Honor Blackman was great, but Diana Rigg was just incredible. You won't find better chemistry than shared between her and Patrick Macnee. Emma Peel remains one of the greatest television characters - I really wish Rigg had stuck around for one more season before departing.
I do, too, though I can understand why a couple of seasons may have been enough for her. And who knows, depending on show tone and quality, the character may have suffered if she had remained on screen for too long. I do know that, when talking about strong female characters, we really should include both Cathy Gale and Emma Peel in the roster alongside Ripley and Sarah Connor. Emma Peel was held up to me by my parents as someone to emulate: cool, calm, resourceful, never hysterical, tall, elegant and confident. I managed a couple of these as I've matured....from time to time....
I'm partial to the Rigg series myself because it's what I saw first. Patrick and Diana's chemistry is unmatched to this day. But there is no Emma Peel without Honor Blackman, she set the standard for what the show became.
@@emmasdilemma258 Absolutely true. I'm sorry I've never seen any of the Honor Blackman episodes: they look very fun and good. I'm not going to say it's a pity or a shame that Diana Rigg overshadowed Blackman, but I do agree that Blackman deserves more attention for her work than she's received.
US movie roles were just too much of a career step to ignore. She was in about 6 major films in the late 60s early 70s after quitting this series. She has also worked steadily till her death in 2020
@@STho205 I can’t blame her for leaving to do films, but honestly none of her film roles ended up as prominent as her stint on television as Emma Peel, apart from maybe the Bond role (in a film which commercially was considered something of a flop). Ultimately, it might have been better had she stuck around The Avengers another year or two before landing another television series, maybe one built around her.
I really liked him in A View to a Kill and was annoyed when they killed the character off. Although as some remarked at the time, having Moore and MacNee - along with Desmond Llewelyn, Robert Brown and Lois Maxwell - representing MI6 it did make it look like the security of the UK was in the hands of the denizens of an old people's home.
First thing I ever saw him in was For the Term of His Natural Life. I had no idea who any of the actors were. Of course, I'd heard him years earlier, just didn't know it, as the rather startled Imperious Leader demanded to know, in absolutely perfect diction, "What, pray tell, was that?"
When the series finished in Australia they repeated the Emma Peel episodes at something like 2am in the morning. I was still at school but was lucky enough to have a TV in my bedroom. I was such a fan of the show that I'd set an alarm so I could wake up in the middle of the night to watch them.
In the late '80s in New York, the ABC network that originally aired the show in the '60s, rebroadcast the black and white and color Emma Peel episodes from 2:00-3:00 am weeknights. I was able to record most on videotape and they included the original network bumpers, "Tonight's show is brought to you by ...", the closing bumpers and "Commercial Insert," which are always deleted in syndication. I was watching the Master Tapes of the show -- I'll never get rid of those!
@@paulhunter6742 Agreed, though the entire audience laughed out loud at the teddybear pointing at the ascending lift. (My wife and I occasionally reference it, with one of us pointing silently.)
I remember back in the 60's, here in the U.S. "The Avengers" with Diana Rigg was a weekly series must see. It was quirky and different when compared with American programming, which was basically bland and formulaic.
Utterly LOVE LOVE LOVE The Avengers! The theme music (4-6 Seasons) always fills me with an indescribable bittersweet nostalgia and the realization I and the others who appreciate this and other series are extremely fortunate for such series will likely never be made again. Too many factors acting in concert to produce such a series and such characters including in the real world to make Cathy, Emma and Tara such amazing ladies and Steed the consummate gentleman with an eye for appreciating the beauties but respecting them and caring for them as well. Truly a series with no equal, I don’t think it would be possible to make anything remotely comparable; the world is simply too different now in countless ways (good, bad and everything in between, lest anyone think I take only a negative view of the world and the changes we’ve witnessed). This show is one of a group that have that amazing status and meaning to me, some airing before I was even born, but intriguingly most share their production at a time of tumultuous changes in the world then as well though rarely does the outside “real” world get any true mention, perhaps most telling evidence of technology advances being that many of these series had earlier seasons filmed in Black and White changing to colour for a couple series before the darkness of cancellation. The Avengers, The Prisoner, Wild Wild West, Doctor Who, and others will forever have their place of honor and affection to me. “They don’t make ‘em like they used to” is certainly apt as well as spot on. Truly gems from a brief but unquestionably unique period of this world!
"Always keep your bowler on in times of stress and keep a watchout for those diabolical masterminds" Mrs Emma Peel final words to Steed before handing over to Tara.❤
Honestly, that Steed/Peel era is still amazing now, especially the new HD scan version. I found it on the ITV player in lockdown and fell in love with it, was in awe of how fresh it felt considering it was 50+ years old!
I can watch the Steed/Peel era episodes over and over again; Honor Blackmon and Diana Rigg are beautiful and completely understood why they were chosen to be James Bonds love interests. Among the other cast member like Patrick Macnee are top notch what a career he had. This was such a fun trip down memory lane this really tugs at my heart strings with the nostalgia being so strong and I long for the simple times when all these items were more recent, and we were unaware of world events and the dangers connected. I like your content and I have subscribed like your peers who have awesome content like this.
GREAT, thanks! Was too young to watch the shows with Honor Blackman here in Germany - but then came Emma Peel... and spoiled all of us boys - in the coolest way. ;-)))
For me, Patrick Macnee will always be Count Ibley first and foremost. I didn't see this show until cable reruns in the late 80's. What I saw. I loved however. I always had a crush on Dianna Rigg as well. The Avengers, The Saint. The Prisoner, were all truly compelling television.
As a 16 year old (now 65) I watched it because of Diana Rigg....could not get enough of her! Because my GMother came from England the culture fascinated me.
