Avengers on the Radio

[Spaceship Dispatcher]

From Venus with Love is the only one I have listened to so far, but I loved it and am very much looking forward to catching up with some more stories!

[Lhbizness]

Finally got through all the available ones - I think I still have mixed feelings, though on par they're probably the best version of The Avengers that doesn't include Patrick Macnee. Monat took me awhile to warm to; now I appreciate him more. He's not Patrick, but he doesn't depart so far from the Steed characterization to make the character unrecognizable (like certain actors I could name). And Appleby I think does the best Emma you can get outside of Diana Rigg. Very glad that they made the romantic relationship explicit too.

[Spaceship Dispatcher]

I listened to so many of these when I was home ill a couple of weeks ago that when I then watched a tv episode I was momentarily thrown by it not starting with a plug for laundry detergent

[Alan]

Finally got through all the available ones - I think I still have mixed feelings, though on par they're probably the best version of The Avengers that doesn't include Patrick Macnee. Monat took me awhile to warm to; now I appreciate him more. He's not Patrick, but he doesn't depart so far from the Steed characterization to make the character unrecognizable (like certain actors I could name). And Appleby I think does the best Emma you can get outside of Diana Rigg. Very glad that they made the romantic relationship explicit too.

I'm delighted to hear that you warmed to the radio series over the run (or at least what we can hear of the run today). It seems astounding that it's now fourteen years since my wife Alys and I were gifted the off-air recordings by John Wright. It's splendid to keep hearing people discovering them afresh.

I love them to bits. In fact, in many ways, because of the lengthy research I put into the radio series, the many hours, weeks and months (over ten years!) I spent restoring the audio tapes to digital formats, and my chats by email with Donald, it's the part of The Avengers that still gives me the greatest thrill. I can recognise it's a copy and not the original, has other actors where the marvellous Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg should arguably be, but it's got that special something that gives it a life of its own. Both Monat and Appleby are well cast and capable; they make those roles their own on audio. Hugh Rouse as the narrator is distinctive, as is the style of the script he was given. When the narrator interplays with Steed on occasion, breaking the radio fourth wall, it's a joy to hear, and really rather unexpected.