# Diana Rigg dies at 82 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 10, 2020, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diana-rigg-dies-at-82/920264 "2020-09-10T14:23:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diana-rigg-dies-at-82/920264/41 "2020-09-10T21:18:18Z")
As far as Bond movies go, she deserved better than George Lazenby. She is also excellent in _The Hospital_ (1971) as a free spirit who restores George C. Scott’s will to live and love. ---
**Author:** ![Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mundane_super_hero/32/6304_2.png) [@Mundane\_Super\_Hero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mundane_Super_Hero)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diana-rigg-dies-at-82/920264/42 "2020-09-10T21:32:28Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > “Steed … is everything to scale?” 😉 “Well, at least the champagne is cold. \ …but it’s warming quickly. Glass…?” . She was a woman who made all media her own. She had true “Broadcast Power”. (There used to still be one network that broadcast all of the episodes… but in a shake up, that channel was sold to “Court TV” which no one ever watches. Pity.) ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 9:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diana-rigg-dies-at-82/920264/43 "2020-09-10T21:38:53Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > You mean subtle like Pussy Galore? Pussy Galore is head of a lesbian gang who James Bond converts with his cock. I don’t think the two characters are comparable. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 10:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diana-rigg-dies-at-82/920264/44 "2020-09-10T22:06:13Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Pussy Galore is head of a lesbian gang who James Bond converts with his cock. I don’t think the two characters are comparable. I wasn’t suggesting a comparison between the characters, just the crudeness of the names, Pussy Galore v. > [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > Sexa Peel ---
**Author:** ![River\_Hippie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/river_hippie/32/26_2.png) [@River\_Hippie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/River_Hippie)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diana-rigg-dies-at-82/920264/45 "2020-09-10T22:46:33Z")
Emma Peel [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/idtYckLIZnI/maxresdefault.jpg "The Avengers - Short Skirt, Long Jacket [Emma Peel]") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idtYckLIZnI) ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2020, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diana-rigg-dies-at-82/920264/46 "2020-09-10T23:47:59Z")
THAT was beautiful!! (P.S. In college – 1966-1970 – I wore a short skirt and long jacket.) ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2020, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diana-rigg-dies-at-82/920264/47 "2020-09-11T00:06:31Z")
I forgot to mention – we have a complete set of her 1998-2000 series **The Mrs. Bradley Mysteries** , which is worth a watch. My wife is right now watching **Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries** , which reminds me of it, largely because Essie Davis reminds me of the young Ms. Rigg. ---
**Author:** ![gkster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gkster/32/14107_2.png) [@gkster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gkster)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2020, 12:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diana-rigg-dies-at-82/920264/48 "2020-09-11T00:39:22Z")
I saw her in _Lear_ and she was excellent! Cool, clever and deadly. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2020, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diana-rigg-dies-at-82/920264/49 "2020-09-11T00:59:45Z")
I watched the show regularly as a youngster, but only remember the episode with the killer clowns. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/1KYZIRRWUOw/maxresdefault.jpg "The Avengers Music Look (stop me if you've heard this one)..") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KYZIRRWUOw) ---
**Author:** ![Fretful\_Porpentine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fretful_porpentine/32/2873_2.png) [@Fretful\_Porpentine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fretful_Porpentine)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2020, 1:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diana-rigg-dies-at-82/920264/50 "2020-09-11T01:17:07Z")
Well, damn. I saw her on stage just a couple of years ago, in _My Fair Lady_. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2020, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diana-rigg-dies-at-82/920264/51 "2020-09-11T02:01:49Z")
You’re right, but I was never a fan of Ms. Newmar for some reason. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2020, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diana-rigg-dies-at-82/920264/52 "2020-09-11T03:01:33Z")
