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Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
The Hon. John Wickham Gascoyne Beresford Steed usually known as John Steed, is a fictional character and the central
protagonist A protagonist () is the main character of a story. The protagonist makes key decisions that affect the plot, primarily influencing the story and propelling it forward, and is often the character who faces the most significant obstacles. If a st ...
on the 1960s British spy series '' The Avengers'' and its 1970s sequel '' The New Avengers'', played by Patrick Macnee in both; by Donald Monat in the South-African radio series adaptation of '' The Avengers''; by
Ralph Fiennes Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes ( ; born 22 December 1962) is an English actor, film producer, and director. A Shakespeare interpreter, he excelled onstage at the Royal National Theatre before having further success at the Royal Shak ...
in the 1998 film of the same name and by
Julian Wadham Julian Neil Rohan Wadham (born 7 August 1958) is an English actor of stage, film and television. He was educated at Ampleforth College and the Central School of Speech and Drama, third son of Rohan Nicholas Wadham DFC and Juliana Wadham, née ...
in various audio adventures from
Big Finish Productions Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and audio plays (released straight to compact disc and for download in MP3 and m4b format) based, primarily, on cult science fiction properties. These include ''Doctor Who'', the ...
. Steed is a
secret agent Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangib ...
working for an unnamed branch of
British intelligence The Government of the United Kingdom maintains intelligence agencies within three government departments, the Foreign Office, the Home Office and the Ministry of Defence. These agencies are responsible for collecting and analysing foreign and d ...
. He was teamed with a variety of partners, including Dr. David Keel (1961), Dr. Martin King (1962), Venus Smith (1962–1963),
Cathy Gale Dr. Catherine "Cathy" Gale is a fictional character played by Honor Blackman, on the 1960s British series '' The Avengers''. She was the first regular female partner of John Steed, following the departure of Steed's original male co-star, Dr Davi ...
(1962–1964),
Emma Peel Emma Peel is a fictional spy played by Diana Rigg in the British 1960s adventure television series '' The Avengers'', and by Uma Thurman in the 1998 film version. She was born Emma Knight, the daughter of an industrialist, Sir John Knight. She ...
(1965–1968),
Tara King Tara King is a fictional character of British 1960s adventure television series '' The Avengers'', played by Canadian actress Linda Thorson. The sixth partner of agent John Steed (and fourth female partner), she appeared in series six (in colou ...
(1968–1969), Lady Diana Forbes-Blakeney (1969), Purdey, and
Mike Gambit Mike Gambit (or Michael Gambit) is a fictional character in the British TV series '' The New Avengers'', played by actor Gareth Hunt. Overview Gambit was John Steed's first male partner since Drs. David Keel and Martin King in the original '' T ...
(both 1976–1977).


Biography


Pre-Avengers

Steed was born John Wickham Gascoyne Beresford Steed sometime between 1922 and 1925 (the actor who played him, Patrick Macnee, was born 1922). A
scion Scion may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities *Scion, a playable class in the game '' Path of Exile'' (2013) *Atlantean Scion, a device in the ''Tomb Raider'' video game series *Scions, an alien race in the video game ''B ...
of a
noble family Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteris ...
, Steed attended
Eton Eton most commonly refers to Eton College, a public school in Eton, Berkshire, England. Eton may also refer to: Places *Eton, Berkshire, a town in Berkshire, England * Eton, Georgia, a town in the United States * Éton, a commune in the Meuse dep ...
(like Macnee), where he once got into a fight with the school bully,
James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
, and was eventually expelled (like Macnee). Steed's best friend was Mark Crayford, who later followed him into British Intelligence. However Crayford was always secretly jealous of Steed and later defected to the Soviet Union and attempted to destroy Steed and his legacy. Steed was a distinguished veteran of
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, initially serving as a Royal Navy motor torpedo boat commander(like Macnee) but at some point transferring to the
Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...
and then to the Intelligence Corps. He spent the early part of his war service posted at RAF Camp 472 Hamelin, which was a jumping-off point for British spies on the continent. He received the
Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...
for single-handedly taking a German machine-gun post. Before leaving the
British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
to join "The Ministry" in 1945, Steed achieved the rank of
Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
and in it is established he served on courts-martial towards the end of the war. He was also imprisoned by the Japanese at some point over the Christmas period. In the ''New Avengers'' episode 'Hostage' he refers to having spent time as a cowboy when he was 21, riding point for the 'Lazy T', on a cattle drive from Arizona to the Black Hills of Dakota. He maintained a modest
mews A mews is a row or courtyard of stables and carriage houses with living quarters above them, built behind large city houses before motor vehicles replaced horses in the early twentieth century. Mews are usually located in desirable residential ...
flat in
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
during the 1960s (first at 5 Westminster Mews, later at 3 Stable Mews) and drove a variety of elaborate, old-fashioned cars, including a
Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to: * Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct Automobiles * Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...
and several different models of
Bentley Bentley Motors Limited is a British designer, manufacturer and marketer of luxury cars and SUVs. Headquartered in Crewe, England, the company was founded as Bentley Motors Limited by W. O. Bentley (1888–1971) in 1919 in Cricklewood, North ...
, one of which he calls Fido. In one episode also a Vauxhall 30/98 can be seen. By ''The New Avengers'', Steed had moved out to the country, to a manor house known as "Steed's Stud", and was no longer driving vintage cars, but contemporary
Jaguars The jaguar (''Panthera onca'') is a large cat species and the only living member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to the Americas. With a body length of up to and a weight of up to , it is the largest cat species in the Americas and the thi ...
instead. There are few details regarding his family, although he does refer to an Aunt Penelope (who sends him weighty
rock cake A rock cake, also called a rock bun, is a small cake with a rough surface resembling a rock. They were promoted by the British Ministry of Food during the Second World War since they require fewer eggs and less sugar than ordinary cakes, an impo ...
s by post) in "Dead Man's Treasure", a 13-year-old nephew in "Legacy of Death" and teenage niece.


