LETTER OF THE YEAR 2008
David K. Smith—you will forever be my hero. No fan has done more to immortalize The
Avengers, to enhance and maintain their legend, their spirit. Actors, writers,
directors, producers—whenever fans speak of The Avengers, they will always refer to
your website as their primary resource. I wish your successor(s) all the best in their
endeavors to continue what you have begun, what would not have been without you. I continue
to look forward to your contributions. — Russ Marquiss LETTER OF THE YEAR 2007
Hello, i start with a apology: Sorry for my (lack of) language. I don't speak English. I can
read, of course, but perhaps, some sentences would be confusses. I am from Buenos Aires,
Republica Argentina, (i hope you can put my face to your numbers) and enjoy inmensally your
work with The Avengers site. I read tons of news each day since July this year. I adore
The
Avengers. I know the show in the 70s and my love increase more and more since then. Before
the Internet i think few peoples remain "rabid fans" like me, but, thank God, in the web i
know so many nice friends-avengers. I congratulate you for this magnific page, and thank you
very much for your efforts in update constantly (we the fans are insatiables) My Avenger
Identy-kit: Age: 40. Avenger sicne: Well, this is odd, i discover first "TNA" in 1977
(gratis TV in Argentina), later the Peel-Tara seasons. Guilty of fanatism: My mother, God
bless her. Favorite characters: All of them, how i can decide??? Favorite villain: ZZ Von
Snerk (crazy chap)Favorite episode: (I don't see some) "A touch of bristome" (not very
original) and "The hidden tiger (Emma), and Noon Domsday/Game (Tara) Hit on the site: Daily
(addictive) At first, when i become aware that so many youngs become fonds of The
Avengerland, i don't understand the reason; now, when i know sites like this one, is much
more clear and evident: Around the world are nice people working very well to mantain the
memory of the greatest TV serie. Thank you very much again. A greeting from Argentina,
Susana. PS: Obviously, i can't send reviews for the episodes, but to me the visitors reviews
are always very usefuls, like the pictures, biographies and news. — Susana Carmona,
Republica Argentina (Sudamerica) LETTER OF THE YEAR 2006
David, I just wanted to take a moment to thank you for The Avengers Forever! Your site
fanned a long simmering ember back into a bright flame of enjoyment. After all these years,
I still enjoy watching The Avengers over and over. I never tire of the show and just
overlook the disappointing aspects there may have been. It's the spirit of the show that I
just can't get enough of. I've been a fan and frequent visitor to your site for 6 or so
years! I've even "Avenged" my work laptop from your site! While nothing I could say could
ever individually convince you to keep the site up and running with updated info and trivia,
I wanted to send my sincerest thanks for your efforts before you, and perhaps this site,
disappear forever into cyberspace as did the original Avengers! Just wanted to let you know
your efforts were appreciated. The site is well done! — Russ Marquiss LETTER OF THE YEAR 2005
In these days of horror and grief, let us take time to remember our more innocent days—to remember a national theme and a universal language, one that gave us Anglophiles great
pride and a feeling of accomplishment. Rather than forget it for a month in honor of the
British people (sorry, David), let us remember it with strength and purpose. The Avengers
took the world by storm and made Great Britain the center of the stars. The perfection of
the style, the landscape, the wit, the uniqueness, including the beauty of its celebrities,
gave Britain an image that would always be remembered. In loss, people cling to a
much-admired identity, they long for a universal language. The Avengers is always in our
hearts. For all of those who were deeply affected by the events of recent memory, they will
always have Emma and Steed, and the terrorists won't be able to touch them. We are so
touched that you printed our comments in the July visitor feedback section. We can't thank you
enough. In fact, you are a great man, and your website is a tribute to that. — Anne and Walden
(Wally) Moore LETTER OF THE YEAR 2004
David, I think that you have done a brilliant job writing and illustrating the most celebrated series of
series such as The Avengers. I was around about 12 years old back when Channel 4 were showing almost the whole series. After school on a
Thursday evening at 6 o'clock I would want eager eyed for the most characteristic of Intros and the roll of those
frames of Patrick and Diana going through the motions. Each episode held an eager anticipation of what was to come
over the course of the next hour and from there my interest in this series was born.
