"THE AVENGERS" AT 50! A CELEBRATION

This early press brochure for the classic THE AVENGERS series says it all! Images: OPTIMUM RELEASING/ CANAL + Image UK LTD.

Those champions against evil, those icons of style, with just a little bit of occasional kinkiness and all round humour thrown in, THE AVENGERS, celebrate fifty gorious years in 2011, so here's a celebratory image gallery of our favourite heroes from an age of television cool that will never go out of fashion...

The original series, with Steed (Patrick Macnee) joining forces with Doctor David Keel (Ian Hendry), out to avenge the murder of his wife. THE AVENGERS are born.

Pussy Galore! Keel is out, Mrs Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman) is in, and its here that the series truly becomes an iconic, must-see series.

Honor and Patrick cheerily pose for a promotional image at the height of the series video success.

With the series now being made on film and wanting to generate sales in the US, Patrick Macnee plays Steed for a special introductory mini-episode made to attract American audiences, alongside new partner...

...Diana Rigg, as Emma Peel, who never looked more lovely than during her two year stint on the series.

Working with great writers and directors, in a new all-colour filming medium in Year Five, the duo soon made THE AVENGERS an iconic and firmly British institution.

Steed helps the gregarious Mrs Peel with her sculpture embellishments as the Swinging Sixties truly get underway in the series.

Tara-ra-boom-diyay! For Queen and Country, Steed is joined in Season Six by the vulnerable and lovely Tara King (Linda Thorson), as the series entered another unique phase of memorable high-jinks and colourfully fun adventures.

Tartan Provocateur! Linda Thorson soon makes an impression on audiences with her unique new character and her different approach to fighting baddies.

Embracing the tone. Macnee and Thorson enjoy a little character play to the cameras.

Into the seventies, and a new generation for Steed to work alongside, most notably, the ultra leggy, high kicking ex-ballerina, Purdey, as immortalised by the gorgeous Joanna Lumley.

And adding a bit of machismo and light comedy, pre-THE PROFESSIONALS era, came ex-military man Mike Gambit, as played by the late Gareth Hunt.

A fine cast for an enjoyable sequel series, THE NEW AVENGERS trio prove a big hit and should have gone on beyond their original two season run.

Throughout every series and interpretation of THE AVENGERS, there would always be one consistently entertaining constant, and that was the true star of the series, Patrick Macnee, as the gentleman hero with the witty comeback, the always fresh carnation and the hard hitting bowler hat: John Steed. 

Look out for OPTIMUM RELEASINGS mega THE AVENGERS 50TH ANNIVERSARY DVD set, with tons of special features, available in May, and check out the radio documentary celebration on the UK's BBC RADIO 3 programme NIGHT WAVES at 9.15 pm. Rounding off a great year will surely be a terrific event at the University of Chichester (see below).