The Avengers Forever: AvengerNews Archive

	AvengerNews Archive: 2007 Page 9 of 9

12 December. We bid farewell to Ken Parry, a.k.a. B. Bumble from "Honey for the Prince." He was also Arbuthnot in "Death à la Carte," and boasts over fifty screen credits in his career.

7 December. Titan Books is reprinting The Avengers and Me under a new title, The Avengers: The Inside Story. Street date is January 08. For more information, please see the UK press release and the US press release. With thanks to Tom Green from Titan Books for the advance notice.

20 October. 2007 is turning out to be a stellar year for The Avengers. First, it was the Laurent-Perrier champagne commercial; then the extra footage from three episodes (see below); now, for all of those fans of Laurie Johnson's score who have been waiting so patiently all of these decades for a proper soundtrack album, the waiting is over. The news has been bubbling up on the Forum for the past couple of weeks, but the news is actually better than what fans think; I have just received an email from Val Jennings, the Edsel and Music Club label manager for Demon Music Group at 2 entertain, who writes:

First off, the whole project has been put together by Laurie himself and me. This has meant a couple of visits to Laurie's wonderful house and hugely interesting discussions about what to include, not only on the Avengers disc (Disc 1 of the 3 CD set), but on the other two discs as well. Laurie chose all the pieces of music on the Avengers disc and there are actually 35 tracks, not the 20 listed on the forum. All the tracks have been mastered from the original tapes of the music recording sessions (ie there is no dialogue, or sound effects) overseen by Laurie - indeed, here and there we have left in the engineer's "take" announcements here and there for authenticity! Laurie wanted the set to represent the other facets of his career which is why Disc 2 not only contains some of his other TV themes, but also includes his early singles, some of his film themes and his concert work "Synthesis". As far as Disc 3 is concerned, he is also immensely proud of his work for various military bands, and it is worth pointing out that this material is not "marching band" music, but rather more Laurie's own classical music played by military bands. If this set sells well, then there could well be follow-up sets, with a similar arrangement of types of material, showcasing other programmes (guess which!) throughout Disc 1. Lastly, due to manufacturing hold-ups, the release date is actually this Monday 22nd October - apologies to anyone who had been looking forward to receiving it the previous week.

18 October. Dick Fiddy, one of Avengerdom's most respected sources, has passed along a very exciting bit of news:

In 2006 Britain's ITV company announced a new programme and initiative Raiders of the Lost Archive which would attempt to reunite celebrities with long lost TV items from their past. They approached both the BFI (British Film Institute—who administer the Missing Believed Wiped campaign) and Kaleidoscope (a non-profit making group of TV enthusiasts also determined to unearth lost TV programming) as consultants to help track down missing items. Last week (Saturday 13th October, 2007) Kaleidoscope organized an event highlighting material that had been found during the quest. Included was a selection of production shots and unused scenes from three Avengers episodes, "From Venus With Love," "The See-Through Man" and "Escape in Time" The material was silent but did provide a rare glance at the style of production utilized by the series. The material came from a private film-collector and lasts about ten minutes in all. Those interested can contact the collector via the Kaleidoscope website: http://www.kaleidoscope.org.uk/

19 August. Just when you thought we knew it all, something surprising turns up. For a long time, it's been a matter of speculation that the existence of The New Avengers was owed in part to the production of a Laurent-Perrier champagne commercial that featured Linda Thorson and Patrick Macnee. However, no one could confirm its existence, and after a while some began to think it was all made up. Now, the commercial has been found, laying to rest any doubts (please see the new page about the commercial for the details on how this incredible find came to light). Also, the California film archive where "Hot Snow" and "Girl on the Trapeze" were found once claimed to have a ten-minute version of The Strange Case of the Missing Corpse. However, it has been confirmed that they were in error—theirs was only three minutes long, the same as the DVD extra (with thanks to Trevor Dorman).

12 August. Press Release on behalf of Anneke Wills:

Autobiography Confirmed for September Release

Anneke Wills and The Hirst Group have confirmed the release of the first volume of Anneke’s long awaited Autobiography. Self Portrait will be officially launched at Regenerations, the Doctor Who convention taking place in Swansea on the 29th and 30th of September.

Anneke, who played popular companion Polly alongside the first two Doctors, decided to write her autobiography in September 2006. She says, "I was reluctant at first, but once I'd agreed, I lit up with excitement, and kept all my friends awake till 5 am, telling stories!" The book promises to be a real treat for fans of cult television, as Anneke recalls her time in The Avengers, The Saint, Strange Report and a whole range of classic TV and cult films. There is of course, comprehensive coverage of Anneke's time on Doctor Who, and one or two revelations...

In the book, Anneke talks fondly of her friendships with the leading lights of the 1960s—from Peter Cook to Sammy Davis Jr., and gives an insiders view of life at the heart of the swinging sixties.

In Self Portrait, Anneke's fascinating career is set against a backdrop of an extraordinary life. Anneke says, "I have gone back into my past—this time with a forgiving eye—and relived so much, some of it amazing, some of it deeply painful. Such extraordinary people I've known and loved."

Anneke and her friend Tim Hirst have set up a new company especially to publish the book. "I'm honoured to have been able to help Anneke with her book," says Tim, a lifelong Doctor Who fan. "It's a fascinating story, beautifully written, and it will be the first in a range of Doctor Who related books from Hirst Books."

The book is illustrated throughout with previously unseen photos, and Anneke’s own drawings and paintings.

Self Portrait by Anneke Wills is published by The Hirst Group and will be available from mid-September priced £9.99 from www.annekewills.com, Amazon and specialist book shops, before its mass-market launch later in the year.

From the back cover:

An ordinary life was never in the stars for Anneke Wills.

This is a moving, witty and candid account of a fascinating life among the talents who defined the swinging sixties. Appearing in ground-breaking television from an early age, Anneke Wills was one of the busiest actresses of the 1960s—her role as Polly establishing a template for one of televisions most iconic and prized positions—the glamorous Doctor Who girl.

This is a beautifully written story of a unique childhood, life at the heart of swinging sixties London, and a turbulent marriage to a leading actor.

Anneke's life revolved around the eccentrics, actors, filmmakers, painters, designers, poets, satirists and drunks who were changing the world. She counted among her friends the leading lights of the time—from Peter Cook to Sammy Davis Jr.

Illustrated with previously unseen photographs and Anneke's own drawings and paintings, this is the story of a rich and colourful life, and the growth of a truly remarkable woman.

Self Portrait is the first volume of a two-part autobiography.

14 March. It is a very sad day indeed for all of Avengerdom. Gareth Hunt has died of pancreatic cancer.

22 January. I've heard from a longtime TAF fan that some rather nasty and completely unfounded rumors have been popping up here and there that Patrick Macnee is in a nursing home suffering from "aggressive schizophrenia" or other such nonsense. Word is, direct from his son Rupert, that he is definitely not in a nursing home or suffering from any mental illness. He does have arthritis and is having some trouble getting around; he has fully recovered from some heart problems recently. He is otherwise alert, lucid, funny, and completely himself—the same old Paddy Nee, living comfortably at home with his wife. If anyone encounters information to the contrary, you might do our fans a favor and correct the rumor-mongers.