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Purdey, Mike Gambit and John Steed.

The New Avengers is a 1970s revival of the 1960s British series The Avengers. It saw Patrick Macnee reprising the role of John Steed, and two new partners joining Steed to help him solve cases, Purdey (Joanna Lumley) and Mike Gambit (Gareth Hunt). Laurie Johnson composed new opening and closing themes.

The series lasted from October 1976 to December 1977, for a total of 26 episodes in two seasons.

Just like its predecessor with Avengers, it should not be confused with the Marvel comics of the same name, New Avengers.


The New Avengers provides examples of:

  • Actor Allusion: In "Hostage", William Franklyn, playing Ministry man McKay, is seen holding a file marked "Top Secret", which was the name of a series he starred in during The '60s.
  • A.I. Is a Crapshoot: In "Complex", the computer controlling the entirety of the security headquarters has actually been constructed to act as a spy for the Soviets. It starts murdering any agents who get too close to figuring out its secret.
  • Air-Vent Passageway: In "The Deadly Angels", Purdey gets into the maze in the health farm by crawling through the vents.
  • Alcohol Is Gasoline: In "Emily", the Avengers are attempting to transport a car to a forensics lab. When an irate farmer shoots at them, he punctures the fuel tank and all the petrol leaks out. Tasked with finding fuel, Purdey and Gambit locate a Hillbilly Moonshiner. After knocking the moonshiner out, they take six gallons of his potent hooch (leaving cash behind to pay for it). They use this to fuel the car to get to their destination.
  • Animal Assassin: In "Cat Among the Pigeons", the villains uses birds as his assassins.
  • Anachronistic Clue: In "K is for Kill: Tiger by the Tail", Steed and Gambit realise that the K agent had a recent photo of his target despite having in cryogenic suspension since World War II. This tells them that the agent had access to a recent file since his awakening.
  • Apocalypse Hitler: "The Eagle's Nest" featured a group of Nazis attempting to revive the cryogenically preserved body of Hitler.
  • Attack of the 50-Foot Whatever: The threat in "Gnaws" is a sewer rat mutated to monstrous size by an undiluted experimental growth formula spilled down the drain.
  • Bad Habits: "The Eagle's Nest".
  • Big Fancy House: Steed lives in a country mansion, often referred to by fans as "Steed's Stud", because it has plenty of grounds to exercise his horses. It was portrayed by Binfield Manor, near Binfield, Berkshire and Fulmer Hall, Fulmer, Buckinghamshire.
  • Blow Gun: Used by an assassin in "Target!". Gambit turns the tables on him by blowing down the end of the blow gun, causing him to swallow the poison dart.
  • Bodybag Trick: In "Hostage", Purdey's kidnappers carry her out of her flat hidden in a coffin.
  • Book Safe: In "Forward Base", a Russian agent has the radio for contacting the eponymous forward base inside a copy of the Bible.
  • Brutal Bird of Prey: In "Cat Amongst the Pigeons", the Villain of the Week uses a falcon as an Animal Assassin in an attempt to dispose of Steed.
  • Bullet Catch: In "The Gladiators", the Russians had developed a super-martial arts training program which would enable those who survived to deflect bullets with their hands. The graduate did fairly well, but it turned out he could only deflect attacks from one direction at a time.
  • Bulletproof Vest: In "The Lion and the Unicorn", a church minister appears to be shot dead by the Unicorn, an enemy agent. It is later revealed that he was wearing a bulletproof vest.
  • Canada Eh: The last four episodes — "Complex", "The Gladiators", "Forward Base" and "Emily" — were made in Canada due to the financier being Nielsen Ferns. These episodes even aired as The New Avengers in Canada.
  • Casual Danger Dialogue: In "The Midas Touch", Gambit and Purdey have a casual conversation about who was the director of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre during a Car Chase.
  • Car Fu:
    • In "The Last of the Cybernauts...??", the super-strong Kane physically shoves Mike's Range-Rover into him, squashing him between two cars and knocking him out before going after Purdey.
    • In "K is For Kill: Tiger by the Tail", Purdey takes the handbrake off Colonel Stanislav's car while it is parked on a slope, causing it to roll downhill and slam into him.
  • Car Meets House: In "Three Handed Game", an amnesiac agent desperate to find his way back to Steed crashes his motorbike through the window of Steed's living room.
  • Casting Gag: Simon Oates, who played John Steed in the 1971 stage play based on the original series, appears in "Hostage" as the traitor Spelman.
