"Mother" is a
fictional character
In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, play, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or based on a real-life person, ...
in British
TV series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed betw ...
''
The Avengers''.
Overview
"Mother" is a
codename
A code name, call sign or cryptonym is a Code word (figure of speech), code word or name used, sometimes clandestinely, to refer to another name, word, project, or person. Code names are often used for military purposes, or in espionage. They may ...
. In the series the incumbent in the role is a
disabled
Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, se ...
male British government official (played by
Patrick Newell
Patrick David Newell (27 March 1932 – 22 July 1988) was a British actor, known for his large size.
Early life and education
The second son of Eric Llewellyn Newell, of High Lodge, Hadleigh, Suffolk, an Oxford-educated physician who served ...
) who uses a wheelchair. He makes his debut in "
The Forget-Me-Knot
"The Forget-Me-Knot" is the first episode of the sixth series of the 1960s cult British spy-fi television series '' The Avengers'', starring Patrick Macnee and Diana Rigg, and introducing Linda Thorson as Tara King. Its first broadcast was on the ...
", which is
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 ...
's final episode and
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 ...
's first. In subsequent episodes he gives orders to
John Steed
Major The Hon. John Wickham Gascoyne Beresford Steed usually known as John Steed, is a fictional character and the central protagonist on the 1960s British spy series '' The Avengers'' and its 1970s sequel '' The New Avengers'', played by Patr ...
and Tara King (prior to his debut appearance, during the Emma Peel era, Steed's superior was never identified; prior to Peel, Steed was occasionally seen taking his orders from another individual referred to by the code-name "One-Ten"). He appears in most episodes of series six, the last season of the series. He is an irascible yet highly intelligent character, and is a great admirer of Steed and especially his wine cellar. He has two elderly aunts whom, in the episode "Homicide and Old Lace", he entertains with stories of his department's cases.
Patrick Newell had played various characters in previous episodes of ''The Avengers'', most recently Sir George Collins, a sometime
Minister of the Crown
Minister of the Crown is a formal constitutional term used in Commonwealth realms to describe a minister of the reigning sovereign or viceroy. The term indicates that the minister serves at His Majesty's pleasure, and advises the sovereign or ...
and close relative of the
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general.
In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
, in season five's "Something Nasty in the Nursery".
Bases and locations
In spite of his
disability
Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be Cognitive disability, cognitive, Developmental disability, dev ...
Mother seems mobile, continuously moving his location from more easily believable sites such as a
stately home
An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...
to eccentric ones such as a
double-decker bus
A double-decker bus or double-deck bus is a bus that has two storeys or decks. They are used for mass transport in the United Kingdom, the United States, New Zealand, Europe, Asia and also in cities such as Sydney; the best-known example is the ...
or under water. He has a new base in practically every episode. The plots of several episodes involve attempts to
assassinate
Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...
him, so these moves are presumably a security measure. The episode "False Witness", in which the double-decker office is featured, also implies that Mother is capable of some degree of mobility without a wheelchair, as he is seen holding a cane.
Other family members
The humour of "Mother" as a codename for a man is emphasized by having a
blind female official called "
Father
A father is the male parent of a child. Besides the paternal bonds of a father to his children, the father may have a parental, legal, and social relationship with the child that carries with it certain rights and obligations. An adoptive fathe ...
" as the second to Mother in rank. Father appears in one episode of the series ("Stay Tuned") and in the 1998 film.
In another episode of the series, Take Me To Your Leader, Mother refers to an associate named "Grandma".
Rhonda
Mother's assistant is Rhonda, a tall blonde woman who never speaks. Mother comments on this in one episode ("Noon Doomsday"), saying that her quietness was lovely. When she tries to respond he stops her, instructing her not to spoil it. In "Homicide and Old Lace" Rhonda appears to speak, but this is revealed to be an act of ventriloquism on Mother's part.
Reception
In the British Film Institute's 1996 tribute book, ''The Avengers'', Toby Miller writes: "The nicest deviation from classic detective fiction comes in the depthlessness of ''The Avengers'': rather than seeking motivation through temporary occupancy of the criminal mind or a reconstruction of its psychic imbalances, perversities are simply dealt with when encountered. Nor does the team persuade a court of law or any organization that the truth has been established: they have executive power. When Miss King appears as Steed's fellow professional, and they work for a fully achieved administrative character in Mother, the series loses this concrete ambiguity that had so beautifully expressed the everydayness of governmentality. Mother had been designated as a cameo in 'The Forget-Me-Knot', but audience reaction was so powerful in the USA that he was written into the remainder of the series."
In ''Quite Quite Fantastic! The Avengers for Modern Viewers'', Michael Scott Phillips also had a negative view: "Patrick Newell does a fine job but the character himself was to be mostly a pompous windbag that would only occasionally demonstrate charisma throughout the remainder of the series. As the future would show for the most part, the direction his new role indicated would fail; there was no need to turn backwards in the direction of his predecessors... This was supposedly encouraged by American executives at ABC who liked Mother. Bluntly, the show didn't need it."
In other media
In
Alan Moore
Alan Moore (born 18 November 1953) is an English author known primarily for his work in comic books including ''Watchmen'', ''V for Vendetta'', ''The Ballad of Halo Jones'', ''Swamp Thing'', ''Batman:'' ''The Killing Joke'', and ''From Hell' ...
and
Kevin O'Neill's ''
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier'',
Harry Lime is in command of the British Secret Service acting as
M but is nicknamed "Mother" by several agents, including
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 ...
.
In the
Tom Stoppard
Sir Tom Stoppard (born , 3 July 1937) is a Czech born British playwright and screenwriter. He has written for film, radio, stage, and television, finding prominence with plays. His work covers the themes of human rights, censorship, and politi ...
play ''
Hapgood'' the (female) senior secret agent Hapgood also has the nickname or codename 'Mother'.
Although Mother did not appear on television until the final Emma Peel story (and had never previously been referenced), some Avengers spin-off material (novels, comic strips, comic books) retroactively had Steed and Peel receiving orders from Mother.
Mother appeared in
the 1998 film adaptation, played by
Jim Broadbent
James Broadbent (born 24 May 1949) is an English actor. He won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award for his supporting role as John Bayley in the feature film ''Iris'' (2001), as well as winning a BAFTA TV Award and a Golden Globe for hi ...
.
The character is voiced by
Christopher Benjamin in the audio dramas produced by
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 ...
.
Further reading
*
The Complete Avengers: The Full Story of Britain's Smash Crime-Fighting Team!' by Dave Rogers, St Martin's Press (1989)
*
The Avengers' by Toby Miller, British Film Institute (1997)
* ''The Avengers Files: The Official Guide'' by Andrew Pixley, Reynolds & Hearn (2004)
* ''The Avengers: A Celebration: 50 Years of a Television Classic'' by Marcus Hearn, Titan Books (2010)
*
Avengerworld - The Avengers in Our Lives' by Alan Hayes, Lulu (2016)
*
Quite Quite Fantastic! The Avengers for Modern Viewers' by Michael Scott Phillips (2018)
References
{{DISPLAYTITLE:Mother (''The Avengers'')
The Avengers (TV series) characters
Fictional spymasters