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THE NEW AVENGERS

OPTU4365

 

Released: 10th November 2025 Distributor: StudioCanal
Number of Discs: 10 RRP: £149.99
Region Code: Region Free Media: 4K UHD Blu-ray disc
Packaging: Digipak with card outer case

 

Series One
Disc Breakdown:

  • Disc 1:
    Episodes 1-3
    The Eagle's Nest; House of Cards; The Last of the Cybernauts...??
    Special Features

    Audio commentaries by Gareth Hunt and Brian Clemens for The Eagle's Nest, Cyd Child and Henry Holland for House of Cards and Rocky Taylor, Nicholas Briggs and Henry Holland for The Last of the Cybernauts...??;
    Episode Introductions by Cyd Child for House of Cards, Rocky Taylor for The Last of the Cybernauts...?? and Nicholas Briggs for The Last of the Cybernauts...??;
    Remembering The New Avengers with guest star Annette André;
    German Credits - Series 1 / Series 2

  • Disc 2:
    Episodes 4-6
    The Midas Touch; Cat Amongst the Pigeons; Target!
    Special Features

    Audio commentary by Cyd Child and Dick Fiddy for The Midas Touch;
    Episode Introduction by Dick Fiddy for The Midas Touch;
    Director John Hough on The New Avengers (University of Chichester, 2011)

  • Disc 3:
    Episodes 7-9
    To Catch A Rat; The Tale of the Big Why; Faces
    Special Features

    Interview with Cyd Child (University of Chichester, 2011);
    The New Avengers —
    Screen Test

  • Disc 4:
    Episodes 10-11
    Gnaws; Dirtier By the Dozen
    Special Features

    Audio commentary by Nicholas Briggs and Jonathan Wood for Gnaws;
    Episode Introduction by Nicholas Briggs for Gnaws;
    Interview with Raymond Austin (University of Chichester, 2011)

  • Disc 5:
    Episodes 12-13
    Sleeper; Three Handed Game
    Special Features

    Audio commentary by Joanna Lumley and Cyd Child for Sleeper;
    Episode Introduction by Joanna Lumley for Sleeper;
    Interview with Patrick Macnee biographer Marie Cameron (University of Chichester, 2011);
    Becoming Purdey: The Woman Who Redefined The Avengers
    Auditioning Purdey
    (Easter Egg)

Series Two
Disc Breakdown:

  • Disc 6:
    Episodes 1-3
    Dead Men Are Dangerous; Angels of Death; Medium Rare
    Special Features

    Audio commentaries by Gareth Hunt and Brian Clemens for Dead Men Are Dangerous and Caroline Munro and Henry Holland for Angels of Death;
    Episode Introduction by Caroline Munro for Angels of Death

  • Disc 7:
    Episodes 4-6
    The Lion and the Unicorn; Obsession; Trap
    Special Features

    Audio commentary by Samuel Clemens and George Clemens for Obsession;
    Episode Introduction by Samuel Clemens and George Clemens for Obsession;
    The New Avengers x Rover
    Promo;
    French credits

  • Disc 8:
    Episodes 7-9
    Hostage; K is for Kill
    Part 1: The Tiger Awakes; K is for Kill Part 2: Tiger by the Tail
    Special Features

    Audio commentary by Dick Fiddy and Henry Holland for K is for Kill
    Part 1: The Tiger Awakes;
    Episode Introduction by Henry Holland for K is for Kill
    Part 1: The Tiger Awakes

  • Disc 9:
    Episodes 10-11
    Complex; Forward Base
    Special Features

    Audio commentary by Jonathan Wood and Grant Taylor for Complex;
    Episode Introduction by Jonathan Wood for Complex;
    Restoring The New Avengers;
    Brian Clemens on The New Avengers (University of Chichester, 2011);
    Interview with Laurie Johnson (University of Chichester, 2011)

  • Disc 10:
    Episodes 12-13
    The Gladiators; Emily
    Special Features

    The New Avengers - series trailer;
    The Impact of The New Avengers: Reinvented for a New Era
    ;
    Kicks, Flips & Spy Tricks: The Stunt Magic of The New Avengers

Brief:

  • A brand new restoration of The New Avengers which was simultaneously issued on 4K (UHD, deluxe packaging, black-coloured outer box) Blu-ray (HD, deluxe packaging, orange-coloured outer box) and DVD (SD, cream and cerise sleeve in plastic case) by StudioCanal in the United Kingdom.
  • Two printed booklets were also included: a 64-page Collector's Edition Booklet, comprising essays by Samuel Clemens, Dick Fiddy, David Richardson, Andrew Roberts and Kim Newman, and a Collector's Edition Comic, comprising reproductions of comic strips featured in the 1977 and 1978 New Avengers annuals (originally issued by Brown Watson). The main booklet included a tribute to author and Avengers fan Dave Rogers, who had sadly died on 5th July 2025.
  • Package design was by Sam Smyth.
  • The disc was designed with multiple territories in mind, starting up with a menu choice offering 'Deutschland', 'France' and 'United Kingdom'. The French and German menus offer dubbed audio in these languages or English with locked subtitles. Interestingly, the actual French discs have a different opening menu choice and subtitles are not locked.
  • A well-attended launch event was held at Riverside Studios in Londonon the afternoon of Sunday 9th November 2025. The new restoration of The Eagle's Nest was screened in full. The intention had been to follow this with the new documentary, The Impact of The New Avengers: Reinvented for a New Era, but this was not available to screen on the day. Consequently the featurette Restoring The New Avengers and a lengthy excerpt of Kicks, Flips & Spy Tricks: The Stunt Magic of The New Avengers were shown instead. The event also had a Q&A session with guests Cyd Child, Samuel Clemens, George Clemens, Rodney Marshall (Avengers author and son of writer Roger Marshall) and Dick Fiddy.

  • Due to format capabilities - or indeed their lack - these 4K discs did not include the option to additionally view audio commentaries with picture-in-picture video, which was available on some episodes on the equivalent Blu-rays.

  • There were minor issues with this release: The Last of the Cybernauts...?? opens with out of phase sound but this corrects itself after about 5 seconds, and The Gladiators is missing approximately 1 second of footage during the fight sequence immediately after the opening titles. This was previously edited for DVD to remove an ear clap which was then only certifiable at a '15' BBFC rating in the United Kingdom. By 2025, it would only have warranted a '12', which was the overall rating of this box set.

  • Additionally, StudioCanal made the controversial decision to adjust the audio pitch to match the original transmissions which unavoidably exhibited "PAL speed up". This was an unfortunate consequence of the PAL broadcast system, which ran at 50Hz and therefore dictated a frame rate of 25 frames/50 fields per second. With the episodes shot at 24 frames per second this necessitated a speed up to 25 fps for transmission. Generally, the original camera frame rate is considered authentic, but here StudioCanal presented video at 24fps with audio mimicking 25fps.

 

Compiled by Alan Hayes

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