  • Cat Fight: "Angels of Death" has Purdey taking on not one but two gorgeous female opponents (played by Caroline Munro and Pamela Stephenson), after Gambit's basic decency prevents him hitting women and they beat the bejasus out of him.
  • Caught in a Snare: Happens to Gambit in "Trap" when he is trapped by Soo Choy's men.
  • Changing of the Guard: Steed takes on a mentor role to Gambit and Purdey, essentially filling the role of "Mother" in the orignal show.
  • *Click* Hello: Gambit pulls this when he gets the drop on Colonel 'Mad Jack' Miller in "Dirtier by the Dozen".
  • Clothing Combat:
    • In "Trap", Gambit improvises a bolas out of his tie and a pair of shoes.
    • In "Dirtier by the Dozen" Gambit uses Purdey's bra as an improvised sling to knock out a commando.
  • Continuous Decompression: In "Trap", Steed, Gambit and Purdey are on a plane when the main cabin starts filling with gas. Gambit opens the main door to depressurize the cabin and suck out the gas. The depressurization goes on for long enough for the pilot to get out of the cockpit and still be sucked out of the plane.
  • The Corpse Stops Here: Happens to Steed twice in "Medium Rare" as part of a Frame-Up. The first time, he is sent to a Doomed Appointment and arrives just after the man he was supposed to meet has been murdered, and seconds before internal security arrives. The second time, he happens to walk in on a murder the killer was planning on framing him for. The killer knocks him out and leaves him beside the body with the murder weapon in his hand.
  • Costume Copycat: In "Hostage", one of the villains dresses in a copy of Steed's distinctive suit, bowler hat and umbrella as part of a plan to frame Steed as a traitor.
  • Covert Group: Soviet spymaster Ivanov planted many undercover agents in Great Britain, where they wormed close to tactically important persons, ready to assassinate them on cue. This covert network was called "the House of Cards," because select playing cards would activate the moles. British Avengers John Steed, Emma Peel and Mike Gambit thwarted Ivanov and neutralized his moles.
  • Cut Phone Lines: Done in "Sleeper" to isolate central London while the gang are Taking Over the Town.
  • Cyanide Pill: In "The Eagle's Nest", Gambit captures an enemy operative who kills himself with a concentrated dose of jellyfish venom.
  • Cyborg: In "The Last of the Cybernauts", after his plan to use Cybernauts against Steed, Purdey and Gambit fails, crippled villain Felix Kane has himself mounted on Cybernaut legs and gets a Cybernaut arm, then goes on a rampage to try and kill Purdey.
  • Dance Battler: Purdey was a former ballerina who practiced a very balletic fighting form, complete with pirouettes and high kicks.
  • Danger Takes A Back Seat: In "Cat Among the Pigeons" Steed is attacked by a falcon that has been planted in the back of his car.
  • Darker and Edgier: The creators felt that the original series had gone as far as it could in terms of parody, so this time they aimed for real stories and straight, Len Deighton-type spy stories.
  • Deadfoot Leadfoot: In "The Deadly Angels", Steed is in a car being driven by one of his friends. A sign is flashed that causes the friend to suffer a fatal heart attack. The car continues to careen along as Steed attempts to steer it to a safe stop.
  • Death Course: An episode had one of these disguised as a British agent training course. Agents would be shot with harmless little darts to show whether they passed. The villains poisoned the darts.
  • Decoy Convoy: The New Avengers succeed in smuggling a Soviet scientist into the United Kingdom. However, the man's heart is weakened from being malnourished and overworked. The heroes transport the scientist to hospital in an ambulance, which is followed by Soviet agents seeking to repatriate the defector. Two more identical ambulances appear, and the three emergency vehicles then shuffle themselves like a shell game, including through a tunnel. At an intersection, one ambulance goes left, one goes right, and one goes straight. The Soviet agents come to dead stop, unsure which ambulance to pursue.
  • Deep Cover Agent: The episode "House of Cards" features a rogue Russian agent activating an old cold war project of deep, deep cover agents, two of whom are old friends of Steed.
  • Depraved Dwarf: In "Target!", the main villain of the episode Draker employs a midget assassin named Klokoe (played by Deep Roy) who takes an undeniable glee in killing: giving a sadistic grin when he stabs Steed with a syringe full of toxin while disguised as a child.
  • Disconnected by Death: In "Target!", the poisoned Palmer manages to make it to a phone booth and call Steed. He gasps out some vital information, including the fact that he is already dead, before keeling over.
  • Disposable Vagrant: One of the victims of the giant rat in "Gnaws" is a tramp.
