Steedumbrella: The Avengers in Russia

[denis rigg]

Especially for the loyal fans of the Avengers I decided to create this topic.
Thanks to many who are really interested in the topic of "The Avengers and Russia".

I apologize in advance for my English.

It was somewhat surprising - the club of the Avengers in Russia? Is this a joke?

Frankly, many in Russia too surprised that there is such a club.

Hmm...

Nevertheless, the series was shown in Russia at the right time (early 1990s) and it gave up - many calls on television to repeating of the Avengers. It was done, but gave not the same result - Russian television has been flooded with foreign products. The Avengers was drowned in the stream and the public focus has shifted to other things - it meant that the show could be removed from the broadcast network and no longer shown. Here it was my necessary to radically change something. Or should have been united people fighting for their own interests, or Russian TV loses face, showing everything - any western products. It was wrong - there was a feeling that no one's emphasis on quality of the product, it was like a television chaos.
I think that this rebellion and interest for the Avengers influenced on the creation of the fan-club, known today as Steedumbrella.

Resume

Information from Steedumbrella:

The idea of the fan-club came in January 1995, during the broadcasting of The Avengers on the russian TV channel "St. Petersburg." At the time, the future author and founder of the club, Denis Kirsanov, organized the shows of episodes the Avengers in his home.

In late 1995, he met with Aleksei Sidorov (man which in future is mainly contributed to the popularization of the club with the help of his short stories, anecdotes, etc., dedicated to the TV series) and by the beginning of next year, arose the community.

In 1997, is the main activity of the community (focus was on own short stories and audiobooks). Appears the club.

My fresh comment:
Then we have constantly changed the title of the club - first was the "Beehive" then "Five minutes," etc. It was special plan to create a name for the club, not to mention the TV series or anything associated with the Avengers - it was necessary to attract a lot of people, among whom were people not particularly positive opinion about the show.

In the period 1997 - 2011 the club has collected interesting and rare materials about series, as well as short stories and books from Russian fans. Among other things, Denis Kirsanov added "STEEDCLUB" brochures with puzzles, quizzes, skits, etc. Today, the club continues to activity.


Thanks to Alan Hayes was made the breakthrough abroad. Alan helped to popularize the Steedumbrella and it certainly affected on rapid development of site. I am very pleased to cooperate with him.

I will be glad to answer any questions.

[anti-clockwise]

Dear Denis,
So lovely that you have a fan club. I loved your posts from the other thread and it is good you are starting this topic. So when was the first time Avengers was shown in Russia? Was it in the 90's? What era of Avengers tends to be the favorite in Russia?
By the way, I don't know if it is just me but I can't get the link to your fan club to open.

[Alan]

Thanks for starting the topic, Denis. I am surprised that you have not done so before, as your site deserves people's attention.

The standard of research is at times mindblowing. It's certainly one of a handful of sites (Steedumbrella, Mrs Peel We're Needed and TheAvengers.TV) that I refer to on a regular basis when working on my Avengers projects, be they for the web, print or video.

I know that people probably think "what use is a website in Russian to me?", but these days it is very easy to translate into English, French, whatever language. The Google Chrome browser will even do the translation automatically (if set as such).

There is a lot to enjoy and a lot to learn at Steedumbrella. It really is one of the top Avengers sites, and I am proud not only to be involved in research for it from time to time, but also to count Denis as a good friend.

Go take a look. You won't regret it!

http://steedumbrella.site90.com/

[Alan]

I apologize in advance for my English.

Nothing to apologise for, Denis. Your English is very good - and the fact that you are communicating here in a language that is not your own is something that puts many of the rest of us to shame.

I don't think many of us could do anywhere near as well in Russian!

[Sinus1994]

Denis, it's absolutely great to hear, that your Russian fan-club is still growing and all members are very active and hard working on you project.
You should be very proud, that there is a club like this in your country.
Here, where I live, such a fan-club with many active (and younger?) members doesn't really exist.
The only "organisation" or group here I know, is far away from where I live and all members are much older than me and don't possibly don't know very much about all the fan work and international activety, because the members are mainly older people, who only know The Avengers from their childhood (when it was first shown here in the 60's) and they don't seem to be very interested to keep in touch with the lastest happenings in Avengerland.
So, that kind of fan-club is more or less limited to watching the episodes and wallowing in old memories...
Well, as I already said, be proud of you club and good with keeping it up!

