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"Dr. Keel, we're needed." |
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- W.J. Flywheel, Webporium
Curator |
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Untitled
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SERIES 1 - THE KEEL &
STEED EPISODES |
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 Major
The Hon. John Wickham Gascoyne Beresford Steed MC, OM usually known
as John Steed, is the central protagonist on the popular 1960s
British spy series The Avengers and its 1970s sequel The New
Avengers, played by Patrick Macnee in both; by Donald Monat in the
South-African radio series adaptation of The Avengers; by Ralph
Fiennes in the 1998 film of the same name and by Julian Wadham in the
new Big Finish audio series The Avengers - The Lost Episodes.
Steed is a secret agent working for an
unnamed branch of British intelligence. He was teamed with a variety
of partners, including Dr. David Keel (1961), Venus Smith (1962-63),
Dr. Martin King (1962–63), Dr. Cathy Gale (1962–64), Mrs.
Emma Peel (1965–68), Tara King (1968–69), Lady Diana
Forbes-Blakeney (1969), Purdey, and Mike Gambit (both 1976–77).
Steed was born John Wickham Gascoyne
Beresford Steed sometime between 1922 and 1925 (the actor who played
him, Patrick Macnee, was born 1922). A scion of a noble family, Steed
attended Eton (like Macnee), where he once got into a fight with the
school bully, James Bond, and was eventually expelled (like Macnee).
He was a distinguished veteran of World War II (like Macnee - but
here their bios begin to diverge), training with the Coldstream
Guards and then transferring to the Intelligence Corps. He spent the
early part of his war service posted at RAF Camp 472 Hamelin, which
was a jumping-off point for British spies on the continent. He
received the Military Cross for single-handedly taking a German
machine-gun post. Before leaving the British Army to join "The
Ministry" in 1945, Steed achieved the rank of Major.
 He
maintained a modest mews flat in London during the 1960s (first at 5
Westminster Mews, later at 3 Stable Mews) and drove a variety of
elaborate, old-fashioned cars, including a Rolls Royce and several
different models of Bentley, one of which he calls Fido. In one
episode also a Vauxhall 30/98 can be seen. By The New Avengers, Steed
had moved out to the country, to a manor house known as "Steed's
Stud", and was no longer driving vintage cars, but contemporary
Jaguars instead.
During the first season Steed's character
was a more rough-and-tumble operative than the suave, sophisticated
gentleman he became during the Gale and Peel eras. His most common
style of dress as Dr. Keel's sidekick was a trenchcoat and suit,
though the famous bowler hat and umbrella appeared as early as the
"The Frighteners", the 15th episode to be aired. Quite
probably they made their debut even earlier—most of the first
season episodes are lost, but Macnee hints so in his memoir. During
the show's budget-strained first season, in fact Macnee supplemented
his on-screen wardrobe with numerous items from his own wardrobe,
including the bowler and umbrella. By the second season, Steed had
dispensed with the trenchcoat and was found wearing the familiar
three-piece suits with which he is afterward identified, as well as
his bowler and umbrella.
He was initially shown answering to
several different superiors such as "One-Ten" and
"Charles". During most of the Gale-Peel era the source of
his orders were left a mystery. For the final season of the original
series (the Tara King era) Steed was shown taking his orders from an
obese man who used a wheelchair called "Mother" (and once
from a blind woman named "Father").
 In
The New Avengers, Steed was once again shown working on his own, and
it was suggested that he had moved up into a "Mother" like
role in British intelligence, although that didn't stop him from
directly participating in missions.
Out of all his partners, he was closest to
Mrs Peel; while their interaction was often laced with dry, sarcastic
wit on both sides, he respected her as an equal, and owed her his
life on more than a few occasions. Regarding the question of whether
they had a sexual relationship at any time, Macnee thought they went
to bed on a very regular basis (just not in view of the camera), Rigg
thought they were engaged in a very enjoyable extended flirtation
that ultimately went nowhere, and Brian Clemens said he wrote them
with the idea they'd had an affair before Emma's first appearance in
the series.
One of Steed's trademarks was his
impeccable dress, often consisting of a three-piece suit with Bowler
(or Coke) and ever-present umbrella. His bowler and umbrella were in
fact his favourite weapons. Steed's umbrella, with its distinctive
whangee handle, was known for containing a sword, though there were
other versions, including one that featured a sound recorder and one
with a camera hidden under the handle for covert photography
("The Cybernauts"), and one that contained measures of
whisky. (The swordstick featured in the title sequence was made by
venerable English umbrella maker James Smith & Sons.) The bowler
was metal plated and very hard, it could stop bullets and knock down
opponents. Although he was witty, highly sagacious, he is a suave,
redoubted and ruthless spy. In combat, he is an excellent Swordsman.
A bon vivant, he also seemed to be something of an oenophile, having
an impeccable palate and a love for Champagne. |
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1.
Hot Snow |
January
7, 1961 |
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"I'm very sorry, I can't tell you
that. But I'm on the side of the angels, believe me." |
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- John Steed |
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Following the death of his fiancee Peggy
at the hands of heroin smugglers, Dr David Keel vows to track down
the killers and avenge his lost love. He is aided in his quest by a
mysterious stranger, John Steed. |
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Director: Don Leaver / Patrick Brown,
Writer: Ray Rigby |
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Guest starring: Katherine Woodville,
Murray Melvin, Philip Stone |
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The vast majority of the first series of
The Avengers (1961) is sadly missing from TV archives and believed
probably lost forever - only the first 22 minutes of this very first
episode and two complete later episodes, The Avengers: Girl on the
Trapeze (1961) (which incidentally does not feature the character of
Steed) and The Avengers: The Frighteners (1961) have been recovered
and preserved. |
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2.
Brought to Book |
January
14, 1961 |
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"What's this?" |
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- Dr. David Keel |
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Steed has infiltrated a gang, led by
Mason, which is implicated in Peggy's murder. Steed asks Keel to
establish contact with a rival gang, and the doctor discovers that
Vance's hitman, Spicer, has been sent to kill Steed. |
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Director: Peter Hammond, Writer: Brian Clemens |
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Guest starring: Charles Morgan, Godfrey
Quigley, Philip Stone, Robert James |
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3.
Square Root of Evil |
January
21, 1961 |
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"Timothy James Riodan. Oh, my little
Irish mother. Profession: master forger. Delicate fingers - I'd
better get a manicure." |
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- John Steed |
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Steed impersonates Riordan, a forger soon
to be released from prison, and gains the trust of gang-leader
Hooper. Things seem to be going well until Hooper's second-in-command,
known as the Cardinal, announces that Riordan's girlfriend is
outside waiting to see him. |
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Director: Don Leaver Writer: Richard Harris |
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Guest starring: John Woodvine, Alex Scott,
Cynthia Bizeray |
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4.
Nightmare |
January
28, 1961 |
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Keel receives a 'phone call from one of
his patients, and ends up assuming the identity of her missing
husband, a scientist engaged in secret research. Shot in the chest,
Keel needs a minor operation - but the anaesthetist has tampered with
the oxygen. |
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Director: Peter Hammond, Writer: Terence Feely |
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Guest starring: Helen Lindsay, Michael
Logan, Redmond Bailey |
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5.
Crescent Moon |
February
4, 1961 |
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A young girl, Carmelite Mendoza, has been
kidnapped from a Caribbean island, but Steed suspects a political
motive. His suspicions are confirmed when Vasco, the Mendoza family
retainer, is observed killing the original kidnapper and abducting
the girl himself. |
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Director: John Knight, Writer: Geoffrey
Bellman / John Whitney |
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Guest starring: Patience Collier, Roger
Delgado, Bandana Das Gupta |
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6.
Girl on the Trapeze |
February
11, 1961 |
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"How can I? I don't know what she
looks like." |
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- Carol Wilson |
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Keel, reviving a young woman who has
jumped into the Thames, is led to the Radeck State Circus, where the
trapeze girl is guarded, her face covered by bandages because of an
accident. The trapeze girl proves to be the daughter of a defecting
scientist, who will be used to force her father to return home. When
Keel discovers this, he and Carol are captured by Zibbo the Clown,
who will shoot Carol if the police investigation is not called off. |
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Director: Don Leaver, Writer: Dennis Spooner |
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Guest starring: Ingrid Hafner, Kenneth J.
Warren, Delena Kidd |
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In 2001, the 1961 episode "Girl on
the Trapeze" was discovered in the United States (odd
considering the first season wasn't sold abroad). The episode is one
of two episodes not to feature Patrick Macnee as John Steed. |
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At around the 38 minute mark, a crewman
can be clearly seen in the top right corner wearing a head set, he
then ducks very quickly out of the scene. |
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7.
Diamond Cut Diamond |
February
18, 1961 |
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Steed, attempting to break a gang of
international diamond smugglers, is living in a bungalow near
Heathrow Airport which was once owned by a suicide whom One-Ten
suspects of involvement. Steed awakens one morning somewhat the worse
for drink, when a phone call advises him to check the morning paper;
the police are tracking a hit-and-run driver. Steed checks his car.
It is damaged, and the front is covered with dried blood. |
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Director: Peter Hammond, Writer: Max Marquis |
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Guest starring: Hamlyn Benson, Sandra
Dorne, Joy Webster, Douglas Muir |
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8.
