Editing The Avengers (TV series) (section)

===In Canada and the United States===
Although telerecordings of the second and third series were seen in Canada as early as 1963, the first two series of ''The Avengers'' were not broadcast on television in the United States. The American ABC purchased the rights to broadcast seasons 4 and 5 in the United States in 1965. The sale of ''The Avengers'' to United States television prompted a change in production style from the 405-line British multi-camera stand to the single-camera shooting method, originated on [[35mm movie film|35mm film]].

The series' stunt man and stunt arranger [[Ray Austin (director)|Ray Austin]] expressed the opinion that the show's violence ultimately harmed its popular success in the United States. There ''The Avengers'' was given a late timeslot due to its violence: "They did that with the first ''Avengers'' here [in the U.S.], with Diana Rigg. They put us on at 11:30 pm on CBS {{sic}}, because it was too violent". Austin goes on to explain that US television follows a "different code". Austin said that on ''The Avengers'' "we were determined to do the show our way, the English way, and no one was going to stop us! And, indeed, no one did stop us. We never, never got to prime time. And it was our own faults, because we would not comply to the Midwest. That's where the money comes from in this country, nowhere else. Forget Los Angeles, forget New York—you have to aim for the Midwest. If the Midwest watches your show, you've made it".<ref name="PeelJohnSeasons3&4p83">Peel, John. "Ray Austin Interview". ''The Avengers Files: Seasons Three & Four''. New Media Books. Canoga Park, CA, 1985, p 83.</ref> In fact the first and second series of Emma Peel episodes mainly aired at 10:00 pm on ABC.<ref>[http://theavengers.tv/forever/order-peel.htm Theavengers.tv] Retrieved 4 November 2010</ref> The final Rigg episodes and all the Linda Thorson episodes mainly ran at 7:30 pm, also on ABC.<ref>[http://theavengers.tv/forever/order-king.htm Theavengers.tv] Retrieved 4 November 2010</ref>

American censors objected to some content, in particular the episode "A Touch of Brimstone", which featured a modern-day version of the [[Hellfire Club]] and climaxed with Emma being dressed in a skimpy corset costume with spiked collar and high-heeled boots to become the Queen of Sin, and being attacked with a whip by guest star [[Peter Wyngarde]]. The American broadcast network refused to air it.<ref>[http://theavengers.tv/forever/peel1-21.htm The Avengers Forever: A Touch of Brimstone]. Retrieved 9 December 2009</ref> In total five episodes from the first Emma Peel series were not initially broadcast by ABC.<ref>[http://www.dissolute.com.au/the-avengers-tv-series/series-4 The Avengers: Episode Guide to Season 4 Dissolute.com.au]. Retrieved 9 December 2009</ref> These were: "A Surfeit of H<sub>2</sub>O", "Silent Dust" (which featured Emma being attacked with a horsewhip), "Quick-Quick Slow Death", "A Touch of Brimstone" and "Honey for the Prince" (in which Emma performed the [[dance of the seven veils]]), although they were seen in later syndicated repeats.

Earlier Cathy Gale and Venus Smith episodes had aired in Canada before the arrival of Mrs. Peel. US audiences saw the 1962–1964 Gale and Smith episodes of the series for the first time in the early 1990s when they were broadcast on the [[A&E Network]]. No Keel episode of the series was ever repeatedly broadcast outside Britain, contributing to the fact nearly all first-series episodes are now lost, and even in the UK only one surviving episode, "The Frighteners", was rebroadcast (as part of a run of classic episodes on [[Channel 4]] in early 1993, otherwise mostly consisting of Gale episodes).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://declassified.theavengers.tv/keel_repeats.htm |title=The Avengers Declassified: Keel and Steed |publisher=Declassified.theavengers.tv |access-date=27 June 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120514202739/http://declassified.theavengers.tv/keel_repeats.htm |archive-date=14 May 2012 }}</ref>