Studiocanal, out now

Seven years after Steed and Tara blasted off into space, the Avengers are back: John Steed, Mike Gambit and Purdey, facing foes old and new…

I’ve had the DVD box set of The New Avengers sitting on my shelf for very many years now, ever hopeful that an upgrade would eventually become available. The demise of Network made me think this would never happen – but it has. And not just an upgrade to Blu-ray, but to 4K.

If, like me, you’re a fan of the show (full disclosure – I was nearly 13 when it started airing, so was absolutely the right age!) then it might be pricey, but it’s worth every penny.

The series itself stands the test of time, to a large extent. The sexist “repartee” between Gambit and Purdey (and some other characters) grates at a distance of 50 years, but there are inventive plots and suitably Avengers eccentrics (I’d completely forgotten the assorted weird characters of Cat Among the Pigeons) although the received wisdom that the first season is better than the second does prove to be true on a rewatch. That’s not to say the later episodes aren’t entertaining, just that they don’t hold the attention in quite the same way.

StudioCanal has gone to town with this new set – the 4K transfers are eye-opening, and there are assorted extras to add to your viewing. Some of these are vintage, while there are new commentaries that give some intriguing perspectives. The material from the University of Chichester in 2011 is spread across the discs and is well worth your time, while new documentaries on the final disc of each season put the show in context both as a piece of 1970s television and in wider TV history.

That’s something that’s picked up on in the accompanying booklet (there’s also a comic strip collection). Each essay is designed to be standalone, so there’s a fair degree of repetition, particularly looking back over the history of the franchise, but all are worth the read, although perhaps not in one go!

One suggestion: even if you don’t normally watch programmes with the subtitles, make an exception for the last scene of The Eagle’s Nest, as Gambit and Purdey join Steed as they depart the castle…

Verdict: A piece of Avengers history given its due. Any chance of Return of the Saint next?! 9/10

Paul Simpson