29 June 2025

Mrs Emma Peel

(Leaf 71) – Senryu (or, witty tom-foolery)

 



Modern Mrs Emma Peel and John Steed, the traditional English Gent’ . Mary Quant and Pierre Cardin. Slinky catsuits, miniskirts and leather boots; plus, a red carnation buttonhole, bowler hat, and neatly furled brolly. Lotus Elan and Bentley. Two iconic characters from the British 1960s TV serial, ‘The Avengers.’ I first watched it when I was a child in the 1980s, and was instantly captivated. Smart, sexy and silly, all rolled into one. The perfect balance of danger and daring, humour and bonhomie, suave hero and sophisticated heroine. It remains an absolute classic. I later bought a DVD boxset of the two series from the Emma Peel era – the first, all in black and white, and the second, all in colour; and so I’ve become something of an Avengers ‘otaku’ (or, geek). The following haiku/senryu was inspired by, and is a tribute to my favourite episode and its black leather-clad heroine:

 



 

MRS EMMA PEEL (1965)

 

Dial a deadly number,

to connect –

direct to the heart.

 





 

‘Dial a Deadly Number’ was an episode which first aired on 4th December 1965. The plot revolves around a mysterious spate of unexplained deaths in the City of London’s financial district. Steed and Peel set out to investigate how a number of company chairmen and top investment bankers are being murdered, one by one. The episode revolves around timepieces, electronic bleeper devices, and wine-tasting contests. And not to forget, the regular convivial offer of “Sherry and biscuits?” – Can the dynamic duo of Steed and Peel solve the case before they get run down, blown up, or struck down by a deadly dose of digitalis – thereby, releasing them from time?





I feel the above short poem stands best on its own, but when writing it I found it rapidly gave way to the following linked sequence of verses, which – I am sure, as with the original senryu – will only appeal to those who might find themselves joined in a curious convergence on an unusual Venn diagram of true afficionados of the TV show and fans of haiku and short verse:

 




 


TIMELESS APPEAL: AVENGED

 

Dial a deadly number,

to connect –

direct to the heart.

 

Barbados >> London,

cupboard class –

the Maquis saves the day.

 

A vintage classic –

… from the northern end

of the vineyard.

 

A release from time:

“Sherry and biscuits?”

– Don’t mind, if I do!

 

As timeless –

as one of Fitch’s

stopped clocks.


John Steed and Mrs Peel

– will never not

be needed. 

 


 






A dapper bachelor pad

- Steed makes tea

for Mrs Peel.