Spy Vibe interviews Rodney Marshall about his series of books on The Avengers. Rodney was born at the height of the spy boom in the mid-1960s, when his father, Roger Marshall, was literally bringing Mrs. Peel to life as scriptwriter on the series. His dad's many credits include some of the earliest episodes with Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman), as well as the introduction of Emma Peel and many of her subsequent adventures with John Steed. Rodney has since followed his own inspiration from The Avengers to publish a number of new books about each era of this cult classic. Images below: Marshall's book designs and A&E DVD covers. Welcome, Rodney!
Your dad was one of the writers on The Avengers; he even penned the
beginning stretch of the Emma Peel episodes. Did he talk much about the
show when you were growing up? How aware of The Avengers legacy were you as a
kid?
My first experience of The
Avengers as a child was watching The New Avengers, aged ten, when it was first
broadcast. At the time I was unaware that my father had written for the
original series, or that there even had been an ‘old’ Avengers. My father never
watched the show after his period on it came to an abrupt end. I found TNA
exciting and disturbing.
Your dad wrote some of the most memorable dialog for Steed and Mrs.
Peel. Apart from how the actors brought the characters to life, have
you got a sense from him about his own take on who
those characters are?
My father’s own take on
Steed and Mrs. Peel was that they had one foot in the real world and one in Avengerland,
a deserted and often surreal parallel universe. We share the belief that Avengerland
is as much a state of mind as geographical locations. Steed was a suave,
mysterious agent, Emma a cool but warm sharer of adventures. My father enjoyed
providing them with witty, almost Wildean dialogue.
Was your dad a resource for you when writing your series of books? Does
he look fondly back at the show?
He is very proud of
having contributed to the show, particularly in Seasons 3-4, the end of the
videotape era and the beginning of the filmed era. He fell out of love for the
show when Brian Clemens began to rewrite his episodes and insisted on imposing
his own particular vision. He thinks that The Avengers was a great show at its
artistic pinnacle but that it could and should have been even better.
Your books seem to offer detailed synopses and selected dialog
transcriptions for each episode. Tell us more about all of your Avengers
books. What will readers find? Some of the books include contributions from
other writers?
Subversive Champagne, my
first book on The Avengers, concentrates solely on the Peel era and looks at a
selection of episodes, arguing that the ‘classic’ episodes are the ones where the
writer and director combine the froth and charm of witty dialogue, fashion and
amusing fights – the champagne – with the darker, dramatic depths of surrealism
and implied violence (subversion). The book explores individual episodes,
analysing their effective mix of the key creative ingredients. It argues that The
Avengers defies genre and cannot be pigeonholed as ‘light entertainment’. It is
a show which blurs traditional classifications and boundaries. My subsequent
book on the Tara King era offers brief analysis of all 33 episodes. My New
Avengers book is far slimmer but offers a similar analysis to Subversive
Champagne. I see this ‘new series’ as very much part of the show’s rich
history.
What are some of the discoveries you made when compiling your books?
More recently, I am
editing a four volume series of books covering every filmed episode in closer
detail. The contributors come from all over the globe and their approaches
vary. This allows for more variety than in my own books. We are trying to avoid
over-intellectualising the show or dumbing it down, instead offering enjoyable
readings of each episode. Bright Horizons (volume 1) was very well received and
Mrs. Peel, We’re Needed is out in September.
Sounds fun! Maybe I can contribute something about fashion. What are some of the main elements of the show or patterns in the
stories you noticed while compiling your books?
While researching and
writing/editing these books, it has struck me what a clever, innovative, unique
show The Avengers was. It constantly evolved and changed, each season has its
own charm and idiosyncrasies, yet the classic episodes share a unique approach:
taking TV drama towards a daringly self-referential extreme.
What are some of your personal favorite Avengers moments or episodes?
Personal favourite
episodes: The Town of No Return, Silent Dust, The Hour That Never Was, Too Many
Christmas Trees, Epic, Something Nasty in the Nursery, Death’s Door, Requiem, Stay
Tuned… the list could go on. Steed and Emma exploring the deserted airbase with
not a soul in sight is my abiding favourite memory/scene.
From your unique perspective, what are some of the elements the 2008 movie
got right/wrong when adapting The Avengers. I believe the film included some of
your dad's original dialog. It's coming out on Blu-ray soon.
The 1998 movie got most
things wrong. There are fleeting moments which recreate Avengerland: the
opening sequence, the winter snow around the phone box and the labyrinthine
staircase. However, Steed and Emma are meant to share a ‘cool warmth’ and are wonderfully
likeable characters who we admire. In the film they are cold and almost like
good-looking mannequins. In addition, The Avengers was never ‘timeless’, it was
set in the Swinging Sixties. A contemporary setting doesn’t work, nor can it
function without Macnee as Steed.
I noticed your dad was unable to attend the 50th anniversary of The
Avengers events due to health. How is he now? He turned 80 this year? Do
the Avengers families have any contact? Have you connected with any of the
actors, producers, or crew members over the years? I admit I often wish I
could spend some Sundays chatting with Patrick Macnee.
My father is mentally as
sharp as ever but physically aged – he is now 80. However, he is always happy
to contribute to DVD commentaries and books and he added a foreword on "The Hour
That Never Was" to Bright Horizons. I recently contacted and chatted to Colin Finbow who lives near me and wrote the delightful episode "A Surfeit of H20."
Are there areas of The Avengers yet to be covered? Do you have any
future projects in the works?
After the current
volumes I have plans for a similar, collective Cathy Gale book and another
collective one covering Avengerland thematically: e.g. fashions, cars, Steed,
Emma Peel, Mother, sets, country house traps, music etc. I’m looking for
contributors for this epic project!
Your books are available in
paperback?
Yes, each volume of The
Avengers on film is (or will be) available in paperback (Amazon) and hardback
(Lulu). [Some limited-edition Hardcovers are available until the end of this month on Lulu].
Was it difficult to license images for your book covers?
Each book cover has been
provided by Jaz Wiseman who is the creative brain behind the Optimum/Studio
Canal DVDs.
Any additional thoughts?
My own feelings about
this wonderful series are succinctly summed up by Colin Finbow’s recent
comments to me: "The Avengers quirkiness
and blend of humour and suspense will always have a place in our culture.” (Colin
Finbow). The great advantage and privilege of having Roger Marshall as my
father is the opportunity, whenever I want insights into the greatest ever TV
series, to be able to speak to someone who was there, who watched episodes
taped and filmed, who knew the cast and production team, who created some of
the most memorable lines, scenes and episodes and who lived and breathed The
Avengers from Cathy Gale's emergence to the arrival of the technicolor world of
Emma Peel.
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