The Avengers keep it in the family
Steed and Mrs Peel are back together to fight enemies of the state, indulge in some espionage and a decent bottle of Laurent Perrier.
45 years after TV producer Brian Clemens first presided over the memorable “Steel and Mrs Peel” era of The Avengers, his son takes the helm of this full-cast audio reimagining for Big Finish.
Occupying the role of dashing gentleman agent, John Steed, is actor Julian Wadham (Middlemarch, The Casual Vacancy), taking down villains with élan alongside Mrs Emma Peel, played by Olivia Poulet (The Thick Of It, Doc Martin).
Big Finish has been producing The Avengers for audio since 2014, initially with a series of Lost Stories, before these adaptations began in 2018. This set marks the first time director Samuel Clemens has worked with the quintessentially British characters his father put his own creative stamp on back in 1965.
The Avengers: The Comic Strip Adaptations Volume 04: Steed & Mrs Peel is now available for pre-order as a collector’s edition four-disc box set or digital download, from just £24.99 HERE.
The four exciting adventures are as follows:
Listen Hear... by Robert Khan and Tom Salinsky
An agent has been lost at sea shortly after getting hold of a revolutionary new device that the Ministry are very keen to acquire. Steed and Peel are sent to retrieve it, but the enemy agents also on the trail are the least of their worries. Someone is listening in on their every move. But who?
The Clown Has Two Faces by Dan Starkey
Top secret plans have been stolen, and all signs point to a travelling circus. Infiltrating, Steed and Mrs Peel find themselves in the middle of a deadly serious plot. When you take on clowns, can you be certain of having the last laugh?
White Heat by Gemma Langford
Fireballs are descending upon London and a ransom is being demanded. Steed and Peel have a single lead - an agent badly injured in a similar attack. If she can lead them to the person responsible, they might just have a chance to stop the destruction... but if not, they will soon witness the second great fire of London!
Now You See Him... by John Dorney
Scientists are defecting and no-one is entirely sure how or why. With their quarries disappearing on the street, Steed and Peel are baffled.
Surely a night out at the theatre can’t provide the solution?
Producer David Richardson said: “Sam Clemens is a big fan of The Avengers, and it’s no understatement to say that the series is in his blood. As the son of Brian Clemens, he was born to direct these audios! And Sam has done excellent work directing for us across a number of other ranges.”
Director Samuel Clemens added: “The Avengers has definitely been a huge part of my life. Even though I didn’t grow up with them, it was always around me. My mum and dad would have dinner parties with directors, stuntmen, writers and actors from the show, so I was always a behind-the-scenes spectator.
“What I came to learn is that The Avengers really is my father’s brain. From the Diana Rigg era onwards, he was the series runner and every script was filtered through the lens with which he saw the world – or would like to see the world.”
The Avengers: The Comic Strip Adaptations Volume 04: Steed & Mrs Peel is now available for pre-order as a collector’s edition four-disc box set (at £29.99) or digital download (at £24.99).
These prices will be held until general release when they will be available at £34.99 (CD) and £29.99 (download).
Please note that Big Finish is currently operating a digital-first release schedule. The mailout of collector’s edition CDs will be delayed, but all purchases of this release unlock a digital copy that can be immediately downloaded or played on the Big Finish app from the release date.