One of the most iconic female characters in British television history, Emma Peel was originally portrayed by Diana Rigg in the classic crime-fighting series, appearing alongside Patrick MacNee as John Steed. The new series resurrects the characters in eight full-cast audio adaptations of The Avengers comic strips, originally published in Diana from 1966 to 1967.

'We spent many months trying to find our Mrs Peel,’ says producer David Richardson. ‘There were so many contenders for the part, and we gave it a lot of time because it is such a huge part of our TV heritage. Then, one day, Olivia Poulet was at the studio recording a Doctor Who audio. I happened to catch her chatting in the green room… and there was enough of Mrs Peel to make my ears prick up. Before long we had handed her some script pages and she was doing her audition - one that she passed with flying colours!’

'I am really thrilled to have the opportunity to play Emma Peel - one of the most iconic and charismatic female characters of British sci-fi and fantasy,’ says Olivia. ‘I can't wait to get started!’

Olivia is well known for her role in The Thick of It, in which she played regular Emma Messinger. Her other appearances include Sherlock, Reggie Perrin, Outnumbered and Without You.

Olivia will be joined by Julian Wadham as John Steed, who has portrayed the role to great acclaim in Big Finish’s The Avengers: The Lost Episodes, which recreates the TV show’s first season.

You can pre-order The Avengers: The Comic Strip Adaptations Volume 1 and Volume 2 today, with a graphic novel of the orginal strips also available. You can pick up all three titles as part of a physical or digital bundle.

The first four volumes of The Avengers: The Lost Episodes are currently available to pre-order now. Julian Wadham stars as Steed, Anthony Howell is David Keel and Lucy Briggs-Owen plays Carol Wilson. Volume 5 will be released in January - check out the new trailer below: