With Umbrella, Scotch and Cigarettes - An Unauthorised Guide to the Avengers Series 1

Before the Champagne, before the kinky boots, there was a star without a series. When ABC's Police Surgeon was cancelled, its producers were suddenly left with a star actor, Ian Hendry, and no TV show for him to appear in. This book tells the behind-the-scenes story of the series that was devised for him - The Avengers - from its earliest days as an untitled project all the way through to the end of its first year, when outside influences brought it to an unexpected close. Richard McGinlay and Alan Hayes relate that story through comprehensive essays and chapters that detail the production, transmission and reception of each episode, while also discussing the talented personnel involved. The book also boasts a foreword by Neil Hendry, who runs his uncle Ian Hendry's official website; lavish black-and-white illustrations by artist Shaqui Le Vesconte; and 60 pages of appendices that deal in depth with the unproduced episodes of Series 1, Keel and Steed's further adventures, and more.