Broadcast: Saturday, 1st April 1967
Character: Stewart Kirby
If you want to see a masterclass in “doing too much” (in the best way possible), look no further than the Avengers episode “Epic.” It aired back in ’67 during the Emma Peel era, and it’s basically the show deciding to stop being a spy thriller for an hour and instead become a surreal satire about movie-making and obsession. Macnee and Rigg are great as always, but let’s be honest: this episode is really Peter Wyngarde’s playground.
The plot is wild: a trio of washed-up movie types, led by a lunatic director named Z.Z. von Schnerk, decide that Emma Peel is the perfect lead for their new film. The catch? The “grand finale” is actually Emma dying on camera. Helping the director are two relics of the silent film era, Damita Syn and Stewart Kirby. Peter plays Kirby, and from the second he hits the screen, you can tell he is having the absolute time of his life.
Below Right: A break during filming. Peter chats with director, James Hill.
Kirby is a trip. He’s vain, theatrical, totally delusional, and yet somehow still charming and kind of sad. In the hands of a worse actor, Kirby would have just been a loud cartoon, but Peter gives him actual soul. You can tell he’s playing a guy desperately clinging to a fame that vanished decades ago.
The crazy thing is Peter’s screen presence. Even when he’s sharing a scene with powerhouses like Diana Rigg, your eyes just drift back to him. He’s magnetic. In “Epic,” he uses that charisma not to be a hero or a villain, but to be this wonderfully weird, flamboyant comic relief.
He also gets to show off his range. Throughout the episode, Kirby puts on a ridiculous variety of disguises to trick and kidnap Emma. Peter doesn’t just change clothes; he changes his voice, his posture, and his whole vibe for every single persona. It’s not just costume changes—it’s like watching a few different actors in one role.
A lot of people only remember Peter as Jason King (the ultimate dandy), but “Epic” proves he had some serious technical chops. He bounces between comedy, suspense, and parody without breaking a sweat. His comic timing is spot on, too. Half the laughs don’t even come from the script; they come from a perfectly timed raised eyebrow or a look of sheer indignation.
The chemistry between Kirby and Damita Syn (played by Isa Miranda) is also a highlight. They act like two old stars who refuse to admit the party is over. There’s a genuine sweetness to their partnership that makes the whole thing feel more grounded.
What’s most impressive, though, is that Peter knows exactly how to play the tone. “Epic” is a fever dream, and it would have been easy to overact or turn it into a farce. Instead, Peter plays it completely sincere. Because he believes in the absurdity, the audience does too.
If you compare Kirby to the character Peter played in “A Touch of Brimstone” a year earlier—a cold, dangerous mastermind—the difference is staggering. It proves he wasn’t just a “type”; he could build a character from the ground up based on the needs of the story.
He’s also surprisingly generous as a performer. He has a huge personality, but he doesn’t suck the air out of the room. He supports the other actors and lets the story breathe, rather than just turning the episode into a one-man show.
Visually, the episode feels like a throwback to old cinema, and Peter fits right in. He basically becomes the living embodiment of the theme: a man who can’t tell the difference between his life and a movie set.
There’s a quiet sadness to it, too. You can feel that Kirby knows his glory days are long gone, and his obsession with the director’s project is really just a way to feel important again. Peter handles that melancholy touch with a very light hand.
Now, “Epic” might be too weird for some people—if you’re looking for a standard 60s spy romp, this isn’t it. But it’s one of the most creative things the series ever did. Even sixty years later, it still feels imaginative and bold.
For anyone who likes Peter Wyngarde, this episode is a must. It’s a masterclass in character acting. It reminds us that he was far more than just a flamboyant look; he was a versatile actor who could be funny, eccentric, and touching all at once. “Epic” survives because it let one of the most distinctive performers in British TV show exactly what he could do. Diana Rigg and Patrick Macnee are great, but it’s Peter’s nuanced performance that really sticks in your memory.
