January 7 1961 saw the debut of
ITV's cult fantasy drama. Patrick
Macnee (1922-2015) and Ian
Hendry (1931-1984) portrayed spy
John Steed and Dr. David Keel.
Beginning with the murder of Keel's
fiance Peggy, and his sworn intent
to avenge her death, the initial run
comprised twenty-six instalments.
Only two complete stories exist in
the archives, whilst just the final
act of the opening episode remain
intact.
After 161 episodes, spanning six
series, The Avengers finished in
1969 and was shown in ninety
countries.
The programme spawned the television sequel, The New Avengers
(1976-77), a British stage production (1971), the South African radio
series (1971-73), even a cinema version (1998), and Big Finish's full-
cast audio version (2014 to present).
The TV executive credited with conceiving Doctor Who in 1963,
Sydney Newman (1917-1997) also created The Avengers for ABC
(later Thames), and he assembled a team of writers that included
Dennis Spooner, John Lucarotti, Bill Strutton, and Peter Ling.
The first season of The Avengers featured Roger Delgado, and a
total of sixty other Doctor Who cast and crew connections:
Hot Snow (UK TX: January 7 1961)- Robert James (Vance, here & next episode) played Lesterson in The Power of the Daleks, and the High Priest in The Masque of Mandragora
- Geoffrey Quigley (Spicer here & Brought To Book) was Dortmun in Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150 AD
- Charles Wade (Johnson) was Malik in (episode 3 of) Marco Polo
Brought To Book (UK TX: January 14)- Clifford Elkin (Boy) was the Earth Cruiser Captain in Frontier in Space (5)
- Neil McCarthy (Bart) was Barnham in The Mind of Evil, and Thawn in The Power of Kroll
- Charles Morgan (Mason) was Songsten in The Abominable Snowmen, and Gold Usher in The Invasion of Time
Square Root of Evil (UK TX: January 21)- Heron Carvic (Five) was the Voice of Morpho in The Keys of Marinus (2)
- John Woodvine (Bloom here, Harry in Dead of Winter) was the Marshall of Atrios in The Armageddon Factor
Nightmare (UK TX: January 28)Crescent (UK TX: February 4)- Eric Thompson (Paul) was Viscount Gaston de Levis in The Massacre
Girl On The Trapeze (UK TX: February 11)- Edwin Richfield (Stefan) was Captain Hart in The Sea Devils, and Mestor in The Twin Dilemma
- Ivor Salter (Sergeant) was the Morok Commander in The Space Museum, Odysseus in The Myth Makers, and Sergeant Markham in Black Orchid
- David Grey (Sterret) was Rinchen, also in serial NN
- production designer Paul Bernard (here & Kill The King) went on to direct Day of the Daleks, The Time Monster and Frontier in Space
Diamond Cut Diamond (UK TX: February 18)The Radioactive Man (UK TX: February 25)- Paul Grist (Constable) was Bill Filer in The Claws of Axos
- George Pravda (Ogrin) was Denes in The Enemy of the World, Professor Jaeger in The Mutants, and Castellan Spandrell in The Deadly Assassin
- Christine Pollon (Mary) provided the voice of the Oracle in Underworld
Ashes of Roses (UK TX: March 4)- Mark Eden (Beronne) was the titular Venetian explorer in Marco Polo, and depicted Donald Baverstock in An Adventure in Space and Time
- Edward Dentith (Roffey) was Major General Rutlidge in The Invasion
Hunt The Man Down (UK TX: March 18)- Maurice Good (Stacey) was Phineas Clanton in The Gunfighters
Please Don't Feed The Animals (UK TX: April 1)
- Tenniel Evans (Felgate) was Major Daly in Carnival of Monsters
Dance With Death (UK TX: April 15)
- Angela Douglas (Beth) was Doris Lethbridge-Stewart in Battlefield
- Geoffrey Palmer (Anthony) was Edward Masters in The Silurians, the Administrator in The Mutants, and Captain Hardaker in Voyage of the Damned
- Neil Wilson (Sergeant here; Beppi in The Frighteners) was Seeley in Spearhead from Space
One For The Mortuary (UK TX: April 29)
- Frank Gatliff (Dubois here; Harvey in The Sell-Out; Pitt-Norton in A Chorus of Frogs; Fryer in Love All; Karl in The New Avengers: The Eagle's Nest) was Ortron in The Monster of Peladon