  • Dodge the Bullet: In "K is for Kill: Tiger by the Tail", Gambit is able to use his pistol to deflect the bullet a Russian assassin fires at him.
  • Doppelgänger: "Faces", of the Magic Plastic Surgery variety.
  • Dramatic Drop: The villain attending Steed's party drops his champagne glass when he hears the general announce that the 'Eye of God' satellite is going to do an underground scan of Buckinghamshire, where he has concealed his stolen missile.
  • Dressing as the Enemy: At the end of "Sleeper", Steed, Gambit and Purdey steal outfits from unconscious robbers and infiltrate the gang, using the balaclavas to disguise their identities.
  • Easy Amnesia: A variant in "To Catch a Rat". A agent suffering crippling injuries in an attempt on his life and loses all of his memories. Unlike most uses of this trope, his memory stays gone for 17 years. The Easy Amnesia comes into play when a blow to his head (from a child's swing) restores his memory instantly.
  • Eiffel Tower Effect: "Complex", the first episode filmed in Canada, opens with a shot of the CN Tower in Toronto so there can be no doubt where they are.
  • Embarrassing Cover Up: In "To Catch a Rat", Purdey and Gambit charge into a church expecting to confront an enemy agent. Instead, the confront two local ladies arranging flowers. Purdey immediately announces that this is wrong and he cannot force her to marry her and storms out. Gambit stands there for a few moments looking embarrassed before hurriedly stuffing some money in the poor box and slinking out after her.
  • Empty Quiver: In "Obsession", a rogue air force officer steals a rocket to blow up the Houses of Parliament during a state visit by a Middle Eastern statesman.
  • Enemy Eats Your Lunch: The Avengers help themselves to the Unicorn's champagne while holding him prisoner in his apartment in "The Lion and the Unicorn".
  • Evil Cripple: Felix Kane in "The Last of the Cybernauts...??". A double agent crippled and hideously disfigured trying to escape from Steed, Gambit and Purdey, Kane is confined to a wheelchair and resurrects the robotic Cybernauts to extract his revenge.
  • Evil Duo: In "The Tale of the Big Why", the Avengers find themselves alternatively pursuing or being pursued by a Brains and Brawn pair of thieves who do not even know what the MacGuffin they are trying to steal is: merely that it is extremely valuable in the right hands.
  • Evil Elevator: In "Complex", the murderous AI controlling the building causes the floor to drop out of the elevator beneath Greenwood's feet, send him plummeting to his death.
  • Evil Former Friend: In "Dead Men Are Dangerous", Steed's life is threatened by a revenge campaign from Mark Crayford, a childhood friend (at least to Steed), who viewed Steed as a lifelong rival, and who Steed was forced to shoot when he revealed himself to be a double agent.
  • Eyepatch of Power: Colonel Miller has one in "Dirtier by the Dozen". It's never explained how a man with only one eye could remain as a serving line officer in the British Army.
  • Faking the Dead: In "Dead Men are Dangerous", Mark Crayford starts his scheme of revenge against Steed by having himself declared dead and a death certificate issued in his name, so Steed will not suspect him.
  • Feathered Fiend: "Cat Amongst the Pigeons" sees a bird conservationist ostracized by fellow ecologists takes his revenge by killing them one at a time using trained birds.
  • Find the Cure!: In "Target", Purdey and Steed are poisoned and Gambit has to race to find the antidote: which the villain has hidden in the centre of the agency's Shooting Gallery.
  • Finger in the Mail: In "Hostage", the kidnappers send Steed a lock of Purdey's hair with a warning that worse is to follow if Steed does not obey their instructions.
  • Groupie Brigade: The Avengers stage one as a distraction to allow them to snatch a defector from an airport in "House of Cards".
  • Hand Cannon: In "Gnaws", Gambit thinks enemy agents might be using some kind of specialised armoured transport in the sewers, and arms himself with a handgun which, in his words, will "stop a tank at 30 paces". In the end, it proves just as effective against the actual threat which turns out to be a giant rat.
  • Hand-or-Object Underwear: In "Three Handed Game", Purdey bursts in on Gambit as he is posing as a life model for a sculptress. He hurriedly grabs a sheet to cover himself up.
  • Harbinger of Impending Doom: "Trap" opens with an agent being caught eavesdropping on the villains. Despite being shot by a guard, he manages to escape and survives long enough to deliver a cryptic message concerning a drug deal to Gambit.
  • Hero Stole My Bike: In "The Lion and the Unicorn", Gambit steals a window washer's three-wheeled van to chase a fleeing thug through the streets of Paris. Naturally he ends up wrecking it.