So well done! Thank you!! The series were my childhood and teenage TV-experience. I LOVED it! And of course at most the Diana Rigg episodes. With lovely regards from Vienna/Austria,
Diana Rigg said when she found out the cameraman was getting paid more than her she asked for a pay rise. They said no, so she quit. Its a shame. If it wasn't for ABC's tightfisted sexisim we would've gotten at least two more seasons of Mrs Peel.
@@RebeccaTurner-ny1xx -- The real crime was moving it from a very successful slot (Fridays at 10 pm, when it was up against nothing!) to Mondays at 7:30, deliberately putting it agaisnt what was then the #1-RATED SHOW. I'd say ABC killed the show. Just as they had earlier when they moved THE OUTER LIMITS from Mondays at 7:30 to Saturday nights opposite THE JACKIE GLEASON SHOW. When you move a show, its fans DON'T know when the hell it's on!!! I didn't "find" the Linda Thorson episodes until more than half of them had been aired. Linda Thorson had NOTHING to do with the ratings falling off-- the move of the time slot did.
@Jack_Warner Nobody was watching The Avengers for the value over replacement of the cameraman. ABC (the British ABC) should have paid Rigg more because the show was worth more with her as McNee's partner than with Thorson in that position, and not paying her more cost them a lot of money. Trying to pretend that her increased leverage didn't exist was stupid.
When I started watching the Avengers in the Mid 1960s, that when the gorgeous Mrs. Peel (Diana Rigg) joined the show, and I had huge crush on her. My sister used to tease me that she is the only reason that I watched the show (which was true). I cried when she left the show, and didn’t watch another episode. I probably watched each of her episodes at least twice, and her impeccable chemistry with the great Patrick MacNee who was an outstanding professional. I didn’t even know at the time that Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman) got her start on that show. RIP, beautiful Diana Rigg
Indeed, this show and Diana Rigg formed my impression of what a woman could be. Modern feminism adds nothing compared to this sassy beautiful capable woman.
Thank you. Me and my best friends idolized this show during our earliest coming of age years. You can imagine why. I always expected Diana Rigg to become the number one film star in the world. She did well, but something or someone was holding her back from reaching the summit she belonged on. Watching The Avengers and this video renews my regret that I wasn't born in England.
I loved this show as a kid. The crazy characters and plots were great fun, and I'll never forget how Emma Peel looked in 'A Touch Of Brimstone'...Woof!! Fabulous! Great job covering this Stam...now you 'have' to do 'The New Avengers!' ;)
this has taken me right back to when I was a young lad and watched it all in black and White! It was such fun to watch back then and I still love it today just as much and love the line "Mrs.Peel, we are needed and used to look forward to the different way it was used! Thanks for giving us a look back to this wonderful days!
I had a toy Steed umbrella… and it squirted water! Must have been a bizarre sight: a nine year old running around with an Avengers brolly and my dad’s old bowler! Unfortunately it didn’t come with its own Emma Peal… The 1960s were a great time to be a British kid!
The Honor series and Rigg series were two completely different shows. You had to enjoy them on each of their own merits. Both were excellent, but they had different tones, styles and types. You could tell the Blackman series was a James Bond contemporary and the Rigg series a Star Trek - Voyage to the Bottom to the Sea one. They were in two different eras. The early 60's vs the mod 60's.
Glad you mentioned the Tara King episode Wish You Were Here. Though Emma Peel is great, and everyone's favorite (including mine), Tara was underrated, and this episode gave her a chance to shine. Other favorite episodes of the Tara King era include the Maltese Falcon spoof Legacy of Death, and Take-Over.
Je suis d'accord ! I do agree... Thorson was a right choice. This season is very lovely, and she had to be totally different from DR... I wonder who Brian clemens wanted to cast !!! A pale copy of Rigg ?
Fascinating. A lot of stuff I had no idea about, particularly the early seasons - I was totally unaware that Cathy Gale had not even been in the first season! Pity they stuffed up the movie so badly in the 90's, I saw it in the cinema at the time, very bad indeed. Diana Rigg as Mrs. Peel is still simply luminous though.
The only episodes I remember from my childhood were the robot (Cybernaut) ones (28:44). They scared the hell out of me when I was 6 or 7! I happened to see them again a year ago and was stunned at how bad and goofy they were and how much they took me in!
" The Avengers" was the coolest show ever! Patrick Macnee was incredible as John Steed. He was the sexiest man on the television. I still enjoy watching my dvds of the show. I love all of Macnee's work. A very talented actor. He's been my idol since I was 4yrs.old. Macnee maybe gone but not forgotten. Patrick Macnee is a shining star in heaven now. Love that man forever. My life-long crush.
Much like the decade it was made in, "The Avengers" changed and evolved throughout the course of the 1960's. Starting off as a straightforward crime drama with two guys in trench coats roaming the dark streets of London and finishing up as a larger than life, colorful spy series with tongue in cheek surreal undertones. The bedrock of the show was always Patrick Macnee who was the one constant aspect throughout its lengthy run. Ian Hendry's departure at the end of the first season was when the show stepped out of its conventional premise and became something far more interesting. A succession of intelligent, attractive, independent, ass-kicking leading ladies (Honor Blackman, Diana Rigg & Linda Thorson) propelled the show to incredible heights and would lay down a template that many other programs would follow for decades to come. In that regard, the series was truly a groundbreaker. Female characters were allowed to be more than pretty faces who needed to be rescued by the hero. A classic series and rightfully so.......
I remember him in " A view to a kill" with Roger Moore, that was a chemistry, and character. And that 60s Tv show Avengers was the best of the TV of its era😘
Wow, I didn’t realize the group in A Touch of Bridgestone was SUCH an obvious inspiration for the Hellfire Club in X-Men… and it’s obvious Emma Frost was based on Emma Peel… explains why I like her so much lol
@@bensneb360There were some pretty obvious clues, if you were aware of the source material. Mastermind, aka Jason Wyngarde (who previously did not have a revealed alias), was a cross between the names of actor Peter Wyngarde, who played the character Jason King, (and the villain, in A Touch of Brimstone). The other members of the Hellfire Club were also mixes of actors and character names. Donald Pierce was named after Donald Sutherland, who played Hawkeye Pierece, in the movie version of MASH. Harry Leland was modelled on Orson Welles and named for two characters in his movies: Harry Lime (The Third Man) and Jeddediah Leland (Citizen Kane). Sebastian Shaw was modelled after Robert Shaw and Emma Frost was based on Emma Peel. Some are more visually obvious than others, as caricature was never a strong point for artist John Byrne. There was a historical Hellfire Club, in the Regency Period, in England, which held notorious debauches and featured well connected and powerful aristocrats and others of the upper classes.
Loved this delve into the series. Growing up in England in the 60’s snd 70’s I was transfixed to the weird stories, the weirder they got (in the later 60’s) the more they fascinated me. I think it was Brian Clemmens that spearheaded the show, what an imagination. Thanks for uploading (subbed).
Diana Rigg is my favourite, but I love the Linda Thorson episodes. It is a shame that they were not as popular. It was the New Avengers that really did not do it for me.
Рік тому+3
Agree,The New Avengers was of its time,but,at least,we got Joanna Lumley’s Purdey.
Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg. Class acts, both of them. In school, I wrote my own 'Avengers' story - based on their characters - for an English short story project, and got 23 out of 25 for it. Two points off because my teacher didn't like the way I'd 'paragraphed' it. My Dad ( an assistant magazine editor at the time, and someone who wrote for a living ) was so impressed with my work, he took it to show to his editor, and the editor thought my paragraphs were perfectly set up. .Set up to give a 'perfect punch' in the right spots of the storyline. His words. "Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach ". Thanks, Avengers, and to those two professional writers who knew their stuff !
Emma Peel's catsuits are iconic :) I watched The Avengers & The New Avangers as a kid with my mom in the early 70s. IIRC, it aired on ABC (channel 7 in our area) very late on Fri nights after the news. It was a fun watch. I recognized the theme music immediately. Classic.
Well done sir! This professional-quality documentary tribute to one of my favorite shows is both informative and entertaining. I will be recommending it to all my friends who, like me, discovered the show when it came to America in 1965.
Being an oldie i remember watching The Avengers from way back in the 60's. I know Diana Rigg is easily the most popular of the girls but i always had/have a soft spot for Linda Thorson. She was straight out of acting school and got a bit of rough ride, unfairly imo. Great review of the series probably the best i have watched 👏
Takes me back to when I was a kid. Sit and watch this on a Friday night with my late mum, sharing peanuts and chocolate. Was in love with Emma Peel.... fantastic programme and Macnee was excellent as Steed....miss those days..and my mum..😢😢😢😢
You are not alone, I loved the Character, Linda Thorson was treated terribly, the writers didn’t want her and she knew they didn’t want her, which makes her performances all the more remarkable. The problem with the character of Tara was, they couldn’t make their minds up who she was. She would look as though she couldn’t fight her way out of a wet paper bag one minute, then being proficient in judo or karate.
@@DavidSmith-fs5qj I always liked her relationship with Steed which was much more a father/daughter vibe. I also liked Mother. Eps like Noon Doomsday, Game, Cypher Snatch etc were the epitome of the Avengers storylines.
Excellent, thank you. Probably my favourite TV series. Followed by the A Team. I am pretty good at recognising popular (and obscure) actors turning up in different series but never noticed Blakes's Sevens Gareth Thomas in there. I think my favourite episode is The Gravediggers. 1, because it has Wanda Ventham in it and 2, because Ronald Fraser seems to be having such a great time as Sir Horace Winslip. The whole bit with him in the mock train carriage for lunch is brilliantly done and when he's driving his little train he's obviously enjoying every minute of it.
I loved this show. I bought random episodes on videotape in the early 90s. I had a few Tar King episodes and tried to like her, but one episode at the end glitch into the tag ending for The Quick Quick Slow Death, and really showed that nothing beat the classic Steed and Mrs. Peel.
The Avengers was such a great show. There aren't that many series where it can change every season yet still remain itself. My favorite version will always be the fourth season where anything can happen in that cold opening, followed by anything else up to the ending. Giant plant monster? Drowning in the middle of field? Being kidnapped on your way kidnapping someone else? IT CAN HAPPEN HERE: Sign from "Porky in Wackyland", may as well be Avengerland. The Fifth season lost me when they felt they had to add the "Mrs Peel, we're needed" bit, setting up the definite formula with a boundary when previously, it could have been anything.
Congratulations, this is really an excellent work . Very clever and professional 👍 I totally agree with your analysis .... Emma Peel , has never been replaced and obviously Patrick Macnee felt a bit lonely on screen after that.
I saw the others the female characters tended to be better than the male ones, but nobody could beat Emma Peel nearly because I sometimes think that she was the knight in shining armor that was always saving her partner's but for the most part.
Oh, enjoyed that. I was a very small boy when this was on. I was born in 1962. But my parents watched it, so did to. I don't remember specifics of any episodes, but I remember that, even as a small boy, I could tell that t was both very refined and oddly strange. Watching this video gave me a wonderful sense of nostalgia. Very well done.
Very witty and informative commentary of the stylish "Avengers" show. I must admit that I have used some of Steed's (and John Drake's) more flirty and playful lines in real life, without attribution of course, but to great effect. Thanks for the revisit of the show !
I absolutely ADORE this show, everything about it! The actors, the characters,Diana Rigg's wardrobe,even the theme music,loved it all! There's nobody like Mrs.Emma Peel,and Patrick Macnee,as John Steed wass the very epitome of a British gentleman.
That Tara King look, the MAUDE look, is what we would call overaccessorized, but it matches the counterculture that bloomed after Rigg left the show. Love the Lotus Europa too, but love the Elan even more, but she had other vehicles like the Cobra and Mini Moke. Thank you for one of the best videos on the show outside of official home video releases!