That’s a Tara King episode, notable for guest appearances by John “Basil Fawlty” Cleese and Bernard “Mr Hutchinson” Cribbons.from the _ **Fawlty Towers** _ episode “The Hotel Inspectors.” ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2020, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diana-rigg-dies-at-82/920264/53 "2020-09-11T03:26:58Z")
Catwoman: Holy dominatrix! 😮 [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/xyrNTKNoBG8/hqdefault.jpg "Catwoman demands OBEDIENCE!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xyrNTKNoBG8) From the episode “The Purr-fect Crime.” Emma Peel: Queen of Sin! 😉 [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/fYjXmf4N-yM/hqdefault.jpg "Style and Grace..and a Boot to the Face!") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYjXmf4N-yM) From the episode “A Touch of Brimstone.” ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2020, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diana-rigg-dies-at-82/920264/54 "2020-09-11T12:42:34Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > The M appeal/Emma Peel joke is sadly lost on Americans. We can get it, but it’s not visceral. She’d have to be named Sexa Peel for the pun to hit us every time we heard the name, and that’s too coarse to suit her character. Are you claiming that Brits would naturally think “M Appeal = Man Appeal”? That seems unlikely. If her name had been Wilhemina Peel or something maybe, but I think shortening “Man” to “M” meant it was an inside joke to the producers, not a pun that regular viewers were supposed to get. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2020, 3:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diana-rigg-dies-at-82/920264/55 "2020-09-11T15:24:32Z")
Diana was a heavy pack a day smoker. She was diagnosed with Cancer 6 months ago. Thankfully she didn’t have a prolonged & painful death. [Diana Rigg, star of "The Avengers" and "Game of Thrones," dies at 82 - CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/diana-rigg-dies-age-82-cancer-avengers-star/) > [@](#): > > Rigg “spent her last months joyfully reflecting on her extraordinary life, full of love, laughter and a deep pride in her profession. I will miss her beyond words,” Stirling said. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2020, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diana-rigg-dies-at-82/920264/56 "2020-09-11T15:37:02Z")
I loved the Avengers when I was a kid and to this day, when I hear the term I think of that show, not the comic book characters. Rigg had such a cool presence on the Avengers funny, smart and bad ass. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2020, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diana-rigg-dies-at-82/920264/57 "2020-09-11T16:42:50Z")
The British press dredged up perhaps my favorite _Avengers_ picture. Here’s an older article with it on top. > **[Macnee 'dear man', says Diana Rigg](https://www.independent.ie/style/celebrity/celebrity-news/macnee-dear-man-says-diana-rigg-31331293.html)** > > Diana Rigg has paid tribute to the actor Patrick Macnee who died yesterday, describing him as a "dear man". It’s a trick of perspective that makes it appear that Steed is using his umbrella handle to, um, peel off Rigg’s top. The expression on her face is priceless. As for “M appeal,” I can only say that [many](https://jonmwessel.wordpress.com/2011/06/17/everybody-loves-dianna-rigg/) [others](https://wordplay.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/01/27/m-appeal/) are saying it. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2020, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diana-rigg-dies-at-82/920264/58 "2020-09-11T16:59:30Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > …It’s a trick of perspective that makes it appear that Steed is using his umbrella handle to, um, peel off Rigg’s top. The expression on her face is priceless… I don’t think it’s a trick of perspective. Looks to me like the handle of his umbrella was actually hooked in her bikini top. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 11, 2020, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diana-rigg-dies-at-82/920264/59 "2020-09-11T20:27:54Z")
Yeah, the bulge on her top does seem to be from the umbrella and the handle should extend farther than it does. But I’ve never seen another picture from the series with innuendo that blatant. It was 1965 after all. And Steed’s look and posture are all wrong if that’s meant to be deliberate. [This page](https://flashbak.com/fabulous-photographs-of-dame-diana-rigg-414873/) has the full picture and another one with Rigg in the same outfit above it. (Scroll down to pictures 36 and 37, a bit over halfway down.) The discoloration that causes the apparent bulge can be seen even when she’s alone. They’re publicity shots for the episode “Castle De’Ath” if anybody wants to take time and rewatch it to see if something similar occurs on screen. A photographer could have just been having fun that day, but I still think it would have been surprising for it to have been released then. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2020, 2:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/diana-rigg-dies-at-82/920264/60 "2020-09-12T02:38:32Z")
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