Frequently Asked Questions
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Where do you live? I live in my home state of New Jersey, in the United States. This often comes as a surprise to site visitors, most of whom automatically assume I am from Great Britain.

Why do you like the show so much? Being an Anglophile, I have a preference for British humor—the subtlety, the wit—it's so much more sophisticated than American humor. I enjoy the stories—goofy and exciting all at once. Naturally, being a heterosexual male baby boomer, I'm attracted to Emma Peel, and like so many others of my generation, my "adolescent sexuality was formed on her," as Uma Thurman (from that movie) quipped in an interview. But what better icon on which to fixate? Emma is not a sex object; she's supremely intelligent, strong, and independent—a thinking-man's woman. And John Steed is not a bad role model, either.

But most of all I love the relationship between Steed and Emma. While they clearly adore one another, they also treat each other with great respect. Theirs is "one of those glorious, deeply intimate flirtations that spin off into infinity," to use Diana Rigg's words. I can't help it—I'm a hopeless romantic, and there's nothing quite as delightfully, terminally romantic as these two.

Yes, I am admittedly obsessed with the show, but not in the same way as classic "get a life" Star Trek fans—I do not dress up as one of the characters, nor do I attend conventions or join online chat groups. I do, however, study the episodes, dissect them, figure out how they work. Learn about their history. Write about them. Then I'll switch off my brain and revel in them.

What are your favorite episodes? Here are my Top Ten. Yes, they are all Emma Peel episodes. No, I am not discriminating against Cathy Gale, Tara King, etc., and there are many of their episodes I like a great deal; I simply prefer Emma, that's all. Some fans actually dislike her, and that's fine. To each his own. It is good, then, that Steed had so many partners and the series went through so many stylistic changes, for it thus broadens the show's appeal.

Do you think Steed and Emma "did it"? When asked whether or not Steed and Emma slept together, Patrick Macnee answered, "Definitely. I should say at least three or four times a week..." whereas Diana Rigg replied, "I don't think they did... It was one of those glorious, deeply intimate flirtations that spin off into infinity." (Patrick Macnee speaking to Ted Johnson, and Diana Rigg speaking to Vince Cosgrove, of TV Guide Magazine.) As for writer/producer Brian Clemens, although he claims that nothing was planned, he personally considers the two to have had a hot, wild affair that was over just prior to their filmed adventures together, and while they were still close, they were each free to explore other relationships. Me? I imagine them getting down to business only on very special occasions, such as holidays ("Too Many Christmas Trees"), or birthdays ("Who's Who???"), or after particularly stressful adventures ("The House That Jack Built" or "The Joker").

Do you think Steed and Cathy "did it"? Not a chance.

Do you think Steed and Tara "did it"? That would have been borderline pedophilia.

Why don't you publish a book on the show? Lots of reasons. First, a book (a decent one, anyway) is very hard to publish, whereas a website is comparatively easy to publish. Second, a website can be updated very frequently (weekly, daily, etc.), whereas a book can only be "updated" on an extremely infrequent basis (every few years, assuming enough have been sold to warrant it). Third, even if I had some "connections" that might afford me an opportunity to get something into print without jumping through hoops of fire, converting a website into a book is far from trivial—a book is linear, whereas a website is nonlinear (random access); the process of reorganizing all of this information would be a daunting challenge for which I simply do not have the time or resources. Fourth, if the book were to have any images (can't imagine not having any), permission to reproduce such images would be prohibitively costly. Finally, there are already enough Avengers books, in my opinion. Besides, if you truly wish to see The Avengers Forever in print, just print all 1,000+ pages and throw them in a binder. Instant book.

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This website Copyright © 1996-2017 David K. Smith. All Rights Reserved.
Page last modified: 5 May 2017.

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