- Dennis Edwards (Pallaine) was a Centurion in The Romans (2), and Lord Gomer in The Invasion of Time
- Steven Scott (Concierge here, and Boris in Dragonsfield) was Kebble in The Power of the Daleks
The Springers (UK TX: May 13)
- Donald Morley (Neame) was Jules Renan in The Reign of Terror
- David Webb (Pheeney here; Bilston in The New Avengers: Faces) was Alec Leeson in Colony in Space (1)
The Frighteners (UK TX: May 27)
- Stratford Johns (Weller) and Philip Locke (Moxon here; Primble in From Venus With Love) both appeared in Four to Doomsday, as Monarch and Bigon respectively
- Godfrey James (Boy) was Tarn in Underworld
- Eric Elliott (Butler) was the Commander of The Ark
The Yellow Needle (UK TX: June 10)
- Eric Dodson (Inspector here; One-Fifteen in Dragonsfield) was the Headman in The Visitation
- Michael Barrington (Waiter here; Todhunter in Dial a Deadly Number; General Stevens in The New Avengers: Dirtier by the Dozen) was Sir Colin Thackeray in The Seeds of Doom
- Wolfe Morris (Ali) was Padmasambhava, also in serial NN
Death On The Slipway (UK TX: June 24)
- Tom Adams (Butterworth here; Rayner in The Far Distant Dead) was Vorshak in Warriors of the Deep
- Hamilton Dyce (Brodie) was Major General Scobie, also in serial AAA
- Gary Watson (Pardoe) was Arthur Terrall in The Evil of the Daleks
Double Danger (UK TX: July 8)
- Ron Pember (Mills) voiced Seedle for Slipback
- Peter Reynolds (Brady here; Tulip in Who's Who???) was Man on Bicycle, also in the second Dalek film
Toy Trap (UK TX: July 22)
- Tex Fuller [born Albert Charles Baseley] (Taylor here; Motorist in Sleeper) was an uncredited Exxilon Messenger in Death to the Daleks (3)
- Anne Tirard (Mrs McCabe) was Locusta in The Romans (3), and the Seeker in The Ribos Operation
Tunnel of Fear (UK TX: August 5)
- Morris Perry (Sergeant here; Technician in Dragonsfield) was Captain Dent in Colony in Space
The Far Distant Dead (UK TX: August 19)
- Reed De Rouen (Garcia) was Pa Clanton, also in serial Z
- Francis De Wolff (Zeebrugge) was Vasor in The Keys of Marinus (4), and Agamemnon in The Myth Makers
Kill The King (UK TX: September 2)
- Peter Barkworth (Crichton-Bull) was Leader Clent in The Ice Warriors
- Burt Kwouk (Tenuphon) was Lin Futu, also in serial 5W, and voiced Dr Hayashi for Loups-Garoux (2001)
Dead of Winter (UK TX: December 9)
- Neil Hallett (Weber here; Packer in The Winged Avenger; Ryder in Get-a-Way!; Clifford in The New Avengers: Faces; Roberts in Medium Rare) was Maylin Renis in Timelash
The Deadly Air (UK TX: December 16)
- Geoffrey Bayldon (Kilbride) was Organon in The Creature from the Pit, and voiced the Doctor for Auld Mortality (2003) and A Storm of Angels (2005)
- Ann Bell (Barbara) voiced Sylvia O'Donnell for A Thousand Tiny Wings (2010)
- Keith Anderson (Heneger) was Robespierre in The Reign of Terror
- Michael Hawkins (Karswood) was General Williams in Frontier in Space
- John Stratton (Craxton) was Shockeye in The Two Doctors
A Change of Bait (UK TX: December 23)
- Henry Lincoln (Sampson) later co-wrote both Yeti stories and The Dominators with Mervyn Haisman
- John Bailey (Potts) was the Commander in The Sensorites (6), Edward Waterfield in The Evil of the Daleks, and Sezom in The Horns of Nimon (4)
- Graham Rigby (Fletcher) was Larry Madison in The Dalek Invasion of Earth
Dragonsfield (UK TX: December 30)
- Keith Barron (Technician here; Draker in The New Avengers: Target!) was Captain Straker in Enlightenment, and voiced Isaac Barclay for Plague of the Daleks (2009), and Lord Tulip for The Bad Penny (2018)
- Ronald Leigh-Hunt (Reddington here; Lambert in The Cybernauts; General in The New Avengers: Three Handed Game) was Commanders, Julian Radnor in The Seeds of Death, and Stevenson in Revenge of the Cybermen
- Michael Robbins (Landlord) was Richard Mace, also in serial 5X
- Barbara Shelley (Susan here; Venus in From Venus With Love) was Sorasta in Planet of Fire