  • "Hey, You!" Haymaker: Gambit does this to O'Hara in "The Gladiators" when he finds O'Hara scoping out the bad guys' escape route. He taps him on the shoulder and then slugs him on the jaw as he turns round.
  • Hidden in Plain Sight: The eponymous "Tale of the Big Why" turns out to be the tail of a big Y - yes, it's a Shout-Out to It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
  • Hillbilly Moonshiner: In "Emily", Gambit and Purdey fight a hillbilly moonshiner to acquire several gallons of his hooch in order to fuel a car (It Makes Sense in Context).
  • Hired Guns: The rogue British Army unit in "Dirtier by the Dozen".
  • Hooks and Crooks: In The Teaser to "The Eagle's Nest", a pair of sentries disguised as anglers kill an intruder on the island by lashing him with poisoned fishing hooks.
  • Hospital Hottie: A bevvy of gorgeous nurses in the episode "Angels of Death", including noted '70s beauties Pamela Stephenson and Caroline Munro.
  • Human Hard Drive: The episode "The Three-Handed Game" features three agents with perfect memory. Each of them was shown one-third of a secret message and was sent to deliver it via a different route, so that in theory nobody could intercept the entire message. (Come to think of it, kinda like the way data packets work on the internet.) Of course, the bad guy figures out a way.
  • Human Popsicle: Used in the 2-part "K Is for Kill" story. In 1945 Russian soldier Stanislav stole the secret of longevity from a Tibetian monk. He created an army of 252 sleepers that were stationed all over Europe. In 1965, one of them awoke by accident and went on a rampage in Berkshire. 12 years later, the same thing happens to a larger group in France. Only in death do the Russian soldiers show their advanced age.
  • I Have Your Wife: In "Hostage", a gang of villains abduct Purdey and hold her hostage to ensure Steed's compliance.
  • Identical Stranger: "Faces" opens with two poachers seeing a chauffeur-driven limousine carrying a Ministry official who looks a lot like one of them. They then get the idea to kill the man and replace him.
  • Impairment Shot: Double vision and going in and out of focus are used to indicate curare poisoning in "Target!". There is a prolonged sequence from Steed's POV as he staggers poisoned through the Shooting Gallery.
  • Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy: The border guards in "Dead Men are Dangerous" show some spectacularly bad aim when they manage to miss Steed despite him lying prone on the ground no more than 20 or 30 feet away.
  • Improvised Weapon: In "Dirtier by the Dozen" Gambit uses Purdey's bra as an improvised sling to knock out a commando.
  • Instant Sedation: "Sleeper", where a group of bank robbers disperse a powerful knockout drug over London early on a Sunday morning in order to pull off a series of bank heists.
  • I Surrender, Suckers: In "Trap", Purdey walks up to the captain of Soo Choy's men and gives herself up. While he is securing her, Steed gets the drop on him and knocks him out.
  • It Works Better with Bullets: In "The Tale of the Big Why", The Mole draws a gun on Steed, Gambit and Purdey and plans to shoot them so they cannot reveal his secret. Steed orders Gambit to disarm him and Gambit moves forward. The Mole fires but his gun merely clicks as the hammer falls on empty chamber. Steed had spotted the gun in The Mole's pocket and — suspicious of why an undersecretary would be carrying a loaded pistol — had removed the clip.
  • Janitor Impersonation Infiltration: In "Emily", Purdey keeps enemy spy the Fox's hotel room under surveillance disguised as a cleaner.
  • "Jaws" Attack Parody: "Gnaws". Giant rats in London's Absurdly Spacious Sewers.
  • Kangaroo Court: In "Dirtier by the Dozen", Colonel 'Mad Jack' Miller holds a drumhead court martial and sentences one of his to be executed by firing squad.
  • Kill and Replace: This is the bad guys scheme in "Faces", using Magic Plastic Surgery to create doubles of people in the security services, then killing the original and having the doppelganger take their place.
  • Lady in Red: Purdey in "Dirtier By The Dozen", in contrast to the men all dressed in khaki.
  • Last Breath Bullet: After being shot by the White Rat in "To Catch a Rat", Gunner struggles to his feet long enough to shoot the Rat as he was about to shoot Purdey.
  • Letterbox Arson: A variant occurs in "Complex". When Purdey is trapped inside a building that is trying to kill her, Steed and Gambit alert her that she needs to trigger the sprinkler system by dumping a large quantity of matches and lighters into the mail chute, which is the only access the AI cannot seal off. Purdey uses a lighter to set off the sprinkler and destroy the computer.
