The Avengers
Homicide and Old Lace
TV Flash files “Homicide and Old Lace” as hour 154 of 161 in the TV Flash guide — The Avengers (1961–1969) on ITV, season 6, episode 26, aired 1969-03-26, 60 min.
From the desk
How this hour is filed
This leaf is S06E26: listed hour 154 of 161 in the The Avengers guide, hour 26 of 33 in season 6. It aired 1969-03-26 (60 min). The listed hour before it is “Who Was That Man I Saw You With?” (S06E25). Next is “Thingumajig” (S06E27).

Viewer FAQ
Where does Homicide and Old Lace sit in the The Avengers guide?
S06E26 is listed hour 154 of 161 — hour 26 of 33 in season 6, season 6 episode 26.
When did The Avengers S06E26 air?
Homicide and Old Lace aired 1969-03-26 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…