1961
Manchester Evening News, 7 January, page 7, Max North's Telereview, ?, England.
A GIRL who hates illness and says she could never be a nurse in private life will play the nurse-receptionist in ABC's new 60-minute crime series, "The Avengers", which begins to-night. She is 23-year old Ingrid Hafner "born in London but with an Austrian father" who played a nurse in several episodes of Ian Hendry's previous series, "Police Surgeon". Ian Hendry was immediately signed for "The Avengers" when "Police Surgeon" ended its run and now plays the part of a doctor who is drawn into a crusade against crime by the murder of his fiancée. Patrick Macnee has a regular spot in the series as a professional crime-fighter.

Manchester Evening News, 14 January, page 7, Max North's Telereview, ?, England. 
Actor and director Peter Hammond, who directs ITV's "The Avengers" describes a Chinese girl he introduces in to-night's episode as "a challenge to Jacqui Chan". She is Joyce Wong Chong, who plays one of the young ladies who frequent the Soho club headquarters of a race gang. Her partner is Carol White, the 17-year old blonde who two weeks ago starred in ITV's "A Headful of Crocodiles".

Manchester Evening News, 21 January, page 7, Max North's Telereview, ?, England.

TV Times, 3 February, page 5, Looking Around with John Gough: A 'nurse' again, John Gough, England.
INGRID HAFNER, who plays a nurse-receptionist to Ian Hendry's doctor in The Avengers on Saturday, tells me she hates illness and could never be a nurse in private life.  But this is the second time London-born Ingrid has played a nurse.  She appeared as one with Ian Hendry in several episodes of Police Surgeon.  Ingrid's big interest is finding a London flat, as her home is in Somerset.  "Living in London will mean giving up my pony," she told me, "and will not leave me much time for any hobbies."

Manchester Evening News, 4 February, page 7, Max North's Telereview, ?, England.
In tonight's episode of "The Avengers", Ian Hendry and his comrades-in-arms against lawlessness go abroad for the first time - to the Caribbean Island of Pascala, where a politician's beautiful daughter has been kidnapped.

TV Times, 24 February, page 3, Viewerpoint, Letters Page, England.

Manchester Evening News, 4 March, page 7, Max North's Telereview, ?, England.
re Olga Lowe - In "The Avengers" Miss Lowe plays the not-too-honest wife of a hairdressing salon owner.

TV Times, 10 March, page 1 and 8, Crime MD, Tim Aspinall, England.  March 18 saw the launch of the series nationally, with those regions which had not previously shown it jumping on board with Hot Snow.  Brought to Book was shown on April 1.   As the Daily Mirror had it: "The Avengers", a British Crime Series, starring Ian Hendry and Patrick Macnee, already seen in the North, Midlands and Anglia, now comes to London, Southern, Wales and West"   The showings converged on April 15 with Dance with Death.

TV Times, 10 March, page 4, Looking Around With John Gough: His Ancestor was an Avenger, John Gough, England.  Patrick Macnee, who is on the right of the TV Times cover with Ian Hendry and Ingrid Hafner, is much more of an avenger than his part in The Avengers implies.  For Patrick tells me he is related to that classical avenger, Robin Hood.  "My Mother," says Patrick, "is a member of the Hastings family, the Earls of Huntingdon - and they, as everyone knows, claim Robin Hood as their ancestor."

TV Times, 4 March, page 4, Looking Around With John Gough, John Gough, England.  The filming of 'Brought To Book' (part of gossip column).

Variety, 29 March, page unknown, THE AVENGERS, 'Otta', England (I presume).  Review of the first showing of 'Hot Snow' in the UK regions (London, Southern, Wales & West) which hadn't yet seen it, on March 18.

Daily Mirror, 15 April, page ?, Photo Caption
Pauline Shepherd, 22, who made her TV debut at sixteen as a singer in the BBC's "Quite Contrary", has a straight role tonight in ITV's "The Avengers" (10.0).  "I play an instructress at a dancing school - and I nearly become a corpse in the bath", she says.  Pretty Pauline has now given up singing.  Tonight will be her first TV appearance as an actress, "wish me luck", she says.

Manchester Evening News, 15 April, page 7, Max North's Telereview, ?, England.
Two bookmakers' daughters appear in to-night's episode of "The Avengers", which is set in the tough and often backbiting world of ballroom dancing. One is Pauline Shepherd, 22-year-old former model and fashion writer, who plays one of the instructresses and is the object of an attempted murder while taking a bath. The other, 20-year old Angela Douglas, has been in show business since she was 12 and has appeared in many TV series. She turned up in "Coronation Street" as a striptease dancer.

Manchester Evening News, 17 April, page 2, Our Two Televiews, J.L., England.
Unfortunately, the serial "The Avengers" is not maintaining its promise. (Review of 'Dance With Death")

TV Times issue 286, 21 April, page 38, The Restless Avenger, W.O. Court, England.  Interview with Patrick Macnee.

