After three series on video and one on monochrome 35mm, cult 60s British TV series The Avengers finally made to the move to colour in series 5, which for many was where the spi-fi formular that made the show so distinctive hit a creative peak.

Series 5 also tackled more futuristic storylines of an increasingly sci-fi bent. Key highlight episodes from this series include Mission...Highly Improbable, in which the duo deal with being shrunk to doll size, The Hidden Tiger, where pet cats are electrically altered into ferocious and lethal miniature tigers, Return of the Cypernauts, which saw Steed and Mrs. Peel fight off killer automata, then mind transferring machines in Who's Who??? and invisible foes in The See-Through Man. 

The Avengers was the longest running espionage series produced for English-language television and reached audiences in 120 countries, a record that still stands to this day. The Avengers: The Complete Series 5 will be released as a seven disc set on UK DVD on 25th October by Optimum Home Entertainment at the RRP of £59.99and will feature the first full restoration of all episodes. As ever, the set is be packed with extras:

• Audio commentary by script writer / producer Brian Clemens on Murdersville;
• Audio commentary by guest star Peter Wyngarde on Epic;
• Audio commentary by script writer Richard Harris on The Winged Avenger;
• Audio commentary by Diana Rigg's stunt double Cyd Child on Return of The Cybernauts;
• Archive German TV interview with Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg;
• Episode trims from The Fear Merchants, Escape In Time, From Venus With Love and The See-Through Man;
• The Avengers – A Retrospective (documentary);
• ATV newsreel footage (Diana Rigg receives TV Award)
• The Avengers – "They're Back" archive trailer;
• Filmed episode intros by Brian Clemens to The Bird Who Knew Too Much, The Living Dead, Epic, The Correct Way To Kill, The Superlative Seven, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Station, The Joker and Murdersville;
• Granada + points for each episode;
• Episode Reconstructions for lost series 1 episodes One For The Mortuary, Death on The Slipway, Tunnel of Fear and Dragonsfield;
• 1960s German Titles;
• Insert reprint of series 5 promotional brochure;
• Stills gallery for featured episodes;
• PDF material.

You can read our extensive reviews of The Avengers Series 1&2, Series 3 and Series 4 by clicking on the bolded links.