The Avengers

**thinlizzy** · December 16th, 2008, 10:25 AM

I guess that there are quite a few fans on the forum of this classic tv series but which is your favourite incarnation of it? As I was born in the mid 1960's,I was too young to remember the Emma Peel years first hand.My first encounter of watching The Avengers was in the early 1970's with the Tara King character.We didn't have colour tv broadcast in our tv region then so all tv series where shown in black and white which is strange now seeing them in colour.I watched The New Avengers with the beautiful Joanna Lumley when it was 1st broadcast but at the time I wasn't really a fan.As it's being currently re shown on BBC4 I've actually grown/matured into liking it quite a lot.During the last 30 years or so I caught the odd episode of the Diana Rigg era of the Avengers but at the time I couldn't get worked up about her and often wondered why she seemed to be regarded as the ultimate Avenger girl.It's only recently that I've had the opportunity to see the entire episodes that she starred in that I realise how great that she was in the series, making me place her as the number 1 Avenger babe.I still haven't seen the Honor Blackman episodes so I can't comment on them.Who is your favourite and what is your favourite episode?Currently my favourite episode is "The hour that never was" . http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=XWeGANmsIFk Tara King era opening to the Avengers which I believe is the best intro.

btw the bridge that Tara can be seen running on in the opening clip is
Tyke's Water Lake, Elstree and makes an appearance in quite a few episodes

**knobby109** · December 16th, 2008, 02:59 PM

You are young! What about Honor Blackman playing Mrs.Gale?

**thinlizzy** · December 17th, 2008, 10:06 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by knobby109

You are young! What about Honor Blackman playing Mrs.Gale?

sorry I never had the chance to see her era and have only caught 1 or 2 episodes on repeats

**Mad Koala Bear** · December 19th, 2008, 09:49 AM

Always Mrs Peel for me, though I must admit to a definate stirring of the loins when Linda Thorsen appeared as Steed's colleague.
As a matter of interest, there are obviously a number of useful web-sites for fans of the show, including:

http://avengerland.theavengers.tv/
This lists many of the locations, mostly in a wide arc from Slough to Hertford, used in the show. Many still recognisable, even nearly 40 years later.

http://theavengers.tv/forever/
Episode details.

**Staffsyeoman** · December 21st, 2008, 03:15 PM

Agree. Mrs.Peel for me, even tho' only just old enough to remember the later ones, but loving the very weird (very Avengers?) b&w Rigg era re-runs on BBC4. I take it the opening flourish which said "The Avengers- In Colour!" was meant for the US market (English spelling notwithstanding).

**Mad Koala Bear** · December 24th, 2008, 12:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Staffsyeoman

Agree. Mrs.Peel for me, even tho' only just old enough to remember the later ones, but loving the very weird (very Avengers?) b&w Rigg era re-runs on BBC4. I take it the opening flourish which said "The Avengers- In Colour!" was meant for the US market (English spelling notwithstanding).

I dont think it was particularly for the US market. In those days you could make a TV show in UK without looking over your shoulder at US sales too much. The 'In Colour' appelation was to say to a British audience 'aren't we modern' as colour TV was relatively new.

Quintessential Avengers for me were Diana Rigg, B&W, and had lots of very wierd plots and camera angles.

**haldane4** · December 25th, 2008, 11:26 PM

Yeah, Diana Rigg was great and hot in the Avengers. Granada attempted to make a rival series called The Corridor People which only lasted a few episodes, mainly because their leading lady, Elizabeth Shepherd, was a cold austere and frankly unattractive Austrian type and shared none of Rigg's ahem talents.

andysmz · January 1st, 2009, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by damp-patch

I dont think it was particularly for the US market. In those days you could make a TV show in UK without looking over your shoulder at US sales too much. The 'In Colour' appelation was to say to a British audience 'aren't we modern' as colour TV was relatively new.

Quintessential Avengers for me were Diana Rigg, B&W, and had lots of very wierd plots and camera angles.

The switch to colour was primarily because the Avengers had been sold in the US. At the time the first colour series' were made colour TV didn't even exist in the UK for the general public. Lew Grade was keenly aware of how much money could be made on overseas sales, hence many mid 60s ITV (mainly ATV) series were made in colour (e.g. Avengers, Thunderbirds, Champions, Prisoner) while their BBC contemporaries (Adam Adamant, Forsyte Saga) were still being made in B&W.