My favourite episode was "The House That Jack Built". I also loved the episode that Benny Hill appeared in (as a villain) but forgot the episode name. Would be great to see an Avengers documentary on the guest stars and guest villains.
The Avengers has been my favorite TV show for over 20 years. I discovered it by way of that awful 1998 movie, which may have put me off the show had it not been for my insatiable curiosity. My first episode was "The Murder Market" and from there I was smitten.
Okay, I chortled. Very amusing recap of a classic program chock full of wit, style, and fun. I'm glad you put some emphasis on Honor Blackman's Cathy Gale. Without her there would be no Emma Peel. Speaking of Emma, how anyone can watch the Steed/Peel series and not come away with the idea that they were friends with benefits I'll never know. It's right there, people! 😄 Her character was presented as a widow in every press release of the series at the time, so her husband being found in the jungle alive really put a damper on things. In one of his books, Patrick lamented not asking Diana to come back for one last season. She later said she would have if he had asked. Oh well. What might have been. Tara had some good episodes and Purdey was a revelation, but the show never was the same without the Pat & Di combo.
This was really good. Spot on in fact. And your personal picks chime somewhat with my own: Dressed to Kill, Room Without a View and Death at Bargain Prices are all good standout episodes. Dressed to Kill, starring Anneke Wills, my favourite of the three. Other memorable episodes include: Mr Teddy Bear; The Removal Men; The Town of No Return; Murdersville; Too Many Christmas Trees; A Touch of Brimstone; All Done With Mirrors and Pandora to name but a handful. Thanks again for the great video.
Thank God my local library has this wonderful series in stock and I was able to enjoy this untimely classic! It truly is unique in every way. It was made in the 1960's and it doesn't seem outdated in the 2020's and it still has such a feel of freshness. It is probably the most stylish show with a very tasteful sense of humor. I've always love the period TV series and movies made in Britian. They always have such classic feel and style. It seems to me they are more focus on artistry than on public appeal and popularity, rather rare in today's world of entertainment.
Honor Blackman was great, but Diana Rigg was just incredible. You won't find better chemistry than shared between her and Patrick Macnee. Emma Peel remains one of the greatest television characters - I really wish Rigg had stuck around for one more season before departing.
I do, too, though I can understand why a couple of seasons may have been enough for her. And who knows, depending on show tone and quality, the character may have suffered if she had remained on screen for too long. I do know that, when talking about strong female characters, we really should include both Cathy Gale and Emma Peel in the roster alongside Ripley and Sarah Connor. Emma Peel was held up to me by my parents as someone to emulate: cool, calm, resourceful, never hysterical, tall, elegant and confident. I managed a couple of these as I've matured....from time to time....
I'm partial to the Rigg series myself because it's what I saw first. Patrick and Diana's chemistry is unmatched to this day. But there is no Emma Peel without Honor Blackman, she set the standard for what the show became.
@@emmasdilemma258 Absolutely true. I'm sorry I've never seen any of the Honor Blackman episodes: they look very fun and good. I'm not going to say it's a pity or a shame that Diana Rigg overshadowed Blackman, but I do agree that Blackman deserves more attention for her work than she's received.
US movie roles were just too much of a career step to ignore. She was in about 6 major films in the late 60s early 70s after quitting this series. She has also worked steadily till her death in 2020
@@STho205 I can’t blame her for leaving to do films, but honestly none of her film roles ended up as prominent as her stint on television as Emma Peel, apart from maybe the Bond role (in a film which commercially was considered something of a flop).
Ultimately, it might have been better had she stuck around The Avengers another year or two before landing another television series, maybe one built around her.
Macnee was such an underappreciated actor, even in his dozen guest appearances in the 80s he comes close to stealing the show by sheer charisma alone
Battlestar galactica,magnum pi
I really liked him in A View to a Kill and was annoyed when they killed the character off. Although as some remarked at the time, having Moore and MacNee - along with Desmond Llewelyn, Robert Brown and Lois Maxwell - representing MI6 it did make it look like the security of the UK was in the hands of the denizens of an old people's home.
@@craigcharlesworth1538 Given the seniority of America's political class, that's the reality over there.
First thing I ever saw him in was For the Term of His Natural Life. I had no idea who any of the actors were. Of course, I'd heard him years earlier, just didn't know it, as the rather startled Imperious Leader demanded to know, in absolutely perfect diction, "What, pray tell, was that?"
Yes his charisma was incredible. As soom ss he appearred in any scene in any prodiction you knew you where in for a treat.
I loved all the episodes of the avengers, never did see the new avengers.. the movie wasn't the same, it did have it's moments at times...
I loved the show. The Steed & Peel pairing was my favorite. I never worried that the plots were ridiculous. Entertaining, that's all I wanted.
If people have to ask, they shouldn't bother watching.
Diana Rigg was one of the most beautiful women I've ever seen. The word sassy was invented for her.
…and so say all of us!
Linda Thorson was incredibly pretty ... Those eye's ... WOW!
her daughter is married to the frontman of elbow.Guy Garvey.....I think
Dame.
I agree, especially during her Avengers days. Great dresser too. Love her make up and class...
When the series finished in Australia they repeated the Emma Peel episodes at something like 2am in the morning. I was still at school but was lucky enough to have a TV in my bedroom. I was such a fan of the show that I'd set an alarm so I could wake up in the middle of the night to watch them.
Sounds like we're the same age. I'm also an Aussie. Lucky you having a TV in your room! I'm still obsessed by this show.
i live in the US and my DAD would not let me watch tv at that time, even though i tried.
In the late '80s in New York, the ABC network that originally aired the show in the '60s, rebroadcast the black and white and color Emma Peel episodes from 2:00-3:00 am weeknights. I was able to record most on videotape and they included the original network bumpers, "Tonight's show is brought to you by ...", the closing bumpers and "Commercial Insert," which are always deleted in syndication. I was watching the Master Tapes of the show -- I'll never get rid of those!
