More than any other series, THE AVENGERS typified the Swinging Sixties - beginning in 1961 with Patrick Macnee starring with Ian Hendry in a grainy, realistic spy thriller, and ending in 1969 with Macnee and the glamorous Linda Thorson blasting off into space in a surreal episode appropriately entitled 'Bizarre'. Meanwhile we had seen the memorable Honor Blackman and Diana Rigg in roles unusually progressive for British television. THE NEW AVENGERS in the mid-seventies reflected changing times but retained the essence of the show - as Macnee returned to play alongside another strong, independent heroine in the form of Joanna Lumley's Purdey. And then there was the film... THE AVENGERS DOSSIER is a uniquely comprehensive yet humorous survey of all the show's incarnations. As well as a remarkably detailed episode guide to both series - even covering the kinkiness factor and champagne count in both - this volume gives behind the scenes insights and revelations about every aspect of the programme. The film and its production are examined, and critical essays look at the history behind the cult.

From re-runs of 'TV classics' like The Avengers or Starsky and Hutch, to soundtracks, club nights and film remakes such as Mission Impossible II, the action series is enjoying a popular revival. Yet little attention has been paid to the history, nature and enduring appeal of the action series, and its place in popular culture, past and present. Action TV traces the development of the action series from its genesis in the 1950s. From The Saint to Knigh t Rider, contributors explore the key shows which defined the genre, addressing issues of audiences and consumption, gender and sexuality, fashion and popular culture. They examine the institutional and cultural factors influencing the action series, and relate shifts in the genre to other forms of popular culture including film, pop music, fashion and popular literature. Chapters include: * Of leather suits and kinky boots: The Avengers, style and popular culture * 'Who loves ya, baby?': Kojak, action and the great society *'A lone crusader in a dangerous world': heroics of science and technology in Knight Rider * Angels in chains? feminism, femininity and consumer culture in Charlie's Angels * 'Who's the cat that won't cop out?' Black masculinity in American action shows of the sixties and seventies

The Avengers was a unique, genre-defying television series which blurred the traditional boundaries between 'light entertainment' and disturbing drama. It was a product of the constantly-evolving 1960s yet retains a timeless charm. The monochrome filmed Emma Peel season had established a cult following for a series which became an intrinsic part of the 'Swinging Sixties'. Backed by US dollars, the show was now filmed 'in color' and Avengerland becomes stranger and more playful than ever: Steed is shrunk to the size of a desk pad, forced to evade a machine-gun-toting nanny; Emma Peel is tortured in a medieval ducking stool and turned into a living cybernaut. Mrs. Peel, We're Needed draws on the knowledge of a broad range of experts and fans of The Avengers as it explores the wonderfully mad Technicolor world of Emma Peel.

At the vanguard of a 1960s cultural revolution, The Avengers was both critically acclaimed and commercially popular. As Britain's imperial power crumbled away, the television series began to colonise the globe. Critic Rodney Marshall is the son of Avengers script writer Roger Marshall. He has written and/or edited nine books on the series. Avengerland: A Critical Guide brings the main chapters from these previous volumes under one cover. In addition to a number of general essays, the guide explores fifty of the filmed episodes in depth, analysing the show from monochrome film through 'Glorious Technicolor' to its reincarnation as The New Avengers. Avengerland is an indispensable guide for fans of this iconic show.

In this entertaining and informative book, Victor L. Cahn revisits memorable episodes from eleven classic television shows, including The Twilight Zone, Maverick, The Dick Van Dyke Show, The Fugitive, The Avengers, and All in the Family. He provides background for each program, details about the creative individuals involved, close readings of the scripts, and reflections on why these series were influential when originally broadcast and why they continue to be enjoyed decades later by "baby boomers," their children, and their grandchildren. With a scholar's insight and a fan's enthusiasm, he offers a unique perspective on an integral part of mid-twentieth-century American culture.

Subversive Champagne re-examines the 1960s cult television series, The Avengers, through a close analysis of 25 filmed episodes. The book examines how The Avengers - during the classic Emma Peel era (1964-1967) - was continually shifting the boundaries of audience expectation, defying both genre classification and viewers' traditional desire for kitchen sink drama. Subversive Champagne centres on eighteen episodes from the monochrome Peel Season 4 - widely acknowledged as the artistic pinnacle of the series. It is in this era - caught between video-tape and colour film - that The Avengers was undergoing arguably its most profound stylistic and thematic transitions, from mild eccentricity to something genuinely experimental. The author extends his journey into the exhilarating but 'uneven' colour Season 5, adding chapters on seven more episodes, thus allowing us to explore the entire Emma Peel era. Entertaining froth or groundbreaking art? Rediscover the most iconic show in television history.

Male-female detective pairings often exhibit offbeat, dark humor and considerable chemistry as they investigate crimes. They have proven to be both entertaining and alluring on screen and television. This work reveals an evolutionary progression in the depictions of three detective duos: the married pair Nick and Nora Charles of The Thin Man, black-humored special agents John Steed and Emma Peel of The Avengers, and finally the smoldering Mulder and Scully in The X-Files. Ten chapters offer critical analysis, rich with background information and insider observations. Production comments are given throughout. Three appendices (one for each series) offer episode guides with original broadcast dates, credits and brief synopses.