Mrs. Peel, We're Needed

Say the title “The Avengers” and what would you suspect most people today see in their minds? A team of comic book superheroes? Mention that title to me, and I see in my head two people. A marvelously sexy woman in a leather cat suit, and a dashing man in an bowler hat, with an umbrella. This would be the other set of Avengers, those of the 1960s British television series “The Avengers”, a show which happens to be one of my favorites. The high point, and most memorable part of the series run, comes from the middle three seasons—the Emma Peel era. Before I get to that, let me give you a brief overlook at the series.

The series began in the UK in 1961, it was a proto spy series, with the first season centered around a doctor and his friend—John Steed, as played by Patrick MacNee—avenging the death of his wife. As the second season roll around, the doctor was gone and Steed had a female partner, Cathy Gale. A role played by Honor Blackman, best to know for playing Pussy Galore in “Goldfinger”. A role she left the series for. This is when the biggest changes to happen to the series took place, firstly, they began shooting the series on film. Also, ABC spent $2 million for the rights to air the series in America. Making “The Avengers” one of the first, if not THE first, British television series to ever air on a major American network, in prime time. It was a hit here, even getting spoofed in an episode of “Get Smart”.

This change brought forth the combination the series is best remembered for. Steed and his new partner, the ravishing Emma Peel, mostly referred to as Mrs. Peel on the series. Played by Diana Rigg, now Dame Diana Rigg, Emma Peel was a very progressive character. A woman who can beat up the bad boys just as much as the men, always looked at as an equal. Despite saying she's married, you never see her husband, and the show subtly suggests that her and Steed had more than a “business relationship”.

By now, it had fully become a show of secret agents. Unlike the Bond series, or “The Man From U.N.C.L.E.” You never see them go to the HQ of the agency they work for, called “mother”, and rarely mentioned. Steed and Peel would just appear, and get the job done, always up against some type of outlandish villain. One episode in particular featured a man eating plant. The series was never quite camp, nor a spoof, just kept its tongue firmly planted in cheek.

It's yet to find its way to Netflix, and I don't recall it being on TV here since the late 90s when A&E ran it—before they became a channel worth dropping. DVDs are readily available, including a mega box of all the Emma Peel episodes. The mega box also comes with a bonus DVD, that features an episode of the 1977 revival “The New Avengers”.

If you've never seen the series, it's very much worth a look, if you enjoy shows of a truly unique flair. Make sure you don't make the mistake of watching the 1998 film remake, that is one of the truly worst films ever made, and missed the tone of the series dramatically. That's it for this week, go forth and spend some time with Steed and Peel.