Odysseas Constantine discusses Art & Hue’s new range celebrating 60 years of Emma Peel

Thanks for joining me, Odysseas. You’ve spoken to the terrific Ian Downes before… People can read that here.
Thank you for asking me back again so soon.

My pleasure! I want to talk with you about Emma Peel. Who is she?
Mrs Emma Peel is the trailblazing spy in the cult British TV show The Avengers. This year marks 60 years since Mrs Peel first debuted on British television so Art & Hue is celebrating the impact and legacy of the groundbreaking character who still resonates to this day.

Tell us a little about the debut episode.
On the 28th of September 1965, audiences were introduced to Diana Rigg as Emma Peel in the first episode of the new series of The Avengers called The Town of No Return. They visit the seaside village of Little Bazeley by the Sea to investigate the disappearances of multiple agents. To say any more about the plot would risk spoiling the joy for a first-time viewer – suffice to say it’s a great introductory episode, with snappy dialogue, mystery, and jeopardy.

Fair enough! And what is Art & Hue doing to mark this anniversary?
Art & Hue has added a new RGB colourway of the popular Titles pop art prints inspired by The Avengers title sequence featuring Diana Rigg and Patrick Macnee, as well as a collection of greeting cards with the iconic spies. Plus, to celebrate Emma’s cultural impact, the anniversary is also being marked on the website here: artandhue.com/peel60

Fantastic! What can you tell us us about the range?
The first collaboration with Studiocanal, the initial release of prints inspired by The Avengers was launched in 2015. That marked 50 years since Mrs Peel’s debut, and has subsequently expanded over the years with pop art featuring other spies from the show, including Tara King, Cathy Gale and David Keel – played by Linda Thorson, Honor Blackman and Ian Hendry.

Now with 28 prints in The Avengers collection, all pop art comes in three sizes and many colour options. They’re all printed to order on museum-quality card of 310gsm, made from 100% cotton, with fine-art pigment inks for archival longevity.

It sounds like quality really matters. I’m curious, then: what informed the design of your Avengers pieces? And what was your process?
Art & Hue’s signature halftone style felt ideal for The Avengers as the technique conveys instant pop art status on any subject, doubly so when the subject themselves is already a pop culture icon like Mrs Peel.

The halftone style with blocks of colour creates a modern take on pop art yet with an authentic pop art feel, it’s like enlarging a small, printed image from a vintage magazine or newspaper and expanding it to see the ink detail of the halftone dots, but with a cleaner aesthetic. Like an enlarged clipping from Photoplay or ABC Film Review, the pop art style amplifies the cult status of The Avengers who are already cult icons to begin with.

And the Titles prints?
The Titles prints are slightly different in that they don’t use the signature halftone dots but instead overlap images from The Avengers opening credits to create new artworks that capture the excitement of the show starting.

Fantastic. I know fans of The Avengers are very passionate about the show… What’s the response to your collections been like?
Over the past decade, the response to The Avengers collection has been phenomenal with feedback that the pop art has successfully captured the spirit of the show. It’s great to know that there are thousands of Avengers pop art prints in homes around the world, and the collection has led to meeting the iconic actress Dame Diana Rigg, twice, at the BFI and at Elstree Studios.

Amazing! I don’t know if you would’ve caught it, but I discussed a potential Avengers reboot in an opinion piece here. I fear Diana Rigg’s shoes might be too big to fill! But let me ask you this: why do you think the show still has a cult following?
Apart from capturing and defining a fun and stylish take on the 60’s spy genre, the plots and writing still hold up with repeated viewing, but one of the main draws has to be the chemistry and repartee between Steed and Peel which is tangible and enduring.

Agreed!
Their relationship resonated with audiences around the world and any reboot will have to work very hard to capture that unique magic again. If I was casting a reboot, I’ve always thought that Rosamund Pike has the same flash of wild daring in her eyes that Diana Rigg displayed as Emma Peel just before she took down villainous henchmen. Not that she should be Emma Peel but rather a new character that’s a Mrs Peel ‘type.’

Interesting! I’ve never thought about a dream recasting: I’ll mull that over! And as a fan, what makes Emma Peel worth celebrating more than Cathy Gale, say?
What propelled Emma further than her predecessor, Cathy Gale – played by Honor Blackman – was her unique combination of charm, humour, and physical prowess taken to the global stage when The Avengers was sold to an American network. Cathy had been a trailblazer in her own right on British TV, widely regarded by many to be the first independent female character on British television. The story goes that the writer didn’t have time to edit the scripts originally written for a man.

Is that right?!
Apparently so, then Emma brought a lighter touch to the show, which was broadcast around the world, with a playful rapport that made her partnership with Steed one of TV’s most captivating duos. Her influence extended far beyond The Avengers, inspiring a generation of female characters in film, TV, and comics with many modern heroines owing a debt to Emma Peel’s groundbreaking portrayal. Mrs Peel proved that a woman could be both glamorous and powerful, and she remains a cultural icon to this day, celebrated for her wit, strength, and style.

Great answer. Am I right in saying you have other IP with Studiocanal?
Since 2015, Art & Hue has had the pleasure to collaborate with Studiocanal on more pop art collections, including Carry On films, Brit Noir titles including The Third Man, 70s sitcoms, The Wicker Man, School for Scoundrels, Ealing Comedies and many others, plus new ones in the pipeline.

And looking beyond Studiocanal, what other licenses does Art & Hue hold?
As well as the many collections created in collaboration with Studiocanal – 38 to date – Art & Hue has a pop art collection featuring The Ashmolean Museum, Oxford, inspired by Britain’s, and possibly the world’s, first public museum. Celebrating the building itself, the collection features prints of the classical façade and the exhibition interiors, all available in colours closely matched to the Ashmolean’s paint collection.

In the past, I’ve collaborated with other licensors including ITV on Thunderbirds, DC Thomson on Beano, Aardman Animations on Wallace & Gromit, King on Flash Gordon, Rex Features on Mod Hair, Winning Moves on Top Trumps, and Mary Evans on Tatler, so Art & Hue is open to working with licenses where there’s a good fit and where inspiration can strike. Currently mulling over food-related prints so if any of your readers administer vintage and retro food brands, be great if they got in touch to discuss collaborating.

There are also many in-house studio collections that don’t require a license, which transform objects and subjects into pop art icons, including architecture, royalty, sport, music, and jet-set travel.

Fabulous. What’s next for you?
Later this year, as it’s too soon to mention ‘the C-word’ right now, festive greeting cards featuring The Avengers will be returning to the site as well as some new designs inspired by Studiocanal’s extensive film archive. There are always new collections in the pipeline, so the best way to keep up to date with new releases is to sign up to the free mailing list at artandhue.com/subscribe for news and in the meantime, here’s a preview of The Avengers Christmas cards.

That’s amazing! Thanks, Odysseas.