The Avengers

Series Summary

"The Avengers" was a popular spy-themed show that aired in the United States during the 1965-66 and 1967 seasons, with the main characters being debonair Mr. John Steed and his sidekick the beautiful but deadly Mrs. Emma Peel. However, in its home country of Great Britain, "The Avengers" had a much longer run -- although with different characters teaming up with Mr. Steed. The show actually had its beginning in 1960 with a detective show called "Police Surgeon." The main character was played by an actor named Ian Hendry. When "Police Surgeon" was cancelled in late 1960, Hendry was cast in a similar role, that of Dr. David Keel, in a new show to be called "The Avengers." His partner was a detective named John Steed, played by Patrick Macnee. This duo was an undercover team and their first case was to find the killer of Dr. Keel's wife -- hence the title "The Avengers." When production of the show was stopped by an actors' union strike, Ian Hendry went on to other projects and "The Avengers" was relaunched in 1962 with John Steed as the main character and Honor Blackman ("Pussy Galore" of James Bond fame) as his new sidekick Cathy Gale. The show grew in popularity and continued through the end of the 1963-64 season, when Ms. Blackman left to pursue her role as a Bond girl. She was replaced by Diana Rigg in the role of Mrs. Emma Peel. This new series ran in the United States in black and white during the 1965-66 season and in color during the 1967 season. Diana Rigg left after her 2-year stint to return to Shakespearan theater, and was replaced by Linda Thorson as Mr. Steed's newest sidekick, Tara King. The episodes for the new season were actually filmed beginning in November 1967, but the Tara King series didn't aired in Great Britain until 1969.

"The Avengers" didn't die a quiet death, though, and on July 20, 1971 John Steed and a new partner, Hannah Wild, appeared on stage in Birmingham, England in a stage-produced comedy that lasted only six weeks. After that, beginning in January 1972, ten of the original episode scripts were rewritten for 15-minute radio broadcasts that apparently were popular though short-lived. Several years later, Patrick Macnee was called back to service as John Steed in a revived television series called "The New Avengers." With two new partners, Joanna Lumley as Purdy and Gareth Hunt as Mike Gambit, the series aired in 1976, but failed to gain the popularity needed to survive in either Great Britain or the United States. "The Avengers," however, remains a cult favorite and all episodes from 1963 onward have been released on DVD by the A&E cable network. Lastly, a feature film based on the original Avengers was made in 1998, with Ralph Fiennes as John Steed, Uma Thurman as Emma Peel, and Sean Connery as the villain. However, the film was a box office disaster and is generally considered to be inferior to the original series episodes.

"The Avengers" had a strong connection to the James Bond film series. Four of the series' principles appeared in James Bond films -- Patrick Macnee (John Steed) appeared in "A View to a Kill" as agent Tibbett. Honor Blackman (Catherine Gale) appeared in "Goldfinger" as Pussy Galore. Diana Rigg (Emma Peel) appeared in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" as Tracy de Vincenzo/Mrs. James Bond. And Joanna Lumley (Purdy) also appeared in "On Her Majesty's Secret Service" as one of Bloefeld's intended angels of death. In addition, several guest stars of "The Avengers" had prominent roles in James Bond films -- Lois Maxwell (the original Miss Moneypenny) appeared in the Cathy Gale episode "The Little Wonders." John Cleese (the current Q) appeared in the Tara King episode "Look (Stop Me If You've Heard This One) But There Were These Two ...." Christopher Lee (Scaramanga, "The Man with the Golden Gun") appeared in the Tara King episode "The Interrogators." And Carolyn Munro (Naomi, "The Spy Who Loved Me") appeared in the New Avengers episode "Angels of Death."

Although "The Avengers" was essentially a show about undercover agents/detectives, it often featured scientific themes and gadgets that were years ahead of their time. Therefore, it's not completely out of line to include it in this section of science fiction episode guides. Lastly, a note about the air dates used here -- because episodes of The Avengers were shown on different dates in the U.S. and the U.K., and even different air dates at different locations in the U.K., a definitive set of air dates is not really practical. I have used the dates for when the episodes were generally first shown in the U.K. outside of London. For the most part, this is the sequence in which they have been released on DVD by the A&E Network.

