TV Themes #1 & Statistics #18

One of our very astute readers, Mr Record Man, has noticed that there were two great TV themes missing from last week's list of possible contenders. There was a reason for that: I have never watched Route 66, so I couldn't include it in my list. As for The Avengers, they are at #1 in our list and will be presented today.

The show began to air in 1961 and ran for 7 seasons. It was nominated for 4 Emmys and won a special BAFTA award. In 1976 a reboot called The New Avengers aired for two seasons.

The Avengers initially focused on Dr. David Keel (Ian Hendry) and his assistant John Steed (Patrick Macnee). Hendry left after the first season and Steed became the main character, partnered with a succession of assistants. Steed's most famous assistants were intelligent, stylish and assertive women: Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman), Emma Peel (Diana Rigg), and Tara King (Linda Thorson). In The New Avengers reboot, Steed's female partner was Purdy (Joanna Lumley of Absolutely Fabulous fame).

The best period was the one with Diana Rigg. Rigg would later play James Bond's (only) wife in On Her Majesty's Secret Service and recently Lady Olenna in Game Of Thrones. It was a happy coincidence that the season when Rigg first apperared was the first one to be broadcast in the USA, one of the first British series to be aired on prime time U.S. television.

The ABC network paid the then-unheard-of sum of $2 million for the first 26 episodes. The average budget for each episode was reportedly £56,000, which was high for the British industry. The U.S. deal meant that the producers could afford to start shooting the series on 35mm film. The transfer to film meant that episodes would be shot using the single camera setup, giving the production greater flexibility. The use of film production and the single-camera production style allowed more sophisticated visuals and camera angles and more outdoor location shots, all of which greatly improved the look of the series.

New female partner Mrs Emma Peel (Diana Rigg) debuted in this series in October 1965. The name of the character derived from a comment by writers, during development, that they wanted a character with "man appeal." In an early attempt to incorporate this concept into the character's name, she was called "Samantha Peel" shortened to the awkward "Mantha Peel". Eventually the writers began referring to the idea by the verbal shorthand "M. Appeal" which gave rise to the character's ultimate name. Emma Peel, whose husband went missing while flying over the Amazon, retained the self-assuredness of Gale, combined with superior fighting skills, intelligence, and a contemporary fashion sense.

After more than 60 actresses had been auditioned, the first choice to play the role was Elizabeth Shepherd. However, after filming one and a half episodes, Shepherd was released. Her on-screen personality was deemed less interesting than that of Blackman's Gale and it was decided she was not right for the role. Another 20 actresses were auditioned before the show's casting director suggested that producers Brian Clemens and Albert Fennell check out a televised drama featuring the relatively unknown Rigg. Her screen test with Macnee showed that the two immediately worked well together.

In contrast to the Gale episodes, there is a lighter, comic touch in Steed and Peel's interactions with each other and their reactions to other characters and situations. Earlier seasons had a harder tone, with the Gale era including some quite serious espionage dramas. This almost completely disappeared as Steed and Peel visibly enjoy topping each other's witticisms. The layer of conflict with Gale—who on occasion openly resented being used by Steed, often without her permission—is absent from Steed's interaction with Peel. Also the sexual tension between Steed and Gale is quite different from the tension between Steed and Peel. In both cases, the exact relationship between the partners is left ambiguous, although they seemed to have carte blanche to visit each other's homes whenever they please, and it is not uncommon for scenes to suggest Steed had spent the night at Gale's or Peel's home, or vice versa. Although nothing "improper" is displayed, the obviously much closer chemistry between Steed and Peel constantly suggests intimacy between the two.

Peel's avant-garde fashions, featuring bold accents and high-contrast geometric patterns, emphasize her youthful, contemporary personality. For the 1965 season, some of her most memorable outfits were designed by John Bates, including graphic black and white Op art mini-coats and accessories, and a silver ensemble comprising a bra bodice, low-slung trousers, and jacket. She represents the modern England of the Sixties – just as Steed, with his vintage style and mannerisms, personifies Edwardian era nostalgia. According to Macnee in his book The Avengers and Me, Rigg disliked wearing leather and insisted on a new line of fabric athletic wear for the fifth season. Alun Hughes, who had designed clothing for Diana Rigg's personal wardrobe, was suggested by the actress to design Emma Peel's "softer" new wardrobe. Pierre Cardin was brought in to design a new wardrobe for Macnee. In America, TV Guide ran a four-page photospread on Rigg's new "Emmapeeler" outfits (10–16 June 1967). Eight tight-fitting jumpsuits in a variety of bright colours were created using the stretch fabric crimplene.

Rigg was initially unhappy with the way she was treated by the show's producers. During her first season she learned she was being paid less than the camera man. She demanded a raise, to put her more on a par with her co-star, or she would leave the show. The producers gave in, thanks to the show's great popularity in the US. At the end of the fifth season in 1967, Rigg left to pursue other projects. Rigg and Macnee remained lifelong friends.