I was privileged on my fourteenth birthday whilst on a visit to London with my father and a school friend to meet
the man himself in the Trocadero promoting his current play—Killing Jessica (which, as I understand it, was
a theatrical flop by all accounts) and also had my photograph taken. I remember the day like yesterday—confidently
recounting my favourite episodes and how thankful I was to have met the man I had admired in a 'school-boy hero'
sort of way.
Now some 20 years on, maturity may have lost part of the magic that the series held for me but the series still
intrigues me. Sufficiently so to encourage me to purchase the entire collection on DVD for my viewing pleasure.
This has cost me a fair amount of money since all my purchases were done on EBay, after the titles had been deleted.
However, this in no way worries me—I can watch them whenever I wish and enjoy them again and again (something very
hard to do with most DVD movies today).
I have read from cover to cover the Dave Rogers book and PM's The Avengers and Me and I now I have the
privilege of reading the wealth of history and other interesting snippets of information not covered in many books—that you have very successfully presented in this easy to use website. I just thought I would convey my thanks and
recognition to someone who also has a similarly high degree of admiration for a television show that, now sadly
consigned to the history books, will still strike a nostalgic chord with many who appreciate a fine script, the
wonderful English countryside and most of all a companionship that many would die for! Thanks again, Guy
LETTER OF THE YEAR 2003
first: i'm a designer (have been for 20+ years) and used to producing communication for all sorts of people in
all sorts of media. a lot of the guys i've worked with—especially the techies—really go in for 'bells and
whistles' to help make their site designs 'engaging'. there is, however, no substitute for quality of content,
logical ordering of information and easily-followed navigation. your site scores very highly where it counts
without the need of all the 'tap-dancing'. the cross-referencing is extremely thorough. the logicality of it all
makes it eminently 'fit for purpose' and a pleasure to use. i forget who remarked (when speaking of typography)
that when genuinely good it's like a plain glass window, allowing a clear view of the subject, while ostentatious
typography was like a stained-glass window, drawing attention to its own beauty but obscuring the real view. same
applies to websites. can i also say that the site is intelligently and well written, in an authentic and
engaging tone of voice, without the solecisms often found on enthusiasts' (or indeed some commercial) sites. oh
yeah. second: wasn't the avengers really fab. i remember being allowed to stay up on saturday nights, wrapped in my
dressing gown, with a hot drink and biscuits, to the preposterous hour of about nine o'clock (i think) in order to
watch diana rigg in black-and-white, 405-line splendour. actually, i'm just about old enough to remember the honor
blackman episodes and their unfortunately monotonous theme music. — Richard L, united kingdom LETTER OF THE YEAR 2002
Dear David, It's really an honor and pleasure for me to say hello to you.