Season 1 - 1961: John Steed and Dr. David Keel

Seasons 2-3 - 1962-1964: John Steed and Cathy Gale

Seasons 4-5 - 1965-1967: John Steed and Emma Peel

Season 6 - 1969: John Steed and Tara King

The New Avengers - 1976: John Steed, Purdy, and Mike Gambit

The Avengers movie - 1998: John Steed and Emma Peel

Diana Rigg IS . . .

. . . Mrs. Emma Peel

The Avengers 1961 Season DVD (Three 1961 episodes are contained on this "bonus" disc)

The Avengers 1962 Season DVD

The Avengers 1963 Season DVD

The Avengers 1964 Season DVD

The Avengers 1965 Season DVD

The Avengers 1966 Season DVD

The Avengers 1967 Season DVD

The Avengers 1968 Season DVD

The Avengers Emma Peel Mega Set DVD

The New Avengers 1976 Season DVD

The New Avengers 1977 Season DVD

The Avengers Movie DVD

[Original and New Avengers photos copyrighted by Canal+Image]

The Main Cast

• John Steed (All Series) - Patrick Macnee
  
• Dr. David Keel (Series 1) - Ian Hendry
  
• Carol Wilson (Series 1) - Ingrid Hofner
  
• Cathy Gale (Series 2) - Honor Blackman
  
• Venus Smith (Series 2) - Julie Stevens
  
• Dr. Martin King (Series 2) - Jon Rollason
  
• Emma Peel (Series 3) - Diana Rigg
  
• Tara King (Series 4) - Linda Thorson
  
• Purdy (The New Avengers) - Joanna Lumley
  
• Mike Gambit (The New Avengers) - Gareth Hunt

The Episodes

Season One - Dr. David Keel

Hot Snow                                         01/07/61 (A&E DVD: Emma Peel Collection, Bonus Disc 17)
Brought to Book                                  01/14/61
Square Root of Evil                              01/21/61
Nightmare                                        01/28/61
Crescent Moon                                    02/04/61
Girl on the Trapeze                              02/11/61 (A&E DVD: Emma Peel Collection, Bonus Disc 17)
Diamond Cut Diamond                              02/18/61
The Radioactive Man                              02/25/61
Ashes of Roses                                   03/04/61
Please Don't Feed the Animals                    04/01/61
Hunt the Man Down                                04/08/61
Dance with Death                                 04/15/61
One for the Mortuary                             04/29/61
The Springers                                    05/13/61
The Frighteners                                  05/27/61 (A&E DVD: Emma Peel Collection, Bonus Disc 17)
The Yellow Needle                                06/10/61
Death on the Slipway                             06/24/61
Double Danger                                    07/08/61
Toy Trap                                         07/22/61
The Tunnel of Fear                               08/05/61
The Far Distant Dead                             08/19/61
Kill the King                                    09/02/61
Dead of Winter                                   12/09/61
The Deadly Air                                   12/16/61
A Change of Bait                                 12/23/61
Dragonsfield                                     12/30/61

