HAPPY BIRTHDAY DAME DIANA RIGG TODAY!

''WOMAN OF MY AGE ARE STILL ATTRACTIVE. Men of my age are not' ... so said, this amazing icon of entertainment last year. And you know, Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg, DBE...does have point! Many actors from her era have either left us, or look like an unmade bed! We all know the Cushing Connection here, Mrs Peel in the Brit 1960's TV series, The Avengers, where PC played the very dashing Paul Beresford, a smooth operator, pushing all the buttons as romantic interest for Rigg's all action Mrs Peel and a finger on the button of death that commanded his deadly Cybernaut!

DIANA RIGG'S CAREER also features the splendid 'Theatre of Blood' with Vincent Price. She also worked with Christopher Lee in the Avengers tv series.in 'Never, Never Say Die' in 1967. Currently starring in the international hit tv series, Game of Thrones, Rigg is in no hurry to retire, and I think like Mrs Peel, she'll be 'socking it to us' for a while yet Happy Birthday Diana Rigg, born today in 1938.

ABOVE AN INTERESTING look on the chemistry of Cushing's BEREFORD and Rigg's MRS PEEL, in the 'Return of the Cybernauts' episode, HERE with GALLERY: RIGHT HERE!

ABOVE OUR FULL PCASUK REVIEW with GALLERY on the 'RETURN OF THE CYBERNAUTS' episode starring Peter Cushing when it FIRST appeared on DVD! CLICK HERE!

#MONSTERMONDAY: PAUL BERESFORD AND HIS CYBERNAUGT REVENGE!

#MonsterMonday: What a REAL smoothy this character was. Cushing's Paul Beresford, was the brother of Clement Armstrong, (see 'The Cybernauts' episode 1966) played by Michael Gough, the creator of the Cybernauts. He blames Steed and Mrs. Peel for his brother's death at the cold hands of his own creation. Aided by Armstrong's assistant Benson, he abducts several scientists who are blackmailed into producing a new batch of Cybernauts. Whilst he is the perfect gentleman towards Mrs. Peel, his aim is to turn her and Steed into human robots. It's a firm fan favourite, Cushing is at the top of his game in this performance, Beresford is a clever and manipulative genius, but is he also a madman and this week's MONSTER? You decide!

HE'S GOT MRS PEEL UNDER HIS SPELL AND UNDER THE CONTROL OF HIS LITTLE BOX! WILL BERESFORD SUCCEED IN HIS EVIL PLAN??

PAUL BERESFORD, TO QUOTE ANOTHER FINE CUSHING
 CHARACTER, 'CHARMING, TO THE LAST...' WHAT A ROGUE!

SEEMS IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN A GOOD IDEA TO HAVE MAYBE

IRONED OUT THOSE HI TECH BUGS, BEFORE THROWING THE SWITCH ON THIS KILLING MACHINE? 

MORE ON THIS EPISODE IN OUR FEATURE! JUST CLICK  HERE!

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THE WOOING OF MRS PEEL : PETER CUSHING AND DIANA RIGG 'RETURN OF THE CYBERNAUTS'

Steed and Mrs. Peel go up against the charming but ruthless Paul Beresford, who holds the crime fighting pair responsible for the death of his brother…Oh, if you have not seen this episode, please do so before reading this little write-up.

Peter Cushing is renowned for many things on screen, but he is seldom thought of as a leading man, romantic type. He didn’t have the “manly” qualities that one typically associates with such actors. He was slight of build, a bit on the fussy side. As such, he seldom had an opportunity to really display much of a romantic quality on screen. Just think of the roles for which he was best known: Sherlock Holmes, Baron Victor Frankenstein and Dr. Van Helsing were all so single minded and obsessive, they never had much time for sex.

As such, Cushing’s performance as Paul Beresford in this season six episode of the hugely popular British TV show The Avengers is of great interest. True, Beresford is a sociopath and a villain, but he has some scenes with the delectable Mrs. Peel (played, as usual, by the stunning Diana Rigg) which hint at the Don Juan side of his personality. Cushing and Rigg absolutely sparkle in their scenes together; he is witty and charming and she responds with warmth and interest. The Avengers brought on a number of familiar faces as guest stars (Christopher Lee, Dennis Price, John Carson, Clifford Evans, Donald Sutherland, Michael Gough [whose character Cushing is looking to avenge in this episode, if you will pardon the expression], etc) but nobody quite displayed the on-screen chemistry with Diana Rigg that Peter Cushing did in this episode.

It’s a pity the character had to be disposed of at the end; it’s the type of character that could have been built up as a recurring villainous mastermind. But, no matter: at least we have this one, wonderful opportunity to see Cushing hawking his wares as a seductive cad, much to the delight of Mrs. Peel… and the audience.

Written By Troy Howarth 
Images and Design: Marcus Brooks

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