The Avengers

A Year before James Bond first gained his licence to kill, Patrick McNee strode onto the small screen as John Steed complete with bowler hat, umbrella - every inch the English gent. With a little bit of Honor Blackman for sex-appeal the show was a surefire hit.

Steed, ably assisted by Cathy Gayle (Blackman) and later Emma Peel (Diana Rigg), was constantly working to protect Queen and Country.

In the face of cyborgs and an evil criminal mastermind who made his victims sneeze themselves to death, Steed was never anything less than suave.

First episodes were based around David Keel, a man avenging the death of his wife with the help of Steed.

In 1976 Steed returned for The New Avengers, with Gareth Hunt as Gambit and Joanna Lumley as Purdey, but it never recaptured the magic of the original - arguably rather like the 1998 movie starring Uma Thurman and Ralph Fiennes.

My Science Fiction Life: Memories of The Avengers