Season Two - Cathy Gale

Mr. Teddy Bear                                   09/29/62 (A&E DVD: '62 Set, Disc 1)
Propellant 23                                    10/06/62 (A&E DVD: '62 Set, Disc 1)
The Decapod                                      10/13/62 (A&E DVD: '62 Set, Disc 1)
Bullseye                                         10/20/62 (A&E DVD: '62 Set, Disc 1)
Mission to Montreal                              10/27/62 (A&E DVD: '62 Set, Disc 2)
The Removal Men                                  11/03/62 (A&E DVD: '62 Set, Disc 2)
The Mauritius Penny                              11/10/62 (A&E DVD: '62 Set, Disc 2)
Death of a Great Dane                            11/17/62 (A&E DVD: '62 Set, Disc 3)
The Sell-Out                                     11/24/62 (A&E DVD: '62 Set, Disc 3)
Death on the Rocks                               12/01/62 (A&E DVD: '62 Set, Disc 3)
Traitor in Zebra                                 12/08/62 (A&E DVD: '62 Set, Disc 4)
The Big Thinker                                  12/15/62 (A&E DVD: '62 Set, Disc 4)
Death Dispatch                                   12/22/62 (A&E DVD: '62 Set, Disc 4)
Dead on Course                                   12/29/62 (A&E DVD: '62 Set, Disc 4)
Intercrime                                       01/06/63 (A&E DVD: '63 Set 3, Disc 5)
Immortal Clay                                    01/13/63 (A&E DVD: '63 Set 3, Disc 5)
Box of Tricks                                    01/20/63 (A&E DVD: '63 Set 3, Disc 5)
Warlock                                          01/27/63 (A&E DVD: '63 Set 3, Disc 6)
The Golden Eggs                                  02/03/63 (A&E DVD: '63 Set 3, Disc 6)
School for Traitors                              02/10/63 (A&E DVD: '63 Set 3, Disc 6)
The White Dwarf                                  02/17/63 (A&E DVD: '63 Set 4, Disc 7)
Man in the Mirror                                02/24/63 (A&E DVD: '63 Set 4, Disc 7)
Conspiracy of Silence                            03/03/63 (A&E DVD: '63 Set 4, Disc 7)
A Chorus of Frogs                                03/09/63 (A&E DVD: '63 Set 4, Disc 8)
Six Hands Across a Table                         03/16/63 (A&E DVD: '63 Set 4, Disc 8)
Killer Whale                                     03/23/63 (A&E DVD: '63 Set 4, Disc 8)

Season Three - Cathy Gale

Brief for Murder                                 09/28/63 (A&E DVD: '63 Set 4, Disc 8)
The Undertakers                                  10/05/63 (A&E DVD: '63 Set 1, Disc 1)
Man with Two Shadows                             10/12/63 (A&E DVD: '63 Set 1, Disc 1)
The Nutshell                                     10/19/63 (A&E DVD: '63 Set 1, Disc 1)
Death of a Batman                                10/26/63 (A&E DVD: '63 Set 1, Disc 2)
November Five                                    11/02/63 (A&E DVD: '63 Set 1, Disc 2)
The Gilded Cage                                  11/09/63 (A&E DVD: '63 Set 1, Disc 2)
Second Sight                                     11/16/63 (A&E DVD: '63 Set 2, Disc 3)
The Medicine Man                                 11/23/63 (A&E DVD: '63 Set 2, Disc 3)
The Grandeur That Was Rome                       11/30/63 (A&E DVD: '63 Set 2, Disc 3)
The Golden Fleece                                12/07/63 (A&E DVD: '63 Set 2, Disc 4)
Don't Look Behind You                            12/14/63 (A&E DVD: '63 Set 2, Disc 4)
Death a la Carte                                 12/21/63 (A&E DVD: '63 Set 2, Disc 4)
Dressed to Kill                                  12/28/63 (A&E DVD: '63 Set 2, Disc 4)
The White Elephant                               01/04/64 (A&E DVD: '64 Set 1, Disc 1)
The Little Wonders                               01/11/64 (A&E DVD: '64 Set 1, Disc 1)
The Wringer                                      01/18/64 (A&E DVD: '64 Set 1, Disc 1)
Mandrake                                         01/25/64 (A&E DVD: '64 Set 1, Disc 2)
The Secrets Broker                               02/01/64 (A&E DVD: '64 Set 1, Disc 2)
The Trojan Horse                                 02/08/64 (A&E DVD: '64 Set 1, Disc 2)
Build a Better Mousetrap                         02/15/64 (A&E DVD: '64 Set 2, Disc 3)
The Outside-In Man                               02/22/64 (A&E DVD: '64 Set 2, Disc 3)
The Charmers                                     02/29/64 (A&E DVD: '64 Set 2, Disc 3)
Concerto                                         03/07/64 (A&E DVD: '64 Set 2, Disc 4)
Espirit de Corps                                 03/14/64 (A&E DVD: '64 Set 2, Disc 4)
Lobster Quadrille                                03/21/64 (A&E DVD: '64 Set 2, Disc 4)

