Series 5 — Episode 6
The Winged Avenger

Production

Production dates: Filming completed December 1966

For the second epsiode in a row, the original director was removed from the production and replaced with another - this time Gordon Flemyng was removed and replaced by the up and coming Peter Duffell, recommended to the producers by production controller Jack Greenwood, who had worked with Duffell on Company of Fools. This landed both Greenwood and Duffell in the stink as the production office thought it wrong for Greenwood to have brought him in, so Duffell was banished from The Avengers - but they took pity on him and got him a regular gig at ITC doing Man in a Suitcase. Richard Harris returned to the series, having submitted a couple of scripts in Series 1 with a fun episode exploring his love of American superhero comics, a marked departure from his earlier scripts.

The episode is famous for the comic book artwork produced by Frank Bellamy, known for his work on Thurderbirds in TV Century 21, and Dan Dare in Eagle. Bellamy produced many large boards of artwork as well as a cmoic book cover that was glued onto a DC comic for use as a recurring prop.

Liocation fliming was a bit more limited in this episode but we see a return to Stanmore Hall, now the home of Professor Poole as well as a return to High Canons, Well End, for the establishing shots of Sir Lexius Cray’s manor and a visit to the block of flats “High Sheldon” in Highgate N6.

Peter Duffell filmed a wonderful sequence embracing Harris’ love of Batman with Bellamy’s large boards of “POW!” and “SPLAT!” being used by Steed to whack the villain in the face. Coming to the party, composer Laurie Johnson specially wrote a pastiche of music based on the themes from the Batman television series as the soundtrack to this sequence and it makes a wonderfully metafictional piece of television.

Regional broadcasts

Broadcaster	Date	Time
Rediffusion London	17/02/1967	8.00pm
ABC Midlands	18/02/1967	9.10pm
ABC North	18/02/1967	9.10pm
Anglia Television	17/02/1967	8.00pm
Border Television	19/02/1967	8.10pm
Channel Television	17/02/1967	8.00pm
Grampian Television	6/03/1968	8.00pm
Southern Television	15/02/1967	8.00pm
Scottish Television	18/02/1967	9.10pm
Tyne Tees Television	15/02/1967	8.00pm
Ulster Television	4/01/1968	9.00pm
Westward Television	17/02/1967	8.00pm
Television Wales & West	17/02/1967	8.00pm

TV Times listing

International broadcasts

Broadcaster	Date	Time
ABN2 Sydney, Australia	-	-
ABQ2 Brisbane, Australia	-	-
ABV2 Melbourne, Australia	-	-
ABS2 Adelaide, Australia	-	-
ABC New York, USA	17/02/1967	10.00pm
TF1 France	28/09/1973?
Suisse Romande, Switzerland	15/04/1968	9.15pm
French title	Le vengeur volant
Germany	10/06/1993?
German title	Der geflügelte Rächer
KRO Netherlands	30/09/1969	9.10pm
Dutch title	De gevleugelde wreker
Svizzera Italiana	10/05/1974	9.00pm
Italian title	il vendicatore alato
Spain	11/09/1967	6.02pm
Spanish title	El vengador alado

I have not located this episode in the initial run of the series in Australia in 1967 but it appears, marked as a repeat, in the late night rerun series in 1975. It’s most likely that April 14 1975 was in fact its very much belated premiere. The Seven Network in Australia broadcast Batman in prime time and the ABC may have felt they might be faced with litigation if they aired the Avengers parody.

ORTF2 did not include this episode in their 1968 series — whether if fell victim to the strikes or was not picked up by the network is unclear. The French premiere appears to have been at 8.35pm on September 28 1973, on TF1.

ZDF did not include this episode in their 1967 series. The German premiere appears to have been on June 10 1993.

Episode Rating

Subject	0–5
Direction	4½ stars
Music	4½ stars
Humour	5 stars
Intro/tag	4½ stars
Mastermind	3½ stars
Plot	3½ stars
Emma	5 stars
Set Design	3½ stars
Overall (0–10)	9 stars

9/10! There’s not much that would improve this episode, it’s just about perfect. Oodles of wit and style combined with great direction and props make this a real viewing pleasure. Make sure you see it!

Mrs. Peel is busy painting when she’s distracted by discovering Steed has just signed her masterpiece.
Ruthless businessmen are being killed by a comic-strip character come to life.
Good on him, I say.
The illustrator, Arnie, has turned fiction into fact using special climbing boots invented by Professor Poole — with them, you can walk up the side of a house. A battle ensues on the ceiling before Steed uses Batman tactics to bring the Winged Avenger down to earth. POW! WHACK! BLAM!
Back at Mrs. Peel’s apartment Steed draws dinner, then serves it with a ping! of tureen lids.

