The Avengers - Series 2 And Surviving Episodes From Series 1

So this is where it all started. Not 'The Avengers' as I remember it, shot in vivid, saturated colours on 35mm film (though viewed at the time in monochrome). I think I joined in the fun as a kid when Emma Peel was at the helm (a play on 'Man Appeal', played to perfection by the classy Diana Rigg). By that time, sixties kids like myself were battling each other in the streets with plastic walking sticks with hidden plastic swords like Steed's that would also fire a little pellet, if you were lucky, by forcing the plastic sword back into the stick at some speed, though this inevitably ended up breaking the plastic stick, rescued by huge amounts of cellotape which made getting it in and out the sheath impossible. Ah! But I digress...but in a sense, this is partly the appeal of this magical TV series. It was such an important part of people's lives in the sixties. No man, woman or child was unaware of this brilliant series, which by the end of the sixties had degenerated into high camp surrealism. But that is most certainly not where it started.

This set gathers together all the episodes from the second season, as well as the few surviving episodes from series one. Unlike a previously purchased set (see picture below), this set is a veritable museum and an absolute collector's delight, housing enough extras to keep a fan entertained for the rest of this year, delving into the associated minutiae to de-construct and understand this iconic and important programme.

For fans of the show, this is an incredible package, with improved picture and sound quality to boot (though only to a point - this was a lo-res live video recording after all). But more on that later. What I will say, before I start what is bound to a windbag of a review fit only for Avengers anoraks, is that the big question for many fans will be: is this worth a double-dip? Many of us already have the 'Definitive Dossier' sets (which don't kick off till Series 3) as well as 'The Emma Peel Megaset' and some ardent fans will have picked up series 2 already on an available French edition. The answer, in my view, is a resounding yes. Optimum have done the honourable thing with the franchise and have engaged with specialists and enthusiasts alike, working hard to clean up the transfers and adding as many extras as the format will allow.



Of course, some may want to hang off until a Blu-Ray edition is released, and that may be worth doing if you're in no hurry for the later sets where the increased definition will pay dividends, but this old VHF 405 line set is never going to look any better than this. So the short recommendation is - snap it up. Some fans may remember how scarce the 'Definitive Dossier Editions' got and the silly prices they went for on EBay and I feel certain that these editions will be destined for a similar journey.




This set is of particular historic interest as you see the almost accidental origins of the series as it evolved from 'Police Surgeon', a very straightforward social drama featuring Ian Hendry, which was written with the help of a real police doctor. When the 'real doctor' insisted on a bigger slice of the action, the Producers decided to can the series early and were left with the conundrum of what to do to replace it, and keep their popular star, Ian Hendry.

The result was 'The Avengers', a relatively straightforward police show featuring Ian Hendry in the most part, with the gradual introduction of side-kick Steed. By the time Series 2 was commissioned, after a protracted ITV strike, Hendry was already involved in other things and was no longer available so Steed took centre stage, aided by female side-kick (with the emphasis on the kick), Cathy Gale (played by 35 year old Honor Blackman).

The episode of 'Police Surgeon' included here is a slightly stilted social drama with Michael Crawford (yes - he of 'Ooh Betty' fame) playing the part of a young ruffian. Playing like an episode of Eastenders, much of the drama unfolds in a cafe where Hendry convinces Crawford's character that crime doesn't pay. Whilst entertaining enough, there is little to connect the series to The Avengers that most of us know and love today other than the historical facts of the matter. 



It's worth noting that in the early 1960's, most drama was shot live. Having learned the art myself when training in television, I can remember just how complex that could be, everything being laid live to un-editable 2" black and white video tape which was horribly expensive and often re-used. Any 'canned items' (like exteriors) would be projected and played in on cue with a TV camera pointing at it. Another two fixed 'caption' cameras would be pointed at the caption cards (literally 'cards') where the caption operator would ensure the next caption in the sequence was swapped out before the director cut to the second camera and so on. Music (or 'grams' as it was cued) would be played in off reel to reel or vinyl live and mixed by the audio operator. Camera moves would be dictated by the Director over headphones to the studio. Actors would be cued by studio managers using an elaborate system of silent hand signals. The whole thing was incredibly stressful and it's remarkable, given these circumstances, that the shows looked as good as they did. Despite the odd camera shudder, fluffed line and occasional 'sound off', these run pretty smoothly in the main. Anyone who has watched the early Doctor Who's will get the picture. In short, they are nowhere near as polished as the later series, all beautifully shot on 35mm film and edited like traditional movies, with all the luxuries associated with post-production to help pep things up. As a result, there is no doubt that this set looks dated, the drama a bit stilted, and the camera moves and 'edits' a bit slow and laborious. But for many of us, that's part of its charm.



Though it's a damned shame that most of series 1 is lost to the annals of time, with just  a few surviving that got transferred to 16mm for  transmission in the US and Canada, it's nice to have what there is collected here. You get just enough to get the measure of the thing.

Series 2, as we all know already, is complete and present, though presented here in non-transmission order. Maybe this was the chronology of their making?





So, 8 discs with hours and hours of material. Here's what you'll be buying. (Running time in excess of 26 Hours).

SURVIVING EPISODES FROM SERIES 1

Hot Snow: This was the very first episode of the show setting up the whole reason why the series is called 'The Avengers'. Ian Hendry is still in character as the police surgeon. Ian Hendry's fiancée (who he spends much of the open sequence canoodling with) is killed by drug dealers who think that she will recognise one of their gang who delivered heroin to the surgery in error. It's an interesting opener though ends after the first 'act' with the final two missing. In common with some of the semi-lost Dr. Who episodes, the remaining story is written out in captions to put us out of our misery.

Girl on the Trapeze: The next surviving episode is the 6th in the series, with the death of Dr. Keel's fiancée a distant memory. In this complex episode, Dr. Keel happens to be passing on a London bridge (Vauxhall?) as she appears to leap into the Thames, presumably as a suicide attempt. When he discovers that she's a trapeze artist he tracks her down to a circus and discovers that not all is at it should be. It's notable that Steed is completely absent from the episode.

The Frighteners: In the 15th episode of the season we see Steed (Patrick Macnee) emerging as the character that we know and love. This is a great episode with plenty of action and lots of tough guy dialogue (penned by British TV stalwart Dennis Spooner). Two so-called 'massage specialists' (using knuckle dusters and knives in the course of their 'treatment') have been commissioned by obnoxious business man Sir Thomas Weller (Stratford Johns) to give some treatment to a man named Jeremy de Willoughby. Steed and Keel stop the beating and take one of the 'masseurs' back to the surgery for questioning. The results lead them on a trail to the real villain of the piece - a man not dissimilar in appearance to Gerry Anderson's 'Masterspy'.



SERIES 2

Mission to Montreal: Dr. Keel is replaced by a Dr. Martin King, (played ably by lantern jawed Jon Rollason) who joins Steed on a cruise ship to Montreal in an effort to recover a microfilm carried by famous actress Carla Berotti (played superbly by Patricia English). As there is little in terms of a 'sea view', it's easy to forget that this is set on a liner. The actress is clearly stressed and claims to be a hypochondriac but it's not long before all the intrigue and mystery comes to life with Steed aboard as a ship steward. We also get to see Steed (finally) in his trademark bowler hat, clutching that, as yet, simple brolly. Hurrah!

Dead on Course: Steed investigates a crashed plane and discovers that it may not be the accident it appeared to be. Further investigation shows that it was not the first. We learn that Steed flew Lancaster bombers in the war so knows his onions. Ably assisted by Dr. King the two sleuths soon figure out the cause.

The Sell-Out: Steed is protecting a French Minister who is nearly assassinated, threatening world security. Eventually Steed himself becomes a suspect and the subject of investigation by 'One-Twelve' (Arthur Hewlett).

Death Dispatch: Cathy Gale alert! When a courier carrying supposedly unimportant papers is murdered, Steed unleashed a plot to flush out his murderers. We see Cathy Gale pretend to be a Spanish Maid, kick ass, and even appear almost half-naked which must have (surprisingly) slipped passed the censors of the day. Of note is a scene where Steed and Gale hold a gun to the head of an armed man's young daughter in order to disarm him, Tough stuff indeed!