Season Four - Emma Peel

The Town of No Return                            10/02/65 (A&E DVD: '65 Set 1, Disc 1)
The Gravediggers                                 10/09/65 (A&E DVD: '65 Set 1, Disc 1)
The Cybernauts                                   10/16/65 (A&E DVD: '65 Set 1, Disc 1)
Death at Bargain Prices                          10/23/65 (A&E DVD: '65 Set 1, Disc 2)
Castle De'ath                                    10/30/65 (A&E DVD: '65 Set 1, Disc 2)
The Master Minds                                 11/06/65 (A&E DVD: '65 Set 1, Disc 2)
The Murder Market                                11/13/65 (A&E DVD: '65 Set 2, Disc 3)
A Surfeit of H2O                                 11/20/65 (A&E DVD: '65 Set 2, Disc 3)
The Hour That Never Was                          11/27/65 (A&E DVD: '65 Set 2, Disc 3)
Dial a Deadly Number                             12/04/65 (A&E DVD: '65 Set 2, Disc 4)
Man-Eater of Surrey Green                        12/11/65 (A&E DVD: '65 Set 2, Disc 4)
Two's a Crowd                                    12/18/65 (A&E DVD: '65 Set 2, Disc 4)
Too Many Christmas Trees                         12/25/65 (A&E DVD: '65 Set 2, Disc 4)
Silent Dust                                      01/01/66 (A&E DVD: '66 Set 1, Disc 1)
Room Without a View                              01/08/66 (A&E DVD: '66 Set 1, Disc 1)
Small Game for Big Hunters                       01/15/66 (A&E DVD: '66 Set 1, Disc 1)
The Girl from Auntie                             01/22/66 (A&E DVD: '66 Set 1, Disc 2)
The Thirteenth Hole                              01/29/66 (A&E DVD: '66 Set 1, Disc 2)
Quick-Quick Slow Death                           02/05/66 (A&E DVD: '66 Set 1, Disc 2)
The Danger Makers                                02/12/66 (A&E DVD: '66 Set 2, Disc 3)
A Touch of Brimstone                             02/19/66 (A&E DVD: '66 Set 2, Disc 3)
What the Butler Saw                              02/26/66 (A&E DVD: '66 Set 2, Disc 3)
The House That Jack Built                        03/05/66 (A&E DVD: '66 Set 2, Disc 4)
A Sense of History                               03/12/66 (A&E DVD: '66 Set 2, Disc 4)
How to Succeed ... at Murder                     03/19/66 (A&E DVD: '66 Set 2, Disc 4)
Honey for the Prince                             03/26/66 (A&E DVD: '66 Set 2, Disc 4)