The Cars

Marque/Model	Colour	Number Plate
Austin 1800	white, black/red interior	-
Lotus Elan S3	glacier blue	SJH 499D
Bentley Speed Six 1926	British racing green	RX 6180

Who’s Killing Whom?

Victim	Killer	Method
Simon Roberts	Arnie Packer V*	Clawed to death
Peter Roberts	Arnie Packer V*	Clawed to death
Tay-Ling	Arnie Packer V*	Clawed to death
Edward J. Dumayn	Arnie Packer V*	Clawed to death
Julian	Arnie Packer V*	Clawed to death
Professor Poole	Arnie Packer V*	Clawed to death
Arnie Packer V*	Steed & Emma	Hurled out upstairs window during fight.

The Fashions

Emma’s Fashions

Steed’s Fashions

tan skivvy… blue jacket & skirt, tan stockings white & oatmeal linen suit & matching silk blouse orange hooded parka, black trousers & skivvy, white gloves, brown ankle boots brown catsuit with tan trim black top & pants with blue suede jacket (wide lapel), black gloves, blue suede thigh boots & matching garter & belt blue catsuit with pink trim striped sundress pink sleeveless dress (6) (6) with pink hat, pale pink piping, blue boots

navy single-breasted 3-piece suit with a peaked collar, white shirt, electric blue tie with small navy spot fawn overcoat and bowler over below grey herringbone single-breasted suit, waistcoat, cream shirt, crimson tie with sm black spot, pale grey socks, tan suede shoes dark grey double-breasted overcoat over white shirt, blue tie, charcoal suit brown and green hunting blazer, pale green shirt, green/bronze tie, houndstooth trousers, brown bowler, black umbrella above with grey bowler grey single-breasted 3-piece suit with triangular flap pockets, white shirt, pale gold tie charcoal chalk striped single-breasted suit, white shirt, paisley purple tie above with black bowler & umbrella

Drinks

• tea (with milk)
• champagne (Moët et Chandon)

