The Avengers (TV series)

For other uses, see Avenger.

The Avengers
Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg in the episode "The Hour That Never Was", first aired in 1965
Genre
Created bySydney Newman
Starring
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series6
No. of episodes161 (22 missing, 1 incomplete) (list of episodes)
Production
Production locations
Running time50 minutes
Production companies
Original release
NetworkITV
Release7 January 1961 (1961-01-07) –
21 April 1969 (1969-04-21)
Related
The New Avengers
Infobox instructions (only shown in preview)

The Avengers is a British espionage television series that aired from 7 January 1961 to 21 April 1969. It initially focused on David Keel (Ian Hendry),[5] aided by John Steed (Patrick Macnee). Ian Hendry left after the first series; Steed then became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants. His most famous assistants were intelligent, stylish, and assertive women: Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman), Emma Peel (Diana Rigg), and Tara King (Linda Thorson). Dresses and suits for the series were made by Pierre Cardin.

The series screened as one-hour episodes for its entire run. The first episode, "Hot Snow", aired on 7 January 1961. The final episode, "Bizarre", aired on 21 April 1969 in the United States, and on 17 May 1969 in the United Kingdom.

The Avengers was produced by ABC Weekend TV, a contractor within the ITV network. After a merger with Rediffusion London in July 1968, ABC Weekend became Thames Television, which continued production of the series, subcontracted to ABC Television Films. By 1969, The Avengers was shown in more than 90 countries. ITV produced a sequel series, The New Avengers (1976–1977), with Patrick Macnee returning as John Steed, and two new partners. In 2004 and 2007, The Avengers was ranked No. 17 and No. 20 on TV Guide's Top Cult Shows Ever.[6][7]

  1. ^ a b "The Avengers". FilmAffinity. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  2. ^ "ABC Television Filmography". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 30 January 2018. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  3. ^ "Associated British Productions Filmography". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 8 July 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  4. ^ a b "ABC Television Films Filmography". BFI. British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 19 October 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2022.
  5. ^ "Official Website of Ian Hendry". Retrieved 6 July 2013.
  6. ^ "25 Top Cult Shows Ever!". TV Guide. 30 May 2004.
  7. ^ "TV Guide Names the Top Cult Shows Ever – Today's News: Our Take" TV Guide: 29 June 2007