Godspeed Julie Stevens

Julie Stevens, who played John Steed's partner Venus Smith on The Avengers and co-presented the British children's how Play School from 1966 to 1979, died on December 5 2024 at the age of 87. She had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2019.

Julie Stevens was born Julia Bulias on December 20 1936 in Prestwich, Lancashire. There she attended Philips High School. She trained as a nurse at the Manchester Royal Infirmary. When she was twenty a talent contest led to her signing with former broadcaster ABC Weekend TV. She made her television debut in 1958 as the voice of a secretary in an episode of the TV series Armchair Theatre. In 1959 she appeared in two episodes of the show All Aboard.

In the Sixties she was cast as Venus Smith, a nightclub singer who was also a partner of secret agent John Steed, in the second series of The Avengers. She began co-presenting Play School, a BBC2 programme aimed at preschool children, in 1966 and continued to do so until 1979. In 1967 Miss Stevens presented the long-running children's show Watch with Mother. Towards the end of the decade and the first part of the Seventies, she was one of the stars of the sitcom Girls About Town. She guest starred on the shows Our House, The Human Jungle, Z Cars, and Friday Night. She played the hand maiden  Gloria in the movie Carry On Cleo (1964).

In the Seventies she continued as a presenter on the show Play School and also appeared on its sister program Play Away, which was focused on older children. She provided vocals on songs for the children's show Look and Read from 1978 to 1992. She was one of the regular performers on the children's show Cabbages and Kings. Julie Stevens later vocals for songs on the children's show Through the Dragon's Eye. She made her last appearance on television in a guest appearance in an episode of Holby City in 2001.

Julie Stevens also served as the personal manager of Sir Harry Secombe for many years.

On The Avengers Venus Smith was not a particularly demanding role, but Julie Stevens made the character more interesting than she might have otherwise been and also got to show off her singing voice.In Carry On Cleo she got to display a more comedic side than she had on The Avengers.  She certainly had an impact on a generation of British children co-presenting Play School. Brits who grew up with Play School, as well as fans of The Avengers and the "Carry On..." films paid tribute to her on social media. Julie Stevens was clearly beloved, and she will always be remembered as John Steed's first female partner and the co-presenter of Play School.