Steed and Mrs Peel will feature in 3 new adventures, drawn from the pages of TV Comic.
Since they ran out of Lost Episodes to adapt, audio producers Big Finish have been busily bringing the comic strip exploits of The Avengers to life.
Set in the 1960’s, with its tongue increasingly in its cheek, the show is spy-fi viewing of the highest order; the dashing John Steed impeccably brought to life by Patrick Macnee, with a series of partners across an eight year, six-series run.
On audio for these comic strip adaptations, Julian Wadham plays as John Steed with either Olivia Poulet as Mrs Peel or Emily Woodward as Tara King. There have been five volumes so far. The adventures take the basic storyline of the comic strip and expand it to fill an hour of audio drama, in keeping with the television episodes of the period.
The Avengers – The Comic Strip Adaptations Volume 6: Steed & Mrs Peel will feature three stories;
Seven Deadly… Assassins by Roland Moore
Based on a strip from a TV Comic annual, the original story featured a group of murderers whose mode of killing was based on the Seven Deadly Sins. Steed and Mrs Peel are on a cruise ship guarding a jewel, trapped with seven assassins who are after the gem… or are they?
Stand and Deliver by Sarah Grochala
Steed and Mrs Peel face a group of Highwaymen, as well as encountering a variety of different forms of espionage on the way – and they have to be alert as there is a spy at work within the organisation.
You Won’t Believe Your Eyes by John Dorney
In the English countryside, strange things are afoot, with sightings of dinosaurs, polar bears and lions. Steed and Mrs Peel go on the trail of a potential weapon… but will their eyes deceive them?
A Family Business
The three new instalments are produced and directed by Samuel Clemens, who has a strong familial connection to the show; his father, Brian Clemens, co-produced the show during the Diana Rigg and Linda Thorson eras. Of this new release, he said:
“These stories are all adapted from TV Comic strips and are such enormous fun, really capturing the spirit of The Avengers. You can imagine them as televised episodes which would work tremendously well on screen. Some are more outlandish than others, but they all lend themselves wonderfully to the audio format.”
The Avengers – The Comic Strip Adaptations Volume 6: Steed & Mrs Peel is due for release in March 2022 and available to pre-order now from Big Finish. A further volume, featuring Steed and Tara King is also available to pre-order (released March 2023).
In the meantime, there are seven volumes of Lost Episodes and five previous Comic Strip Adaptations releases to enjoy. Or indeed, the original television episodes air every afternoon weekday on itv4, with a number available on ITV Hub (they’re currently running Series 5).