly harder edge as 'The New Avengers'. But the moment had passed, the joy and innocence were no more. It was the 1970's.