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Manchester Evening News, 1 January, page 3, Max North's Telereview,
Max North, England.
Time was when a special agent named Peter Dallas was
involved down South America way in adventures that even The Avengers would envy. "Top
Secret" was the name of the television series, and actor William Franklyn played
Dallas, cool, suave, and athletic, he proved a difficult man to cross. But times change
and Peter Dallas is no more. William Franklyn, however, is very much around in tonight's
episode of "The Avengers" series he changes character and becomes Omrod. Even
the name seems slightly villainous. SPARKS FLY. Omrod is elegant, cool and vicious. When
he wants something the stakes are astronomically high. And the sparks fly when he meets
Steed. The fight to settle their differences takes place in a field. With the protagonists
mounted on horses and dressed for a hunt. The episode took five days to film by director
Roy Baker. It will become one of the highlights of the current series of "The
Avengers".
Punch, 5 January, page 28, Criticism:
Television, R.G. Price, England.
The Avengers (ITV) is entering the new year strongly; but, having decided
to cash in on the cult and laugh at itself even more wildly than the Bond films,
it is in danger of losing its stance. The mad predicaments and the loony
decors get better and better and the infiltration of Sci Fi has unexpectedly
come off. But the corny charm of an unsophisticated central situation
can't coexist comfortably with the panache of the surface. The episode
about the gang who, very sensibly, tried to unseat Steed's reason by telepathy
had some splendid detail, particularly the shooting match in the hall of distorting
mirrors, but the plot was too ramshackle. They need to take more time
to suspend disbelief.
TV
Weekly, 6 January, page 5, It's Not All Drama, author unknown, England.
TV
Week, 8 January, pages 6 and 7, Dressed To Kill!, Roslyn Owen, Australia.
TV Weekly, 13 January, page 4,
Her New Wardrobe, author unknown, England.
In 15 weeks The Avengers' Diana Rigg
has had only 3 chances to wear her new wardrobe, designed by John Bates at Jean
Varon - but from now until the end of the series, in March, Diana will be seen
in her new clothes.
TV
Weekly, 13 January, page 4, 'Snudge' is a colonel, author unknown, England.
Look Westward, 23 January, page
unknown, title unknown, author unknown, England. Small Patrick Macnee
piece.
The
People, 23 January, page 1, Now she's started a SHOW WAR too!, author unknown,
England.
Manchester Evening News, 24 January, page 1, "The
Avengers" Emma Will Floor 'Em At Stratford, ?, England.
Daily Mail, 25 January, page 6, Treble or Quits, Douglas
Marlborough, England
Daily Mirror, 25 January, page
3, It's Shakespeare For Emma Peel, Diana Rigg appearing in Stratford,
Clifford Davis, England.
Actress Diana Rigg who plays judo expert Emma Peel in "The Avengers"
on ITV, is going back to Shakespeare. And last night she said that she would
not be going back to "The Avengers" unless she gets a big pay rise.
Her £150-a week contract expires next month when she finishes filming the present
series. She returns to the Royal Shakespeare Company at Stratford-on-Avon in
April to play Viola in "12th Night". Her salary will be £370 a week.
But the future of "The Avengers" may depend on a try-out on American
television this Spring. A spokesman for ABC television, which makes it, said
last night: "It is unlikely that we would produce another series unless
the Americans decide to buy.
Daily
Mirror, 25 January, page 3, Diana may quit the Avengers, Clifford
Davis, England.
TELEVISION tough girl Diana Rigg, of the Avengers, is involved in
a new battle - for more pay. If she does not get a rise, Diana (above), who
earns £150 a week for her role as judo expert Emma Peel, is threatening
to quit the series. Last night, 27-year-old Diana, who is returning to the Royal
Shakespeare Company at Stratford-on-Avon for a season this summer, told me:
"If I go back to the Avengers, it will have to be for at least three times
as much. The salary was a fair one when I started a year ago, but suddenly being
Emma Peel is obviously worth a lot more." Yorkshire-born Diana who graduated
with the Royal Shakespeare Company before going on to ITV's cops-and-robbers
series, is returning to them to play Viola in Twelfth Night. Her fee: £70
a week. But she will still be available for the Avengers. The Avengers, which
began in 1961, gets a try-out on American TV this spring.
Note: This is a regional variation on the piece above.
TV Times issue 535, 27 January,
pages 6 and 10, With Emma In Mind, The fashions of Emma Peel;
John Bates interview, Lynn Thomas, England.
TV
Weekly, 27 January, page 4, Club Is Renamed, no author, England.
The Avengers story on Saturday, The
13th Hole, was filmed at the Mill Hill Golf Club, re-named Crableigh Golf Club
for the occasion, where several holes have been re-designed to allow the new
M1 extension to go further into London. The series' producers were fortunate
in being able to film on several of the holes before they are bulldozed out
of existence.
TV
World, 27 January, page 3, People, no author, England.
Usually Patrick Allen of Crane fame is right-handed. But if he has to
take a swing at something - possibly someone's jaw - he is left-handed.
