The ever-reliable Avengers Declassified has once again scored the list of special features on Optimum's latest remastered Special Edition Region 2 Avengers DVD set. According to the site, the extensive extras on The Avengers: The Complete Series 6 (comprising all the Linda Thorson episodes) will include audio commentaries on "Split!" with the recently late director Roy Ward Baker and writer/producer Brian Clemens, on "Love All" with scriptwriter Jeremy Burnham and guest star Veronica Strong, on "Killer" with guest star Jennifer Croxton, on "The Morning After" with director John Hough on "Game" (one of my favorite Tara King episodes) with director Robert Fuest and on "Noon Doomsday" with Linda Thorson's stunt double, Cyd Child. Linda Thorson provides filmed introductions for "The Interrogators" (guest starring Christopher Lee), "Love All," "Take Me To Your Leader," "Thingumajig," "Requiem" and the dreamlike "Pandora." Also included will be the Linda Thorson promotional films "Girl About Town" and "Introducing Linda Thorson" (don't think I've ever seen that one), the American shooting gallery opening credits on "Split!" and American end credits for "Invasion of The Earthmen" (never seen those, either!), variant end credits for "The Forget-Me-Knot" (the final Emma Peel episodes wherein Diana Rigg passed the torch to Thorson), a filmed introduction to "Whoever Shot Poor George Oblique Stroke XR40?" by director Cyril Frankel, UK animated bumpers, textless extended closing credits, German opening and closing credits and (this one sounds particularly intriguing) "Artists' test footage to find the replacement for Diana Rigg - featuring Lyn Ashley, Diane Clare, Susan Engel, Jane Murdoch, Valerie Van Ost, Toby Robins, Susan Travers and Wanda Ventham plus James Maxwell and Moray Watson in the role of Steed." The usual stills galleries, PDF material (don't overlook this stuff, as previous editions have included some real gems) and first season episode reconstructions (for "The Springers," "The Yellow Needle," "The Far-Distant Dead" and "The Deadly Air") round out the set, along with an insert reprint of the original Series 6 promotional brochure. As you can see, this is yet another Optimum release chalk-full of extras!
The Avengers: The Complete Series 6, a Region 2 PAL DVD set, comes out December 6 in the UK and retails for £59.99 (though it can currently be pre-ordered on Amazon.co.uk for £42.99). Series 5, featuring the color Emma Peel episodes, comes out next week.