  • Living on Borrowed Time: An enemy agent in one episode who had a bullet working its way toward his brain, and was desperate to kill Steed before that happened.
  • Living Structure Monster: "Complex" is set in a secure building complex controlled by a rogue A.I. The A.I. controls all of the building's systems, allowing them to be used as deadly weapons. Examples include elevators plunging down the shaft just as people go to step into them, the cleaning systems forcing people into the incinerator, and sealing the doors and sucking all of the air out of a room via the ventilation system.
  • Lock Down: "Complex".
  • Loves Only Gold: Professor Turner in "The Midas Touch". Gold is Turner's obsession, which is why he names his secret project Midas. A Plaguemaster, Turner creates a Poisonous Person named Midas that he intends to sell to the power that can pay him the greatest amount of gold.
  • Magic Plastic Surgery: Used by the bad guys in "Faces" to create doubles used in their Kill and Replace scheme.
  • Manchurian Agent:
    • "House of Cards" features Soviet sleeper agents being re-activated and instructed to become assassins.
    • "K is for Kill" features a leftover Russian commando unit comprised of radio-controlled sleepers is activated by a malfunctioning satellite.
  • Married to the Job: In "House of Cards", Steed refers to his career as "my one and only marriage...and I've been very faithful."
  • Mistaken for an Imposter: In "Faces", both Gambit and Purdey go undercover to infiltrate an organisation that is creating duplicates of intelligence operatives, where they are employed as doubles of themselves. Each ends up believing that the other is an imposter, and has killed the real Gambit/Purdey.
  • Mobile Shrubbery: "Sleeper" contains an odd variant, in that does not involve any actual cover. Steed and Gambit pretend to be asleep at a bus stop. Every time the gangster there looks away, they slide closer to him. He is just on the verge of working out something is wrong when they jump him.
  • The Mole: In "To Catch a Rat", a former agent recovers his memory after having amnesia for 17 years. He remembers he was hunting a mole known as 'the White Rat'. Realising the the Rat is still in the department, he resumes his hunt.
  • Mugged for Disguise: In "Sleeper", the main bad guy disposes of of a visiting scientist and steals his clothes to take his place at a demonstration where he plans to steal the secret weapon.
  • Mugging the Monster: In "Dead Men are Dangerous", a mugger attempts to mug a ex-spy and trained killer. The spy slams him around and then recruits him as a henchman.
  • Murder by Cremation: In "Complex", the murderous AI controlling the building disposes of one its victims by dumping him into the building's trash incinerator.
  • New Old Flame: The villain in "Obsession" is an ex-fiancee of Purdey who had never been mentioned before.
  • Nobody Here but Us Statues: Purdey poses as a mannequin in a store window in an attempt to avoid two of the robbers in "Sleeper". She is hampered by the fact that her trousers keep falling down.
  • No Immortal Inertia: The soldiers in the Russian 'secret army' who have been in 'cold storage' since World War II in the "K is for Kill" two-parter. When they are killed they revert to their chronological age.
  • Not With the Safety On, You Won't: In "The Deadly Angels", Gambit is held at gunpoint by a secretary. He starts instructing her on the proper way to hold and search a prisoner at gunpoint. When he tells her to take the safety catch off the gun, she goes to obey. As she does so, he turn around and snatches the gun off her. He then gives it back to her, kisses her and asks her for a date.
  • Novelization: A half-dozen storylines from the series were adapted as novels. (The parent series also had a series of books based on it, but they were all original novels.)
  • No Waterproofing In Thefuture: In "Complex", Purdey destroys the murderous A.I. controlling the building by triggering the sprinkler in the basement, causing it to short out.
  • Of Corpse He's Alive: In "The Lion and the Unicorn", Steed has to go to extreme lengths in order to convince the Unicorn's gang that he is still alive (after being accidentally shot by one of his own men) in order to prevent a gang war and recover a hostage the Unicorn's gang is holding.
  • Off with His Head!: In "Trap", Soo Choy plans to behead Steed, Gambit and Purdey as revenge for foiling his drug operation. He gets as far as getting Gambit's head on the chopping block.
  • Old Hero, New Pals: Steed doesn't form a couple with a Lady of Adventure Action Girl anymore, instead partnering with a more straight-up Action Girl and a male agent who's younger than him.
  • Older and Wiser: Steed.
  • Only One Name: Purdey.
  • Outfit Decoy: In "Emily", Steed tapes his bowler hat to the roof of a car to protect a palm print (It Makes Sense in Context). Later the police are after them and Steed manages to temporarily lose them by taping his hat to the roof of a different brown car (and stealing that driver's hat to tape to the roof of Emily).
