The Avengers International Fan Forum

Rodders wrote:

Andrew Pixley wrote:I was in touch with Colin about 8 years ago relating to one of the films he'd made with the Children's Film Unit (which he was heavily involved with as I recall). Lovely man and extremely helpful.

All the best

Andrew

Thanks, Andrew. If you ever speak to him again, please ask him why his wonderful Avengers episode was a one-off.

yes, my all means...why a one -off ? script control ? money ? lack of time ? writers bloc ?

Rodders wrote:Jaz recently put me on to the fact that Colin lives in Suffolk, where I do and I managed to track him down to the Suffolk coast. I spoke to him this evening and he has fond memories of working on the show. He solved the mystery of why he only wrote one episode: his commitments on the Children's Film Unit meant that he had no more time to spare, although he was delighted to work on the Rigg/Macnee era. I have e-mailed him some questions and I will post his responses when I receive them.

Oh that's great news. I look forward to what he said. At a guess it's only him, Clemens and Banks Stewart who survive of the writers from that season.

You're forgetting Rodney's father, Darren.

[slaps forehead]

What gave you the idea for this episode? It is one which seems to share a similar ecological theme as my father’s Silent Dust: i.e. science destroying nature.

I've always been sympathetic to the science v nature theme and (before all the hype about climate change) imagined what would happen if science developed a reliable way to create rain. Like so many of our inventions for good, someone would surely use it for evil ends. The mad scientist and the Noah supporters came along with the basic notion! (I understand the 1998 movie version used this premise. Someone sent me a script to read, but it didn't seem to have any of the TV 'Avengers' qualities. I never saw the film.)

How did you come to be asked to write for the show?

My agent Peggy Ramsay told me someone was interested and followed it up. I don't remember any details.

Were you happy with the finished episode?

It looked like a regular "Avengers' episode. I was chuffed.

Was the Mini-Moke your idea?

Sadly not. I knew (know) nothing about cars, so Brian Clemens, who owned the only E Type Jaguar I have ever ridden in must have been the inspiration here.

Were you aware of the show before you were invited on board?

Yes, an ardent fan ever since the Ian Hendry days. It had the qualities of my own radio and TV writing, so I was delighted to get the chance to contribute. (I had another idea about an eccentric scientist living in a submarine and sending radio signals which could only be received by Walkman headphones. His aim to subjugate the nation's youth by radio hypnosis and cause a civil war to wipe out earth's population for him to reclaim it. as his dry domain. I didn't get around to writing it, or pitching it.)

What do you think made it the cult success worldwide which it became and why is it still so popular?

Its quirkiness and blend of humour and suspense, although never universally popular will always have a place in our culture. I collect a great deal of world cinema, largely because quirkiness and eccentricity are more common in their films and the routine and dumbed down current fare in UK and US largely leaves me cold.

my questions to Colin went under the e-mail title 'A Surfeit of Questions'; his reply? 'A Paucity of Answers'!

Rodders wrote:my questions to Colin went under the e-mail title 'A Surfeit of Questions'; his reply? 'A Paucity of Answers'!

That's great on so many levels. Thanks for those answers, Rodney.

Thanks Rodders for your hard work in contacting Colin and conducting the interview!

I received this reply to sending Colin my chapter from Bright Horizons:

Thank you so much for your chapter on "H2o" and for the kind things you said about it. I really must dig out my recording of it and wallow in a bit of nostalgia, swill the warm era of monochrome around my brain and spit out the memory of the latest blockbuster I accidentally endured.

yes thanks Rodney. A most welcome message and clearly a fellow with a lot of wit. Might he be at your conference?