The Radioactive Man |
February
25, 1961 |
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Dr Keel is asked to help in the search for
a man who has picked up a radioactive isotope, not knowing that it
will quickly kill him and harm anyone else he comes into contact
with. But Marko, fearing that the police want to find him because of
his forged passport, has already gone into hiding. |
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Director: Robert Tronson, Writer: Fred Edge |
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Guest starring: George Pravda, Basil
Beale, Dane Howell |
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9.
Ashes
Of Roses |
March
4, 1961 |
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Steed, investigating a number of probable
arson cases, is led to the hairdressing salon of Olive and Jacques
Beronne. He asks Keel to let Carol investigate the salon, but after
she enters, there is an explosion from within. |
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Director: Don Leaver, Writer: Peter Ling /
Sheilagh Ward |
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Guest starring: Mark Eden, Olga Lowe,
Ingrid Hafner, Gordon Rollings |
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10.
Hunt the Man Down |
March
18, 1961 |
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Frank Preston is released from prison and
is intent on reclaiming the hidden proceeds of his robbery. So is
Steed, who has been ordered to follow the man. So are a couple of
thugs, who kidnap Carol. So is Preston's scheming wife, eager to get
her hands on the one hundred thousand pounds hidden somewhere in the sewers. |
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Director: Peter Hammond, Writer: Richard Harris |
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Guest starring: Melissa Stribling, Ingrid
Hafner, Nicholas Selby |
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11.
Please Don't Feed the Animals |
April
1, 1961 |
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Steed trails a blackmailed civil servant
to Brinkley House, a private zoo, only to observe the man throwing a
package of money into the reptile pit. The package soon vanishes. The
man is then ordered to steal a top secret file. |
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Director: Dennis Vance, Writer: Dennis Spooner |
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Guest starring: Charlie Bird, Mark Baker,
Catherine Ellison |
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12.
Dance with Death |
April
15, 1961 |
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Dr. Keel resuscitates Elaine Bateman, the
owner of a ballroom dancing school who has narrowly survived a murder
attempt by gassing. When he returns to the school after dropping his
scarf, he is arrested. His scarf has been used to strangle the woman. |
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Director: Don Leaver, Writer: Peter Ling /
Sheilagh Ward |
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Guest starring: Geoffrey Palmer, Caroline
Blakiston, Angela Douglas |
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13.
One for the Mortuary |
April
29, 1961 |
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When Keel attends a health conference in
Geneva he is unaware that he is carrying, in microdot form, a vital
new medical formula - unaware, that is, until he is arrested for murder. |
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Director: Peter Hammond, Writer: Brian Clemens |
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Guest starring: Peter Madden, Toke
Townley, Dennis Edwards |
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Untitled
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14.
The Springers |
May
13, 1961 |
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Steed is trying to track down the
organisers of a group who offer to spring any convict - even the
dangerous ones - from prison if they're paid the right money. Keel
impersonates a prisoner, and the trail seems to lead to a girl's
finishing school. |
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Director: Don Leaver, Writer: Geoffrey
Bellman / John Whitney |
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Guest starring: Douglas Muir, Margo
Andrew, Charles Farrell |
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15.
The Frighteners |
May
27, 1961 |
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"I suffer under the disability of a
public-school education." |
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- John Steed |
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To stop his daughter seeing suspected
conman Jeremy de Willoughby, Sir Thomas Waller has hired
arch-criminal the Deacon to 'put the frighteners on'. Steed is on the
trail of the Deacon and, with the aid of Dr. Keel, stops two thugs
from seriously wounding de Willoughby. They set a trap for the Deacon
and the lovers. |
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Director: Peter Hammond, Writer: Berkely Mather |
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Guest starring: Willoughby Goddard, Ingrid
Hafner, Philip Gilbert, Stratford Johns, Doris Hare |
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Only two complete episodes survive from
this initial season of 26 episodes, but the first, "Girl on the
Trapeze" (episode 6), was a solo effort for Ian Hendry's Dr.
David Keel. "The Frighteners," episode 15, is therefore the
first view of John Wickham Gascone Berresford Steed, played with
unmatched perfection by Patrick Macnee. Steed is impeccably mannered,
immaculately well dressed, and, occasionally uses a gun. We do see
him wearing his famous bowler hat but his umbrella is no where in sight. |
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At 46 minute mark, the shadow of a boom
microphone is visible on the back wall on the left side of the
screen, then again above Mrs. Briggs as she sits down. The microphone
itself is seen in top left corner when Jeremy shouts, "I'm not
your son!" |
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16.
The Yellow Needle |
June
6, 1961 |
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After an unsuccessful murder attempt
against Sir Wilberforce Lungi, Steed asks Keel, an old friend of the
pro-Western African leader, to investigate Lungi's secretary,
Jacquetta Brown. Meanwhile, Steed flies to Africa to meet Lungi's
tribalist rival, Shebro. |
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Director: Don Leaver, Writer: Patrick Campbell |
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Guest starring: Andre Dakar, Bari Jonson,
Margaret Whiting, Dolores Mantez |
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17.
