Arriving in 1961, this British classic transcended its humble, gritty beginnings to become a colourful, surreal flagship for almost everything fun and groovy about the swinging 60s. One of the first UK shows to achieve real success in the US and beyond, The Avengers gave a global audience an exciting, playful and thoroughly British take on the action genre. To be fair, it is at its best in series three to five, by which point mysterious spy John Steed has taken centre stage in the battle against crime, aided by Honor Blackman as Cathy Gale.
All the recent tributes for the late Patrick Macnee ran pictures of him as Steed, the role with which he became synonymous. The much-loved actor apparently brought a lot of himself to the part: Steed was cultured, impeccably mannered, never patronising, sharp and always cheerful. Even when he thwarted a villain or discovered a wrong-doer, he seemed more disappointed in them than angry, which does feel very British. Steed never used a gun: instead, he employed a variety of martial arts and made good use of what were then the most boring accoutrements of wage-slave commuters: the bowler hat and umbrella. Ironically, the lack of gunplay and the increased hand-to-hand combat made the show appear more violent to US networks, which would regularly ban episodes.
Cathy Gale and her successor, the leather-clad Emma Peel (Diana Rigg), were not there just to be kidnapped and rescued, although this did happen occasionally. They were valued agents who played active roles in the investigations and action, often appearing smarter than Steed. Although the dialogue between the boss and his agents was light and flirty, there was never any suggestion of something more going on. While it is great that a show from the 60s was so ahead of the game in its portrayal of women, it’s also worth noting that the equality didn’t extend off-camera. Rigg soon discovered that, despite being the show’s main selling point, she was paid less than some of the technical crew.
The adventures became increasingly spectacular and fantastical. Espionage and skullduggery were ditched for more flamboyant, family-friendly fare, moving the show into the James Bond-led arena of spy-fi, where gadgets and glamour prevailed. The Avengers now had to contend with killer robots, man-eating plants and shady scientific experiments, allowing the show to indulge in plenty of pop-surrealist flourishes: at one point, Rigg finds herself tied to the rails of a miniature railway as a tiny – but deadly – locomotive bears down on her to the sound of jaunty, silent-movie-style music.
It is a show that made full use of the regular downturns in the British film industry, scooping up such big names as Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing. Consequently, there’s a lot of fun to be had in spotting stars on the up. The Superlative Seven, an episode about some undefeatable warriors that also manages to feature a matador, a cowboy and a circus strongman, boasts Brian Blessed, Charlotte Rampling and Donald Sutherland in its cast.
In its journey from grit to glitter, the show reflected changing tastes and fashions and its influence is still felt today, most recently in the spy-fi blockbuster Kingsman. But The Avengers didn’t just feed off the Britmania of the 60s, it contributed to it – bowler hat, brolly and all.
