Were sidekicks a happy lot?

[Brett Sinclair]

name='smudge']It was always about the Avenger girls - and still is...



Emma Peel gained a significant following in America, did most shows, and thus predominates in the usual arguments.



France, on the other hand, had a different taste and preferred Linda Thorson.



Being a fan of classic champagnes, this is another one I have to go with the Gallic guys on.



It was those beautiful eyes..... :



Smudge

Smudge this may be of interest to you then...Champagne and all...



Chapeau Melon et bottes de cuir as it is called in France (transBowler hat and leather boots) was, and still is, as popular in France as in the UK. The second string of episodes from the last series (8th?) were filmed in France and Canada starting with ep 7 season 8 (181) The Lion and the Unicorn.



K is for Kill parts 1 & 2 were also both filmed in France. The remaining 4 were then shot in Canada.



For those that are interested here is an extract from Clive Banks New Avengers site The New Avengers Introduction



In 1975 Rudolph Roffi, a French television executive, made a champagne commercial featuring Patrick Macnee and Linda Thorson, once more in their roles as John Steed and Tara King. Curiously, it was a few months later that Roffi actually learned from Brian Clemens that ‘The Avengers’ was no longer in production; after a few weeks, Roffi contacted Clemens again and announced that he now had the money needed to begin production on a new series. Clemens, Albert Fennell, and music composer Laurie Johnson then formed ‘The Avengers (Film & TV) Enterprises Ltd’; and after persuading Patrick MacNee to take up his bowler once again, they began casting the new series, called ‘The New Avengers’ in order to point out that this show would be a new spin on the original.



Joanna Lumley was picked out of three-hundred hopefuls to play Purdey, an attractive, feminine, but capable agent; Gareth Hunt was given the part of Mike Gambit, the tough, loyal, right-hand-man to Steed, who would take on the more demanding aspects of the show that Patrick MacNee was thought to no longer be able to handle (although he did prove quite capable, and insisted on more action for his character in the later episodes!).



‘The New Avengers’ was shot entirely on film, with high-production values, and was much more action-packed and serious than the original series of the Sixties. However, the interaction of the three main characters still retained the traditional ‘Avengers’ feel, particularly in the banter between Purdey and Gambit.



Unfortunately, after filming the first thirteen episodes, the production team began to experience problems with their financial backers; the French wanted Purdey to be sexier, while the Canadians wanted more location filming in their country. The production team compromised by filming four episodes in Canada and three in France; but then the French failed to live up to their end of the financial deal. Production moved to Canada, but the quality of the show soon declined, and demand for a third series never picked up.



Although very underrated ‘The New Avengers’ is still a great show, and remains a classic example of the action-packed adventure series of the 70s.





Nerdy bit...The episode 'Obsession' features Martin Shaw and Lewis Collins. Some of you will no doubt know that 'The Professionals' series was billed as an Avengers Mk1 production (Brian Clemens)



The episodes K is For Kill 1 & 2 also have appearances for Diana Rigg as Mrs Peel



And Ian Hendry came back for the episode To Catch a Rat but as a different character from his earlier starring role.



End of Nerdyness...for now

[batman]

[quote]/ The episodes K is For Kill 1 & 2 also have appearances for Diana Rigg as Mrs Peel / quote]



I never saw those episodes, how and in what context did Mrs Peel re-enter the series?

[Brett Sinclair]

[quote]name='batman']

/ The episodes K is For Kill 1 & 2 also have appearances for Diana Rigg as Mrs Peel / quote]



I never saw those episodes, how and in what context did Mrs Peel re-enter the series?

Alas Batman, although she features, it is only courtesy of smoke amd mirrors. When I saw it at the time I didn't think much about it. But when I saw the reruns in France some 15 years later it was evident that the producers had inserted recycled footage from a couple of earlier Avengers episodes.



She appears on the phone to Steed, I can't remember exactly how it passes but it's something like:- Steed remembers a conversation he had some years ago by phone with Emma Peel (flashback to B&W episode), then we hit present day and Steed calls Emma and refers to this conversation...at which point the more modern colour footage from a later Avengers ep is inserted, but under the pretext of it being in the here and now. Pretty corny, but to my knowledge the only reference to any of Steeds earlier adventures.

[batman]

Thanks Brett. It's like that old Doctor Who story with the 5 doctors .... Tom Baker 'appeared' as a freeze frame image from an old episode.

[ChristineCB]

Along with an interesting discussion of sidekicks and their 'lot in life', now we've broached a corollary about teams or ensembles, and how the writers and cast get along, don't get along, use or abuse each other.



Since I'm not a DOCTOR WHO or AVENGERS fan, I haven't paid attention to the various generations of press-clippings and quotes.



I wonder how Diana was accepted or accepted other Avenger women. I wonder if she (or they) were able to participate, or if they felt shunned or themselves rejected any offers of reunion-esque participation.



All of this, I suppose, would go back to their emotional satisfaction with their roles to begin with. And the price tag for any later participation.



I've thought about the STEPTOE TV series and if/when the friction level rose (perhaps out of sheer boredom or sameness with the roles, the show, staff, etc.), it obviously wasn't enough for those people to avoid discussion of films. So, however bad things might have been, at least they were willing to do it again and again for money.

[smudge]

Di Rigg has done the Chris Lee 'Dracula' thing and long refused to sign AVENGERS memorabilia and not really talk about it anymore. Either she thinks a) it's been done to death or b) it's just part of a long and varied career. IIRC she's been happy to do reunions where Pat Macnee was involved.



There were some reunions for the Lumiere Video launches back in the 90s, but I can't recall that Diana did these (but I may be wrong). With the benefit of hindsight she feels, I think, that she was pretty poorly treated by the producers. I am sure I read somewhere that she and Macnee often got to the point of striking when comparing their own remuneration to the massive sales the series was achieving at its peak.



Honor B seems to take her cult status both as Cathy Gale and Pussy Galore well in her stride and is grateful that she got the chance of performing these iconic roles.



At the time they were making the series Macnee seemed to take Linda Thorson under his wing to make sure she wasn't exploited by the producers. Both he and she now seem to concur that she maybe was a little too young and inexperienced for the role, but she got by and is still happy to talk about it.



I don't think any of the Avengers girls has ever expressed any kind of 'problem' with the successors to their roles. After all it's a job done, they are working actresses and they simply move on to the next project.



Both Honor and Diana called time on the role when they were ready, so the question of being shunned or slighted never entered into it...



Smudge

[Hell_driver]

name='Hell_driver']She was in Quantum Leap as I recall playing an evil hologram character in a couple of stories where a woman was leaping around time doing the opposite to Sam Beckett (i.e putting wrong what once was right) and Linda Thorsen was Al's (Dean Stockwell's character) opposite number as it were.

Just saw a re run of Return of The Saint with Carolyn Seymour as a guest star, it was her played the evil hologram in Quantum Leap not Linda Thorsen, apologies.