"The Avengers" From Venus with Love (1967)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Robert Day

Writer:

Philip Levene (teleplay)

TV Series:

"The Avengers" (1961)

Original Air Date:

11 January 1967 (Season 5, Episode 1)

Genre:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Mystery | Thriller

Plot:

The members of a society that watches Venus are dying one by one from something that turns them completely white, so Steed joins them to flush out the culprit while Peel chases a light that seems related to the killings. |

Plot Keywords:

Tied To Chair | Mad Doctor | Eye Test | Ophthalmologist | Sexual Tension

Cast

Patrick Macnee	...	John Steed
Diana Rigg	...	Emma Peel
Barbara Shelley	...	Venus Brown
Philip Locke	...	Dr. Henry Primble
Jon Pertwee	...	Brigadier Whitehead
Derek Newark	...	Crawford
Jeremy Lloyd	...	Bertram Fortescue Winthrop Smith
Adrian Ropes	...	Jennings
Arthur Cox	...	Clarke
Paul Gillard	...	Cosgrove
Michael Lynch	...	Hadley
Kenneth Benda	...	Mansford

'Steed is shot full of holes...Emma sees stars!'

*** This comment may contain spoilers ***

Cosgrove, an amateur astronomer, is observing the planet Venus. His glass of beer suddenly bubbles for no apparent reason. A strange whirring sound, a flash of light, and he is stone cold dead, his hair bleached pure white. Obviously a case for John Steed and Mrs.Emma Peel.

As other astronomers - all members of the British Venusian Society - go the same way, it begins to look as though the killer is actually from Venus. Emma chases a ball of light along a country road in her Lotus Elan.

When Channel 4 began broadcasting in 1982, it revived a number of vintage television shows, both British and American. 'The Avengers' was amongst them. Fans were disappointed to learn that the run was to commence with Season 5, of which 'From Venus With Love' was the first transmitted episode. Despite the shows going out at 12.55 in the early hours of Sunday ( we were more fortunate here in Wales. S4C showed it at 6.00 P.M. on Mondays ), the reaction was strong enough to see the series ultimately promoted to a 7.25 slot on a Sunday evening ( mid-way through the 'Tara King' era, they ran Season 4 - the black and white 'Emma Peel' series! ). The prints used were hardly pristine ( as Patrick Macnee later remarked: "That wasn't 'The Avengers'! The episodes were cut, lacerated, destroyed!". He had a point. The 'Mrs.Peel We're Needed' and 'tag' scenes were deleted entirely.

'From Venus With Love' is my all-time favourite 'Avengers' episode. Continuing writer Philip Levene's fascination with science fiction ( he created 'The Cybernauts' ), it has what appears to be an alien invader on the loose. Laurie Johnson's music here recalls Ron Goodwin's 'Village Of The Damned' score, and several other British sci-fi classics.

Amongst a fine cast Jeremy Lloyd crops up as aristocratic chimney sweep 'Bert Smith', the late Philip Locke as 'Dr.Primble', and Jon Pertwee as the Blimpish 'Brigadier Whitehead', writing his memoirs through the reliving of battles.

Sparkling script by Philip Levene and stylish direction by Robert Day make this a true 'Avengers' classic. One to show to the uninitiated.