New Avengers, The: The Complete Series (Blu-ray Review)
Director
VariousRelease Date(s)
1976-1977 (March 25, 2026)Studio(s)
The Avengers Enterprises Ltd./London Weekend (Imprint Television/Via Vision Entertainment)- Film/Program Grade: A-
- Video Grade: A
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: A
Review
[Editor’s Note: This is a Region-Free Australian Blu-ray import.]
First, the lede: Australia’s Imprint label has been releasing positively outstanding (and region-free) boxed sets of classic British television shows, picking up the mantle from the sadly defunct Network in the U.K. The New Avengers may be their best release yet. But, first, some background...
The original The Avengers (1961-1969) went through various permutations, beginning as a straightforward British espionage series headlined by Ian Hendry as medical Dr. David Keel, aided by dapper, bowler-wearing and umbrella-carrying agent John Steed (Patrick Macnee). Shot on 405-line videotape, only three of the show’s first season’s episodes are known to survive, and, in any case, Hendry quit at the end of that series. For season two, Macnee was promoted to star and given a series of rotating partners, before settling on anthropologist Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman), skilled at judo and with a fondness for leather, a character she virtually reprised for the later Goldfinger. By the third season (or, as the British say, “series”), the Steed-Gale relationship was firmly established, and The Avengers became a huge hit in Britain.
When the American television network ABC licensed the rights to broadcast The Avengers in the U.S., beginning in 1965, the format changed again, to much more lavishly produced episodes shot on 35mm film, though still in black-and-white (switching to color the following year), now with Diana Rigg as Emma Peel, Steed’s newest partner. When she left at the end of season five, she was replaced by Linda Thorson as Tara King.
Unquestionably, though, it was the Macnee-Rigg episodes that made the biggest and longest-lasting international impact. Compared to The Avengers programs that preceded them, the Macnee-Rigg episodes had a markedly wittier, even campy tone, often with “spy-fi” plots, reflecting the influence of American TV shows like Batman and The Man from U.N.C.L.E., as well as metafictional elements, a kind of breaking of the fourth wall in the manner of the Hope-Crosby “Road” movies. By the end, The Avengers had, like the short-lived, concurrent spy movie craze, reached a creative dead end; it became a parody of itself, all style and little substance.
When revived in 1976 as The New Avengers, there was a concerted effort to take itself a bit more seriously than before. The wit and style are still there, and while still occasionally outrageously unbelievable, the teleplays had a more serious underpinning, which in turn generated more tension: whereas during the Steed-Emma Peel years neither ever seemed to be in any real danger, in The New Avengers there’s actually considerable suspense at times. The stakes seem grounded in a little reality.
Prompted by the original show’s continuing international success, including a 1975 French champagne commercial in which Macnee and Thorson briefly reprised their TV roles, The New Avengers gave Steed two new partners, Mike Gambit (Gareth Hunt) and Purdey (Joanna Lumley). By this point Macnee was in his mid-50s and out-of-shape, the thinking being that Hunt could do the heavy lifting for this new series. Macnee, however, anxious to remain at the center of things and not be saddled with an Alexander Waverly-type role (Leo G. Carroll’s character on The Man from U.N.C.L.E.), Macnee lost weight and quickly become not just Gambit and Purdey’s boss but an equal partner in the action. Nevertheless, having Gambit allowed for more sexual tension between the younger leads, and Gareth Hunt is excellent in the part, while Steed’s more paternal role and genuine concern for the agents mentoring under him give The New Avengers an appealing dynamic.
Produced for £125,000 (about USD $225,000 at the exchange rate then) per episode, the series was again filmed in 35mm and color as a British-French-Canadian co-production under the Avengers (Film and TV) Enterprises Ltd. banner for London Weekend (the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London). It was eventually sold to 120 countries and quite popular all over the world, including the U.S. where it ran on CBS as a late night offering, but the complex financing arrangement made it fiendishly difficult to produce additional episodes after two seasons of 13 episodes apiece. Multiple attempts to produce a third season during 1979 and 1980 failed—a shame because it really is a fun program.
Interestingly, the series alternates between outrageous science fiction storylines (suspended animation, killer robots, scientifically-controlled mass bird attacks) with grittier, Len Deighton-type plots infused at producer Brian Clemens’s insistence, though these also are agreeably humorous at times. Again and again in the audio commentaries and other extras included in this boxed set, those who worked on the series remark about the luxurious production schedule, with everyone involved determined to make the series as good or better than the original. Fans of the original series generally consider The New Avengers a worthy follow-up, though most agree the final four shows, produced in Toronto, Ontario, are inferior to those which came before.
Patrick Macnee, of course, had a long, busy career both before and after The Avengers, but was so perfect in his signature role he broke the mold, as it were; even an actor as good as Ralph Fiennes (in the 1998 feature film) could not replace him. Joanna Lumley is well-cast; while, like Macnee, there was no replacing Diana Rigg’s Emma Peel (arguably the sexiest leading actress in a TV series, ever), Lumley is gorgeous, in the thick of the action scenes, and as stylishly costumed in a mid-’70s manner, much as Rigg’s ’60s wardrobe was emblematic for that period.
The great guest stars also help: Peter Cushing, Peter Jeffrey, Frank Thornton, John Carson, Ronald Lacey, Vladek Sheybal, Ian Hendry (playing a different role from his original character), Edward Judd, David de Keyser, John Castle, Clive Revill, Caroline Munro, Jon Finch, Martin Shaw, Lewis Collins, Ferdy Mayne, and many others among them.