Sincerely yours,

Sinus1994

[denis rigg]

Thanks for starting the topic, Denis. I am surprised that you have not done so before, as your site deserves people's attention.

The standard of research is at times mindblowing. It's certainly one of a handful of sites (Steedumbrella, Mrs Peel We're Needed and TheAvengers.TV) that I refer to on a regular basis when working on my Avengers projects, be they for the web, print or video.

I know that people probably think "what use is a website in Russian to me?", but these days it is very easy to translate into English, French, whatever language. The Google Chrome browser will even do the translation automatically (if set as such).

There is a lot to enjoy and a lot to learn at Steedumbrella. It really is one of the top Avengers sites, and I am proud not only to be involved in research for it from time to time, but also to count Denis as a good friend.

Go take a look. You won't regret it!

http://steedumbrella.site90.com/

Alan, thank you for this great positive energy charge (frankly I almost shed a tear). As my friend and mentor, I thank you for your hard work not only in the Russian club's promotion abroad and very warm attention to the material, which published the club, but also for your contribution to the development of the site (Alan provided a material for the publication on Steedumbrella and Russian fans enthusiastically accepted it.)

Site really became popular thanks to Alan. It is he who has sheltered the link to Steedumbrella on his famous The Avengers Declassified!

I got into the Internet in 2000 and since then traced the path of the many sites devoted to the TV series. I'm mainly interested in the material by David K. Smith, Piers Johnson and Alan Hayes - the people who actually created the Avengerworld in the Internet, making it with skill and love. I have always marveled at their relentless and approach to work. I thought, if I'll be doing own site, then by all means I will try to create something similar - not a small fan resource, which will soon be forgotten, but something ambient, then it would be an important contribution to the world of the Avengers. I still believe that it was Alan, David and Piers influenced the way how Steedumbrella will look, its purpose and functions.

[denis rigg]

Dear Denis,
So lovely that you have a fan club. I loved your posts from the other thread and it is good you are starting this topic. So when was the first time Avengers was shown in Russia? Was it in the 90's? What era of Avengers tends to be the favorite in Russia?
By the way, I don't know if it is just me but I can't get the link to your fan club to open.

Dear anti-clockwise, I'm sorry that you could not get to Steedumbrella, but because the site uses free hosting privileges, then from time to time (very rarely) have problems to access it. I often look through site and fortunately did not encounter serious problems in this area. I hope that the problem of access to the site more you will not be disturbed.

So, what sort is 2x2?

TV channel showed a USA advertising, yet the Soviet Union no collapsed, radical changes were part of our lives day by day.

The channel began broadcasting in July 1989, during the trial broadcast was then called the "Commercial television channel." The broadcast was not fixed, the channel was established by order of the Radio and Television of the USSR as a division within the GFC (General Directorate of Programs). From November 1989 began to appear under his own name. On the air during the commercials have aired music videos.

Channel has attracted a huge audience and in the early 1990s launched the first western movies and TV shows.

To be continued ...

Unfortunately forced to continue tomorrow, already asleep.

Best wishes, Denis!

[anti-clockwise]

First of all, I agree that the people that have websites here are the most impressive bunch. They take their work seriously and have the resourcefulness of the Avengers! They find old scripts, radio shows, film locations. I have no doubt they could tell us the exact location of the vineyard Steed's wine came from for each episode.

Haha! So funny Denis. So you saw The Avengers as a teenager but no one understood what it was about? Well that would be like us watching a Russian movie. But the avengers especially with Mrs. Peel and her fighting scenes were--well I think they say a picture is worth a thousand words!!

When did you finally figure out the meaning of the episodes?

[denis rigg]

Hello dear Avengerphiles, I continue the history "The Avengers and Russia"!

The absence of Russian language to foreign TV serials and some favorite movies on Channel 2x2 undoubtedly was the reason for the numerous letters and calls the audience to do this at soon.
Channel 2x2 often showed the film "Horror Express" (1972) with Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and Telly Savalas on original language and people knew it by heart, even more than for example the russian film Diamond Arm (Brilliantovaya ruka) 1968. Of course the movie "Horror Express" was scary, but those who loved horror - it hit the spot. Without a doubt! There was a lot of products from Roger Corman and this mystical and spellbinding "Carnival of souls" (1962). These films replaying over and over again, well, it has become a classic of Russian post-perestroika. People want to see it all in Russian.

