The Avengers (TV Series) The Hidden Tiger (1967) User Reviews

Killer Cats

[Tweekums · 7/10 · 18 February 2015]

A couple of episodes ago it looked as if people were being killed by giant birds of prey now it looks as if a big cat is killing people. Strangely though there is no sign of anything bigger that a pet cat to be seen and there is no obvious way a big cat could get to the site of the killings. Steed and Mrs Peel engage the services of a big game hunter but he soon becomes the next victim… while sitting in a cage no big cat could enter. The only clue is a cat's tag with 'P.U.R.R.R' engraved on it. This turns out to be the Philanthropic Union for Rescue, Relief, and Recuperation; a society for cat lovers that has a plan to turn pet cats into vicious creatures.

It was a pity these episode came so soon after 'The Winged Avenger' as the first halves are so similar; people getting attacked by an unseen creature. This episode is also even more far-fetched; we are meant to believe that a pet cat could be made ferocious enough to kill and that somebody could mistake its attack for a big cat… surely the claw marks would be quite different! On the plus side it was fun to see a guest appearance from Ronnie Barker; playing Adrian Cheshire; the head of PURRR who laps milk like a cat. There are plenty of jokes although some may find them a little risqué. Overall a reasonable episode which would have been better served if it had been held till later in the series to avoid placing it so close to 'The Winged Avenger'.

Steed's beloved pussy

[kevinolzak · 8/10 · 20 March 2011]

"The Hidden Tiger" may not be terribly exciting, but the dialogue is more risqué than usual (and that's really saying something!). We have an organization called P.U.R.R.R. (Philanthropic Union for Rescue, Relief, and Recuperation), dedicated to lovers of cats, whose committee members are being mauled to death with unseen claws (almost a replay of "The Winged Avenger," except the camera becomes the 'hidden tiger' in disappointingly repetitive fashion). John Phillips appears as a big game hunter who gets preyed upon from within a locked cage. Ronnie Barker plays Adrian Cheshire, head of PURRR, sipping milk like a cat, who asks Steed about his penthouse pet - Cheshire: "the name of your beloved pussy?" Steed: "oh, uh, Emma!" Cheshire: "oh, a cuddly bronze tabby, and what a joy for you it must be when she's curled up in your lap!" Steed: "uh, well I never thought of it THAT way!" And when Mrs. Peel discusses her missing 'Little John'- "well, he's very bad tempered first thing in the morning, until he's had his first glass of champagne!" Two priceless moments shared by both feature Steed calling Emma a 'beautiful bronze tabby,' receiving a delightfully warm and fuzzy purr in response, and the climax, with a captive Steed rescued by Mrs. Peel before the feline mob can get started (Emma: "pussies galore!"). As was so often the case, the plot provides a springboard for the two stars to work their magic (more tenderness than usual), and the lucky viewers continue to savor the results. Gabrielle Drake plays Angora, intriguingly made up to look more feline, with Lyndon Brook ("Noon-Doomsday"), Michael Forrest ("Death Dispatch"), John Moore ("Thingumajig"), and Reg Pritchard ("Honey for the Prince") in support.

For Cat Lovers (and Cat Haters)

[verbusen · 7/10 · 14 September 2020]

I'm probably being generous with a 7 rating as I really was not that entertained and this episode seems to take forever to finish. For the record, I have several cats, I am a cat lover. I watched this in memory of Diana Riggs' passing this September 2020 and spotted this on line. I watched it with my wife and she seemed to be mildly entertained but I was hoping for some laughter or enthusiasm which was lacking on her part. It's not the worst Avengers episode I've seen but it's not my favorite. That repetitious music when the killer attacks really is a drag after the second time and yet we get it many more times throughout the episode. 7 out of 10 mainly for the kitty cats. Cat haters may also like it as a "see I told you so" to their cat lover friends. I've read that this season was not to be taken seriously and this episode is a great example of that.

Shadow of a cat

[searchanddestroy-1 · 12 January 2013]

I am forty nine years old now, and THE AVENGERS was probably the most cult TV show from my childhood. And I know that I am not alone. Thousands of fans around the world for this tremendous TV show. I watched all the Diana Rigg and Linda Thorson episodes. And most of the topics of them were more or less inspired from cult horror or sci fi movies, US or UK. For this very one; THE HIDDEN TIGER, we of course think of John Gilling's SHADOW OF THE CAT, especially if you analyse the camera subjective point of view, the beasts's eyes. I realized it when I discovered the UK film, thirty years ago, many years after seeing the AVENGERS episode.

I'll never be tired to watch them over and over again. Never. As it is for WILD WILD WEST series which, like THE AVENGERS, was a fabulous and offbeat mix up between adventure, action and totally weird world of strange and fantasy.

My favourite Avengers episode ever.

[shimmycat · 10/10 · 26 August 2016]

I love this episode of The Avengers. Not only does it contain copious amounts of felines, but it also contains the beloved Ronnie Barker. I enjoyed the way the actors interacted with the aforementioned felines with obvious affection and gentleness. The plot is, as usual, quite bizarre, but the dialogue is slightly more risqué than usual. I am particularly fond of the 'Emma Peel' episodes, as they have always seemed slightly more surreal and ahead of their time than the others. I love the incidental music as well. It is very atmospheric and also ahead of its time. The ending is unusual and unexpected unless, like myself you have seen it several times.

A near purrrfect episode.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 9/10 · 19 July 2022]

Steed and Mrs Peel investigate a series of savage deaths, initially it's thought that a big cat is on the loose.

I thought this was a terrific episode, a wonderful mix of horror and humour, it goes from the sublime to the ridiculous in unapologetic style, it really is the most wonderful outrageous mix of reality and fantasy.

Perhaps a few shades of previous episode, The Winged Avenger, this one plays up the horror vibe a little more, I really did enjoy the terror scenes.

I thought the sets used here were cracking, so imaginative, again it seems like the budget wasn't spared, it looks fabulous.

One face I wasn't expecting to see on The Avengers was Ronnie Barker, a total legend, he was terrific here as Cheshire, wonderfully zany, showing just what a great actor he was, as well as funny man.

Loved it, 9/10 .

The Hidden Tiger

[guswhovian · 7/10 · 28 August 2020]

When several people are killed by what appears to be a tiger, Steed and Mrs Peel investigate a cat charity which may not be what it seems...

The Hidden Tiger is a very iffy episode. There's major problems, but parts of it are fun.

The problems include the usual script issues (like why would big-cat hunter Major Nesbitt be on the governing committee of a cat charity?) and an unmemorable villain in Dr Manx. The scenes where the victims are killed by the unseen creature are shot in basically the same manner as the killings in The Winged Avenger.

However, Ronnie Barker and John Phillips give very entertaining performances, and some of the dialogue is quite clever. Macnee and Rigg are great as always.

AGAIN THE INFLUENCE OF BATMAN CAUSES AN EPISODE OF CATS

[asalerno10 · 7/10 · 7 June 2022]

Several wealthy businessmen are murdered in a bloody way. Steed and Emma suspect that the wounds may belong to a wild animal, during their investigation they focus their suspicions on the activities of a Cat Protection Association. Adam West's Batman had a great influence on almost all the series of the 60s, The Avengers was no exception and since Catwoman was one of the main villains, here we have a story where the decorations of the Association are very similar to those hideouts of the villain of Batman, even the character of Angora has a make-up and feline appearance similar to that of Julie Newmar. The episode itself is not one of my favorites but it's not bad and it's entertaining.