Diana Rigg, One of Our Favourite and Most Gifted Actors and for Many the Epitome of Sixties Cool, Charm and Charisma Had Passed Away
Back in July I thought it’d be good to follow on from the first issue, a Doctor Who special, with one paying tribute to other cult television shows, and I started putting this issue together in August after I received the first article, ‘The Avengers’ by John Winterson Richards. The article (which starts on page 3) was already ‘in the can’ if I can borrow that term, by the end of the month. Then, just a few weeks later, the sad news was announced that Dame Diana Rigg, one of our favourite and most gifted actors and for many the epitome of sixties cool, charm and charisma had passed away. Diana Rigg, who was a much loved and admired member of her profession, helped propel 'The Avengers' into its true golden age. In middle age she made a dazzling change of direction to be become one of our great classical actors. The recipient of Bafta, Emmy, Tony and Evening Standard Awards for her work on stage and screen she was a true force of nature. On page 41 we pay tribute to her. What is Cult TV? You can't predict what is going to become a TV cult. It's not the makers of a particular show that bestow cult status, but the audience who view it. Those with a passion who, long after a series has finished and gone to television heaven (shameless plug), keep it very much alive with devoted fan communities, online message boards, writing fan-fiction, and attending conventions dressed as their favourite characters.
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