"Mrs Peel! We're needed!"
The REAL The Avengers! Nothing will ever take its place. Especially that damn movie!
The 1990s Avengers movie was absolutely Crap....
@@paulhunter6742 Agreed, though the entire audience laughed out loud at the teddybear pointing at the ascending lift. (My wife and I occasionally reference it, with one of us pointing silently.)
I am 62. I grew up loving everything about this show.
One of the best shows ever made.
Absolutely Agree!
Both Rigg and Macnee were treats whenever they appeared. They had style, they had grace, and Diana Rigg sure as hell gave good face.
I am 63 now , and I loved the AVENGERS , grew up with their style and wit. Very British, very nice. Loved Emma Peel at 11 , I was in LOVE !! 😍
I remember back in the 60's, here in the U.S. "The Avengers" with Diana Rigg was a weekly series must see. It was quirky and different when compared with American programming, which was basically bland and formulaic.
it had that zing and so did Patrick MCGohan in "Danger Man" in a Canadian release and later in the UsA "Secret Agent Man".
Can we just stop and appreciate that the Stam Fine music reflects the show being reviewed?
Should definitely do a compilation!
Danger 5
Utterly LOVE LOVE LOVE The Avengers! The theme music (4-6 Seasons) always fills me with an indescribable bittersweet nostalgia and the realization I and the others who appreciate this and other series are extremely fortunate for such series will likely never be made again. Too many factors acting in concert to produce such a series and such characters including in the real world to make Cathy, Emma and Tara such amazing ladies and Steed the consummate gentleman with an eye for appreciating the beauties but respecting them and caring for them as well. Truly a series with no equal, I don’t think it would be possible to make anything remotely comparable; the world is simply too different now in countless ways (good, bad and everything in between, lest anyone think I take only a negative view of the world and the changes we’ve witnessed). This show is one of a group that have that amazing status and meaning to me, some airing before I was even born, but intriguingly most share their production at a time of tumultuous changes in the world then as well though rarely does the outside “real” world get any true mention, perhaps most telling evidence of technology advances being that many of these series had earlier seasons filmed in Black and White changing to colour for a couple series before the darkness of cancellation. The Avengers, The Prisoner, Wild Wild West, Doctor Who, and others will forever have their place of honor and affection to me. “They don’t make ‘em like they used to” is certainly apt as well as spot on. Truly gems from a brief but unquestionably unique period of this world!
"Always keep your bowler on in times of stress and keep a watchout for those diabolical masterminds" Mrs Emma Peel final words to Steed before handing over to Tara.❤
Followed by (to Tara), "He likes his tea stirred anti-clockwise". Not a dry eye in my dorm's TV room.
Honestly, that Steed/Peel era is still amazing now, especially the new HD scan version. I found it on the ITV player in lockdown and fell in love with it, was in awe of how fresh it felt considering it was 50+ years old!
I had to own the Emma peel mega set then I got the two years of the new avengers with Purdey played by Johana lumley
Still love this show and still hold Diana Rigg/Emma Peel as the ideal woman.
With an ideal car, her Lotus Elan!
Awesome show. I grew up watching the New Avengers and never saw the original until the mid 80’s. Emma Peel 😍
I think that's why I prefer brunettes, her and the waitresses from allo, allo.
I can watch the Steed/Peel era episodes over and over again; Honor Blackmon and Diana Rigg are beautiful and completely understood why they were chosen to be James Bonds love interests. Among the other cast member like Patrick Macnee are top notch what a career he had. This was such a fun trip down memory lane this really tugs at my heart strings with the nostalgia being so strong and I long for the simple times when all these items were more recent, and we were unaware of world events and the dangers connected. I like your content and I have subscribed like your peers who have awesome content like this.
One of the all time best series!
As jokey as these reviews can be, there is clearly a lot of love for these older shows and movies. So enjoyable.
A lot of those old British series had that tongue in cheek entertainment but the Avengers did it with STYLE.
Perfect explanation
I love every incarnation of this show.
I wish someone would find more of the lost episodes from the first season.
I can only hope.
Unfortunately back in those days, videotapes were very expensive. So they were wiped and re-used.
GREAT, thanks! Was too young to watch the shows with Honor Blackman here in Germany - but then came Emma Peel... and spoiled all of us boys - in the coolest way. ;-)))
For me, Patrick Macnee will always be Count Ibley first and foremost. I didn't see this show until cable reruns in the late 80's. What I saw. I loved however. I always had a crush on Dianna Rigg as well. The Avengers, The Saint. The Prisoner, were all truly compelling television.
Such brilliant, inventive TV, pure entertainment. In a word. Style.
Dianna Rig was gorgeous.
As a 16 year old (now 65) I watched it because of Diana Rigg....could not get enough of her! Because my GMother came from England the culture fascinated me.
One of my favourite TV series ever!!!
The theme music was very different in the Emma Peel days. Loved those seasons of the Avengers. Steed and Mrs Peel, what a team.
So well done! Thank you!! The series were my childhood and teenage TV-experience. I LOVED it! And of course at most the Diana Rigg episodes. With lovely regards from Vienna/Austria,
Diana Rigg said when she found out the cameraman was getting paid more than her she asked for a pay rise. They said no, so she quit. Its a shame. If it wasn't for ABC's tightfisted sexisim we would've gotten at least two more seasons of Mrs Peel.
How is that a surprise? Shame on ABC.
@@RebeccaTurner-ny1xx -- The real crime was moving it from a very successful slot (Fridays at 10 pm, when it was up against nothing!) to Mondays at 7:30, deliberately putting it agaisnt what was then the #1-RATED SHOW. I'd say ABC killed the show. Just as they had earlier when they moved THE OUTER LIMITS from Mondays at 7:30 to Saturday nights opposite THE JACKIE GLEASON SHOW. When you move a show, its fans DON'T know when the hell it's on!!! I didn't "find" the Linda Thorson episodes until more than half of them had been aired. Linda Thorson had NOTHING to do with the ratings falling off-- the move of the time slot did.