TV Times, issue 288, 5 May, page 5, Looking Around With John Gough: Two winners - from bookies!, John Gough, England.
TWO young actresses I talked to are both daughters of bookmakers and both have been given parts in The Avengers series.  They are 22-year-old Pauline Shepherd and 20-year-old Angela Douglas.  Pauline told me: "I have never helped my father in his business, but I have brought him a few clients.  They're great punters in show business, you know."  She has been a dancer and fashion model.  Her latest enterprise is to start work on a film script.  "It's a comedy," she said.    "But it won't be ready for years."  Angela Douglas tells me: "My father gives me tips - but the horses never win."

TV Times, issue 290, 19 May, page 4, Looking Around with John Gough: Meeting the underworld, John Gough, England.

TV Times, issue 290, 19 May, page 38, Ingrid just rubs along, author unknown, England.

TV Times, issue 291, 26 May, page 3, Viewerpoint: Letters page, England.
Dressing to kill
.  PATRICK MACNEE always has marvellous clothes, including shirts and ties, in The Avengers.  Are they his own or from the set wardrobe?   (MRS.) KAY PLATT, Sewall-highway, Bell Green, Coventry.
The programme's wardrobe supervisor says: Patrick Macnee's suits were specially made for him for his role in this series, and also bought his shirts and ties.   Occasionally, however, he does wear some of his own clothes.

TV Times issue 296, 30 June, page 34, Who Am I...? Wonders Patrick Macnee, Charles Bayne, England.  Patrick Macnee compares himself with John Steed.

The Stage and Television Today, 13 July, page unknown, author unknown, England.
This is a review of the episode, 'Double Danger'.  "In this particular episode (July 8, 1961) the plot is reminiscent of a poor second feature with unrealistic gangster types, blonde hanger-on, and decent English chappie in hot pursuit of the criminals.  Even the setting on the boat has been done for and the dialogue is like a primer for intending thriller-story writers.

Only there were no thrills, and the clichés thrown up in the ambling wake of the story should make the presenting company blush.  Ian Hendry, stern and resolute, aided by Patrick Macnee, whose style suggests he might be better doing something on his own instead of playing a rather peculiar undercover man.

The plot does not even seem to try for reasonable credibility, which is a pity when an hour has been allocated to the task.  Rather than cutting the story down to the exciting bone, an attempt seems to be made to fill out the hour slot.

Director: Roger Jenkins.  Designer: James Goddard.  Producer: Leonard White.   Teleplay: Gerald Verner."

Daily Mirror, 22 July, page ?, Don't Get Hazel Wrong, England.
Scots-born HAZEL GRAEME, above, plays a delinquent led astray by gangsters in tonight's episode of "The Avengers" (ITV, 8.50).  Between acting jobs, Hazel is a social worker at a remand home for delinquent boys in Shepherds Bush, London.  She will be back there next week, so it looks as though Hazel may have to do a bit of explaining. "I hope they'll understand I was only acting," she says.

TV Times, 28 July, page 6, Wolf Mankowitz' A to Z of Television, Wolf Mankowitz, England.
A is for Avengers.  This series features yet another young doctor (actor Ian Hendry) who combines the glamour of his profession with the attraction of the underworld in which he hunts following the murder of his fiancée - all of which makes a more exciting story than what might have happened if the lady had lived...

TV Times, 28 July, page 37, Murray Hayne Has A Lean Look, Nick Brittan, England.

TV Times, 11 August, page 5, Gossip Column, author unknown, England.
THREE TIMES picked as Canada's best TV actress, Katharine Blake appears in The Avengers next Saturday.  She plays the part of a Mexican woman, Dr. Sandoval... etc etc.

Manchester Evening News, 19 August, page 5, Max North's Telereview, ?, England.
THE AVENGERS, on ITV to-night, tells of the hunt for the makers of a poisoned cooking oil, which kills those who use it, and is an idea based on a true story. Ian Hendry stars.

Manchester Evening News, 2 September, page 5, Max North's Telereview, ?, England.
Time off for a 'secret agent' - judging beauty queens. Dashing and debonair Patrick Macnee, who plays the sophisticated secret service agent with a way with women in "The Avengers" will need all his skill to-night. To-night's episode, "Kill The King", shows Macnee and his partner, Ian Hendry, in a tale of trouble which surrounds a visiting monarch in London. Macnee is trying hard to stop the monarch from being assassinated, and four beautiful but sinister women are doing their best to foil his efforts. But while this recorded episode is being televised on ITV, Macnee will be relaxing with a drink after an even more never-racking assignment. He is the chief judge of the bathing beauty contestants in the final edition of "Holiday Town Parade" which comes from Morecambe and is now a traditional sign that Summer is coming to an end. NOTE: HOLIDAY TOWN PARADE WAS ON ABC AT 6.15PM.

TV Times, 1 December, page 38, Avengers?  They're the sweetest men I know, Charles Bayne, England.

Manchester Evening News, 30 December, page 5, Max North's Telereview, ?, England.
"The Avengers" moves on ITV to-night to an atomic research establishment where Barbara Shelley and Sylvia Langova are involved in sinister goings-on in space suits.

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