**carolaholic** · September 18th, 2009, 04:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by haldane4

Yeah, Diana Rigg was great and hot in the Avengers. Granada attempted to make a rival series called The Corridor People which only lasted a few episodes, mainly because their leading lady, Elizabeth Shepherd, was a cold austere and frankly unattractive Austrian type and shared none of Rigg's ahem talents.

Wow, that's a shocker, because Elizabeth Shepherd (unless there's more than one actress with that name) was originally picked to play Mrs. Peel, and at least one episode was shot with her in the role, but they decided she wasn't working out, and called in Diana Rigg (who had previously done a screen test for the part), and reshot the scenes with her as Mrs. Peel.

redders74 · September 20th, 2009, 06:01 PM

Definitely Diana Rigg. THe House That Jack Built is a classic episode.

December 16th, 2008, 10:25 AM	#1
thinlizzy Vintage Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: the toughest street in town Posts: 513 Thanks: 795 Thanked 21,168 Times in 559 Posts	The Avengers I guess that there are quite a few fans on the forum of this classic tv series but which is your favourite incarnation of it? As I was born in the mid 1960's,I was too young to remember the Emma Peel years first hand.My first encounter of watching The Avengers was in the early 1970's with the Tara King character.We didn't have colour tv broadcast in our tv region then so all tv series where shown in black and white which is strange now seeing them in colour.I watched The New Avengers with the beautiful Joanna Lumley when it was 1st broadcast but at the time I wasn't really a fan.As it's being currently re shown on BBC4 I've actually grown/matured into liking it quite a lot.During the last 30 years or so I caught the odd episode of the Diana Rigg era of the Avengers but at the time I couldn't get worked up about her and often wondered why she seemed to be regarded as the ultimate Avenger girl.It's only recently that I've had the opportunity to see the entire episodes that she starred in that I realise how great that she was in the series, making me place her as the number 1 Avenger babe.I still haven't seen the Honor Blackman episodes so I can't comment on them.Who is your favourite and what is your favourite episode?Currently my favourite episode is "The hour that never was" . http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=XWeGANmsIFk Tara King era opening to the Avengers which I believe is the best intro. btw the bridge that Tara can be seen running on in the opening clip is Tyke's Water Lake, Elstree and makes an appearance in quite a few episodes __________________ "Is there anybody here with any Irish in them?,would any of the girls like a little bit more Irish in them?"-Philip Lynott. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

December 25th, 2008, 11:26 PM	#7
haldane4 Vintage Member Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: 1977 Posts: 598 Thanks: 3,187 Thanked 7,055 Times in 592 Posts	Yeah, Diana Rigg was great and hot in the Avengers. Granada attempted to make a rival series called The Corridor People which only lasted a few episodes, mainly because their leading lady, Elizabeth Shepherd, was a cold austere and frankly unattractive Austrian type and shared none of Rigg's ahem talents. Last edited by haldane4; December 25th, 2008 at 11:28 PM..

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December 16th, 2008, 02:59 PM	#2
knobby109 Vintage Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 1,736 Thanks: 144 Thanked 14,338 Times in 1,702 Posts	You are young! What about Honor Blackman playing Mrs.Gale?

December 19th, 2008, 09:49 AM	#4
Mad Koala Bear Vintage Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 869 Thanks: 30,809 Thanked 10,733 Times in 850 Posts	Always Mrs Peel for me, though I must admit to a definate stirring of the loins when Linda Thorsen appeared as Steed's colleague. As a matter of interest, there are obviously a number of useful web-sites for fans of the show, including: http://avengerland.theavengers.tv/ This lists many of the locations, mostly in a wide arc from Slough to Hertford, used in the show. Many still recognisable, even nearly 40 years later. http://theavengers.tv/forever/ Episode details.

December 21st, 2008, 03:15 PM	#5
Staffsyeoman Vintage Member Join Date: Nov 2007 Posts: 2,268 Thanks: 34,177 Thanked 26,750 Times in 2,159 Posts	Agree. Mrs.Peel for me, even tho' only just old enough to remember the later ones, but loving the very weird (very Avengers?) b&w Rigg era re-runs on BBC4. I take it the opening flourish which said "The Avengers- In Colour!" was meant for the US market (English spelling notwithstanding).

September 20th, 2009, 06:01 PM	#10
redders74 Junior Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: London Posts: 3 Thanks: 1,827 Thanked 22 Times in 3 Posts	Definitely Diana Rigg. THe House That Jack Built is a classic episode.