Things You Never Knew About The Avengers
While I was on holiday this year, I tuned on to Granada Plus which was showing re-runs of The Avengers. When the adverts came on, the show's picture card would come on screen followed by facts about the show and the actors in that particular episode. I then thought that it would be great if I posted some of these up on my site. After four weeks of note-taking and a lot of consulting with my ever-trusted The Ultimate Avengers book, I can finally share these facts with you.
--The Avengers was the first British TV show to be bought by the Americans.
--The Avengers is so far the only British TV show to be shown coast-to-coast (and at prime time) in both Britain and America.
--The only woman to have died in the series was in the very first episode where Dr. Keel's newly-wed bride is gunned down. While men were killed frequently in the show, women were never harmed... well, not permanently anyway!!
--The series had a total running time of 136 hours, 10 minutes. (It amazes me that someone has sat down and worked that one out!!)
--19 gallons of champagne was consumed during the series (hic!).
--The sound of The Winged Avenger "EE-URP!!!" has become a popular greeting among Avenger fans.
--Since the original show became cancelled in 1967, The Avengers has been shown every evening somewhere in the world up to the present day.
--The Avengers was nominated twice for an Emmy but lost both to Mission: Impossible.
--In the episode, From Venus With Love, Emma says, "We've got to the moon" but that wasn't to happen for another two years. A signal, maybe, to emphasis the fact that The Avengers was ahead of it's time... or just had a really bad script at times!
--Steed's umbrella was composed of a swordstick with a whangee bamboo handle.
--Steed always carried his umbrella in his right hand.
--Steed wore 30 'Hunter' bowler hats during the series, including ones with steel lining, steel brims and a special one used in The New Avengers where Steed had a small mike attached inside the dome.
--Steed takes a size 9 shoe but size 9 ¾ socks! (No, I don't know how someone got that one either!)
--Steed lived at 5 Westminster Mews during the Macnee/Blackman run before moving to a flat off Cavendish Road in Duchess Mews during the b/w Macnee/Rigg series. This later changed to 3 Stable Mews near Westminster during the colour Macnee/Rigg series through to the end of the Macnee/Thorson series.
--At the beginning, Dr. Keel was supposed to have been the star of the show despite John Steed being the professional, as Ian Hendry had been cast so as to give his career a boost. It instead boosted the career of the virtually unknown Macnee and Hendry was later dropped, leaving Macnee to be the original Avenger and to be known across the world as Steed for the rest of his life.
--Tara King lived at 9 Primrose Crescent, a couple of doors away from ex-Avenger Cathy Gale, who had lived at no. 14.
--Emma Peel lived in Primrose Hill.
--The name 'Emma Peel' was thought up by Marie Donaldson as a name for a woman with Male Appeal - M. Appeal.
--Emma Peel was the first woman to use kung-fu on television.
--Joanna Lumley's character was originally called Charly before the producers discovered it was the name of a brand of perfume. They changed it to Purdey instead, after a gun.
--Diana Rigg's stunt double, Cyd Child, bore an extremely close resemblance to the actress. So much so, that she was often mistaken for Diana off-screen and was asked for her autograph in the streets by budding Avenger fans.
--Diana Rigg's fighting suits were made out of a mixture of crimpolene and jersey, nicknamed 'Emmapeelers'.
--Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg re-wrote a lot of the scenes that they did together on their own, echoing the William Powell/Myrna Loy partnership shared in The Thin Man films. They are also the only cast members of The Avengers who still earn royalties from the show.
--In Spain, the show was called Los Avengerdores.
--In France, the show was known as Chapeau Melon Et Bottes De Cuir - Bowler Hat and Leather Boots.
--Also in France, the Macnee/Thorson series is the most popular...
--In Holland, the series was called De Wreckers.
--Back to Athene19's Tribute To The Avengers
--Back to Athene19's Cult TV
--Back to Athene19's Ancient Myths and Modern Cult
Updated: May 1999