This gave The Avengers director, Roy Baker, quite a headache in Saturday's
episode, "The 13th Hole" which, predictably, is about golf. Said
Pat: "Roy had all the camera shots lined-up for right-handers - including
that swinging girl Diana Rigg - but I just had to do it left-handed. I
couldn't even hit a punchball the other way round and it's the same when I play
cricket." Pat recently became a businessman with interests in two TV
production companies. "It's all a bit of a game. I have these
high-powered conferences and everybody is terribly serious. I feel I'm
playing a part, but I hope it isn't one I tire of."
Daily Mail, 2 February, page 3, TV,
Review of The Man From U.N.C.L.E., Margaret Drabble, England
...as a comedy The Avengers or Get
Smart are streets ahead.
TV World, 16
February, pages 17 and 18, Diana Rigg tastes... A Touch Of Brimstone, no
author, England.
Manchester Evening News, 19 February, page 3, Photo-caption
A
Queen of Sin. This is one of the roles of Emma Peel (Diana Rigg) in an orgy scene during
"A Touch Of Brimstone" tonight's episode on ITV. The snake is a real one.
Daily Mail, 22 February, page 4, People, Gossip Column:
Diana Rigg & Stuntmen, England
..Actress Diana Rigg who had to have
a stuntMAN do her fighting in earlier "Avengers" episodes now knows her business
so well she does all the tough stuff herself...
The Stage and Television
Today, 24 February, Combined Right Mixture of Extravaganza and Menace, Michael
Billington, England.
TV
Times issue 539, 24 February, pages 2 and 3, Fit And Fizzy,
Diana Rigg interview, Dave Lanning, England.
he New Zealand Listener, 25
February, She Won't Be Typed, page 32, author unknown, New Zealand.
The Stage and Television Today, 3 March, untitled, page unknown,
author unknown, England.
...a story in ABC's filmed series THE
AVENGERS was the cause of an ITA ruling that the programme had to be cut by one minute or
shown after 9 P.M. The scene objected to showed Diana Rigg as Emma Peel apparently
being whipped. Rediffusion chose in this instance to leave programmed schedules
unchanged and cut the allegedly objectionable scene from "A Touch Of Brimstone"
shown in London on February 18.
TV Weekly, 3
March, page 4, Success Girl, no author, England.
Does anybody know what TV Weekly was?
Daily Mail, 7 March, page 4, Non-Political People,
Popularity of Diana Rigg, England
...Asked to name who they'd like
invited to lecture them on poise, South London youth club girls chose Diana Rigg of The
Avengers, Lady Dorothy Macmillan or Norman Hartnell in that order...
Daily Mail, 8 March, page 3, TV,
Review of 'The
Ratcatchers' TV show, England
The difference between this stuff and The
Avengers or The Man From U.N.C.L.E. is that when you are caught watching it you feel
obliged to offer some defensive explanation.
The Times, 12 March, page 5, disputes about payments - author
unknown, England.
 TV
World, 16 March, page 1 & ?, title unknown, author unknown, England.
Weekend,
16 March, pages 1,16,17, Hell For The Leather Girl, Michael Kirsch,
England.
TV Showtime, 18 March, page unknown, Poster of Patrick Macnee and
Diana Rigg, no author, USA.
TV
Week, 19 March, page unknown, title unknown, author unknown, Australia. Small
Diana Rigg Avengers piece.
Stage
and Television Today, unknown date in late March 1966, page unknown, Shameless
Legpull, author unknown.
Review of 'Honey For The Prince'
Man's
Journal, April, page unknown, The Strange Case
of the Green Girl, Brian Clemens and Graham Finlayson, England.
Man's Journal was a supplement that came with the monthly Woman's Journal.
Newsweek,
4 April, page 94, Good Chap Sexuality, Author unknown, USA.
The New Zealand Listener, 7 April, page ?,
Steed The Avenger,
author unknown, New Zealand.
Sunday Citizen, 24 April, pages 8 and 9, Secret Agent Girls
Find Man's Last Retreat, The rise of the female spy, including Mrs Peel, Cynthia
Grenier, Scotland.
TV Guide, 30 April, pages unknown, Preview of Summer Replacement
Shows including The Avengers, Unknown, USA.
Fabulous, 30 April, page unknown, "Avengers girl Diana Rigg talking about men" , Unknown, England.
TV
Channels, 1 May, pages 1 & unknown, title unknown, author unknown, USA.
TV Prevues, 1 May, Cover, page 2,
Spoofing It Up On The Avengers, ?, USA.
Daily Mail, 3 May, page 3, Back
In The Shakespeare Business, Diana Rigg returns to the Royal Shakespeare Company at
Stratford on Avon, England.
TV Week, 7 May, page 3, no title,
no author, Australia.
Who's the lady behind the veil? Why, it's Diana Rigg, who plays Emma
Peel in The Avengers. Diana is pictured doing the Dance of the Seven Veils
for a visiting Middle Eastern potentate in a future episode, Honey For The Prince.