Season Five - Emma Peel

From Venus with Love                             01/14/67 (A&E DVD: '67 Set 1, Disc 1)
The Fear Merchants                               01/21/67 (A&E DVD: '67 Set 1, Disc 1)
Escape in Time                                   01/28/67 (A&E DVD: '67 Set 1, Disc 1)
The See-Through Man                              02/04/67 (A&E DVD: '67 Set 1, Disc 2)
The Bird Who Knew Too Much                       02/11/67 (A&E DVD: '67 Set 1, Disc 2)
The Winged Avenger                               02/18/67 (A&E DVD: '67 Set 2, Disc 2)
The Living Dead                                  02/25/67 (A&E DVD: '67 Set 2, Disc 3)
The Hidden Tiger                                 03/04/67 (A&E DVD: '67 Set 2, Disc 3)
The Correct Way to Kill                          03/11/67 (A&E DVD: '67 Set 2, Disc 3)
Never, Never Say Die                             03/18/67 (A&E DVD: '67 Set 2, Disc 4)
Epic                                             04/01/67 (A&E DVD: '67 Set 2, Disc 4)
The Superlative Seven                            04/08/67 (A&E DVD: '67 Set 2, Disc 4)
A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Station 04/15/67 (A&E DVD: '67 Set 3, Disc 5)
Something Nasty in the Nursery                   04/22/67 (A&E DVD: '67 Set 3, Disc 5)
The Joker                                        04/29/67 (A&E DVD: '67 Set 3, Disc 5)
Who's Who???                                     05/06/67 (A&E DVD: '67 Set 3, Disc 6)
Return of the Cybernauts                         09/30/67 (A&E DVD: '67 Set 3, Disc 6)
Death's Door                                     10/07/67 (A&E DVD: '67 Set 3, Disc 6)
The 50,000 Pound Breakfast                       10/14/67 (A&E DVD: '67 Set 4, Disc 7)
Dead Man's Treasure                              10/21/67 (A&E DVD: '67 Set 4, Disc 7)
You Have Just Been Murdered                      10/28/67 (A&E DVD: '67 Set 4, Disc 7)
The Positive Negative Man                        11/04/67 (A&E DVD: '67 Set 4, Disc 8)
Murdersville                                     11/11/67 (A&E DVD: '67 Set 4, Disc 8)
Mission ... Highly Improbable                    11/18/67 (A&E DVD: '67 Set 4, Disc 8)

Season Six - Tara King

The Forget-Me-Knot                               01/12/69 (A&E DVD: '67 Set 4, Disc 8)
Game                                             01/19/69 (A&E DVD: '68 Set 1, Disc 1)
Super Secret Cypher Snatch                       01/26/69 (A&E DVD: '68 Set 1, Disc 1)
You'll Catch Your Death                          02/02/69 (A&E DVD: '68 Set 1, Disc 1)
Split!                                           02/09/69 (A&E DVD: '68 Set 1, Disc 2)
Whoever Shot Poor George Oblique Stroke XR40?    02/16/69 (A&E DVD: '68 Set 1, Disc 2)
False Witness                                    02/23/69 (A&E DVD: '68 Set 1, Disc 2)
All Done with Mirrors                            03/02/69 (A&E DVD: '68 Set 2, Disc 3)
Legacy of Death                                  03/09/69 (A&E DVD: '68 Set 2, Disc 3)
Noon Doomsday                                    03/16/69 (A&E DVD: '68 Set 2, Disc 3)
Look (Stop Me If You've Heard This One) ...      03/23/69 (A&E DVD: '68 Set 2, Disc 4)
Have Gun ... Will Haggle                         03/30/69 (A&E DVD: '68 Set 2, Disc 4)
They Keep Killing Steed                          04/06/69 (A&E DVD: '68 Set 2, Disc 4)
The Interrogators                                04/13/69 (A&E DVD: '68 Set 3, Disc 5)
The Rotters                                      04/20/69 (A&E DVD: '68 Set 3, Disc 5)
Invasion of the Earthmen                         04/27/69 (A&E DVD: '68 Set 3, Disc 5)
Killer                                           05/04/69 (A&E DVD: '68 Set 3, Disc 6)
The Morning After                                05/11/69 (A&E DVD: '68 Set 3, Disc 6)
The Curious Case of the Countless Clues          05/18/69 (A&E DVD: '68 Set 3, Disc 6)
Wish You Were Here                               05/25/69 (A&E DVD: '68 Set 4, Disc 7)
Stay Tuned                                       06/08/69 (A&E DVD: '68 Set 4, Disc 7)
Take Me to Your Leader                           06/15/69 (A&E DVD: '68 Set 4, Disc 7)
Fog                                              06/23/69 (A&E DVD: '68 Set 4, Disc 8)
Homocide and Old Lace                            07/06/69 (A&E DVD: '68 Set 4, Disc 8)
Love All                                         07/13/69 (A&E DVD: '68 Set 4, Disc 8)
Get-a-Way                                        07/27/69 (A&E DVD: '68 Set 4, Disc 8)
Thingumajig                                      08/01/69 (A&E DVD: '68 Set 5, Disc 9)
Pandora                                          08/10/69 (A&E DVD: '68 Set 5, Disc 9)
Requiem                                          08/17/69 (A&E DVD: '68 Set 5, Disc 9)
Take Over                                        08/24/69 (A&E DVD: '68 Set 5, Disc 10)
Who Was That Man I Saw You With?                 08/31/69 (A&E DVD: '68 Set 5, Disc 10)
My Wildest Dream                                 09/07/69 (A&E DVD: '68 Set 5, Disc 10)
Bizarre                                          09/14/69 (A&E DVD: '68 Set 5, Disc 10)

