Incidentally, the “new” New Avengers are not that new at all: we are already on the second series, and the first episodes were reruns from the first series.

But now it all gets really new ...

The Avengers are John Steed (Patrick Macnee), Purdey (Joanna Lumley), and Mike Gambit (Gareth Hunt).

Fifteen years ago, Patrick Macnee first squeezed into the image of John Steed, the phlegmatic gentleman avenger. Eight years later, he disappeared from the screen, but he couldn't break away from his role. Wherever he came, no one could see in him anything but the elegant sleuth. At the end of this, Patrick was forced to take up the bowler hat and umbrella again.

Macnee is now 55, but you really wouldn't tell him that — not even outside of the somewhat unreal buzzing atmosphere of the studios. Smoking and drinking have been taboo for years, and to combat the threat of belly formation, he hops around in the greenery for two hours a day, around his California dream villa.

We've seen Joanna Lumley before in the role of Purdey: pretty, innocent, blonde and sexy. But also an unlikely hard fighting machine in horrible packaging, who has no qualms about getting into trouble with the most brutal criminals at night.

And finally, there is Gareth Hunt, who portrays the handsome dark-haired Mike Gambit. The ladies are already swooning after a look into his loyal honed eyes...

A gentleman, a sexpuss and a handsome guy: what more does a TV series need to succeed?

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