Herbie J. Pilato looks back at the surprising censorship issues that faced TV’s The Avengers when it first aired in the USA...

With Diana Rigg and Patrick Macnee leading the way, The Avengers became the first British series broadcast on American television. Sometimes hampered by limited plots, the show nevertheless embodied a unique style. Peel and Steed encountered a litany of strange characters and surreal adventures not regularly seen on TV at the time. But early on, that proved a challenge for ABC, especially with certain initial black-and-white episodes the network considered too over the top. Two such examples were “Honey for the Prince” (March 26, 1966) and “Epic” (April 14, 1967), which only later made the cut for syndication. In “Epic,” the evil, whip-swishing, megalomaniac German movie mogul Z. Z. von Schnerk (Kenneth J. Warren) pays tribute to Peel, perfectly describing her character, if also, too, a few elements of the actress: “You are a woman of courage, beauty, and action. A woman who could become desperate, yet remain strong, become confused yet remain intelligent, who could fight back, yet remain feminine.”

Diana Rigg’s Emma tied to a line on the Stapleford Miniature Railway, and being rescued in the nick of time by Patrick Macnee’s John Steed in ‘The Gravediggers’ episode

But no matter the strides the show made for women, with episodes like “Epic,” the show rattled ABC’s nerves. As Avengers stunt-coordinator-turned director Ray Austin recalled, “Number one: they said we were too violent. But in my eyes, it wasn’t a violent show. Neither Diana nor Patrick ever shot a gun, ever. They never even handled a gun. In fact, they would be seen tossing them away.”