I'm a "newbie" to TAF (six weeks now) and I don't know how to find the words
to tell you how much I think of TAF. I'll never forget the day I found it—I was absolutely, jaw-dropping-on-the-floor stunned. I've never been
more impressed with anything I've ever seen on the Web—period. Not just
the amount of information (which is overwhelming in itself), but the
superb quality of it all just staggers me. TAF is a masterpiece - if only all sites could be
half as good. David, most of all I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me
rediscover a long-lost love—The
Avengers. It first captured my imagination as a teenager some
twenty-five years ago when it aired late nights on CBS, and again during
its run on A&E. Sadly for me, I hadn't seen it since then, and my love
had faded over the years - until just a couple of days before I found TAF. I heard that great,
unmistakable Laurie Johnson theme on the radio, and it was like a dam bursting - all my warm,
fond memories of the show came rushing back to me. I've been firmly in the grip of "Avengers
fever" ever since, thanks in no small part to you. I now have all the Emma episodes on DVD and
can't tell you how enjoyable and wonderful it is to be rediscovering them (or in some cases,
discovering them for the first time). The magic is stronger than it's ever been—The Avengers
truly is forever! With best regards, John Peters, Bristol, TN
LETTER OF THE YEAR 2001
I meant to write you a few months ago to thank you for the part The
Avengers Forever played in my getting a job! I recently applied for a
position in a communications unit where I would be working on the
redevelopment of the corporate web site. For my interview I was asked in
advance to show a website I admired and explain to them what features I
particularly liked and why—so I used The Avengers Forever! I walked them
through the ease of the site navigation, the user friendliness, the
interactivity and a number of other facets. My interview panel were
bemused by my choice (one of them was from New Zealand and I think used to
watch The Avengers) and it helped make the interview go exceedingly
well. So much so that I got the job! Anyway, I thought I should thank you
for helping with that. Keep up the good work! Yours sincerely, Graeme
Burk, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
LETTER OF THE YEAR 2000
I like The Avengers. They entered my life when I was a young student and they stayed in my
heart and my memories ever since. I celebrated their return to the Argentinean TV the same
way I celebrate the return of an old and loved friend. But this is not just to tell you
how much I like The Avengers, this is to tell you how very much I like your Web site. It
is so full of love and respect for the show and its people!! Thank you very much for the
effort you make to keep our memories alive! — Débora K.
LETTER OF THE YEAR 1999
I've just stumbled across this site for the first time and I stand (or sit) in
awe of its thorough professionalism. I have visited many, many official or unofficial web
sites of various subject matters, but this one must be placed among the top two or three.
Not only has an immense amount of time obviously been spent in its creation (a
prerequisite for any site that hopes to have even a hint of authoritativeness about it),
but a great deal of thought has clearly been put into it as well. The first impressive
achievement is the combination of voluminous, even ludicrously obsessive amounts of
material which are nevertheless arranged so as not to overwhelm the first-time user. The
second achievement is the sparkling, intelligent, friendly writing style that seems to
permeate all aspects of the site—this alone inspired instant confidence in me that I was
dealing with a person whose judgments and explanations I could trust. So far, this has
shown to be true as David's concise summaries (of the show as a whole, of each season, and
of each episode) are all models of clear, fluid and enjoyable prose. The third achievement
would seem to be the inclusion of a wide range of topics, with interesting and fun
material for everyone from the casually curious to the maniacally entrenched. I am a
long-time fan of The Avengers myself, but, by the standards of the in-depth knowledge
displayed here, I'm but a wee Avengers babe in the woods. However, I now very much look
forward to exploring this site bit by bit and learning what I'm sure will be a great deal
about this wonderfully kitschy series. Thanks, David! — Lee Johnson, New Haven, Connecticut
LETTER OF THE YEAR 1998
What a great sight your homage was when I discovered it.
Congratulations. I am a British actor/magician living in Las Vegas but I grew up in London
in the prime Avengers years and lived for the show. I had the pleasure of dining
with Pat Macnee in Toronto with our mutual friend Michael
Sloan (writer/producer of many great TV series, including Kung Fu: the Legend
Continues... Alfred Hitchcock Presents... and the creator of the Equalizer).
Also present at the meal, Miss Moneypenny herself! What a
treat for a spy freak! Michael is in very close touch with Pat and sees him often in Palm
Springs where they both have houses. Pat has been featured on all of Michael's shows and
contributed many great cameos. If KF the Legend Continues plays in the UK look
out for a wonderful episode that is a Valentine to the Magnificent Seven and features Pat,
David McCullum, Robert Vaughn and others. I think the title is Redwing. I will check with
Michael. He will love your site and I will tell him about it. Kindest regards, Nick Lewin
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