Imprint’s Region-Free boxed set is superb in every way. The video transfers of these 1.37:1 standard color films are nothing less than staggering. They look brand-new. Compared to Blu-rays of ’70s American TV shows like The Rockford Files, which exhibit varying color, contrast, and occasional damage, these video transfers are positively pristine—extremely sharp (one can almost count the hairs of Lumley’s bobbed hairstyle) with exceptionally vibrant color and virtually zero damage. For a 1.37:1 standard frame color production from the mid-1970s, I’ve seen nothing look better than this. The LPCM 2.0 mono, supported by optional English subtitles, is likewise excellent.
Imprint’s sturdy, attractively designed and compact boxes are another plus—these things won’t fall apart after a year of use. Roughly the size of three standard Blu-ray cases, the set contains 10 discs in two cases, one for each season, typically with just three 53-minute episodes per disc, allowing for extra features and a healthy bit-rate.
Extras begin with a slender but hardbound and full-color book, functioning as an episode guide. (Alas, there’s a glaring editing error when Imprint put this together, but it doesn’t affect the content in any way.)
Next is a really delightful supplement, a 32-page, full color collection of The New Avengers comic book stories. A third book, also heavily illustrated in color and running 62 pages, offers essays and background on the series by Samuel Clemens, George Clemens, and Grant Taylor.
The supplements are endless but, having sampled many of them, always worthwhile. The vast majority of material has appeared in past and recent releases of the series in the U.K.:
- Audio Commentary on The Eagle’s Nest by Actor Gareth Hunt and Writer/Producer Brian Clemens
- Introduction on House of Cards by Stunt-Double Cyd Child
- Audio Commentary on House of Cards by Stunt-Double Cyd Child and TV Historian Henry Holland
- Picture-In-Picture Video Commentary on House of Cards by Stunt-Double Cyd Child and TV Historian Henry Holland
- Introduction on The Last of the Cybernauts...?? by Stuntman Rocky Taylor
- Introduction on The Last of the Cybernauts...?? by Big Finish Creative Director Nicholas Briggs
- Audio Commentary on The Last of the Cybernauts...?? by Stuntman Rocky Taylor, Big Finish Creative Director Nicholas Briggs and TV Historian Henry Holland
- Remembering The New Avengers with Guest Star Annette Andre
- “Mit schirm, charme und melone” Series 1 German Opening and Closing Titles
- “Mit schirm, charme und melone” Series 2 German Opening and Closing Titles
- Introduction on The Midas Touch by ITC Historian Dick Fiddy
- Audio Commentary on The Midas Touch by Stunt-Double Cyd Child and ITC Historian Dick Fiddy
- Picture-In-Picture Video Commentary on The Midas Touch by Stunt-Double Cyd Child and ITC Historian Dick Fiddy
- Filmmaker John Hough on The New Avengers (University of Chichester 2011)
- Interview with Stunt-Double Cyd Child (University of Chichester 2011)
- The New Avengers: Screen Test (Mute)
- Introduction on Gnaws by Big Finish Creative Director Nicholas Briggs
- Audio Commentary on Gnaws by Big Finish Creative Director Nicholas Briggs and ITC Historian Jonathan Wood
- Picture-In-Picture Video Commentary on Gnaws by Big Finish Creative Director Nicholas Briggs and ITC Historian Jonathan Wood
- Interview with Filmmaker Raymond Austin (University of Chichester 2001)
- Introduction on Sleeper by Actress Joanna Lumley
- Audio Commentary on Sleeper by Actress Joanna Lumley and Stunt-Double Cyd Child
- Picture-In-Picture Video Commentary on Sleeper by Actress Joanna Lumley and Stunt-Double Cyd Child
- Interview with Patrick Macnee Biographer Marie Cameron (University of Chichester 2011)
- Becoming Purdey: The Woman Who Redefined The Avengers: Interview with Actress Joanna Lumley
- Audio Commentary on Dead Men Are Dangerous by Actor Gareth Hunt and Writer/Producer Brian Clemens
- Introduction on Angels of Death by Actress Caroline Munro
- Audio Commentary on Angels of Death by Actress Caroline Munro and TV Historian Henry Holland
- Introduction on Obsession by Filmmakers Samuel Clemens and George Clemens
- Audio Commentary on Obsession by Filmmakers Samuel Clemens and George Clemens
- Picture-In-Picture Video Commentary on Obsession by Filmmakers Samuel Clemens and George Clemens
- The New Avengers x Rover Promo
- French Opening and Closing Titles
- Introduction on K is for Kill Part One: The Tiger Awakes by TV Historian Henry Holland
- Audio Commentary on K is for Kill Part One: The Tiger Awakes by ITC Historian Dick Fiddy and TV Historian Henry Holland
- Introduction on Complex by ITC Historian Jonathan Wood
- Audio Commentary on Complex by ITC Historian Jonathan Wood and British TV Historian Grant Taylor
- Restoring The New Avengers
- Brian Clemens on The New Avengers: The Avengers 50th Anniversary at the University of Chichester 2011
- Interview with Composer Laurie Johnson: The Avengers 50th Anniversary at the University of Chichester 2011
- The New Avengers Series Trailer
- The Impact of The New Avengers: Reinvented for a New Era
- Kicks, Flips & Spy Tricks: The Stunt Magic of The New Avengers
In short, days and days of material to keep fans occupied.
Quite unexpectedly, I’m having a blast watching this series, in some ways more so than the original Avengers. With some of the best video transfers I’ve ever seen and scads and scads of extra features, all attractively packaged, this is one of the best boxed sets of the year.
- Stuart Galbraith IV