  • Outside Ride: In "Dead Men are Dangerous", Gambit leaps on the back of a fleeing car. He gets thrown off but manages to pull off the number plate as he goes.
  • Paranoia Gambit: In "Forward Base", Purdey and Gambit spook a Russian agent into revealing the location of the base by calling him to tell him his cover is blown, and then doing absolutely nothing. They reason that the fact that he cannot find them will absolutely convince him that they are on to him.
  • Pin-Pulling Teeth: In "K is for Kill: The Tiger Awakes", one of the Russians does this before tossing a grenade through the window of the Allied HQ museum.
  • Plaguemaster: Professor Turner in "The Midas Touch". Turner has found the ultimate carrier for a host of deadly diseases, calls him Midas and offers him to the highest bidder in exchange for gold.
  • Pocket Protector:
    • In "The Midas Touch", smuggler Hong Kong Harry is shot by an assassin to prevent him from reaching a meeting. He is saved because he is wearing a quarter of a million dollars worth of gold dust inside a Fat Suit.
    • In "Faces", Steed is saved when his doppelgänger's bullet hits the pocket watch givien to him minutes earlier by his best friend's widow.
    • In "K is for Kill: Tiger by the Tail", Steed is saved by because he is a gentleman. Although he doesn't smoke, he carries a cigarette case for those of his friends who do, and an assassin's bullet strikes the cigarette case.
  • Poisonous Person: Midas in "The Midas Touch". Midas is the perfect carrier for diseases, and Plaguemaster Professor Turner turns him into a living weapon whose slightest touch kills.
  • Pop The Tyres:
    • One of the people chasing the MacGuffin in "The Tale of the Big Why" shoots out the tyres on Steed's Range-Rover to stop Steed and Gambit chasing her.
    • In "Obsession", Purdey shoots one of the tyres on the range rover so that she can reach her ex-lover before Steed can.
  • Pretty in Mink: Purdey dons a fur coat when she poses as a gangster's moll in "Faces".
  • Previously on…: "K is for Kill: Tiger by the Tail" opens with a montage of excerpts recapping the events of the previous episode, "The Tiger Awakens".
  • Pursued Protagonist: "The Eagle's Nest" opens with an agent on a remote island being chased by two murderous anglers. He attempts to seek sanctuary in a monastery where things do not go well for him.
  • The Remnant:
    • In "The Eagle's Nest", the Avengers encounter a group of Nazis who escaped the Fall of Berlin and their descendants inhabiting a remote Scottish island. They possess the cyrogenically frozen body of Adolf Hitler and are waiting for the day they can revive him and have him lead a Fourth Reich.
    • In "K is for Kill", a cadre of Soviet soldiers are accidentally awoken from their cryogenic sleep and embark on following their original Cold War orders; attacking several former military targets that have been abandoned for decades.
    • It turned out there was another cache with Cybernauts left after Dr. Armstrong's demise back in the original series, and those are remote-controlled this time. Felix Kane finds them and uses them for his revenge against Steed, Purdey and Gambit.
  • Renegade Russian: In the "K is for Kill" two-parter, Colonel Stanislav is a hardliner who is not happy with the thawing Cold War, and puts in a motion a scheme set up after World War II in an attempt to trigger World War III.
  • Revealing Injury: In "To Catch a Rat", Gunner knows that he will be able to identify the White Rat because he shot the White Rat in the left leg during their last encounter.
  • Revival
  • Rod And Reel Repurposed: The sentries in "The Eagle's Nest" are disguised as anglers, and use their fishing rods and weighted lures to kill any outsiders who come too close to discovering the island's secret.
  • Rodents of Unusual Size: In "Gnaws", an experimental isotopic fluid spilled down a drain causes a sewer rat to grow to gigantic size.
  • Sapient House: In "Complex", the AI controlling the building siezes control of the building systems and uses them to murder anyone it thinks is getting too close to uncovering its secret.
  • Seeking Sanctuary: In The Teaser to "The Eagle's Nest", a Pursued Protagonist flees from his attackers into a monastery. He disturbs the monks at their devotions, demanding sanctuary. This ends badly for him, as the monks are actually Nazis in disguise.
  • Self-Offense: In "To Catch a Rat", Purdey and Cromwell end up attacking each other when they both have the same idea of searching Cledge's apartment in the dark.
  • Sequel Episode: "The Last of the Cybernauts" sees the return of the titular Killer Robots and completes the trilogy that started with "The Cybernauts" and "Return of the Cybernauts".
