8.2/10
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The Avengers 

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1:16 | Trailer
A quirky spy show of the adventures of eccentrically suave British Agent John Steed and his predominately female partners.

Creator:

Sydney Newman
Reviews
Popularity
1,662 ( 189)

Episodes

Seasons


Years



7   6   5   4   3   2   1  
1991   1969   1968   1967   1966   1965   … See all »
Nominated for 4 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 win. See more awards »

Videos

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Cast

Series cast summary:
Patrick Macnee ...  John Steed / ... 161 episodes, 1961-1969
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Storyline

John Steed (Patrick Macnee) works for British Intelligence and works with various partners, notably: Dr. David Keel (Ian Hendry) (season one), Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman) (seasons two and three), Emma Peel (Dame Diana Rigg) (seasons four, five, and six), and Tara King (Linda Thorson) (season seven). The problems he finds are always a bit odd, just on the edge of science fiction (cyborg killers, a city built under a disused coal mine, a gang put together for adrenaline junkies, and a killer who used a concentrated cold virus to kill his victims by having them sneeze to death). Steed is always the ultimate in culture and grace as he saves the world each week. Written by John Vogel <jlvogel@comcast.net>

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis


Certificate:

G | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

View content advisory »
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Did You Know?

Trivia

Steed's full name is sometimes said to be John Wickham Gascoyne Beresford Steed. In fact, this was never once given on-screen, and was only used in the 1971 stage version of the show, co-written by Brian Clemens and Terence Feely, and directed by Leslie Phillips. Simon Oates played Steed in this decidedly comic interpretation of the parent series, with Sue Lloyd appearing as his sidekick Hannah Wild. The play was staged at Birmingham Theatre (Thursday, July 15 through Saturday, July 24, 1971) and London's Prince of Wales Theatre (until Monday, August 2, 1971). See more »

Goofs

Steed was an officer during World War Two, but episodes involving his past disagree as to whether he served in the Royal Army or the Royal Air Force. See more »

Quotes

[repeated line]
John Steed: Mrs. Peel, we're needed.
See more »

Crazy Credits

The closing credits for the first half of the final season (featuring Tara King) were a parody of the gunbarrel opening sequence in the James Bond films. See more »

Alternate Versions

Starting in the summer of 2004, the BBC America Channel aired prints of fifth and sixth season episodes with the humorous tag sequences at the end of episodes deleted. During the autumn of 2004, the prints were further altered, with the original closing credits sequence with shadowy images of Steed and Mrs. Peel against a blue background replaced by credits rapidly rolled past a plain black background. In early 2005, the same channel aired seventh season prints with the same changes. See more »

User Reviews

Campy yet fun and original
9 February 2002 | by dagdfg-3See all my reviews

Definitely 60's and it is obvious. Yet this is still one of the most fun shows ever made. John Steed is the epitome of British class, right down to the Bentley in British Racing Green (notwithstanding the Tara King years).

Then there is Emma Peel, mmmmm Emma Peel. Aside from Diana Rigg's obvious physical charms her real appeal is the strength of her character. Totally confident, cool, classy, and capable (driving a Lotus Elan was also a big plus) Diana Rigg created a female character (which was resisted by the producers tooth and nail I understand) that surprised me even though I first saw the show over 20 years after it went off the air. Emma Peel was devoid of the traditional female stereotypes that permeate the airwaves always in need of rescue and if not are total cartoons. She could kick ass and frequently saved Steed's butt in the process. Mass media still has a major allergy to original, tough female characters which is a testament to the originality of the character.

Something was lost after Tara King took over. It was a return to the stereotypes and the show lost something for me, that and I didn't like Steed's new car, just didn't have the same class as his former Bentley.

Still I highly recommend watching it, fun plots, wry humor, over the top villains, great characters, and an impossible lack of blood. How can you not have fun watching this?


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Frequently Asked Questions

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 January 1961 (UK) See more »

Also Known As:

The Avengers See more »

Company Credits

Show more on IMDbPro »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

(161 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1
See full technical specs »

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