For many creatives, the Venn diagram of The Avengers and James Bond represents a "formative playground"—a stylish collision of mod fashion, high-stakes grit, and British wit. Standing at the centre of this cultural overlap is the legendary Joanna Lumley, who recently toasted her 80th birthday (born 1 May 1946). Before she redefined the "action girl" archetype as Purdey in The New Avengers, Lumley made her mark in the 007 universe. In the 1969 classic On Her Majesty’s Secret S

The Man from UNCLE” was one of a dozen competing TV spy-movie series in the 1960s. The good guys in U.N.C.L.E. – with its deliberately ambiguous hints of “Uncle Sam” and the “UN” proclaiming the global reach of the organisation – included a loyal Soviet Russian Illya Kuryakin (played by a Scottish-born actor David McCallum) whose role subverted the prevalent Cold War era spy genre stereotypes, promoting themes of international unity amid U.S.-Soviet rivalry. Could this “hum

Secret Agents seldom get past the tension-building flirtatious phase on screen, but Agents 86 and 99 broke the tradition in the fourth season of Get Smart (this might have had something to with falling ratings). Have you ever wondered how that relationship would work out in the long run? Could Australia’s Lizard Island Resort play a role in restoring marital harmony (just don’t trust the cruise ship…)? Whatever Mr and Mrs Smart and their family get up to, the memorable theme