Propellant 23: A passenger on a commercial flight receives a message and becomes convinced he is going to die. He does ...and just before he can breathe out the location of the parcel he was delivering. Steed and Cathy Gale get on the case, stopping for cakes and lingerie, with Gale revealing a pistol in her garters. All great fun!

Mr. Teddy Bear: Originally the first episode of series 2 to be transmitted. In order to track down the mysterious 'Mr. Teddy Bear', Gale takes out a contract on Steed's head. There are some fine examples of Gale's judo on display here, actually against a smiling Steed. Watch it and you'll find out why!

The Decapod: Yacob Borb, the Balkan President, is in London on political business with Steed as his allocated 'protector. Borb's attractive young secretary is murdered and Steed persuades a young nightclub singer to take her place to give him an inside contact. Borb's idea of fun is a wrestling match where one of his guards is beaten to death by a masked man known as the Decapod.

Bullseye: In this amusing episode Steed gets Cathy Gale involved in a suspicious arms manufacturing company by buying 20% of the available shares. The company's Chairman had recently committed suicide and soon a second director is found dead. Now she's on the board, Gale is an obvious next target. But why? Gale dominates the episode for the first time.

The Removal Men: We see the return of Venus Smith (the young singer used in the Decapod episode) as a singer in a Cannes Jazz club. Steed is set to infiltrate a gang of international assassins. There are no less than three musical numbers in this slower moving episode; 'Avengers: The Musical'!

The Mauritius Penny: News that a rare stamp is being offered on the open market leads to murder. Steed and Gale investigate and follow a trail that leads to a secret fascist organisation with ambitions for parliamentary rule. (Check out the commentary track too).

Death of a Great Dane: A dead dog and a man with £50K of diamonds in his gullet are the first in a series of bizarre clues for Steed.  Great cameo from John Laurie too (Frasier from 'Dad's Army').

Death on the Rocks: No ...not a bleak version of the Neil Diamond song.  This kicks off with a lady being suffocated by her beautician. Steed sets himself up in business with her diamond-dealing husband to get to the bottom of the mystery and engages Cathy Gale in his scheme, as a beautiful young wife.

Traitor in Zebra: A navy officer is charged with passing secrets to the enemy which has now been used to jam the test run of a missile defence system. Steed pretends to be a naval psychiatrist, whilst Gale lands a job in the test lab itself to investigate.

The Big Thinker: More undercover shenanigans with Cathy Gale investigating a death in a supercomputer lab by pretending to translate dead languages. When Dr.Clemens (a nod to writer Brian Clemens surely) is also found dead, Dr. Kearns, a young whiz kid lacking in social graces, falls under suspicion - and then he disappears too.

Intercrime:  No less than twelve crimes seem to be linked to the same criminal group. When Hilda Stern (great name), a German Assassin, is jailed in connection with the crimes, Cathy Gale is put in her cell to get more information. Needless to say, it's all that's needed to hatch a plan...

Warlock:   A scientist slips into a coma, and people suspect sorcery afoot - especially as this has happened before. Steed steps in without fear and it turns out that his glam sidekick Cathy is a bit of an expert on the occult. Probably a nod at the emerging popularity of the occult in fiction and films of the period, it's an episode that doesn't quite fit the early mould - though still thoroughly entertaining!

Immortal Clay: Cathy visits a pottery company whilst researching a book when a dead body turns up in their slip tank. This becomes of interest to the department when it is noted that the pottery is developing an unbreakable ceramic which could have serious military possibilities.

Box of Tricks: Venus Smith is back singing in a night-club after being recommended by Steed. The place had become pretty deserted after a magician's assistant dies in mysterious circumstances a couple of weeks earlier. Steed steps in to investigate.

The Golden Eggs: A burglar steals two gold-plated eggs from a lab, on the instruction of an eccentric villain, and it turns out that the lab is conducting dangerous experiments on viruses. The burglar, Leo, falls seriously ill and refuses to hand over the eggs until he gets medical help. But the only medical help he gets is two imposters turning up in an ambulance which is then forced off the road in an effort to kill him. Cathy investigates.