@Jack_Warner Nobody was watching The Avengers for the value over replacement of the cameraman. ABC (the British ABC) should have paid Rigg more because the show was worth more with her as McNee's partner than with Thorson in that position, and not paying her more cost them a lot of money. Trying to pretend that her increased leverage didn't exist was stupid.
Why “sexism”? Are you saying the cameraman was paid more because he was a man? The cameraman probably had a better union.
@Jack_Warner Not all "opinions" are created equal. Yours, for example, are idiotic.
This is what I think of when people talk about The Avengers, not the american marvel thing
Love this show ❤
Same! 😊
When I started watching the Avengers in the Mid 1960s, that when the gorgeous Mrs. Peel (Diana Rigg) joined the show, and I had huge crush on her. My sister used to tease me that she is the only reason that I watched the show (which was true). I cried when she left the show, and didn’t watch another episode. I probably watched each of her episodes at least twice, and her impeccable chemistry with the great Patrick MacNee who was an outstanding professional. I didn’t even know at the time that Pussy Galore (Honor Blackman) got her start on that show.
RIP, beautiful Diana Rigg
The most fabulous programme of my childhood.. Adventure, beauty, action.. The Avengers had it all... Diana Rigg.. ❤❤❤
Indeed, this show and Diana Rigg formed my impression of what a woman could be. Modern feminism adds nothing compared to this sassy beautiful capable woman.
Thank you. Me and my best friends idolized this show during our earliest coming of age years. You can imagine why. I always expected Diana Rigg to become the number one film star in the world. She did well, but something or someone was holding her back from reaching the summit she belonged on. Watching The Avengers and this video renews my regret that I wasn't born in England.
Thanks,My Friend. I was born in London in 1954 and England was fantastic though only really "English" now in the Countryside.
Iy was a wonderful era.
Diana Rigg had great success in the theatre.
I loved this show as a kid. The crazy characters and plots were great fun, and I'll never forget how Emma Peel looked in 'A Touch Of Brimstone'...Woof!! Fabulous! Great job covering this Stam...now you 'have' to do 'The New Avengers!' ;)
this has taken me right back to when I was a young lad and watched it all in black and White! It was such fun to watch back then and I still love it today just as much and love the line "Mrs.Peel, we are needed and used to look forward to the different way it was used! Thanks for giving us a look back to this wonderful days!
Loved the show. Emma Peel was my favorite.
Style and chemistry between them was the secret and make this super and exceptional serie unique!
I had a toy Steed umbrella… and it squirted water! Must have been a bizarre sight: a nine year old running around with an Avengers brolly and my dad’s old bowler! Unfortunately it didn’t come with its own Emma Peal… The 1960s were a great time to be a British kid!
The Honor series and Rigg series were two completely different shows. You had to enjoy them on each of their own merits. Both were excellent, but they had different tones, styles and types. You could tell the Blackman series was a James Bond contemporary and the Rigg series a Star Trek - Voyage to the Bottom to the Sea one. They were in two different eras. The early 60's vs the mod 60's.
Blackman never did anything for me; face like a man. But she had the training and went on to 007 so SOMEONE must have seen it in her. Not me.
Glad you mentioned the Tara King episode Wish You Were Here. Though Emma Peel is great, and everyone's favorite (including mine), Tara was underrated, and this episode gave her a chance to shine. Other favorite episodes of the Tara King era include the Maltese Falcon spoof Legacy of Death, and Take-Over.
Showrunners changed, Thorson had to roll with the punches, literally!
Je suis d'accord ! I do agree... Thorson was a right choice. This season is very lovely, and she had to be totally different from DR... I wonder who Brian clemens wanted to cast !!! A pale copy of Rigg ?
My absolute fav program of all time.. I just loved watching these two together.. they were both so cool.
Fascinating. A lot of stuff I had no idea about, particularly the early seasons - I was totally unaware that Cathy Gale had not even been in the first season! Pity they stuffed up the movie so badly in the 90's, I saw it in the cinema at the time, very bad indeed. Diana Rigg as Mrs. Peel is still simply luminous though.
The only episodes I remember from my childhood were the robot (Cybernaut) ones (28:44).
They scared the hell out of me when I was 6 or 7!
I happened to see them again a year ago and was stunned at how bad and goofy they were and how much they took me in!
Yeah - but they were such fun - no-one took themselves too seriously - they just got on with the show
Diana and Patrick loved each other (her words) and it comes through on screen.
The first episode I saw was also From Venus, With Love! And I still get misty when Emma leaves the show.
Nice retrospective.
Watching the boxset of all the available remaining episodes was a joy. Some of the early episodes are surprisingly good, given budgetary constraints.
Boxed set! Wow! Is it available in Walmart or Costco?
@@keithdurose7057 Sorry, this was a UK release, I don't know about America.
" The Avengers" was the coolest show ever! Patrick Macnee was incredible as John Steed. He was the sexiest man on the television. I still enjoy watching my dvds of the show. I love all of Macnee's work. A very talented actor. He's been my idol since I was 4yrs.old. Macnee maybe gone but not forgotten. Patrick Macnee is a shining star in heaven now. Love that man forever. My life-long crush.
Much like the decade it was made in, "The Avengers" changed and evolved throughout the course of the 1960's. Starting off as a straightforward crime drama with two guys in trench coats roaming the dark streets of London and finishing up as a larger than life, colorful spy series with tongue in cheek surreal undertones.
The bedrock of the show was always Patrick Macnee who was the one constant aspect throughout its lengthy run. Ian Hendry's departure at the end of the first season was when the show stepped out of its conventional premise and became something far more interesting.
