Archived Updates
This is an archive of updates to Anew from 2010-2015. The site has since been redesigned, so please note that the links may no longer work. This page is intended for reference only and will not be updated. See the Updates page for current updates.
- April 30, 2014: Extremely exciting news in the TNA comics world. Denis Kirsanov of the wonderful Russian Avengers website Steedumbrella has uncovered a series of Chinese TNA comics, published in 1990 to coincide with the series' airing in that country.
More about this fascinating discovery can be found at the Archive: Comics page. Anew extends thanks to Denis for kindly providing scans of the comics for use on the site.
Other exciting news comes in the form of a new book out in June of this year. Bowler Hats and Kinky Boots: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to The Avengers by Michael Richardson has been pain-stakingly researched "to give the fullest picture yet of how this classic and stylish British production was assembled". The book covers the original series and TNA, as well as the South African radio series, stage play, and the 1998 movie, and is available for pre-order from Telos Publishing.
In other news, both the Writings: The Arc and the Writings: Shorts and Drabbles sections have a new story. - December 16, 2013: Belated good news for TNA fans comes in the form of Rodney Marshall's book, Making It New?, a must-read for any fan of Steed, Gambit, and Purdey. Available since early November, it can be found on Amazon.
If you'd like to know more about the book, I've written a review which can be found here.
Finally, I've added Denis Kirsanov's wonderful Steedumbrella site to the Links section. Denis has put an enormous amount of work into the site, and it's well worth a visit! - August 21, 2013: My thanks to Alan Hayes of The Avengers Declassified for providing me with the opportunity to read the script for the unmade The First Avengers Movie, the prospective TV movie pilot which was intended to relaunch TNA as a series. It starred Steed, Gambit, and new Avengers girls Carruthers and Suzy. I've written a review and Story in Depth concerning the script, and also collaborated with Alan on an episode guide. Go to the Writings: Non-Fiction page for links.
- July 5, 2013: Gareth's music page has been updated with information about his contribution to a 1984 charity album, and two new tracks to download!
- June 21, 2013: Small update to the Archive: Articles & Interviews section in the form of pictures and reviews of Gareth's 1974 play "Duck Song."
- May 26, 2013: A bit of catch-up. First off, there's a new interview with Gareth from 1977 posted in the Archive: Articles & Interviews section.
Also of interest is a new biography on Ian Hendry, the actor who played the original Avenger, Dr. David Keel, in the first series of The Avengers in 1961. Ian returned in the TNA episode "To Catch A Rat" as amnesiac agent Irwin Gunner, and so has a link both to the original series and its sequel. There's been very little written on Ian until now, so this is a real treat. I've just ordered my copy, and hopefully it'll be of interest to others as well. You can buy the book here. - October 21, 2012: Starting out with a bit of a plug. If you're a fan of TNA, you may be interested to know that, back in 2008, two unmade scripts for TNA were discovered, as well as an unpublished novel. The first is entitled "Tale of the Double Cross," and is the original version of the story that was later reworked to become the TV episode "The Tale of the Big Why." The other is called "Tell Me About it." "The Tale of the Double Cross" has recently been made available
for purchase as a scriptbook. The plan is to only publish the second script if the first sells well, and, well, if we're going to see "Tell Me About It," more have to be sold than have been thus far. I've bought "Tale of the Double Cross," and I can tell you it's a really fascinating read. It was written so early in the show's history that Purdey is still known as "Charly." I really want to see the second script, so I'm encouraging any other fans out there who might be interested to get a copy. I'm not publishing them, and
I'm not making any money off it. I'm just trying to put the word out there in hopes more people will pick up this gem, and that we'll get to see the second script. For those interested in the original series, there's also an unmade season 5 Emma Peel script available, entitled "This'll Kill You." Links to purchase both scripts can be found below, as well as on the front page of the site.
Unmade scripts for The Avengers and The New Avengers now available! Follow the links for more information and to purchase. The Tale of the Double Cross (The New Avengers) This'll Kill You (The Avengers)
Next up, a visitor to the site has kindly given me a few more tidbits of information about Gareth's record. Apparently it released in South Africa on December 4, 1977. I've added the new scraps of information to the page about the release, so you can read it there. With thanks to Patrick for getting in touch!
- April 24, 2012: Just a few things that have been backlogged over the past year. There are also several new additions to the Links section, and the Archive: Articles and Interviews section has four new pieces, three for Gareth Hunt, and one for the "About the Show" section. Sadly, an attempt to update the Archive: Images section has caused problems, so the galleries are currently down. I hope to get them back up over the summer. I'm also toying with a complete site redesign when time permits.
