The Avengers International Fan Forum

Many thanks spaceship dispatcher. I was also thinking that if the unused scripts and greatly changed ones was not possible, then, for me, the novels would have to be the next best thing. I know the John Garforth ones are not highly regarded. He himself disowned them, and admitted that he hadn't even seen the TV series when he wrote them! But the Patrick Macnee & Peter Leslie ones -Deadline & Dead Duck are at least more in the spirit of the series and could make for good audio adaptations. Again, this is more preferable to me than adapting existing TV episodes because it is at least new ground.

I especially like Deadline - the story has the serious spirit and noir style of series 4, plus I enjoyed the international touch with Mrs Peel's appointment in Amsterdam.

Recently listened to the second set of Steed and Mrs Peel audios and absolutely loved them, just as much as the first set and the Keel episodes. I find both Julian Wadham and Olivia Poulet so relaxing and easy to listen to, their witty and sharp rapport a lot of fun. Playtime is Over featured one of my favourite jokes in an Avengers audio script, as Emma reads through the list of toy shops, and the way the plot moved through a few twists and turns was very neat. The Mad Hatter was sounding good to be my favourite of series two, with its ludicrous Tara era style, until The Secret Six came along and blew me away with its country house duel between heroes and villains that kind of reminded me of a cross between The Prisoner tv series and the film The Beast Must Die. I'm sad that no more are planned at the moment, as I'll miss both the series and the lead actors in these roles.

The Avengers – The Comic Strip Adaptations Volume 05: Steed & Tara King is now available as a collector’s edition four-disc box set (£29.99) or digital download (£24.99), exclusively HERE

https://www.bigfinish.com/news/v/tara-ra-boom-de-ay

denis rigg wrote:The Avengers – The Comic Strip Adaptations Volume 05: Steed & Tara King is now available as a collector’s edition four-disc box set (£29.99) or digital download (£24.99), exclusively HERE

https://www.bigfinish.com/news/v/tara-ra-boom-de-ay

interesting graphics....looks pretty good..in my opinion

mrspeel01 wrote: There is also the option of using original scripts that were greatly changed for the TV version. The South African radio series did do this on some of their versions, particularly those from the Tara King season. (This includes using the script of "Invitation to a Killing", which eventually reached the screen as "Have Guns will Haggle"). So if it is possible to use original scripts for some Emma Peel stories that underwent changes this could be good. For example, "The Disappearance of Admiral Nelson" which became "Mission...Highy Improbable". I don't know how much was changed but if there is a lot, and if it still exists in full, it may be worth doing. Again, rights permitting.

I'd love to hear Roger Marshall's original script that got rewritten by Clemens and became "A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Station". Apparently it was very different, and Marshall was a superb writer.

Peter Motte wrote:Steed and Peel don't look like Steed and Peel.
Am I missing something?

Yes.... it's audio! Doesn't matter what anyone looks like.

Lhbizness wrote:Sorry, no one can equal Diana Rigg. Or Patrick Macnee. In my opinion, of course, but I don't get how one can beat the original Avengers with these audios. However, I don't think these are canon - a quibble perhaps, but an important one.

Well, obviously no-one can equal Rigg or Macnee. Nobody has claimed that so there's no need to raise an obvious straw man just to attack Julian Wadham yet again (why the constant personal loathing? Did he pee on your chips or something?). These actors aren't trying to exceed or circumvent the original actors, they're trying to provide their interpretations of super-special-agent characters in an original larger-than-life entertainment story. And the stories are new and newly-available stories (at least new to audio, they were comic strips before, and out of print).

Big Finish have announced two further releases in the Comic Strip Adaptations range - one volume with Steed and Mrs Peel, the other with Steed and Tara King:

https://www.bigfinish.com/news/v/the-av ... -the-1960s

paulh wrote:Big Finish have announced two further releases in the Comic Strip Adaptations range - one volume with Steed and Mrs Peel, the other with Steed and Tara King:

https://www.bigfinish.com/news/v/the-av ... -the-1960s

great news ! been a grand year for the series..with releases, books, etc