''The Avengers''

During the first season Steed's character was a more rough-and-tumble operative than the suave, sophisticated gentleman he became during the Gale and Peel eras. His most common style of dress as Dr. Keel's sidekick was a trenchcoat and suit, though the famous bowler hat and umbrella appeared as early as "The Frighteners", the 15th episode to be aired. Most of the first-season episodes are lost, but Macnee hints in his memoir that the bowler and brolly initially appeared earlier. During the show's budget-strained first season, Macnee supplemented his on-screen wardrobe with numerous items from his own wardrobe, including the bowler and umbrella. By the second season, Steed had dispensed with the trenchcoat and was found wearing the familiar three-piece suits with which he is afterward identified. He was initially shown answering to several different superiors such as "One-Ten" and "Charles". During most of the Gale-Peel era the source of his orders was left a mystery. For the final season of the original series (the Tara King era) Steed was shown taking his orders from an obese man called "Mother" who used a wheelchair (and once from a blind woman named "Father"). In ''The New Avengers'', Steed was shown working on his own, and it was suggested that he had moved into an administrative role in British intelligence, although that did not stop him from directly participating in missions. Out of all his partners, he was closest to Mrs Peel; while their interaction was often laced with dry, sardonic wit on both sides, he respected her as an equal, and owed her his life on more than a few occasions. Regarding the question of whether they had a sexual relationship at any time, Macnee thought they went to bed on a very regular basis (just not in view of the camera), Rigg thought they were engaged in a very enjoyable extended flirtation that ultimately went nowhere, and
Brian Clemens Brian Horace Clemens (30 July 1931 – 10 January 2015) was an English screenwriter and television producer, possibly best known for his work on '' The Avengers'' and '' The Professionals''. Clemens claimed to be related to Mark Twain (Samuel ...
said he wrote them with the idea they'd had an affair before Emma's first appearance in the series.


Description

One of Steed's trademarks was his impeccable dress, often consisting of a three-piece suit, sometimes in styles that harkened back to the early 20th century, along with a trademark
bowler hat The bowler hat, also known as a billycock, bob hat, bombín (Spanish) or derby (United States), is a hard felt hat with a rounded crown, originally created by the London hat-makers Thomas and William Bowler in 1849. It has traditionally been worn ...
, and always carried an
umbrella An umbrella or parasol is a folding canopy supported by wooden or metal ribs that is usually mounted on a wooden, metal, or plastic pole. It is designed to protect a person against rain or sunlight. The term ''umbrella'' is traditionally use ...
. His umbrella, with its distinctive
whangee Whangee ( ) refers to any of over forty Asian grasses of the genus '' Phyllostachys'', a genus of bamboos. They are a hardy evergreen plant from Japan, China, and the Himalayas whose woody stems are sometimes used to make canes and umbrella handl ...
handle, was designed by British umbrella maker
Swaine Adeney Brigg Swaine London, known previously as Swaine Adeney Brigg is one of the oldest names in luxury goods and has traded in London's St James's for over 270 years. The House remains one of the most celebrated and decorated makers and it is the ultimate de ...
. His bowler and umbrella were in fact his favourite weapons. The umbrella contained a concealed
sword A sword is an edged, bladed weapon intended for manual cutting or thrusting. Its blade, longer than a knife or dagger, is attached to a hilt and can be straight or curved. A thrusting sword tends to have a straighter blade with a pointed ti ...
, though he seldom actually drew the blade, more frequently using the umbrella itself as a striking and hooking weapon. Other specially-equipped umbrellas included one that featured a sound recorder, one with a tip that could emit knock out gas, one with a camera hidden under the handle for covert photography ("The Cybernauts"), and one that contained measures of whisky. (The
swordstick A swordstick or cane-sword is a cane containing a hidden blade. The term is typically used to describe European weapons from around the 18th century, but similar devices have been used throughout history, notably the Roman ''dolon'', the Japanes ...
featured in the title sequence was made by venerable English umbrella maker
James Smith & Sons James Smith & Sons is an umbrella shop in London. The premises in New Oxford Street is Grade II* listed. History It was founded by James Smith as a single shop in Foubert's Place in 1830. Further branches were established in Savile Row and ...
.) The bowler had a metal plate concealed in its lining and was very hard, it could stop bullets and knock down opponents. Although he was witty and highly sagacious, he was also a suave and ruthless spy. In combat, he is an excellent
swordsman Swordsmanship or sword fighting refers to the skills and techniques used in combat and training with any type of sword. The term is modern, and as such was mainly used to refer to smallsword fencing, but by extension it can also be applied to an ...
and adept at unarmed combat. Whilst he does use firearms on occasion he does not habitually carry one (a trait taken from Macnee who disliked them after his wartime service). A bon vivant, he also seemed to be something of an
oenophile Oenophilia ( ; Greek) is a love ('' philia'') of wine ('' oinos''). In the strictest sense, ''oenophilia'' describes a disciplined devotion to wine, accompanying strict traditions of consumption and appreciation. In a general sense however, ''oe ...
, having an impeccable palate and a love for
champagne Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...
. When meeting Tara King, Emma Peel informed her that Steed liked his tea with 3 sugars and stirred anti-clockwise and in the episode "The Morning After" professes to prefer to deal in guineas as currency.


References


External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Steed, John Male characters in television Television characters introduced in 1960 Fictional British secret agents Fictional World War II veterans Fictional gentleman detectives Fictional people from London The Avengers (TV series) characters Fictional stick-fighters