Soon channel 2x2 explained that the package of TV programmes was the probe and they are planning to do the voice acting for all its future products. This was done, but then when all TV channels broadcasted Russian and Western products.

In March 1994 came the first Russian TV magazine "TV-park".

In December 1994 began to broadcast The Avengers on channel "St. Petersburg". For the upcoming broadcasting The Avengers (all color episodes) were made commercials for television and articles in the magazine "TV-Park".
Apparently preparing a large-scale broadcasting did not work for two reasons.
1. As I said, the TV was already flooded with foreign products. To the extent that in 1994 the Russian production for TV was approximately twenty percent. It is not surprising for post-perestroika.
2. The most important point: the series has been decided to broadcast the morning. What were thinking in Television, having decided to take this step? The disappointment was cruel because people were going to work and study.

I still have not seen anything from the show in December 1994 and I have not had a chance to see it. If you're late for school - it was a serious offense. Called home - and you're still going to school, but with the parents. I was never late and did not make up stories - I was one of those for whom it was alien.

As a result, the entire December 1994 passed without The Avengers, but in January 1995 I started learning on a private basis, and my schedule has shifted. Somehow changing channels while watching a different foreign films, I saw an episode All Done with Mirrors. It is so gripped me that I was late for school. In the first time. Oh, and I did not finish until the end of the episode. I ended up on the spot, when Tara was coming down the stairs of lighthouse to neutralize fake Barlow! I was tormented at night and represented the different endings of the episode. I do not even knew if I will ever see again this episode.

Frankly, I have run ahead. What I said - about the Avengers? What are the Avengers?
I watched an episode All Done with Mirrors, but I thought that I look feature full-length (full-lenght!) movie (I started watching the episode did not at first). It just so happened - heroine of the episode was Tara (Steed is almost missing), and of course I did not think it could be the Avengers.
I fell in love with Linda Thorson! Hm, well, as many of those who started watching the series in January 1995 for the first time.

The primary audience began to watch the show in January holidays (at these holidays I worked part time) and Linda Thorson became a symbol of the series.
But then after holidays everything went according to the standard procedure and all went on to study and work.
I also went on to study, but before had the opportunity to watch the Avengers. So I recorded five episodes of the series on VHS in February 1995.

October 1995 - began final re-run the Avengers, this time on TV channel TV6. That's when I recorded all from shown episodes.
The series was a success again, but more and has not been shown. Television always explained it by the nonsence that the series for them too expensive costs.

The End?

P.S./ Well, even though I completely and not revealed topic, but I think it's time to go to the answers to other important questions.

[denis rigg]

What era of Avengers tends to be the favorite in Russia?.

That's really a question for thought.

Despite the fact that the series was broadcast in Russia only two times, russian fans of the series are divided into two categories.

(Incidentally, the Russian fans of the Avengers call themselves Stidovtsy).

So, the first category - the FIRST WAVE (those viewers who have seen the series on TV channel "St. Petersburg" in 1994-95).

The second category - the SECOND WAVE (the viewers who watched the series on TV channel TV6 in 1995-96).

The Second Wave has always been a supporter of Emma Peel. Color episodes with Emma Peel shown on TV channel TV6 in Sunday evening - in prime time. Watched everyone - from small to large.
There was no doubt that this is the perfect couple of British television of the 1960s and Emma Peel could be heard from own elderly grannies.
- Oh, Denis, turn on the TV and set it granny on the channel TV6, I want to see the gallant gentleman in a bowler and umbrella and a nice lady, Mrs. Peel.

Well, frankly, the older generation was brought up on communism, which is ingrained in their brain, but my grannies had already heard so much from me about this show that their interest to take the western products was great. I often showed them "The Joker" on videotape, and it worked.
But here's something else does not always give a positive result.

The First Wave - those who have seen the series on "Saint-Petersburg" mainly loved Tara King (episodes of her participation was shown since january 1995, and many have started watching the show during January holidays).

In general, the second wave - the bulk of the audience The Avengers and Emma Peel is a clear leader.