A Surfeit of H2O

It's hard to say which came first with The Avengers - the totally bemusing plots, the brilliantly iconic, style-setting characterisations (the immaculately turned-out Steed with is oh-so-English bowler hat and umbrella, the gorgeously feminine but totally unsubservient Mrs Peel in her slinky cat-suits, racing around in her Lotus Elan and chopping up baddies with martial arts long before chop-socky movies had been thought of) or the amazingly slick flare with which it was all put together. But, undoubtedly, the whole production team went for class, and class is timeless. There were many brilliant episodes, so good that the show is still being re-shown on BBC4 (as of 2007) - 'Maneater of Surrey Green,' 'The House that Jack Built,' no other show was just so 'out there' with its imagination and originality.

But with 'A Surfeit of H2O' they really pushed the boat out. Admit it - even the title has you intrigued. An absolute all-time classic of Television, the bizarre, almost surrealist thriller series that was The Avengers reached such a lofty zenith with this episode that, even now, over 40 years later, whenever heavy rain blows in, a creepy feeling crawls up my spine and I think of this show.

Grab your brolly, you'll need it!