In Retrospect
I had no pre-conceived expectation about my newest video acquisition–I’d never seen The Avengers, and the video sleeve gave little insight about the premise behind the series. Therefore, it was “cold turkey” for me as I settled down to view my first Peter Wyngarde performance since Checkmate. (OK, I’ll confess I had seen Flash Gordon just three days before receiving Epic, but it’s hard to study a man in a mask!).
I had no pre-conceived expectation about my newest video acquisition–I’d never seen The Avengers, and the video sleeve gave little insight about the premise behind the series. Therefore, it was “cold turkey” for me as I settled down to view my first Peter Wyngarde performance since Checkmate. (OK, I’ll confess I had seen Flash Gordon just three days before receiving Epic, but it’s hard to study a man in a mask!).
The opening credits led me to believe Epic was going to be a straightforward, private-eye sort of adventure story featuring a rather stuffy, proper Englishman and the obligatory attractive, rather passive, wimpy female assistant. Naturally, I was drawn immediately to Peter’s character, Stewart Kirby, a ” has-been” of the silver screen. His tasteless dark-framed glasses, smoking jacket, pipe and silver hair were befitting of an actor who had been put out to pasture–a man content to while away his days with his compatriot “has-been,” Damita Syn and a bott le of wine. Unfortunately, mad director/producer Z.Z. von Schnerk had other plans for the two–he would make a movie to restore them all to their former glory, “The Destruction of Emma Peel.” It soon became evident that the fun was about to begin.
There was no end to my pleasure and amusement as I watched Stewart Kirby try again and again to out-manoeuvre and conquer the crafty Mrs Peel (he reminded me of “Wile E. Coyote” of “Roadrunner” cartoon fame). In 53 minutes he portrayed ten different characters, including a preacher, cabbie, undertaker, gladiator, gunslinger, German soldier, Indian, gangster, Confederate (rebel) soldier, and a mad doctor. Some characters were played more seriously than others, with my personal favourite being the Confederate soldier. Being a “darn Yankee” that has spent the last twenty-five years in the Deep South (Mississippi), I was especially amused by Peter’s “Southern” accent–it was delightful. With each encounter with the far-from-wimpy Mrs Peel, Stewart became more and more bedraggled and haggard, a condition which may have been exacerbated by his obvious affinity to drink–like between every scene–I counted nine!
Patrick MacNee plays John Steed, a man who obviously entertains some personal feelings about his attractive cohort, but never calls her anything but “Mrs Peel” (played by Diana Rigg). His role is relatively insignificant in the story until his final daring rescue of Mrs Peel from von Schnerk’s buzz saw and the murderous mad doctor (who is dressed like Dracula and bears an uncanny resemblance to another rogue known only as No. 2) and his trusty assistant, Natasha. Of course, in the end, the dashing hero Steed foils the villains, and the heroine is snatched from the jaws of death just in the nick of time.
With the multitude of costume changes and the wide variety of characters, I suspect the filming of this episode really was an epic and just as physically demanding for Mr Wyngarde as it was for the fictitious Stewart Kirby. Overall, I found Epic to be wonderfully entertaining, face-paced and a delightfully charming way to become better acquainted with Peter’s acting versatility; and I am proud to add this video to my collection.
Written by Jean Orcutt.
Above: From The Post Crescent – 9th April, 1967
Above: France: Télé 7 JOURS summary for August 6 1968, 8.30pm
PETER WYNGARDE WAS NOT GAY. THIS IS A MYTH CONJOURED UP BY THE BRITISH TABLOIDS
PETER WYNGARDE DID NOT HAVE A ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP WITH ALAN BATES. THIS WAS A LIE PERPITRATED BY DONALD SPOTO IN HIS BOOK, ‘OTHERWISE ENGAGED: THE LIFE OF ALAN BATES’
PETER WYNGARDE WAS NOT ARRESTED OR CAUSTIONED IN KENNEDY GARDENS OR ELSEWHERE. THIS IS A LIE CREATED BY WIKIPEADIA AND COPIED BY THE BRITISH TABLOIDS.
THE 1975 CONVICTION AGAINST PETER WYNGARDE WAS LATTERLY QUASHED BY THE HOME OFFICE (UK GOVERNMENT) AS BEING “UNPROVEN”.
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