Diana in all her catsuited glory from her first season as Emma Peel in The Avengers
To modern day audiences Diana Rigg, who died at the age of 82 in September, was probably best known for playing the scheming Olena Terrol in Game of Thrones (2011-2019), a role that she played in seasons 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 of the hit HBO series. But for those of less tender years she will always be Emma Peel, feisty catsuited heroine of the The Avengers TV series at the height of the swinging sixties.
Emma Peel was so named because she had ‘Man Appeal’ and was the perfect partner for debonair gentlemen agent John Steed (Patrick Macnee). An expert in martial arts, she became a feminist role model around the world and an icon of British popular culture.