We only recognize one #Avengers franchise in this house son, and it stars the incomparable Dame Enid Diana Elizabeth Rigg as #EmmaPeel.

A gif appreciation thread. #RIPDianaRigg https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2020/sep/10/actor-diana-rigg-dies-aged-82

Rigg appeared in the British 1960s television series The Avengers (1961–69) opposite Patrick Macnee as John Steed, playing the secret agent Emma Peel in 51 episodes, replacing Elizabeth Shepherd at very short notice when Shepherd was dropped from the role after two episodes.

Rigg auditioned for the role on a whim, without ever having seen the programme. Although she was hugely successful in the series, she disliked the lack of privacy that it brought, nor was she comfortable with the show’s depiction of her as a sex symbol.

During her first series, Rigg learned that she was being paid less than the cameraman.

For the second series she demanded a raise to put her more on a par with her co-star or she would leave the show. Eventually the reluctant producers agreed to pay her £450/week (up from £150)

In 2019 Rigg said “not one woman in the industry supported me … Neither did Patrick [Macnee, her co-star] … But I was painted as this mercenary creature by the press when all I wanted was equality. It’s so depressing that we are still talking about the gender pay gap.”

Rigg did not stay for a third year.

Instead she moved into film, co-starring with George Lazenby in 1969’s On Her Majesty's Secret Service as the adventurous heiress, Contessa Teresa “Tracy” di Vicenzo — the only Bond girl to become Bond’s wife.

Rigg enjoyed a long career in film and television, including her unforgettable portrayal of the masterfully political (and murderously vengeful) Lady Olenna Tyrell in five seasons of #GameOfThrones, a show she said she never watched before or after her involvement with it.

But it was Rigg’s role as Emma Peel in The Avengers that made her a 60’s fashion icon, from from the moment she appeared in the first series wearing a black leather catsuit.

The character was also notable for being a fully capable heroine rather than a love interest.

Peel was a master of martial arts and a formidable fencer. A certified genius, she specialised in chemistry and had success in industry at the helm of the company of her late father.

Rarely defeated in fights, Peel was often called upon to rescue her male partner, the always-dapper John Steed.

Steed and Peel enjoyed a marvelous onscreen chemistry, trading witty banter and flirtatious innuendo throughout their many adventures. Offscreen, actor Patrick Macnee and Rigg remained lifelong friends.

Although often flirtatious, Steed and Peel were only ever portrayed as colleagues. Indeed, #TheAvengers remains one of the few shows to successfully dodge the tired “will they or won’t they” trope of male/female working partnerships (something modern TV could take a lesson from).

This charming interaction (from the opening credits of Series 5) is characteristic of how the show approached this subtext: sassy and playful, with Rigg’s Peel clearly in possession of her own agency.

gonna break from the gif format for a moment to show you just how awesome Rigg’s outfits were

we stan an icon

#RIPDianaRigg

While a lesser actress might have been overwhelmed by such bonkers looks, #DianaRigg was more than up to the task, stealing every scene with her wit, intelligence, and charisma.

#RIPDianaRigg

And through it all she took absolutely zero shit, whether from cardigan-wearing baddies…

…or from Cersei fucking Lannister.

#RIPDianaRigg #GameOfThrones

“I confess I do a lot of the wrong things: I smoke, and I drink wine, and people might be horrified at my eating habits - I eat when I'm hungry, and if I'm not, I don't.” - Dame Diana Rigg

#RIPDianaRigg

“I've always been on the side of fully emancipated women with independent minds.” - Dame Diana Rigg

#RIPDianaRigg

“You can't actually legislate what goes on in people's minds and their attitudes, but you certainly can legislate for parity where pay and salaries are concerned. …If you're earning equal pay to a man, you get respect. It shouldn't be that way, but it is.” - Dame Diana Rigg