School for Traitors: And she's got another gig! This time Venus Smith is singing at a rag ball at a university where, coincidentally, Steed has been sent to investigate the suicide of a university lecturer. It turns out that an organisation is blackmailing students to comply with their wishes. Venus chucks in a couple of songs for good measure whilst Steed does the honours and sorts the shenanigans out.

The White Dwarf: What a title! An astronomer is murdered while plotting the path of a supernova that looks set to crash into the sun and destroy the earth. Time for Cathy to go undercover! She's not been there five minutes when another astronomer bites the dust whilst staring through the telescope into space. Oh dear!

Conspiracy of Silence: More clownish surrealism when circus clown Carlo Benetti is visited by a mafia-like crook who orders him to kill Steed. But he's a useless killer and bungles the job. Time for Cathy to join the circus and get in on the act to find out what is going on!

A Chorus of Frogs: Here she is again! Venus Smith is now aboard a cruise ship when Steed turns up unannounced, investigating the mysterious death of a diver.

Six Hands across a Table: When a shipbuilder dies in a car crash...guess what? It's no accident!
It seems as if three other businessmen have a vested interest in stopping him signing a contract. So when his son takes over he too is at risk. And to add another twist to the torrid tale, he is romantically involved with the daughter of one of the three businessmen under suspicion. Luckily the young lady in question used to go to school with none other than Miss Cathy Gale. Game on!

Killer Whale: Patrick McGee plays the part of a dodgy boxing club owner in the last episode of Series 2. He's keen to sponsor the boxing career of Joey, who seems to be in the care of Cathy Gale (my god, she gets around!). But there seems to be a connection between the boxing club and Fernand, a popular fashion designer who also creates exquisite perfumes. Confused? You won't be as another top episode unfolds!




PICTURE
Let's look at the facts. This series is fast approaching 50 years old. It was recorded live to 2" tape and the only surviving episodes will be those that were transferred from video to 16mm and back again from the VHF 405 line Pal originals. So don't expect the equivalent of a Pixar film on Blu-Ray. This comes replete with motion blur, shaky camerawork and the occasional lens change mid-shot where the Director has shouted a cut to the vision mixer before the camera operator has had time to switch lenses and focus.  This set claims to have restored the work, which has undergone a digital clean up and some fresh grading to bring more contrast and crushed blacks into the image. The results are certainly noticeably better than my series 3 set, but this is still never going to look great, chiefly because it just didn't start out that way.

Cheekily, I have commandeered some comparative work found on the excellent 'Avengers De-Classified' site (link supplied in the Disc Details) where you can see the differences in the two frames taken from the episode 'A Chorus of Frogs'.


 
OPTIMUM RENOVATED FRAME



FRENCH EDITION


AUDIO
There appears to be a noticeable reduction in tape hiss on the Optimum set when compared to my Series 3 set (though clearly I am not comparing eggs with eggs). The mono sound is crisper and fuller, clearly benefitting from some judicious EQ. 




EXTRA FEATURES

Disc 1
Audio Commentary on Hot Snow by Leonard White
Jaz Wiseman (a regular on the fabulous 'Mausoleum Forums' recommended to me by fellow reviewer and cult TV expert, Mark Oates) is host to producer Leonard White who discusses both Police Surgeon and The Avengers. He also discusses the complexity of live broadcast, though you can tell he actually loved the whole process and feels that it added a frisson missing in so much television today.

Leonard White's Original Caption Cards
Four caption cards (one from Police Surgeon and three from The Avengers) which look like they're stuck on bits of old card, mainly because they undoubtedly had been! You can actually see a bit of glue bubbling on one of the four!

Three's a Crowd: An Introduction to Police Surgeon
A featurette covering the initial development of Police Surgeon and its eventual transition to The Avengers. Features interviews with both series creator and writer Julian Bond and producer Leonard White.

Police Surgeon Episode: Easy Money
What a gem! The first episode of Police Surgeon in full featuring the previously mentioned Michael Crawford as a young thug, a surprising bit of casting!

Stills Gallery
17 brief stills galleries for those who prefer slides to the shows themselves. Some nice behind the scenes pieces in there too.

