The Avengers ‘Tunnel of Fear’ [1961] Lost Episode – Studio Canal DVD Pre-Order/ Release Date Set For 9th April 2018

February 6, 2018

|In Ian Hendry, 1960s, The Avengers, Patrick Macnee, Ingrid Hafner, The Avengers (1961), 1961, ABC Television, The Avengers - Tunnel of Fear [1961], Studio Canal

|By Neil Hendry, Editor

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The Avengers ‘Tunnel Of Fear’ – Series 1 Episode 20

Published 6th February 2018: Today’s announcement by Studio Canal also coincides with what would have been Patrick Macnee’s 96th birthday; born on this day 1922. So today we also remember and pay tribute to Pat.

After a lot of hard work behind the scenes, it’s good to finally be able to announce the forthcoming release date as 9th April 2018.

The artwork for the DVD is now complete, as is the accompanying 64 page booklet. The booklet includes a foreword by myself and a new essay by Alan Hayes, co-author of two authoritative books on the first series of The Avengers and Police Surgeon, the short-lived but influential series which ultimately led to the creation of The Avengers. The booklet also includes many excellent black and white stills from the Tunnel of Fear as well as promotional and studio photographs.

The extras include the Tunnel of Fear audio play reconstruction, produced by Big Finish, who have recreated all 26 episodes of the original series superbly in this format. The fact that this version of Tunnel of Fear was made before the original television episode was rediscovered, makes it an ideal companion for fans to experience an alternative but complimentary interpretation. The writer for this Big Finish reconstruction, John Dorney provides an exclusive interview in one of the DVD extras.

The other extras include two rare interviews which were discovered recently in Northern Ireland. Ulster Television interviewed Ian Hendry in 1962 and Patrick Macnee in 1964, during which they both talked about The Avengers. By then, Ian had already left the series to pursue opportunities in film and in this interview he discusses his reasons for that decision. Given that there is so little footage in which Ian appears ‘as himself’ – with many of those being on Pathe newsreels with accompanying voiceovers – this interview provides a rare candid glimpse of Ian.

The final extra is the inclusion of the 14 slideshow reconstructions of missing series 1 episodes, produced by Alan Hayes, using all of the surviving source material. These slideshows give another excellent interpretation of the missing episodes, that we hope can be recovered one day.

Picture: Ian Hendry [as Dr. David Keel] and Patrick Macnee [as John Steed]. Patrick Macnee, born on this day, 1922.

You can pre-order on Amazon UK – click on the link below:

The Avengers Tunnel of Fear [Released on 9th April 2018]

The Avengers ‘Tunnel of Fear’ [1961] Series 1 ‘Lost Episode’

Ian Hendry as Dr. Keel and Patrick Macnee as John Steed – Reunited Once Again

Lost episode rediscovered after 55 years and avaliable on DVD for the first time

TUNNEL OF FEAR is the twentieth episode of the first series of the 1960s cult British spy-fi television series The Avengers, starring Ian Hendry, Patrick Macnee and Ingrid Hafner and was broadcast by ABC Television on 5 August 1961. It’s one of only three known complete season 1 episodes to have survived since the original broadcast. Lost for 55 years, the episode came to light in a private film collection in 2016 and was recovered by the British television preservation group Kaleidoscope.

Now for the first time ever Avengers fans will be able to own the episode its entirety on DVD with a host of extra content.

Harry Black, an escaped convict, bursts into Dr David Keel’s surgery wounded. He claims to have been framed for a crime that he did not commit – and begs the doctor not to hand him over to the police. Steed arrives and ascertains that Black has links to Southend-on-Sea which might well tie in with an investigation currently being undertaken by his department. They are aware that top government secrets are being leaked from a fun fair in Southend, and Black’s story, if true, could possibly lead them to the source of the operation.

Can Steed and Keel bring down the operation, prove Harry’s innocence and get out of Southend with their lives?

Bonus Content:

Big Finish Audio Play Series 1 Reconstruction – Tunnel of Fear
New Interview with John Dorney – writer of the Big Finish episode
Ulster TV interview: Ian Hendry (1962)
Ulster TV interview: Patrick Macnee (1964)
Reconstructions – Series 1 – Slideshows
Series 1 Surviving Scripts
64 Page Booklet

Cast

Ian Hendry as Dr. David Keel
Patrick Macnee as John Steed
Ingrid Hafner as Carol Wilson
John Salew as Jack Wickram
Anthony Bate as Harry Black
Miranda Connell as Claire
Douglas Muir as One-Ten
Morris Perry as Sergeant
Stanley Platts as Maxie Lardner
Nancy Roberts as Madame Zenobia
Doris Rogers as Mary Black
Douglas Rye as Billy
Julie Samuel as Rosie

Format: PAL
Language: English
Region: Region 2 (This DVD may not be viewable outside Europe. Read more about DVD formats.)
Number of discs: 1
Classification: To be announced
Studio: Studiocanal
DVD Release Date: 9 April 2018