In 1965, the UK television company ABC revamped a successful series and turned it into a worldwide phenomena. The first three seasons of THE AVENGERS had been transmitted live or shot on videotape, but recorded "as life". Not only was season four filmed (albeit in black and white), it also introduced one of the classic female television icons - Emma Peel.

This volume of Contender's DEFINITIVE DOSSIER series features the first six episodes of season four, first shown in October and November 1965, with three episodes on each disc.

THE TOWN OF NO RETURN was the first time viewers got to see Emma Peel, and it's clearly an introductory episode (the 1998 film borrows some of the ideas from this episode). The revamped character of Steed has more than a hint of the schoolboy about him, as we see when he burns "Piggy" Warren's moustache.

Set around a deserted airfield near Little-Bazeley-by-the-Sea, the plot sees Steed and Emma uncovering plans for an invasion by stealth. The early episodes often featured Emma in disguise, and here she poses as a schoolteacher, although I'm sure that many of us wish our teachers had looked like Diana Rigg and ADAM ADAMANT LIVES!'s Juliet Harmer, who is the suspiciously young looking headmistress. (Actually, that would have been possible in part since Harmer was a teacher before taking up acting.)

The fact that it was originally filmed with Elizabeth Shepherd is only apparent in one scene, when it's obvious that it's not Patrick Newell being chased across the dunes, but this is still a good intro for Emma and a good start to the season.

One of the enduring images of THE AVENGERS at its peak is the English eccentric, and THE GRAVE-DIGGERS gives us a good example of this in Ronald Fraser's Sir Horace Winslip. The man's clearly barking, living in a railway station (and eating lunch in a railway carriage, complete with special effects), has a minature railway and finances a device to jam motor cars. Except, of course, it's nothing of the sort and Steed and Emma have to prevent Britain's tracking stations from being jammed instead.

THE AVENGERS rarely went in for sequels, but THE CYBERNAUTS produced not one, but two. Michael Gough's wheelchair bound Dr Armstrong isn't your usual AVENGERS diabolical mastermind, he's just using his automated creations to get rid of his business rivals.

Disc two opens with DEATH AT BARGAIN PRICES, which features another wheelbound villain, in the shape of Andre Morell's Horatio "King" Kane. Some good direction from Charles Crichton helps keep things moving nicely, there are cameo appearances from the Daleks and FIREBALL XL5 puppets, and there's another good fight scene including the return of Steed's metal bowler.

Plot-wise CASTLE DE'ATH is a bit muddy ("it's all to do with the price of fish"), but this is more than made up for by the episode's atmosphere, with Steed posing as Jock McSteed, and Emma as the "Mistress Peel". Personally, I'd say it's worth it just for Emma's dinner outfit and the sight of her wandering around Castle De'ath in a nightgown. There's also a good performance by Gordon Jackson as Ian De'ath.

Finally, THE MASTER MINDS sees Steed and Emma battling Ransack, a club for egg-heads. It's a bit formulaic, but as you'd expect there's still plenty of good stuff - Steed being forced to cheat on his IQ test, a cracking head-to-toe pan of Emma and Steed's tackling of Sir Clive Todd's daughter Davinia who, having returned from holiday ahead of her clothes, turns up in just a bikini and leopardskin coat.

The sleeve tells us that these episodes have been "digitally remastered" but even so, I do think that more could have been done in places. However, the odd problem with the print is never enough to distract from the episodes themselves, especially as many of them are confined to the credit sequences anyway. There are, however, a couple of annoying layer changes, although at least these come at the end of scenes.

Extras are non-existent, which is a bit a shame, but perhaps understandable given the number of times the series has changed hands over the last forty years. But to be honest, it's the main feature itself that is the main reason for buying any DVD, and it's hard to fault the actual episodes. BACK TO THE TOP

THE AVENGERS:
THE DEFINITIVE DOSSIER -
1965, FILES ONE AND TWO

Written by BRIAN CLEMENS,
MALCOLM HULKE, PHILIP LEVENE
JOHN LUCAROTTI

Directed by: ROY BAKER,
QUENTIN LAWRENCE, SIDNEY HAYERS,
CHARLES CRICHTON, JAMES HILL

Starring PATRICK MACNEE
and DIANA RIGG

KULT T.V.
(CERTIFICATE PG)

REGION 2 (PAL)


RATING: 9/10


NEXT RELEASE:
1965: FILES THREE AND FOUR

PREVIOUS RELEASE:
1963/64