DVD-ROM Content
What a joy!  There are complete PDF documents of the camera script for A Change of Bait, scripts for Brought to Book, Hot Snow and The Frighteners, as well as a Woman's Mirror article tiled Knit With The Avengers with Ian Hendry sporting a natty jumper, as well as a  TV Crimebusters comic book story (though I'd have loved to have had the scans of the whole comic), and TV Times covers featuring Police Surgeon and The Avengers.



Disc 2

Stills Gallery
One for each of the episodes, including some colour photos and behind the scenes stills too.

DVD-ROM content
There are PDF's of the scripts from all four episodes on the disc and a music cue sheet for Dead on Course.

Disc 3
Audio Commentary on Mr. Teddy Bear by Martin Woodhouse: Jaz Wizeman hosts and prompts again as episode writer Woodhouse talks about how he started to write for the series and how he played a key role in introducing science fiction, almost X-Files like elements into some of the later episodes. He also reveals that the idea of a dominating side-kick dressed in leather was no accident but rather an idea that came out of a pub meeting!

Introduction to The Decapod by Julie Stevens
Julie Stevens gives a brief introduction to the episode and throws in a couple of happy memories.

Stills Gallery
Stills galleries for Propellant 23, Mr. Teddy Bear and Bullseye.

DVD-ROM Content: PDFs of scripts for all four episodes.


Disc 4

Introduction to The Removal Men by Julie Stevens
Another intro from Julie Stevens.

Audio Commentary on The Mauritius Penny by Leonard White
Jaz Wiseman hosts another audio commentary with producer Leonard White who had also added commentary to the first ever episode, 'Hot Snow', though gets a whole episode worth this time to continue the memories.

Audio Commentary on Death of a Great Dane by Roger Marshall
Jaz Wiseman chats with writer Roger Marshall as an episode plays by in the background.  Here's a man who isn't that keen on the first series, and in particular, his own efforts!

Stills Gallery
Galleries for all four episodes on this disc set to music. Some last for over 5 minutes so you need some time to get through them.

DVD-ROM Content
PDF scripts for all four of the disc's episodes.

Disc 5

Stills Gallery
More galleries from all four episodes on the disc.

DVD-ROM Content
PDF scripts for all four episodes on the disc.

Disc 6
Introduction to Box of Tricks by Julie Stevens - lasting approximately one minute, this short intro highlights the way her character (Venus Smith) changed in this episode.

Stills Gallery
Moving galleries for Box of Tricks, The Golden Eggs and School for Traitors

Disc 7

Audio Commentary on A Chorus of Frogs by Julie Stevens: Hosted by Henry Holland this is chatty and entertaining commentary, focussed principally on her experience of playing Venus.

Stills Gallery
Stills galleries for the four episodes on this disc

DVD-ROM Content
PDF scripts for all four episodes here.

Disc 8

Honor Blackman Interview: This 13 minute interview shows a remarkably youthful looking actress (she was born in 1917) reminiscing on playing Cathy Gale, a character that followed her for the rest of her very full television and film career.

Collector's Lot - Honor Blackman interviews Avengers Memorabilia Collector - A fun piece lasting about 5 minutes which is actually an extract from the series Collector's Lot where she interviews the most avid collector of Avengers memorabilia - which must have been more of a thrill for him than for her!

Stills Gallery
Stills galleries from the last two episodes of the series.

DVD-ROM Content
PDF scripts of the two episodes on the disc.

Easter Egg: Accessed from the main menu by going to the special features button and pressing 'up' on your remote. Just a 2 minute piece where Leonard White reads a letter from Patrick Macnee that cites the early days of the show and his work with Honor Blackman as the happiest times on 'The Avengers' ever.




SUMMARY

Wow! What a start to this important release programme, and maybe the most exciting in that these particular episodes have not been freely available on DVD in the UK until now.  But beyond that, Optimum have really understood the market for this release (middle-aged anoraks in the main with a penchant for detail) and have made every effort to make this something very special. I particularly like the fact that they have chosen to engage with knowledgeable fans in compiling these discs and have gone to town with the extras. So there's a lot to look forward to on future releases too. Who knows - maybe scans of TV Comic, and pictures of the huge merchandising that started later into the Avengers run. Whatever the case, it could well be the most exciting release of the year. Thoroughly recommended.