Editing The Avengers (TV series) (section)

===Series 2–3 (1962–1964)===
[[File:CathyGale.jpg|thumb|right|175px|Patrick Macnee as [[John Steed]] and [[Honor Blackman]] as [[Cathy Gale]]]]
Production of the first series was cut short by a strike. By the time production could begin on the second series, Ian Hendry had quit to pursue a film career. Patrick Macnee was promoted to star, and Steed became the focus of the series, initially working with a rotation of three different partners. Dr Martin King ([[Jon Rollason]]), a thinly disguised recreation of the Dr. Keel character, saw action in only three episodes, which were produced from scripts written for the first series. Dr. King was intended to be a transitional character between Dr. Keel and Steed's two new female partners, but while the Dr. King episodes were shot first, they were shown out of production order in the middle of the season. The character was thereafter quickly and quietly dropped.

[[Nightclub singer]] Venus Smith ([[Julie Stevens (English actress)|Julie Stevens]]) appeared in six episodes. She was a complete "amateur", meaning that she did not have any professional crime-fighting skills as did the two doctors. She was excited to be participating in a spy adventure alongside secret agent Steed (although some episodes—"The Removal Men", "[[The Decapod]]"—indicate she is not always enthusiastic). Nonetheless, she appears to be attracted to him, and their relationship is somewhat similar to that later portrayed between Steed and [[Tara King]]. Her episodes featured live musical portions showcasing her singing performances. The character of Venus underwent some revision during her run, adopting more youthful demeanour and dress.

The first episode broadcast in the second series introduced the partner who would change the show into the format for which it is most remembered. [[Honor Blackman]] played Mrs. [[Cathy Gale]], a self-assured, quick-witted anthropologist who was skilled in [[judo]] and had a passion for [[leather]] clothes.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://deadline.theavengers.tv/tvt200963.htm |title=''TV Times'' issue 412, 20 September 1963, page 4, Inside Story Of The Avengers: Brief For Murder!, Crime Reporter, England |publisher=Deadline.theavengers.tv |date=20 September 1963 }}</ref> Widowed during the [[Mau Mau rebellion]] years in [[Kenya]], she was the "talented amateur" who provided her aid to Steed's cases as a service to her nation. She was said to have been born on 5 October 1930 at midnight, and was reared in Africa. Mrs. Catherine Gale was in her early-to-mid 30s during her tenure, in contrast to female characters in similar series who tended to be younger.

Catherine Gale was unlike any female character seen before on British TV, and she became a household name. Reportedly, part of her charm was because her earliest appearances were episodes in which dialogue written for Keel was simply transferred to her. Series scriptwriter [[Dennis Spooner]] described about this detail: "There's the famous story of how Honor Blackman played Ian Hendry's part, which is why they stuck her in leather and such—it was so much cheaper than changing the lines!"<ref name="PeelJohnEmmaLastYearp46">Peel, John. "Dennis Spooner Interview". ''The Avengers Files: Emma's Last Year''. Psi Fi Movie Press, Inc. Canoga Park, CA, 1985, p 46.</ref> In "Conspiracy of Silence", she holds her own in a vociferous tactical disagreement with her partner.

Venus Smith did not return for the third series, and Cathy Gale became Steed's only regular partner. The series established a level of [[sexual tension]] between Steed and Cathy Gale, but the writers were not allowed to go beyond [[flirting]] and [[innuendo]]. Despite this, the relationship between Steed and Catherine Gale was progressive for 1962–63. In "The Golden Eggs," it is revealed that Cathy Gale lived in Steed's flat; according to Steed, her rent was to keep the refrigerator well-stocked and to cook for him (she appears to do neither). However, this was said to be a temporary arrangement while Catherine Gale looked for a new home, and Steed was sleeping at a hotel.

During the first series, there were hints that Steed worked for a branch of British Intelligence, and this was expanded in the second series. Steed initially received orders from different superiors, including someone referred to as "Charles", and "One-Ten" ([[Douglas Muir (actor)|Douglas Muir]]). By the third series, the delivery of Steed's orders was not depicted on screen or explained. The secret organisation to which Steed belongs is shown in "The Nutshell", and it is Cathy Gale's first visit to their headquarters.

Small references to Steed's background were occasionally made. In the Series 3 episode "Death of a Batman," it was said that Steed was with [[I Corps (United Kingdom)|I Corps]] in the [[World War II|Second World War]], and in [[Munich]] in 1945. In the Series 4 episode "The Hour That Never Was," Steed attends a reunion of his [[Royal Air Force|RAF]] squadron. Since the ties he wears are either cavalry or old school, it is apparent that he has attended a number of leading [[Public school (UK)|public school]]s.

A theatrical film version of the series was in its initial planning stages by late 1963, after Series 3 was completed. An early story proposal paired Steed and Catherine Gale with a male and female duo of American agents, to make the movie appeal to the American market. Before the project could gain momentum, Honor Blackman was cast opposite [[Sean Connery]] in ''[[Goldfinger (film)|Goldfinger]]'', requiring her to leave the series.

====Series transformation====
During the Gale era, Steed was transformed from a rugged trenchcoat-wearing agent into the stereotypical English gentleman, complete with [[Savile Row tailoring|Savile Row]] suit, [[bowler hat]] and umbrella, with clothes later designed by [[Pierre Cardin]]. (Steed had first donned bowler and carried his distinctive umbrella during the first series, as "The Frighteners" depicts.) The bowler and umbrella were soon revealed to be full of tricks, including a sword hidden within the umbrella handle and a steel plate concealed in the hat. These items were referred to in the French, German and Polish titles of the series, ''Chapeau melon et bottes de cuir'' ("Bowler hat and leather boots"), ''Mit Schirm, Charme und Melone'' ("With Umbrella, Charm and Bowler Hat") and ''Rewolwer i melonik'' ("A Revolver and a Bowler Hat"), respectively. With his impeccable manners, old-world sophistication and vintage car, Steed came to represent the traditional Englishman of an earlier era.

By contrast, Steed's partners were youthful, forward-looking and always attired in the latest mod fashions. Catherine Gale's innovative leather outfits suited her many athletic fight scenes. Honor Blackman became a star in Britain with her black leather outfits and boots (nicknamed "[[boot fetishism|kinky boots]]") and her judo-based fighting style. Patrick Macnee and Honor Blackman even released a novelty song called "[[Kinky Boots (song)|Kinky Boots]]". Honor Blackman also carried a pistol in "Killer Whale". Some of the clothes seen in ''The Avengers'' were designed at the studio of [[John Sutcliffe (designer)|John Sutcliffe]], who published the ''[[AtomAge]]'' [[fetish magazine]].

Series scriptwriter Dennis Spooner said that the series would frequently feature Steed visiting busy public places such as the main airport in London without anyone else present in the scene: "'Can't you afford extras?' they'd ask. Well, it wasn't like that. It's just that Steed had to be alone to be accepted. Put him in a crowd and he sticks out like a sore thumb! Let's face it, with normal people he's ''weird''. The trick to making him acceptable is never to show him in a normal world, just fighting villains who are odder than he is!"<ref name="PeelJohnEmmaLastYearp46" />