Diana, who took over the lead in the series from Honor (Kathy Gale) Blackman,
is called on to fight with guns, judo, wrestling and boxing as her weapons -
but she still manages to look beautiful. Diana doesn't always come off
best in her fights - in future episodes she will be thrown down flights of stairs
and hurled through plate-glass windows.
Daily Mail, 11 May, page 8, "To
be sexy in private is quite enough for the Englishwoman" - Diana Rigg talking
yesterday., Diana Rigg interview, Barry Norman, England.
TV
Week, 14 May, pages 1 & unknown (2), title unknown, author uknown, USA.
Observer Magazine, 15 May, page
?, The Avengers and Elizabeth David in a Cavalcade of Kit...,
[Sorry about the mystery ending but I copied this about nine years ago and didn't
fit it in the copier very well. I'll check it when I've done the rest].
The Observer Simple Girl's Guide to Kitchens @ Heal's, 196 Tottenham Court Road,
London W1. Featuring Mrs Peel's Kitchen and Steed's 'bedside, plug-in kitchen'.
Woman's Mirror, 28 May, page 1 and ?, Diana Rigg - The Other Side of Emma Peel, unknown, England.
Woman's Mirror, 28 May, page ?, John Bates and his Pussycat Fashion , unknown, England.
Encounter,
June, page 38 Tassels and Other Gadgets, David Sylvester, USA. 'Paragraph-long'
Avengers mention.
TV Century
21, 4 June 2066, page ?, Corgi Model Club News: The Avengers, no author,
England.
TV
Weekly, 6 June, page 1 & unknown, title unknown, Diana Rigg Avengers
cover and story, author unknown, New Zealand.
Detroit News TV Magazine, 12 June, page ?, title unknown, author
unknown, USA.
Daily Mail, 15 June, page 3, Honor's New Role... A Far Cry From
The Avengers, Honor Blackman starring in a new play, England.
Daily
Mail, 17 June, page 14, Showplace: Diana Goes Back To Stratford In Triumph,
Review of Twelfth Night, England.
Diana,
18 June, page ?, Lucky Penny Talks To ('Avenger') Emma Peel,
Diana Rigg interview, 'Lucky Penny', England.
TV Weekly: Detroit Free Press, 3 July, 2 pages - unknown, author
unknown, USA.
Daily Mail, 18 July, page 4, Miss Rigg looking like vengeance,
Diana Rigg attends a Vietnam protest, England.
Daily Mail, 30 July, page 4, Cardin Takes Off For Space,
Pierre Cardin fashion show, Joy Tagney, England
Well I went to Cardin,
along with Diana Rigg and Patrick Macnee (who went to see what kind of clothes they're
going to get when Cardin designs for The Avengers) and a lot of other people"...
Part of a larger piece, England.
Daily Mirror, 30 July, page 5,
Now Mr. Cardin Launches Men Into The Space Age, Avengers at Pierre
Cardin fashion show, Felicity Green, England
...sitting near me at the show and taking all this space stuff like a man
was "Avenger" Patrick Macnee. He plans for Steed to wear this look
in the next TV series.
London
Evening Standard, ? August, page unknown, Don't Call Me Emma! Diana Rigg
on the appeal of the fighting woman, Milton Shulman, England.
Daily Mail, 2 August, page 4, How Miss Rigg Keeps That Familiar
Look, Pierre Cardin fashions, Charles Greville, England.
Daily Mail, 5 August, page 3, TV Column,
Review of Adam
Adamant, Virginia Ironside, England
Using what sounded like a rejected
Avengers script, with none of the imagination or slickness of that show.
Garden
Ghouls Gazette #21, September, page unknown, no title, author unknown, USA.
Review of The Avengers in vintage fanzine.
TV
Weekly, 10 October, page unknown, title unknown, 'the guest critic talks
about The Avengers and Diana Rigg', author unknown, New Zealand.
Daily Mail, 9 November, page
1, Avengers for U.S., The sale
of season five to the USA, England
A 26-week series of TV's The
Avengers has been sold to America. A previous black-and-white series was sold to 40
countries, including the U.S.
The Times, 9 November, page 11, unknown, News In Brief
The ABC Television series The Avengers which returns to British screens
from January 6, will also be screened in the United States, but in colour. The American
Broadcasting Company has signed a contract to run the first 26 programmes for more than
$2m.
New
Zealand TV Weekly, November 21, pages 1,22,23,26,27, Meet Mrs. Peel's Rough
and Tumble Teacher, author unknown, New Zealand.
Ray Austin interview
TV
Weekly, November 28, pages unknown (four of them), title unknown, four page
spread, author unknown, New Zealand.
Daily Mail, 9 December, page 3, TV Column,
Review of The
Girl From UNCLE, Geoffrey Nicholson, England
UNCLE, man or girl, is light
years ahead of adventure series like The Saint or The Baron. But it still makes you feel
nostalgic for Danger Man's attentive care for detail and The Avengers imaginative
extravagance... part of a larger piece.
Daily Mail, 30 December, page 3, As the Bishop said to the
actress, Barbara Shelley gossip piece referring to an ABC party and her upcoming part
as 'Venus' in The Avengers, England, Not really worth having.
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