Mike Richardson's long-awaited book about The Avengers will be released on June 30th. A detailed guide to the series based on years of interviews and access to studio records, this is definitely on my must-read list. From the press release: "The Avengers is one of the most stylish and
influential television series of all time, blending action and adventure with
outrageous villains and a camp sense of fun. It introduced the public to the
central characters of John Steed, Cathy Gale, Emma Peel and Tara King, and made
international stars of actors Patrick Macnee, Honor Blackman, Diana Rigg and
Linda Thorson. This is the most in-depth reference work about the
show. It covers all aspects, going through the production episode by episode,
with full behind-the-scenes details. Assembled from ABC Television
documentation, including daily progress reports and internal letters and memos,
to give a complete day by day picture of how the series progressed from
videotape to film and from black and white to colour. In addition, the author
has spoken and corresponded with many people who worked on the series, to give
the fullest picture yet of how this classic and stylish British production was
assembled. This volume also covers The New Avengers, the
South African radio series, the stage play and the 1998 feature film." 810 pages. Paperback. eBook editions will apparently be available soon as well. Spy Vibers can order the book from AmazonUK, AmazonUS, and from Telos Publishing. More info below.
From an early announcement on The Avengers forum: "Compiled from official paperwork from ABC
Television, Iris Productions, Telemen Productions, ABC Television Films, The
Avengers (Film & TV) Enterprises and Warner Brothers, including internal
correspondence and daily progress reports, this volume gives a day by day
account of how the series progressed. In addition to this information, the
author has also spoken and corresponded with many people who worked on the
series, thus giving the fullest picture yet of how this classic and stylish
British production was assembled." Richardson added that the book answers some interesting questions: "Which episode of The Avengers was vetted by The
Ministry of Defense before transmission? In spring 1965 Honor Blackman was offered the lead
in which primetime American TV series? Further to this, there is the full story behind
the proposed Broadway Avengers play and the 1965 feature film project that was
to have location filming in the Middle East." Happy reading!