- September 5, 2011: Just under the summer wire, but even at the last minute, this update is something special. I've been sitting on a minor bombshell for over a year now, one which I wasn't in the position to post on the site until now--a rarity of rarities that I've never seen, heard, or read about anywhere before. Drumroll, please... Anew presents: Gareth Hunt sings! Yes, you read that right! Sings! I have a genuine 45 of Gareth singing! Picked up off eBay for a pittance, it features two tracks of vocals by Mike Gambit himself, recorded back in 1977. And you can listen to them here. Perhaps you might not be as excited about this as I am, but at the very least it's a fascinating little rarity. And now you can compare Gareth's voice to those of so many other Avengers who've done a little singing on the side: Patrick Macnee, Honor Blackman, Linda Thorson, Diana Rigg... And now Gareth. Visit the brand-new Music page for more. In the meantime, I'll keep an eye open for anything by Ian Hendry... ;-)
- January 9, 2011: Happy New Year! Again, life has interfered and kept me from here. I've been insanely busy, and while that's not going to change soon, I still have plans for the site. There's at least one major rarity in the pipeline that I hope to put up here in a few months' time, and there are plans for new fiction, image gallery updates, and maybe even an article or two if I can get my act together. So the biggest updates are yet to come. Stay tuned!
At the moment, though, there are only a few small things to contribute, but maybe they'll give you a nice diversion for half an hour or so. First, the Archive: Articles & Interviews section has another new Gareth article from Jackie magazine (like me, they appear to be Gareth fans!). It highlights Gareth's views on astrology. Worth a read!
I've also updated the Writings: Fiction By Others with PhilippaRM's TNA/Spooks crossover story, Somewhere in Between. It's a good read even if you're not a Spooks fan, and I promise TNA fans will be particularly happy about the ending.
That's all for this time. Keep an eye on the site in the coming months for more goodies. - August 14, 2010: Back on the grid. Life has prevented me from updating the site, but I'm checking in now to assure you that I haven't forgotten about it. "Anew" is definitely not dead!
However, I'm also not in the position to submit a huge update, so we'll have to make do with one or two new things. The Archive: Articles & Interviews section has received a new Gareth article from Jackie magazine, as well as a Patrick article.
Elsewhere, the Writings: Fiction By Others has been updated with a wonderful new piece by 1985laurie. Very Gambitcentric (always a plus in my book), there are only two chapters thus far, but it looks very promising. I'm personally enjoying it, and hopefully other TNA fans will, too. 'Til next time. - June 25, 2010: Articles from heaven. Due to a certain anonymous benefactor, I have more lovely articles to share today. Bit of a Patrick-fest this time around. Three new pieces in his section. But there's also a marvellous article about
the making of TNA in the "About the Show" section. It goes into great detail about the series' sound dubbing, music cues, the editing process, and more. Also features a couple of sketches for sets and the remade Cybernauts. A real gem! The Archive: Articles & Interviews section has it all.
In other news, the Writings: Fiction By Others has received a long-overdue fleshing out, with stories by the fabulous rabidsamfan and equally fabulous Khell. Both authors are very talented, and their writings are great reads for TNA fans. Have a look if you haven't already. - June 14, 2010: And another small update. The Archive: Articles & Interviews section has been updated with one new piece, an article about Gareth from 1990 in his section. Apologies for the lack of PDFs, but I haven't reinstalled the required software, so we're going to have to stay low-tech. ;-) The article's quite good. With thanks to Sandra for sending this article in. Much appreciated!
- June 6, 2010: Small update. The Archive: Articles & Interviews section has been updated with three pieces, two in the "About the Show" section, and one in Gareth's section.
- May 27, 2010: After much editing and clip searching, a new fanvideo is up. "I'm Here, You're Here: Purdey and Gambit" is another fluffy piece for the Purdey/Gambit fan in you. Find it in the Videos section.
- May 18, 2010: Still sifting through the files that survived for pieces that haven't been posted yet. Archive: Articles & Interviews section therefore has come in for the updates again. Two new pieces in the "About the Show" section, two in the "Behind the Scenes" section, and a nice little article on Purdey in Joanna's section.
- May 9, 2010: Major computer troubles mean I may or may not have lost the vast majority of my files. This makes updates difficut, so I've tried to put something together with what I have access to at the moment. The Archive: Articles & Interviews section has been updated, with three pieces in "Ends & Odds," three in the "About the Show" section, and one piece of TNA interview excerpts for Brian Clemens in the "Behind the Scenes" section. That's all until I can gauge the extent of the damage, I'm afraid. However, I plan to keep updating the site as best I can, and hopefully will be able to put together the files one way or another, even if it means from scratch. Stay tuned...
