The original Avengers began as a crime-and-espionage drama and became one of the most recognisable expressions of 1960s British television style. Its constant was John Steed, played by Patrick Macnee. Around him, the partners, tone and visual world changed. By the time Steed and Emma Peel were confronting eccentric masterminds and improbable schemes, the series had found a way to make danger, wit and fantasy look as if they belonged in the same room.

How the series changed

When the show started in 1961, its central partnership paired Steed with Dr David Keel, played by Ian Hendry. It was closer to a crime drama than the later, more flamboyant version many viewers know. As Steed moved to the centre, successive partners changed the energy of the series. Honor Blackman’s Cathy Gale brought independence and formidable presence; Diana Rigg’s Emma Peel became a quick-witted equal to Steed in the show’s most famous era; Linda Thorson’s Tara King joined him in the final years of the original run.

These shifts are useful to remember because The Avengers was never just a single formula repeated unchanged. Its character relationships and approach to stories evolved along with the decade. The later episodes could move from a country house to a laboratory or an apparently quiet village and make each place feel as though it concealed a bizarre conspiracy.

What makes John Steed distinctive?

Steed presents himself with immaculate composure. His bowler hat, umbrella and easy courtesy signal a gentleman who can remain polite while walking directly into danger. That elegance is part of the joke: he behaves as though even the strangest threat ought to be met with good manners. Macnee’s performance lets the character appear amused by events without turning him into a spectator. Steed still has to notice, investigate and act.

The partners prevent that style from becoming a solo act. Cathy Gale, Emma Peel and Tara King are not interchangeable sidekicks. Each has a different rhythm with Steed, and those differences give the series new ways to balance suspense and humour. The Peel partnership is especially memorable because its verbal give-and-take makes both characters seem alert to the absurdity around them. Their mutual confidence turns an investigation into a duet.

Spy story, fantasy and design

A conventional spy drama asks who is working for whom and what secret they want. The Avengers often asks that too, then adds a more playful question: what if the whole situation were one step stranger than expected? Elaborate plots, odd institutions and seemingly respectable villains help push the series towards fantasy without entirely abandoning the detective story underneath.

Its visual identity matters just as much. Clothes, cars, interiors and country locations establish a world that is recognisably British but deliberately heightened. That stylisation gives the mysteries their distinctive atmosphere. A genteel setting can conceal a threat; an ordinary object can become a clue; a polite conversation can be the prelude to a fight. The show invites viewers to enjoy the surface while remaining suspicious of it.

The women at the centre of the story

It is easy to reduce the programme to images of Steed and a glamorous partner. Watching the episodes makes the relationships more interesting. Blackman and Rigg in particular helped make independent women central to the series’ appeal. Their characters investigate, challenge and defend themselves. The show still reflects the attitudes and marketing of its era, and a modern viewer may notice tensions between its presentation of women and what they actually do in the stories. That tension is part of its television history, not a reason to overlook their contribution.

Where to start

If you want to see the programme’s development, sample an early episode and then move through the Cathy Gale, Emma Peel and Tara King periods. If you want the style for which it is most widely remembered, begin with a Steed-and-Peel story. Notice how swiftly a light exchange can become an investigation and how the series keeps both a straight-faced mystery and a knowing smile in play. The 1970s New Avengers later brought Steed back, but the original 1961–69 programme is the place to meet the changing partnership at the heart of this guide.

Featured image: existing site collage of characters from the original series.

Sources: ITV News: Patrick Macnee and The Avengers; ITV: 70 years of television drama; ITV press centre: original series cast.