  • Sexy Jester: In "Three Handed Game", Purdey puts on clown wig, red nose and face paint.
  • Shoe Slap: In "Trap", Gambit improvises a bolas out of his tie and a pair of shoes.
  • Shooting Gallery: The episode "Target!" features the agency's shooting gallery being used to assassinate agents.
  • Shoot the Rope: Done as part of a *Twang* Hello by a bow-wielding assassin in "Faces". He uses an arrow to sever the the rope holding up a training dummy next to Purdey as a way of announcing his presence.
  • Shot at Dawn: In "Dirtier by the Dozen", Colonel 'Mad Jack' Miller has one of his men executed by firing squad following a drumhead court martial.
  • Shrunk in the Wash: In "Emily", Purdey undergoes a trip through a car wash, emerging to find that her jumper and skirt have become considerably shorter.
  • Signature Sound Effect: In "The Last of the Cybernauts?", the Killer Robots called Cybernauts emit the distinctive "swish" sound when karate-chop people or things with their arms they made in The Avengers (1960s).
  • Smart House: "Complex" has a Canadian intelligence building controlled by an AI. The AI has control over all of the building's systems. Turns into Sapient House territory when the AI starts uses the those systems to murder anyone who comes too close to discovering its secret.
  • So Much for Stealth: At the start of "The Lion and the Unicorn", Steed and Purdey are listening at the door of the hotel room of Professional Killer the Unicorn when Purdey knocks over an ashtray and they have to flee for their lives.
  • Special Guest: The only guest stars who got "guest-starring" credits were Peter Cushing in "The Eagles' Nest" and Ian Hendry in "To Catch a Rat".
  • Stab the Salad: The Teaser of "Complex" opens with what appears to be a sniper sighting down a rifle on someone exiting a building. As he squeezes the trigger, it is revealed that he is actually using a special long-distance camera mounted on a rifle-style stock to take a photograph.
  • Stock Footage:
    • In "Obsession", most of the footage of Jaguar aircraft was taken from the 1970 RAF training film The Engineer in the RAF. There's also footage of Harriers, presumably taken from somewhere else. The fire at the RAF station was represented by stock library footage.
    • The Teaser for "The Lion and the Unicorn" features a car chase comprising partially of footage from a pre-existing commercial for British Leyland with some additional filming.
    • The Teaser "K is for Kill: The Tiger Awakes" opens with stock footage set in 1945 showing Buddhist monks taking part in ritual activities, plus the Boudhanath Stupa. Plus, Emma Peel's cameo consists of footage taken from "The Winged Avenger" and "The Hidden Tiger".
  • Strapped to a Bomb: In "The Lion and the Unicorn", the villains strap a bomb to their royal hostage in case Steed attempts a double-cross before the hostage exchange can take place.
  • Stupid Jetpack Hitler: "The Eagle's Nest".
  • Stylish Protection Gear: Purdey had a gold silk karate gi, which really stood out compared to Gamnit's plain white one when they were sparring.
  • Suffer the Slings: In "Dirtier by the Dozen", Gambit uses Purdey's bra as an improvised sling to hurl a rock that knocks out a commando.
  • Supernaturally Young Parent: In "K is for Kill", Colonel Stanislav activates a cadre of Soviet soldiers who were put into cryogenic sleep shortly after World War II. One of the soldiers is his father, who now appears about half the age of his son.
  • Super Window Jump: Gambit was fond of doing this when he was racing to the rescue. He comes crashing through the window of a folly in "Dead Men are Dangerous", a health farm in "the Deadly Angels", and a suburban home in "Complex".
  • Swiss-Cheese Security: Enemy agents seem to wander into Steed's house in every other episode.
  • Tae Kwon Door: An intruder kicks the door closed into Steed's face as he goes to enter Stannard's apartment in "The Eagle's Nest".
  • Take Off Your Clothes: In "To Catch a Rat", Purdey tells Cromwell to take of his trousers, to his obvious surprise. It turns out she had ripped his trousers during the struggle and intends to sew up the rip.
  • Taking Over the Town: In "Sleeper", a gang uses a secret weapon to knock out a section of central London, then put in roadblocks and cut the phone lines to allow them to loot a series of banks at will.
  • Telepathic Sprinklers: In "Complex", Purdey is trapped inside a building which is attempting to kill her. Steed and Gambit dump a bunch of matches and lighters to her through the mail chute. She uses these to trigger the sprinklers which go off through the entire building and short out the computer controlling the building.