- April 28, 2010: Nothing wrong with being quick off the mark! Yes, it's still April, but here at Anew, I'd like to wish Purdey herself, the lovely actress Joanna Lumley, a very happy and healthy 64th birthday this May 1. More than 30 years after her time on TNA, Joanna
refuses to slow down, combining acting projects with political causes, charity work, and documentaries. Anyone wishing to chat about this wonderful lady is advised to check out the Absolutely Joanna Lumley Forum, a wonderful community
celebrating all things Lumley. See you there!
To celebrate Joanna's special day, the site has received a nice batch of updates, first and foremost of which is a copy of the script Joanna herself used to rehearse for the episode Dead Men Are Dangerous. Sadly incomplete due to Joanna's habit of tearing out pages, it still provides a fascinating insight into the making of an episode. I've also taken it upon myself to make a list of all the discrepancies between script and screen. This episode is particularly fitting for Joanna's birthday update, as she celebrated her 31st birthday while filming the scene where Purdey and Gambit fight in the gym, as these photos show. Find it in the Scripts section.
But wait! There's more! I've added two new comics to the Archive: Comics section. These two stories complete the Comics section--all the TNA comics ever printed (as far as I know) are now up on the site.
The Archive: Articles & Interviews section updated, with two pieces in Joanna's section (naturally!), but also one new piece in Gareth's section.
Finally, I've added one new piece of fiction to the Archive: Fan-Fiction section.
Once again, Happy Birthday, Joanna! Make it a good one. :-) - April 21, 2010: Archive: Articles & Interviews section updated, with three pieces in "Ends & Odds," and three in the "About the Show" section.
I've also added a personal favourite of mine, an article from Stay Tuned examining Gambit's character which is well worth a read. It's filed under Gareth's section in the Archive.
Also, I've added two new comics to the Archive: Comics section. - April 15, 2010: Archive: Articles & Interviews section updated, with four pieces in the "About the Show" section, one for Joanna's section, and one in the "Guest Stars" section.
Also, I've added two new pieces of fiction to the Archive: Fan-Fiction section.
- April 8, 2010: Archive: Articles & Interviews section updated, with one piece in the "About the Show" section, two for the "Behind the Scenes" section, and
two for a brand new section, "Ends & Odds." Why "Ends & Odds"? Because that's how Purdey described them in Cat Amongst the Pigeons. ;-)
Also, I've placed the Brian Clemens story "The Sleeping Dragon in the Scripts section. After much debating it's the best fit I could find, considering its status as the source material for the episode K is for Kill. If you haven't read it, you might want to, just as a matter of interest.
I've also received word that TNA will receive a German DVD release from Kinowelt on June 17, 2010. Extras are said to include the Brian Clemens/Gareth Hunt audio commentary for The Eagle’s Nest, as featured on the earlier British Optimum release, the Avenging the Avengers documentary, a filmed introduction with German fan Oliver Kalkofe, a vintage TNA trailer used to promote the series in 1976, and German opening titles. More information on the set can be found on the Kinowelt website. With thanks to SteedMonk on The Avengers Fan Forum for keeping me up-to-date. - March 26, 2010: Archive: Articles & Interviews section updated, with one piece in the "About the Show" section, and another for Gareth. Also, three new entries in the Archive: Comics section.
- March 16, 2010: Small update. A new piece of fanfiction by Cindy Phares up in the Archive: Fanfiction section.
- March 14, 2010: To mark the third anniversary of the passing of Gareth Hunt, who played Mike Gambit in the series, I've posted a set of obituaries for Gareth in the Archive: Articles & Interviews section. Gareth is still very much missed by Avengers fans, including myself. I'd go on, but I doubt I can do any better than what I wrote here.
- March 7, 2010: Archive: Articles & Interviews section updated, with two pieces in the "About the Show" section.
- March 1, 2010: Archive: Comics section updated, with two original French versions. Also a new piece of fanfiction up in the Archive: Fanfiction section.
- February 23, 2010: Archive: Articles & Interviews section updated. Two new interviews from Gareth and Joanna up, plus bits and pieces from the "Patrick Macnee/Avengers Fan Network Newsletter" under "About the Show". Look for the icon for new additions.
- February 19, 2010: Links updated/cleaned-up as some sites no longer exist.
- February 14, 2010: Site launch. Some archive files still to come. Testing still under way.