Death on the Slipway |
June
24, 1961 |
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An agent has been killed at the secret
dockyard where submarines are built. Steed investigates, and finds
that a foreign spy has been arranging 'accidents' for him. |
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Director: Peter Hammond, Writer: James
Mitchell (VI) |
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Guest starring: Frank Thornton, Tom Adams,
Douglas Muir, Barry Keegan |
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18.
Double Danger |
July
8, 1961 |
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Working on behalf of an insurance company,
Steed arranges for the convict Ted Mace to be sprung from prison. He
hopes that Mace will lead him to the place where he has hidden two
hundred thousand pounds worth of uncut diamonds, stolen from a Hatton
Garden jewellers. However, word of the operation has got out on the
criminal grapevine and Mace is shot. Keel is tricked into tending to
his wounds and manages to remove the bullet, but Mace's condition
continues to worsen. With his last breath, he whispers a clue to
Keel, "it's John Bartholomew's plot" – and dies. Their
investigation leads them to an elderly man who unwittingly holds the
key to the mystery – and a fortune in uncut diamonds. Pictured
below a rare production still from the episode, Double Danger. |
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Director: Roger Jenkins, Writer: Gerald Verner |
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Guest starring: Howard Daley, Kevin
Brennan, Gordon Phillott |
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19.
Toy Trap |
July
22, 1961 |
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Keel is asked by the improbably named
Bunty to help her find her missing friend. What is the connection
between the department store where the women work and a call-girl racket? |
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Director: Don Leaver, Writer: Bill Strutton |
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Guest starring: Brian Jackson, Brandon
Brady, Hazel Graeme, Mitzi Rogers |
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20.
The Tunnel of Fear |
August
5, 1961 |
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Top-secret information is finding its way
into the wrong hands, and the source seems to be a south coast
fairground. Steed succeeds in getting hypnotised and winds up in the
ghost-train tunnel. With frightening results, of course. |
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Director: Guy Verney, Writer: John Kruse |
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Guest starring: Douglas Muir, Ingrid
Hafner, Anthony Bate, Nancy Roberts |
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There is currently no known copy of this
edition in existence, although the off-air soundtrack does exist in
the possession of a private collector. Harry Black was actually
portrayed by an actor named Anthony Bate, who took Murray Hayne's
place at the last minute - too late for the Times to change their
cast listing. |
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21.
The Far Distant Dead |
August
19, 1961 |
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Dr Keel, treating the victims of a cyclone
struck Mexican village, uncovers a number of food-poisonings;
emergency cooking oil is, in fact, hydraulic fluid. |
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Director: Peter Hammond, Writer: John Lucarotti |
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Guest starring: Katharine Blake, Francis
De Wolff, Reed De Rouen |
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22.
Kill the King |
September
2, 1961 |
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A visit to London to sign an oil treaty
from a monarch whose life is under threat brings Steed and Keel into
the world of dissidents and assassinations. |
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Director: Roger Jenkins, Writer: James
Mitchell (VI) |
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Guest starring: Peter Barkworth, Burt
Kwouk, Ingrid Hafner |
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23.
Dead of Winter |
September
12, 1961 |
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The discovery of the body of Schneider, a
wanted Nazi war criminal, deep-frozen in a consignment of meat at
London docks brings Steed and Keel into the shadowy world of Phoenix,
a new and terrifying Fascist party in Britain. |
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Director: Don Leaver, Writer: Eric Paice |
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Guest starring: John Woodvine, Ingrid
Hafner, Carl Duering, David Hart |
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24.
The Deadly Air |
December
16, 1961 |
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An experimental vaccine is stolen, and the
subsequent test proves deadly. Steed and Keel, suspecting that the
human 'guinea pig' did not die directly from the vaccine, volunteer
to be the next subjects. |
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Director: John Knight, Writer: Lester Powell |
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Guest starring: Geoffrey Bayldon, Ingrid
Hafner, Ann Bell, Douglas Muir |
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25.
A Change of Bait |
December
23, 1961 |
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An unusual and sprawling tale of heart
disease, industrial unrest, and a consignment of rotten bananas. |
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Director: Don Leaver, Writer: Lewis Davidson |
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Guest starring: Robert Desmond, Henry
Lincoln, Ingrid Hafner, Norman Pitt |
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26.
Dragonsfield |
December
30, 1961 |
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How has a research centre developing
radiation-proof material managed to irradiate one of its scientists?
Once more, Steed submits himself to scientific testing. |
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Director: Peter Hammond, Writer: Terence Feely |
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Guest starring: Thomas Kyffin, Eric
Dodson, Ronald Leigh-Hunt |
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Untitled
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My Neat Stuff Hall of Fame Look
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Untitled
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