A succession of intelligent, attractive, independent, ass-kicking leading ladies (Honor Blackman, Diana Rigg & Linda Thorson) propelled the show to incredible heights and would lay down a template that many other programs would follow for decades to come. In that regard, the series was truly a groundbreaker. Female characters were allowed to be more than pretty faces who needed to be rescued by the hero.
A classic series and rightfully so.......
I remember him in " A view to a kill" with Roger Moore, that was a chemistry, and character. And that 60s Tv show Avengers was the best of the TV of its era😘
Wow, I didn’t realize the group in A Touch of Bridgestone was SUCH an obvious inspiration for the Hellfire Club in X-Men… and it’s obvious Emma Frost was based on Emma Peel… explains why I like her so much lol
Pretty sure Claremont literally told Byrne to use that episode as reference material
But I didn’t know that, so it was news to me lol
@@bensneb360There were some pretty obvious clues, if you were aware of the source material. Mastermind, aka Jason Wyngarde (who previously did not have a revealed alias), was a cross between the names of actor Peter Wyngarde, who played the character Jason King, (and the villain, in A Touch of Brimstone). The other members of the Hellfire Club were also mixes of actors and character names. Donald Pierce was named after Donald Sutherland, who played Hawkeye Pierece, in the movie version of MASH. Harry Leland was modelled on Orson Welles and named for two characters in his movies: Harry Lime (The Third Man) and Jeddediah Leland (Citizen Kane). Sebastian Shaw was modelled after Robert Shaw and Emma Frost was based on Emma Peel. Some are more visually obvious than others, as caricature was never a strong point for artist John Byrne.
There was a historical Hellfire Club, in the Regency Period, in England, which held notorious debauches and featured well connected and powerful aristocrats and others of the upper classes.
Loved this delve into the series. Growing up in England in the 60’s snd 70’s I was transfixed to the weird stories, the weirder they got (in the later 60’s) the more they fascinated me. I think it was Brian Clemmens that spearheaded the show, what an imagination. Thanks for uploading (subbed).
Top work as always Stam Fine, thanks for all your hard work Happy New Year
Diana Rigg is my favourite, but I love the Linda Thorson episodes. It is a shame that they were not as popular. It was the New Avengers that really did not do it for me.
Agree,The New Avengers was of its time,but,at least,we got Joanna Lumley’s Purdey.
Idem ! I love both... In France, Tthe Tara era is also popular...
This was really great, thanks for cutting it all together. You have a hilarious take on it all.
Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg. Class acts, both of them. In school, I wrote my own 'Avengers' story - based on their characters - for an English short story project, and got 23 out of 25 for it. Two points off because my teacher didn't like the way I'd 'paragraphed' it. My Dad ( an assistant magazine editor at the time, and someone who wrote for a living ) was so impressed with my work, he took it to show to his editor, and the editor thought my paragraphs were perfectly set up. .Set up to give a 'perfect punch' in the right spots of the storyline. His words.
"Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach ".
Thanks, Avengers, and to those two professional writers who knew their stuff !
Diana Rigg also hosted the PBS series “Mystery!” from 1989-2003, which introduced her to a whole new generation of fans.
That's how I knew her.
Emma Peel's catsuits are iconic :) I watched The Avengers & The New Avangers as a kid with my mom in the early 70s. IIRC, it aired on ABC (channel 7 in our area) very late on Fri nights after the news. It was a fun watch. I recognized the theme music immediately. Classic.
Well done sir! This professional-quality documentary tribute to one of my favorite shows is both informative and entertaining. I will be recommending it to all my friends who, like me, discovered the show when it came to America in 1965.
In France the series was known as "chapeau melon et bottes de cuir" (bowler hat and leather boots)
et en Allemangne, Mit Chirm, Mit Charm, mit Melon... en gros la même chose. Un titre bien meilleur que "the avengers"...
Being an oldie i remember watching The Avengers from way back in the 60's. I know Diana Rigg is easily the most popular of the girls but i always had/have a soft spot for Linda Thorson. She was straight out of acting school and got a bit of rough ride, unfairly imo. Great review of the series probably the best i have watched 👏
I saw the '98 film in theaters. I think you afforded it all the time it deserves.
Takes me back to when I was a kid. Sit and watch this on a Friday night with my late mum, sharing peanuts and chocolate. Was in love with Emma Peel.... fantastic programme and Macnee was excellent as Steed....miss those days..and my mum..😢😢😢😢
My ALL TIME favorite tv 📺 series from the states😻👍‼️
I must be alone in liking the Tara King years best? You should definitely do The New Avengers and The Professionals.
no you are not!! I always loved the Thornson era the best as well!!
My best friend told me Tara was his favorite. For me, it was Purdey!
@@henrykujawa4427 Loved Purdey, I essentially watched the series in reverse so she was my first Avengers girl
You are not alone, I loved the Character, Linda Thorson was treated terribly, the writers didn’t want her and she knew they didn’t want her, which makes her performances all the more remarkable. The problem with the character of Tara was, they couldn’t make their minds up who she was. She would look as though she couldn’t fight her way out of a wet paper bag one minute, then being proficient in judo or karate.
@@DavidSmith-fs5qj I always liked her relationship with Steed which was much more a father/daughter vibe. I also liked Mother. Eps like Noon Doomsday, Game, Cypher Snatch etc were the epitome of the Avengers storylines.
I reckon Emma Peel was every British schoolboy's fantasy in the mid-60s. Apart from that, it was brilliantly surreal.
Loved this show. I was 13 years old but loved Emma 's clothes. She was beautiful and the best.
Excellent, thank you. Probably my favourite TV series. Followed by the A Team. I am pretty good at recognising popular (and obscure) actors turning up in different series but never noticed Blakes's Sevens Gareth Thomas in there. I think my favourite episode is The Gravediggers. 1, because it has Wanda Ventham in it and 2, because Ronald Fraser seems to be having such a great time as Sir Horace Winslip. The whole bit with him in the mock train carriage for lunch is brilliantly done and when he's driving his little train he's obviously enjoying every minute of it.
