The Avengers
The Big Thinker
TV Flash files “The Big Thinker” as hour 38 of 161 in the TV Flash guide — The Avengers (1961–1969) on ITV, season 2, episode 12, aired 1962-12-15, 60 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S02E12: listed hour 38 of 161 in the The Avengers guide, hour 12 of 26 in season 2. It aired 1962-12-15 (60 min). The listed hour before it is “Traitor in Zebra” (S02E11). Next is “Death Dispatch” (S02E13).
Catalog log
Broadcast listing — not a TV Flash recap.
A powerful computer used to target incoming missiles continually breaks down. When one of scientists who developed the machine is found dead inside it, Steed and Cathy are asked to investigate.
Viewer FAQ
Where does The Big Thinker sit in the The Avengers guide?
S02E12 is listed hour 38 of 161 — hour 12 of 26 in season 2, season 2 episode 12.
When did The Avengers S02E12 air?
The Big Thinker aired 1962-12-15 and is listed at 60 minutes.
Where should I start?
The Steed/Peel era is the global-fame on-ramp: Macnee's bowler, Rigg's catsuit, high-concept adventure. Cathy Gale (Honor Blackman) is the earlier partner if you want the path into that chic; Tara King is the later close.
In the series
Why this series still plays
Bowler hats, leather catsuits, and deadpan danger: Patrick Macnee's John Steed and Diana Rigg's Emma Peel made British spy chic a mid-sixties export. Honor Blackman's Cathy Gale came first; Tara King closed the decade. Gadgets optional, attitude mandatory — Bond-adjacent television with better tailoring.
The group chat did not invent Steed/Peel. It just never logged off. Britain's *The Avengers* (ITV, 1961–1969; 161 episodes) evolved from straight spy drama into stylish pop espionage: Patrick Macnee's John Steed in the bowler, gadgets optional, attitude mandatory. Honor Blackman's Cathy Gale came first. Diana Rigg's Emma Peel became the fashion-and-feminist-icon lightning rod. Linda Thorson's Tara King closed the decade. Sydney Newman's series treated villainy like theater design. U.S. import success made it a…
Filed against
- Patrick Macnee as John Steed
Patrick Macnee’s John Steed made The Avengers a 1960s export of bowler hats, leather catsuits, and deadpan danger — Diana Rigg’s Emma Peel, Honor Blackman’s Cathy Gale first, Tara King closing the decade. Gadgets optional, attitude…
- Diana Rigg as Emma Peel
Diana Rigg’s Emma Peel made The Avengers British spy chic — bowler hats, leather catsuits, deadpan danger, Patrick Macnee’s John Steed as partner, Honor Blackman’s Cathy Gale first, Tara King later. Gadgets optional, attitude mandatory.…
- Honor Blackman as Cathy Gale
Honor Blackman's Cathy Gale came first on The Avengers — bowler hats, leather, deadpan danger, Patrick Macnee's John Steed, British spy chic as a mid-sixties export before Emma Peel became the poster. Gadgets optional, attitude mandatory.…
- Linda Thorson as Tara King
Linda Thorson closed the decade as Tara King on The Avengers — after Cathy Gale and Emma Peel, the partner who inherited Patrick Macnee’s bowler-hat spy chic and kept the deadpan danger walking. Gadgets optional, attitude mandatory. TV…