The New Avengers

The Eagle's Nest                                 10/17/76 (A&E DVD: '76 Set 1, Disc 1)
The Midas Touch                                  10/24/76 (A&E DVD: '76 Set 1, Disc 1)
Cat Amongst the Pigeons                          11/01/76 (A&E DVD: '76 Set 1, Disc 2)
Target!                                          11/07/76 (A&E DVD: '76 Set 1, Disc 3)
To Catch a Rat                                   11/14/76 (A&E DVD: '76 Set 1, Disc 2)
House of Cards                                   11/21/76 (A&E DVD: '76 Set 1, Disc 1)
The Last of the Cybernauts ...??                 11/28/76 (A&E DVD: '76 Set 1, Disc 2)
The Three-Handed Game                            12/05/76 (A&E DVD: '76 Set 1, Disc 4)
Sleeper                                          12/12/76 (A&E DVD: '76 Set 1, Disc 4)
Dirtier by the Dozen                             12/19/76 (A&E DVD: '76 Set 1, Disc 4)
Faces                                            03/06/77 (A&E DVD: '76 Set 1, Disc 3)
Gnaws                                            03/13/77 (A&E DVD: '76 Set 1, Disc 4)
Tale of the Big why                              03/27/77 (A&E DVD: '76 Set 1, Disc 3)
Dead Men Are Dangerous                           09/09/77 (A&E DVD: '77 Set 1, Disc 1)
Angels of Death                                  09/16/77 (A&E DVD: '77 Set 1, Disc 1)
Medium Rare                                      09/23/77 (A&E DVD: '77 Set 1, Disc 1)
The Lion and the Unicorn                         09/30/77 (A&E DVD: '77 Set 1, Disc 2)
Obsession                                        10/07/77 (A&E DVD: '77 Set 1, Disc 2)
Trap                                             10/14/77 (A&E DVD: '77 Set 1, Disc 2)
Hostage                                          10/21/77 (A&E DVD: '77 Set 1, Disc 3)
K Is for Kill - Part 1: The Tiger Awaits         10/28/77 (A&E DVD: '77 Set 1, Disc 3)
K Is for Kill - Part 2: Tiger by the Tail        11/04/77 (A&E DVD: '77 Set 1, Disc 3)
Complex                                          11/11/77 (A&E DVD: '77 Set 1, Disc 4)
The Gladiators                                   11/18/77 (A&E DVD: '77 Set 1, Disc 4)
Forward Base                                     11/25/77 (A&E DVD: '77 Set 1, Disc 4)
Emily                                            12/17/77 (A&E DVD: '77 Set 1, Disc 4)

Other Versions of The Avengers

Novel Series                                     1963-77
Proposed Feature Film                            1963
Promo "The Stranger Case of the Missing Corpse"  1966
Stage Production                                 1971
Radio Series                                     1972
Proposed Series "The Avengers USA"               1978
Proposed Series "The Aventures - International"  1985
Feature Film                                     1998

For More Information

I highly recommend the following large-format books for a wealth of behind-the-scenes information about The Avengers:

I also highly recommend that you visit the The Avengers Forever web site for a wealth of information, trivia, and a complete, illustrated episode guide.