  • Those Wacky Nazis: "The Eagle's Nest" features a monastery in Scotland housing a group of Nazis intending to launch a Fourth Reich by reviving Adolf Hitler from suspended animation.
  • Town with a Dark Secret: "The Eagle's Nest" where a remote Scottish island was harbouring a dark secret. The island had been secretly taken over by Nazis at the end of World War II, and the monastery as being used to house the cryogenically frozen body of Adolf Hitler until such time as they could revive him.
  • Toyota Tripwire: In "The Tale of the Big Why", Gambit and Purdey drive after two villains who chasing a man across a field. Gambit opens the door of the Range-Rover as they drive past to knock down one of the villains as he stops to aim his shotgun at the fleeing man.
  • Throw a Barrel at It: In "Dial A Deadly Number", a strong mook throws a barrel at Steed while they're in a wine cellar.
  • Transferable Memory: In "Three Handed Game", a device is invented that allows memories and skills to be transferred from one mind to another. It is stolen by a mercenary who intends to use it to steal espionage secrets. When the Avengers get too close, he uses it to transfer his mind to a new body.
  • Trojan Prisoner: Steed and Purdey pull this trick to inflitrate Soo Choy's base in "Trap"
  • *Twang* Hello:
    • Done by a bow-wielding villain to announce his presence to Purdey in "Faces".
    • In "Dirtier by the Dozen", Gambit is unlocking Purdey's cell when a knife embeds itself in the door beside his head.
  • Two-Part Episode: "K is for Kill", where our heroes must prevent the assassination of the French president by a re-activated Russian commando unit and prevent a World War III. The two episodes are titled "The Tiger Awakes" and "Tiger by the Tail".
  • Underwater Base: In "Forward Base", the eponymous base turns out to be an elaborate submersible community hidden in Lake Ontario.
  • Vacation Episode: Three episodes — "The Lion and the Unicorn" and the two-part "Kill is for Kill" — take place in France, while the last four episodes — "Complex", "The Gladiators", "Forward Base" and "Emily" — take place in Canada due to financing issues.
  • Wall of Weapons: "Faces" gives us a good look inside Gambit's flat. There are several firearms hanging on one wall and a couple of crossbows on another.
  • The Walls Are Closing In: In "The Deadly Angels", Steed and Purdey are trapped in a room with the walls closing in to crush them. They end up extremely close quarters before Gambit manages to switch the machinery off.
  • War for Fun and Profit: In "Dirtier by the Dozen", Colonel 'Mad Jack' Miller plans to trigger a war in the Middle East and use the confusion to loot whatever isn't nailed down and disappear before any of the powers involved can work out what has happened.
  • With My Hands Tied: In "The Tale of the Big Why", Purdey takes down one of her kidnappers despie having her hands tied.
  • Yellowface:
    • "The Midas Touch" has Hong Kong Harry and Choy, both played by English actor Ronald Lacey and English wrestler Big Bruno Erlington.
    • The Chinese crime lord Soo Choy in "Trap" is played by a Caucasian actor in obvious yellowface. In fact, it is not even obvious at first that he is supposed to be Chinese and not a white man who has adopted Oriental mannerisms. Made more obvious by all of his henchmen being played by Asian actors.
  • Yellow Peril: The Chinese crime lord Soo Choy in "Trap", who wears traditional Chinese robes and a Mandarin cap and generally comes across as a poor man's Fu Manchu. Not helped by being played by a Caucasian in obvious Yellow Face.
  • You Cloned Hitler!: Not cloned exactly, but in "The Eagle's Nest", a group of Nazi holdouts and their descendants on a remote Scottish island have Hitler's cryogenically frozen body and are hoping to thaw him out and revive him to start the Fourth Reich.
  • You Have Outlived Your Usefulness: In "The Last of the Cybernauts...??", Kane employs Goff to get the Cybernauts working. Once they are operating, he quickly determines that Goff is only an engineer and incapable of making any improvements to the robots, he uses a Cybernaut to snap Goff's neck.
  • Your Costume Needs Work: In "Faces", Gambit poses as a homeless man to infiltrate a group creating duplicates of intelligence operatives. While looking for someone he can turn into a double of Gambit, the plastic surgeon initially doesn't think the disguised Gambit will be suitable.
  • You Wouldn't Shoot Me: At the end of "Obsession", Purdey and her New Old Flame are standing pointing guns at each other, with him standing between her and the rocket that is about to be launched at the Houses of Parliament. He calmly states that she will not be able to bring herself to shoot him. However, Gambit, who arrives at this point, has no such qualms and shoots him.

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