I've spent so much time talking about the Diana Rigg part, because to me, as to many others, this was the best part of the series. The character of Emma Peel was sexy in a way that transcended sexual orientation. For most of my childhood friends, whether they turned out to be gay, straight or bisexual, she was their ideal woman. Her army of fanboys included me.

The show was clever and funny and it exemplified what Britain stood for in the 60s: an explosively creative mixture of the old and the new, cool style and insouciance, excellent acting and great production values and (mostly) very interesting plots. In the 90s there was a repeat of The Avengers. I hadn't watched it since I was a boy in the 60s and I was afraid that it wouldn't hold up to modern scrutiny. Surprisingly, the show had aged very well and I had as much fun watching it then as I did 25 years earlier.

In 1998 it was turned into a (bad) movie, with Ralph Fiennes as John Steed and Uma Thurman as Emma Peel. It didn't work.

The Avengers began filming in colour for the fifth season in 1966. The title sequence was rejigged for the colour episodes. It opened with the caption The Avengers In Color, which was followed by Steed unwrapping the foil from a champagne bottle and Peel shooting the cork away. This was the most impressive title sequence and it's the one we'll be watching today:

Now, to this week's statistics: for a second week in a row, we had major upsets in our lists. This was most definitely Russia's time to shine: in just one week, the blog had four times as many visits from Russia than it had in total in the first four months of the blog's presence. To make it clearer, let's say that Russia had a 1000 visits to our blog from March until this week (an imaginary number used for example) - this week alone it had 4000 visits.

I would be really interested to know what caused this huge increase: if any of our new Russian friends can leave a comment as to how they discovered the blog this week, that would be very much appreciated. Needless to say, a very hearty welcome to everyone. Добро пожаловат!

Quite naturally, Russia, for the first time, is #1 for the week, with 5 times as many visits as the US, which holds the #2 position for the second week in a row, after all this time at #1. Greece has an impressive fall from last week's #1 to #3, led by the US by 3:1. France had another good week and is at #4. Germany had an OK week and is found at #5, while the UK and the Netherlands tie at #6 with half as many visits as Germany. Canada is at #8, while Australia and Ukraine are found in a tie at #9. The difference between positions 6/7 to 8 and 8 to 9/10 is one visit each. Just missing the Top 10 also by one visit is Finland.

Also gracing us with their presence this week are Austria, Belgium, Brazil, China, Cyprus, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Luxembourg, Mexico, Norway, Portugal, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Taiwan, the United Arab Emirates and Vietnam. So nice to have you all!

There is a 3-way tie at the bottom end of the all-time Top 10: Australia, Portugal and Spain are all at #10. The Netherlands isn't far behind and Ukraine and the United Arab Emirates are also within striking distance. The next few weeks should be interesting.

Cyprus holds steady at #9, as does Ireland at #8 and Canada at #7. The UK drops to #6, replaced by France at #5. France has had a better month than both the UK and Germany. Speaking of Germany: I have recently said that it sits safely at #3. I didn't, however, count on Russia's sudden surge forward, so Germany is at #4 this week, replaced by Russia at #3. If Russia's presence continues to be as dynamic as it was this week, very soon it will threaten the Top 2, which for the moment remain the same: Greece gets the silver medal and the US gets the gold.

Our random song choice for this week is by an artist who, although unknown to most, is important enough for Led Zeppelin to dedicate a song to him: Hats Off to (Roy) Harper, which is the closing track of their third album.

Roy Harper (born 12 June 1941) is an English Folk Rock singer, songwriter and guitarist who has been a professional musician since 1964. Harper has released 32 albums (including 10 live albums) across his 50-year career.  Harper's earliest musical influences were American blues musician Lead Belly and folk singer Woody Guthrie and, in his teens, jazz musician Miles Davis.

Harper was also exposed to classical music in his childhood and has pointed to the influence of Jean Sibelius' Karelia Suite. Lyrical influences include the 19th century Romantics, especially Shelley and Keats's poem "Endymion". Harper has also cited the Beat poets as being highly influential, particularly Jack Kerouac.

As a musician, Harper is known for his distinctive fingerstyle playing and lengthy, lyrical, complex compositions, a result of his love of jazz and Keats. His influence upon other musicians has been acknowledged by Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Pete Townshend, Kate Bush, Pink Floyd, and Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull, who said Harper was his "...primary influence as an acoustic guitarist and songwriter."

Neil McCormick of The Daily Telegraph described him as "one of Britain’s most complex and eloquent lyricists and genuinely original songwriters... much admired by his peers". Across the Atlantic his influence has been acknowledged by Seattle-based acoustic band Fleet Foxes, American musician and producer Jonathan Wilson and Californian harpist Joanna Newsom with whom he has also toured.  In 2005, Harper was awarded the MOJO Hero Award, and in 2013 a Lifetime Achievement Award at the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. His most recent album, Man and Myth, was released in 2013. In 2016, Harper announced plans to celebrate his 75th birthday by performing four concerts in Birmingham, Manchester, London and Edinburgh.

My favorite song of his has the unusual title When an Old Cricketer Leaves the Crease. It was recorded in 1975 and is a song that puts you in a reflective and slightly melancholy mood. Here it is: