Paper 1 Question 5
5. Explain how historical contexts influenced the portrayal of heroes and villains in television programmes. Refer to The Avengers from 1965 to support your answer. [10 Marks]
5. During the
time of the Avengers, World War 2 had ended a few years ago. This shook the
British public and were still recovering from the damage in the 1960s. Also,
the Cold War has also just started so people were very scared that war would
happen again. The Avengers: Town of No Return presents the idea that the UK is
being invaded again and John Steed and Emma Peel are there to save the day.
This depicts the invaders as the obvious villains as the 1960s audience would
have hated them for wanting to start a war. It also makes Steed and Peel seem
like the obvious heroes as they are very British and will do everything in
their power to stop them. Steed is strong, smart and has gadgets which can
defeat any enemy, and Peel is athletic, agile and brave and can put up a fight
against anyone, no matter the gender. This also makes the women watching at the
time believe they are equal to men and can fight for equal rights. Also, the
fact that, in the end, Steed and Peel save the day and stop the invasion,
reassures the 1960s audience that even if war did break out again, the country
would be okay because we have people like Steed and Peel to protect us.
