Al Bundy Had it Right About The Avengers
Years ago, I watched an episode of Married with Children in which Al Bundy was excited to purchase a DVD or CD collection of the “Diana Rigg” episodes of the BBC series “The Avengers” from the 1960s. Al was excited about this because he enjoyed the show and felt that Diana Rigg was especially attractive.
I recently noticed that BBC America was playing The Avengers, so I decided to have my TiVo grab them for me as they aired. I’ve now seen probably a dozen or more episodes of the show. While it’s cheesy by today’s standards, there is a certain charm to the series. Patrick MacNee’s “John Steed” character displays a good sense of humor while maintaining a British sense of propriety at all times. He’s kind of a James Bond style secret agent who relies on wits and cunning more than gadgets and firepower.
Steed’s companion in the early episodes is Emma Peel, played by Diana Rigg. In later episodes, a different actress joins him, playing the character Tara King.
I’ve got to agree with Al Bundy, Diana Rigg is an attractive woman, a good actress, and far nicer to look at than Linda Thorson, who played Tara King. Thorson’s character sports boyish short hair, boyish clothing, and lacks the coy romantic charms of Diana Rigg. Tara’s more of a little boy in a woman’s body, while Emma Peel is stylish, sophisticated, charming British woman.