Wanda Ventham was hot back then, she appeared a lot in the Daily mirror.
I loved this show. I bought random episodes on videotape in the early 90s. I had a few Tar King episodes and tried to like her, but one episode at the end glitch into the tag ending for The Quick Quick Slow Death, and really showed that nothing beat the classic Steed and Mrs. Peel.
Such a wonderful video by you with very clever dialogue. One of the best channels on UA-cam.
An interesting, in-depth rundown! Great! Also: 1960's Diana Rigg, in color, saying witty things with sexy charisma. What a gift for the ages!
The Avengers was such a great show. There aren't that many series where it can change every season yet still remain itself. My favorite version will always be the fourth season where anything can happen in that cold opening, followed by anything else up to the ending. Giant plant monster? Drowning in the middle of field? Being kidnapped on your way kidnapping someone else? IT CAN HAPPEN HERE: Sign from "Porky in Wackyland", may as well be Avengerland.
The Fifth season lost me when they felt they had to add the "Mrs Peel, we're needed" bit, setting up the definite formula with a boundary when previously, it could have been anything.
Excellent video
I love the black & white episodes
Wow, Stam Fine....you did an excellent job of representing an icon of a show. Well done. Well done, indeed.
My first and forever Love....Emma Peel. RIP Diana. Oh and JS love ya too.
My dad used to watch the re-runs in the early 80's and I became a young fan as a result.
Congratulations, this is really an excellent work . Very clever and professional 👍 I totally agree with your analysis .... Emma Peel , has never been replaced and obviously Patrick Macnee felt a bit lonely on screen after that.
I saw the others the female characters tended to be better than the male ones, but nobody could beat Emma Peel nearly because I sometimes think that she was the knight in shining armor that was always saving her partner's but for the most part.
Very nicely done. 🫡
Oh, enjoyed that. I was a very small boy when this was on. I was born in 1962. But my parents watched it, so did to. I don't remember specifics of any episodes, but I remember that, even as a small boy, I could tell that t was both very refined and oddly strange. Watching this video gave me a wonderful sense of nostalgia. Very well done.
Back then Diana Rigg was the most beautiful woman walking the planet.
Fite me!
She’s the most beautiful ever, hands down.
Very witty and informative commentary of the stylish "Avengers" show. I must admit that I have used some of Steed's (and John Drake's) more flirty and playful lines in real life, without attribution of course, but to great effect. Thanks for the revisit of the show !
Mrs Peel series…my absolute favourite! I have the boxed set and watch it regularly.
Loved the show one of the first shows from the uk I'd ever seen, luckily I have the show on dvd so I can watch at anytime
A great wrap up. Nothing was missed 🥇
I absolutely ADORE this show, everything about it!
The actors, the characters,Diana Rigg's wardrobe,even the theme music,loved it all!
There's nobody like Mrs.Emma Peel,and Patrick Macnee,as John Steed wass the very epitome of a British gentleman.
A fabulous, pithy, witty series. Love it as a kid.and her period. Forget the new "Avengers".
¡Gracias!
Thank you very much!
That Tara King look, the MAUDE look, is what we would call overaccessorized, but it matches the counterculture that bloomed after Rigg left the show. Love the Lotus Europa too, but love the Elan even more, but she had other vehicles like the Cobra and Mini Moke. Thank you for one of the best videos on the show outside of official home video releases!
My favourite episode was "The House That Jack Built". I also loved the episode that Benny Hill appeared in (as a villain) but forgot the episode name. Would be great to see an Avengers documentary on the guest stars and guest villains.
I may be wrong but I can't think of a episode with benny Hill.. I remember one with ronnie barker. The one with the cats in.
The Avengers has been my favorite TV show for over 20 years. I discovered it by way of that awful 1998 movie, which may have put me off the show had it not been for my insatiable curiosity. My first episode was "The Murder Market" and from there I was smitten.
Okay, I chortled. Very amusing recap of a classic program chock full of wit, style, and fun. I'm glad you put some emphasis on Honor Blackman's Cathy Gale. Without her there would be no Emma Peel.
Speaking of Emma, how anyone can watch the Steed/Peel series and not come away with the idea that they were friends with benefits I'll never know. It's right there, people! 😄 Her character was presented as a widow in every press release of the series at the time, so her husband being found in the jungle alive really put a damper on things.
In one of his books, Patrick lamented not asking Diana to come back for one last season. She later said she would have if he had asked. Oh well. What might have been.
Tara had some good episodes and Purdey was a revelation, but the show never was the same without the Pat & Di combo.
This was really good. Spot on in fact. And your personal picks chime somewhat with my own: Dressed to Kill, Room Without a View and Death at Bargain Prices are all good standout episodes. Dressed to Kill, starring Anneke Wills, my favourite of the three. Other memorable episodes include: Mr Teddy Bear; The Removal Men; The Town of No Return; Murdersville; Too Many Christmas Trees; A Touch of Brimstone; All Done With Mirrors and Pandora to name but a handful. Thanks again for the great video.
Great nostalgia , subscribed and hopefully more of the same great videos.
Thanks for this. So much part of my childhood and interesting insight into the history of television production.
Thank God my local library has this wonderful series in stock and I was able to enjoy this untimely classic! It truly is unique in every way. It was made in the 1960's and it doesn't seem outdated in the 2020's and it still has such a feel of freshness. It is probably the most stylish show with a very tasteful sense of humor. I've always love the period TV series and movies made in Britian. They always have such classic feel and style. It seems to me they are more focus on artistry than on public appeal and popularity, rather rare in today's world of entertainment.
Well done, ol' chap!
Diana Rigg: the pin-up of choice for many a man and boy.
This is a really well done documentary. Engaging, informative and the jokes were actually funny. Well done.