The Avengers: The Morning After
12:00 am - 01:00 am, Friday, March 27 on Great! TV (34)
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About this Broadcast
The Morning After
Season 6, Episode 18
Steed is knocked out by gas while pursuing rogue agent Jimmy Merlin (Peter Barkworth). When he awakes London is deserted and under martial law, imposed by the embittered Brigadier Hansing (Joss Ackland), who has explosive plans. Patrick Macnee and Linda Thorson star
Detective/Thriller
Movie/Drama
Cast & Crew
Patrick Macnee
(Actor)
.. John Steed
Linda Thorson
(Actor)
.. Tara King
Peter Barkworth
(Actor)
.. Jimmy Merlin
Penelope Horner
(Actor)
.. Jenny Firston
Joss Ackland
(Actor)
.. Brigadier Hansing
Brian Blessed
(Actor)
.. Sgt Hearn
More Information
Did You Know..
Patrick Macnee
(Actor)
.. John Steed
Born:
February 06, 1922
in
London
Best Known For:
Playing John Steed in The Avengers.
Early-life:
Born Daniel Patrick Macnee on February 6, 1922, in London. His father was a successful racehorse trainer who gambled away his fortune and emigrated to India. His mother then divorced her husband and moved in with her lesbian lover in Wiltshire. Macnee attended Summer Fields prep school before enrolling at Eton. He made his film debut in 1938's Pygmalion, but his acting career was curtailed by a spell in the Navy during the Second World War.
Career:
On his return from service, Macnee studied at the Webber Douglas School of Dramatic Art. Small roles in several films followed but, frustrated at the lack of opportunity in Britain, he emigrated to Canada, then moved to the US. He appeared in numerous TV plays and films before returning to the UK in 1959. Producing Winston Churchill: The Valiant Years brought him to the attention of TV bosses who, to his surprise, offered him the role of John Steed in The Avengers in 1961. He stayed with the popular series until it ended in 1969, but returned to the role in The New Avengers in 1976. Macnee also appeared in such movies as A View to a Kill, This Is Spinal Tap and The Sea Wolves. He died on June 25, 2015.
Quote:
'I haven't really accomplished anything. The most accomplished thing I've done is to have lived this long.'
Trivia:
Macnee became a US citizen in 1959.
Linda Thorson
(Actor)
.. Tara King
Born:
June 18, 1947
in
Ontario, Canada
Best Known For:
The Avengers.
Early-life:
Born Linda Robinson on June 18, 1947, in Ontario, Canada, the second of four children. Her father was a teacher. She knew she wanted to be a performer from a young age, and began studying dance. At 18, she won a place at Rada, where she excelled in dance and voice. She was expected to begin her professional career on the stage and work up to leading roles, but her career took an unexpected twist.
Career:
At the tender age of 20, Thorson was chosen out of 200 actresses to replace Diana Rigg as Patrick Macnee's sidekick in The Avengers. Sadly, her character, Tara King, wasn't widely liked and falling ratings meant the show was axed in 1969. The actress then concentrated on theatre roles, and built a respected career on stage, appearing in the likes of Noises Off, Steaming, Shirley Valentine and Amy's View. She also appeared on TV and film in St Elsewhere, Sweet Liberty, Moonlighting, Dynasty, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Silent Witness. Since 2006, she has played scheming Rosemary King in Emmerdale.
Quote:
'I am dedicated to acting. I have a drive which sometimes I wish I didn't have.'
Trivia:
Thorson is bidialectal, speaking in her native Canadian accent when she is in North America, and a British accent when she is in the United Kingdom.
Peter Barkworth
(Actor)
.. Jimmy Merlin
Penelope Horner
(Actor)
.. Jenny Firston
Joss Ackland
(Actor)
.. Brigadier Hansing
Born:
February 29, 1928
in
London
Best Known For:
His instantly recognisable voice
Early-life:
Sidney Edmond Jocelyn Ackland was born in 1929 in Kensington, London. He has a brother, Paddy, and a sister, Barbara. Joss studied at the Central School of Speech and Drama, before making his stage debut at the tender age of 17 in a 1945 production of The Hasty Heart. He met his wife, Rosemary during a production in Pitlochry, Scotland, and the pair moved to South Africa after Joss decided to quit acting in 1955. They returned two years later, when he joined The Old Vic and began establishing himself as a major player on the stage.
Career:
While beavering away in theatre, where he was associate director of The Mermaid and had become an established star in the West End, Joss was also appearing in TV series such as The Avengers, Z Cars and The Persuaders. His most high-profile role came in the 1987 movie White Mischief, which brought him to the attention of Hollywood. Since then, he has amassed an eclectic body of work, including the films Lethal Weapon 2, The Hunt for Red October and These Foolish Things. His small-screen CV is equally impressive, and includes starring in Sky One's lavish adaptation of Terry Pratchett's Hogfather.
Quote:
On the parts being offered to him in 2000: 'I'm so tired of not being able to make a movie without a car chase, or the villain dying twice. It's all exactly the same.'
Trivia:
He was awarded a CBE in 2001 for services to acting.
Brian Blessed
(Actor)
.. Sgt Hearn
Born:
October 09, 1937
in
Mexborough, South Yorkshire
Best Known For:
His booming voice.
Early-life:
Born October 9, 1937, in Mexborough, South Yorkshire, but grew up the son of a coal miner in nearby Goldthorpe. He developed a passion for exploring as a youngster, but was bitten by the acting bug in his teens and appeared in many amateur dramatic productions alongside the likes of Keith Barron and Patrick Stewart. He left school at 14 and helped support his family via a variety of jobs after his father was injured in an accident at work. Brian eventually joined the Bristol Old Vic, where he studied with Peter O'Toole.
Career:
Blessed started out on the stage, but gained fame playing Fancy Smith in Z Cars from 1962 to 1965. He's rarely been out of work since and has tackled a wide variety of roles on TV, stage and in films. Among his most memorable projects are Henry VIII and his Six Wives, I, Claudius, Flash Gordon, The Black Adder, Henry V, Much Ado About Nothing and Hamlet. More recently, he featured in Star Wars Episode One: The Phantom Menace and Oliver Stone's Alexander. In 2014, he was the subject of an edition of Who Do You Think You Are? He is in constant demand for voiceover work.
Quote:
'We're frightened of silence. We all need 40 days and 40 nights in the wilderness, like Jesus Christ.'
Trivia:
Away from showbusiness, Blessed has attempted to scale Everest on numerous occasions and recorded directions for a satnav device after a campaign by his fans on a social networking site.
