DANGER-MAKERS! RESURRECTING THE ORIGINAL 'THE AVENGERS'

The birth of THE AVENGERS. Patrick Macnee as Steed and Ian Hendry as David Keel. Images: STUDIOCANAL. 

Before Tara King, before Emma Peel, before Cathy Gale, and even before nightclub singer and occasional assistant Venus Smith, there was Doctor David Keel, played by Ian Hendry- the original and first "Avenger" of the hit sixties TV series THE AVENGERS, originally created in the atmospheric days of black and white by Sydney Newman (later creator of DOCTOR WHO for the BBC) - a show that became a phenomenon, whose firm and soon uniquely British institution roots would be immortalised via its bowler hatted, red carnation wearing co-star, Patrick Macnee, as the flamboyant but edgy secret agent, John Steed.

In these intriguing early days, this wasn't yet the fantasy action series it would transmogrify into- instead, it launched one dark and fog-filled night as a revenge thriller and vehicle for Hendry, whose character of Keel would be born into a baptism of fire to take on the scum of the London underworld, originally avenging the death of his beloved wife in the important set-up building pilot episode, Hot Snow. Though despite the fisticuffs, and dawn and dusk chases by the often antagonistic to each other, white trench-coated wearing duo through dark alleys and obscure run-down buildings, this serious and dark drama quickly began to lighten up and show the evergreen chutes of bigger and even better things to come, and the launch of true sexual liberation on TV with the emancipated, intelligent figure of leather wearing, judo throwing, deeply sexy heroine Cathy Gale, as personified by Honor Blackman, who, in her early scripted start in the shows second season, was, in fact, actually delivering lines originally written for the now series departed Hendry or other occasional guest star, Jon Rollason.

The Avengers Series 1 Opening Titles and Closing Credits 1961 - YouTube
The Avengers: First Ever Episode - Hot Snow! (Part One) - YouTube

Walking the dangerous path. Keel and Steed out on the London streets.

Sadly, of that 26 episode, filmed as live, first-year run for Keel and Steed (the latter, at first, a shadowy in and out figure for the Government, before becoming a more fleshed out presence later on), only a couple of episodes and a section of Hot Snow seemingly survived a videotape purging of the ABC/ITV archives in the sixties and seventies, but those clever fellows at the BIG FINISH audio drama company, with their continuing huge success with cult TV hits transferred to the format (like classic DOCTOR WHO, BLAKE'S 7, and the upcoming THE SURVIVORS), have got the rights to adapt the first thirteen episodes of THE AVENGERS much-missed lost run, bringing them to life anew as a fine tribute and testament to the shows continuing legacy, faithfully working from the original scripts and determined to keep that original and tough flavour as seen in its 1961 birth.

Sadly, Patrick Macnee will not be voicing Steed- and he will be greatly missed- but respected British TV veteran Julian Wadham looks set to do a very good job following in his footsteps, alongside FOYLE'S WAR veteran Anthony Howell as the determined and decent Doctor Keel. I have no doubts at all that this will be a big success for all concerned.

For more info on the old/new series, available from next January, head here:
The Avengers - Coming Soon - Ranges - Big Finish