Continuity and trivia

1. The illustrations seen throughout this episode are by Frank Bellamy, best known for his Fraser of Africa strip in Eagle and for drawing Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons for TV Century 21, and Joe 90. It was during a break from Thunderbirds in Autumn 1966 that Frank created the illustrations for this episode. He also designed the artists’ studio set and the Winder Avenger costume.
   Some of the mocked-up comic books are American comics with custom covers drawn by Frank pasted onto them.
2. 1:47 — The opening scene is in a studio set of a bit of woodland which make little attempt at disguising its unreality, a feature of this REWRITE THIS
3. 
   1:51 — The ‘Simon Roberts & Son — Publishers’ sign from this episode turns up in the back lot in "Epic". David Lodge, playing a policeman, falls on it.
4. 2:42/8:56/44:40 — Every time the Avenger climbs a wall, we see his claws going up notched stone or concrete blocks, despite the fact that no building he ever climbs resembles them. Anyway, why is he using the claws when he could just walk up the wall?
5. 2:45 — Peter Roberts looks like some sort of hideous Tory MP, all light suit, fake tan, and thin lips.
6. 4:55 — It looks like Smirnoff and Johnny Walker product placement but the brand names are different so they’re probably props of the era.
7. 6:17 — A major continuity error in the intro! (see above) The entirety of the canvas is in full view at all times — even just at the point where Mrs. Peel starts in amazement — the crimson Mrs. PEEL is not on the corner of the canvas until the zoomed close-up, and when Steed walks around the back he’s wiping his brush which has yellow paint on it, not crimson.
8. 7:30 — Steed and Mrs. Peel consult an illustrated “Birds of the World” by Oliver L. Austin Jr,, illustrated by Arthur Singer. The book was continually reprinted from 1961 to 1988 so it’s not possible to tell which edition it was, but it’s probably a Paul Hamlyn UK edition from 1961, 1963, 1965 or 1966. Given how clean it is, I’d guess it’s the 1966 edition.
9. 8:11 — How is the Winged Avenger parked in some woods near Simon Roberts & Son?
10. 11:45 — Grundig product placement.
11. 14:50 — Overdub, fluffed line, or melodrama?
    Sir Lexius is having tea with Emma and says “…tried to [gap] do me out of the profits!” Jenna Clayton thinks he said something else and it’s been re-recorded with a changed line. Watching it back, I think she’s right, or maybe he stumbled over his lines and the re-recorded for that.
12. 15:42 — Sir Lexius has a large hole in the second finger of his leather gauntlet, and the bird in the air may be different to the bird that lands on the gauntlet.
13. 16:24 — Arnie Packer’s telephone number (as dialled by Tay Ling) is 463–337.
14. 18:59 — Stand-ins for Miss Rigg: ex-Olympic diver Peter J. Elliott leaps over the hedge, wearing a wig… and Diane West walks through the garden (19:08).
15. 24:50 — Professor Poole’s house (Stanmore Hall) is the same as Brigadier Whitehead’s from From Venus with Love. Stanmore Hall was a popular shooting location for many shows of the time. When they arrive in the Bentley, it appears to be Jim Mitchell as Steed driving and perhaps Diane Enright playing Emma; these stand-ins also do the stair-climbing duties.
16. 25:10 — Diana Rigg makes the unfortunate choice of a white bra under a black knitted rollneck.
17. 26:37 — The (prop) staircase in Poole’s mansion shakes terribly whenever anyone’s on it; when Steed and Emma follow Poole up them, It looks as though the whole thing will collapse beneath them!
18. 28:55 — Emma spots an article about E.J. Dumayn in the Wednesday November 30 1966 edition of “The Daily Mail” It’s a nice cover and paste job by the props team, you can’t tell they’ve overlaid the original corner of the page with the headline, photograph, and leader at all.
19. 30:08 — When Dumayn is killed, not only does he obviously catch himself and cushion his fall, but he also visibly inhales and exhales one time after he lands!
20. 33:34 — The Lotus headlights fail to close, and it’s a stand-in who gets out.
21. 34:34 — The books are a prop as they’re all the same, Parlimentary debates 1955–6 Vol. 554 covering June 11 to June 22.
22. 35:05 and elsewhere — How do Poole, Emma and The Winged Avenger keep their bodies horizontal while climbing up the walls? They’re somehow managing it almost entirely through the use of their ankle muscles!
23. 
    36:46 — The address of Winged Avenger Enterprises is 163 Boxley Road, … Heath (according to Professor Poole’s cuff-note).
24. 38:00 — Steed and Emma fail to realize that finding the published The Winged Avenger comic with the picture of Dumayn’s body makes Packer at least a co-conspirator; they wonder aloud whether Packer or Stanton — or both — is the Winged Avenger.
25. 43:50 — more stair-climbing duties for a stand-in — possibly Diane West.
26. 44:13 — Steed’s near-side headlight still doesn’t work.
27. 44:14 etc. — The perennial problem of colour-shift appears when Stanton & Steed are in the Bentley with the projected background of moving scenery.
28. 44:44–44:38 — When chasing Emma, The Winged Avenger climbs out the second story window, climbs up at least one story, then crashes through the window onto… the second story!
29. 
    46:17 — Just before Stanton and Steed arrive at Poole’s house, Steed asks Stanton ‘How are we doing?” Stanton replies “Not too good!” and shows Steed a fully rendered and coloured drawing in the longshot, which is nothing like the inked in drawing of the Winged Avenger at the window that we are given as the close up.
30. 46:33 — Consumate acting by Neil Hallett: when he breaks in the window he crouches and cocks his head at the Professor’s body, just as a bird would do upon encountering something unexpected.
31. 47:40 etc. — They don’t make Diana’s hair stand on end as they did to Jack MacGowran earlier, sensibly putting her in a mod pink hat, but her Richard Loftus watch has had the band stiffened so it stands up from her should where it is pinned.
32. 48:07 — During the fight with Emma, just after scratching the table, one of the hooks from the right claw falls off the Winged Avenger’s costume — and it falls up to the ceiling!
33. 48:26 — During the final fight scene, when Steed and Stanton break in, Emma and the Winged Avenger look to be 2 metres above them; but when Steed whacks him with the signs a bit later, he’s is little more than thirty centimetres above him!
34. 47:36 — The bird sculpture from Art Incorporated is in Mrs. Peel’s living room.
35. Running time: 51′25″ - the reported 4663 feet and 8 frames is 51′49″ but would include lead-in and lead-out bumpers and ID cards for the commercial breaks, amounting to 24 seconds.

Cast notes

1. Ann Sidney (miscredited as Ann Sydney) was Miss World 1964 and a pop star of the time, often appearing on Shindig (in much the same way, Danger Man had a guest actor in Patsy Ann Noble for the episode “Not So Jolly Roger”).
2. John Garrie was obviously thought to look Asian to casting agents of the time — he turns up in the final Danger Man production Koroshi as a Japanese character.