MOTHER'S DAY

Happy Mother's day from Spy Vibe! In the final Diana Rigg episode of The Avengers ("The-Forget-Me-Knot"), agents John Steed, Emma Peel, and Tara King are first seen answering to their own controller, codename: Mother. The wheelchair-bound spymaster was portrayed by Patrick Newell (1932-1988). His base of operations moved from one eccentric location to another, which became a charming convention during the last season of the series. Briefings were held in places like the bottom of a lake, atop a double-decker bus, riding in a Rolls, and at a desk in a swimming pool- and always accompanied by his six-foot Amazonian assistant, Rhonda. Although some felt the Mother character broke the chemistry of the program's proven formula, his dream-like quality was well-rooted in the surrealism boom in England during the 1960s and certainly added additional flair and humor. Before taking the role of Mother, Patrick Newell appeared in two earlier episodes of The Avengers: "The Town of No Return" and "Something Nasty in the Nursery". Newell passed away in 1988 at the age of 56. More info at The Avengers Forever website here.

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