RIP Gareth Hunt

Gareth Hunt, who played Mike Gambit in The New Avengers (1976-77), has died at 65. Apparently, he suffered from Pancreatic Cancer for some time, but kept his illness quiet; only his family and a few close friends knew he was ill. Hunt also had roles in Doctor Who, Upstairs Downstairs, and Eastenders - all BBC hits.

I'm not familiar with The New Avengers, though whenever I mention The Avengers, everyone always asks, "The old series?" While these shows were slightly before my time, I grew up on The Avengers, which played in the 5-7:00 PM slots on a local station and are now shown irregularly on BBCA (mostly latenights). The only time I mention The Avengers is when I'm discussing how damned hot Emma Peel is. This seems to come up more than it probably should.

Gareth Hunt might better be known to American viewers as the guy in the Nescafe commercials. We wish his family and friends well.