Champion Irvin

[asiamiles]

Love Peter Wyngarde's "look" from the second episode of the UK TV series The Champions; the jacket looks great with the slim jeans and chambray shirt and brown suede boots. I think it's a genuine Irvin (though it looks a little longer than usual maybe it's just oversized?), but wanted to get the opinion of the experts here; the same jacket was also worn in the first epsiode by William Gaunt (while Stuart Damon wore an Irvin-type sheepskin jacket) and in one shot I noticed the grommet holes which looked like those of an Irvin.

 

[Steve27752]

You can see that it is `oversized` by the large turn ups on the sleeves in the second picture.
What ever happened to Peter Wyngarde?

 

[Hawkeye]

IMO its a copy. The wool looks far to big and long for an oriignal, and the seam tapes dont look right at all.

 

[asiamiles]

What ever happened to Peter Wyngarde?

I believe his career derailed when, in a less enlightened era, he was caught with another man in a motorway public toilet.

 

[rich]

IMO its a copy. The wool looks far to big and long for an oriignal, and the seam tapes dont look right at all.

He's right you know..............

 

[John Lever]

IMO its a copy. The wool looks far to big and long for an oriignal, and the seam tapes dont look right at all.

He's right you know..............

Ditto

 

[Roughwear]

Wow! You could almost two men into this Irvin! It's somewhat darker than most originals and the fleece is a little too thick at the cuffs and hem. The zip track seems wrong, so all in all its a repro IMO.

 

[Cliff]

an early Aviation Leathercraft perhaps ?? Though actually they probably weren't around when this TV series was made.

rgds

cliff

 

[asiamiles]

Here's a couple of shots of Gaunt wearing the same jacket in the previous episode. In the first he's next to Stuart Damon (wearing a 50 or 60's sheepskin jacket pretty much identical to one I used to own), in the second you can see the underarm grommets as found on Irvins...were they also used on repro's back then?

 

[rich]

Any screen grabs of Alexandra Bastedo wearing an Irvin (or not)?

 

[asiamiles]

Any screen grabs of Alexandra Bastedo wearing an Irvin (or not)?

I'm afraid you'll have to make do with that black jeep cap she's wearing. But having watched a couple more episodes, it seems someone on the show was a bit of a flight jacket junkie; repro A-2, N-3A's, N-3B's and what's that, a commercial MA-1?

 

[Andrew]

What was this show, looks a bit like Thunderbirds with live talent..... Somehow I managed to go through life and missed it.

 

[deeb7]

... Somehow I managed to go through life and missed it.

1968-1969, Andrew .... you were still a cub. :lol:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Champions

 

[asiamiles]

What was this show, looks a bit like Thunderbirds with live talent.....

I don't think "talent" is the best word to use! :lol: It's really not very good, at times trying to ape The Avengers (one episode I watched was written by Brian Clemens) but it lacks the charm and the leads don't have the same charisma, plus the studio settings sometimes work against it and the heroes' superpowers aren't particularly well utilised. But it does feature some very cool clobber, something I hadn't been aware of from previous viewings (I remember it from Sunday lunctimes back in the 70's)...I've now watched all 6 epsiodes that I have on disc.

 

[Cliff]

At the time we all thought it was good stuff and certainly worth playing the characters in the playground ! The theme music though poor, is still very evocative of those times.

rgds

Cliff

 

[Dr H]

What was this show, looks a bit like Thunderbirds with live talent.....

I don't think "talent" is the best word to use! :lol: It's really not very good, at times trying to ape The Avengers

I'm sorry Miles, I can't let you impugh the series - I was brought up on a staple of The Champions during the 70s - great escapism and Alexandra Bastedo was pure exotica to a schoolboy

Only later did I find she was born in Hove, East Sussex - not quite the Riviera :roll: (albeit of a very unusual descent: mother - French/German/Italian descent; Canadian-born father - Spanish/Dutch/Scottish native Indian extraction!

Have to go looking for some old DVDs now - it ran to 30 epiosodes or so.

 

[asiamiles]

At the time we all thought it was good stuff and certainly worth playing the characters in the playground ! The theme music though poor, is still very evocative of those times.

I don't think the theme is too bad at all. Perhaps not Tony Hatch's greatest musical achievement, but not his worst moment either.

 

[asiamiles]

What was this show, looks a bit like Thunderbirds with live talent.....

I don't think "talent" is the best word to use! :lol: It's really not very good, at times trying to ape The Avengers

I'm sorry Miles, I can't let you impugh the series - I was brought up on a staple of The Champions during the 70s - great escapism and Alexandra Bastedo was pure exotica to a schoolboy

Only later did I find she was born in Hove, East Sussex - not quite the Riviera :roll: (albeit of a very unusual descent: mother - French/German/Italian descent; Canadian-born father - Spanish/Dutch/Scottish native Indian extraction!

Have to go looking for some old DVDs now - it ran to 30 epiosodes or so.

You can get a box set of the entire series with commentaries etc. for less than 30 quid.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Champions-Compl ... 682&sr=8-1

I quite used to enjoy the series as well, and actually I've quite got into the spirit of it watching this handful of epsiodes (especially all the flight jacket spotting), but it's not upto the quality of the likes of the Emma Peel Avengers, Danger Man or Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased).

Back in the 80's and 90's I used to frequent the London film fairs and there was always this one guy who'd go around asking all the dealers if they had any Alexandra Bastedo material...I guess he was her biggest fan!

 

[John Lever]

What was this show, looks a bit like Thunderbirds with live talent..... Somehow I managed to go through life and missed it.

You were lucky then, it was sh*te

 

[Cliff]

not a fan even then John ?? :lol: :lol: