The Avengers International Fan Forum

Spaceship Dispatcher · Posted: Fri Apr 03, 2015 11:13 am Post subject: Anthony Howell as Dr Keel

Anthony seems like a sociable kind of actor, and some of my friends that have enjoyed long chats with him at conventions agree. His idea of Doctor Keel tends to reflect this, and if Julian Wadham's version of Steed is a bit harsher than Patrick Macnee then Anthony appears to have gone the other way and softened his character...

DerekD · Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2015 11:44 pm Post subject:

I think he's excelent as Keel. Really engaging. I think Ian Hendry would be very pleased.

Spaceship Dispatcher · Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2015 5:42 am Post subject:

Lhbizness · Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2015 6:59 am Post subject:

I like Howell's performance much better than Wadham's - he's got a gentleness that's quite likable. Keel seems a tad humorless, though.

I personally prefer Steed's slight amoral attitudes to Keel's "holier-than-thou" moralism. Steed is perfectly suited to his profession, which has to bring with it a certain tendency to bend the rules. A character with no bad traits is not a particularly interesting character. Human beings tend to be a mix of good and bad - and often Keel comes off as just a bit patronizing, especially towards Carol and other female characters.
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Avengers Episode Reviews: The Undertakers

Avengerholic · Epic Joined: 01 Sep 2008 Posts: 1062

I think Anthony Howell's performance as Keel, along with the excellent production values and the genuine vintage feel of the audio's are what make these releases so successful. I'd certainly love to hear the series continue after the initial 26 episode run is completed.