Secret Service,The (Intro) S1 (1969)

[@PercyPruneMHDOIFandBars]

Time to call the B.I.S.H.O.P! I loved this programme when it came out! I saw the immortal Mr Anderson when he did a speaking tour in the 80's. I was the only person in that audience who recognised this and even remembered what the Bishop stood for! The look on his face was priceless! Been a fan my entire life!

[@paulajanney9328]

The theme music is very much of its time & place & reminiscent of a church choir. Personally i think it's fab : )

[@EnnioRome]

I love this kind of theme of the opening title, very relevant to that era!!!

[@mrgobrien]

I believe that when Lew Grade told Gerry Anderson "I think we've gone as far as we can with puppets" he had just watched the pilot of this!

[@scousesonata]

Barry's favourite composition, and mine.

[@Witheredgoogie]

When Lew Grade saw this, his cigar probably fell out his mouth and thought "oh no (thinking about the Prisoner) another one ready for the funny farm"

[@jsilence418]

I remember this when it was current, could never get behind it although I loved other Anderson shows . I think it was the Swingle Singers type theme, I still can't get past .

[@aigleperseverant]

Actually the Swingle Singers were initially approached to provide the chant, but the fee demanded would have placed considerable strain on the music budget. Seeking out an alternative, they hired the Mike Sammes Singers. They produced an impression of the Swingle Singers' tones under theme composer Barry Gray's direction. Gerry Anderson's biographers Simon Archer and Marcus Hearn cite the opening and closing theme music, recorded in a four-hour studio session on 16 October 1968, as "a glorious piece of choral lunacy".

[@jsilence418]

Not " glorious" by my standards ,weren't the " Mike Sammes singers" on the BEATLES . I AM THE WALRUS ?

[@aigleperseverant]

Yes, the back vocals are theirs.

[@blackmore4]

It's also reminiscent of the amazing 'South American Getaway' from Burt Bacharach's 'Butch Cassidy soundtrack'. I like doo-be-dooing.

[@Comfortzone99]

Gerry definitely wanted this to fail LOL so that he could get UFO.

[@marktrickett5081]

Having an old cleric as the hero for a children's show does seem a misstep.

[@charliedrosario999]

1.37, that's not a supermarianation puppet

[@mutinyonthekitkat]

These late-60s/ early 70s Gerry Anderson shows are my first telly memories. But I'm a bit shocked I don't remember the theme music to this one at all.

[@onlyoneamong300]

mutinyonthekitkat I do! Father Unwin and all British puppet shows were popular in Nicaragua _and perhaps Central America_ in the late 60's, early 70's and we kids at the time used to love them!

[@baward]

Swingles!

[@stephenborsbey4350]

1969. so was this made just before UFO or was it made at the same time.

[@waltdefucq6106]

Before. Anderson was able to use it as a try-out for live-action work, to enable him to quickly begin production of UFO.

[@AndrewChapman]

I know the Supermarionation shows were already using human hands, feet and sometimes eyes for certain close up shots, but it was kind of weird how they tried to mix more of live-action with the marionettes in The Secret Service.

[@WilliamHBaird-eq2hp]

What the fuck was gerry anderson thinking with this lousy series! UFO was a masterpiece!

[@PointyTailofSatan]

A fugue!!!

[@davidsanderson5918]

PointyTailofSatan Well spotted. :)

[@garethglitter5932]

Music needs some drum and bass

[@WinChun78]

No, just a little more cowbell...

[@davidsanderson5918]

I was thinking more like dampened guitar power chords in drop D. Chug chug chug.