UFO (1970). Super-Not-Marionation

#GerryAnderson
Stam Fine looks at Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's first live-action TV show, the 1970 sci-fi
UFO, starring Ed Bishop, George Sewell, Wanda Ventham, Michael Billington, Delores Mantez and Garbielle Drake.
After years of making series starring puppets, Century 21 (formerly AP Films) had finally realised their ultimate goal- making a live action series, with real actors, and people moving of their own volition. Of course, puppets didn't have personal problems, egos, or agents, so there would need to be a readjustment of work practices by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson.
UFO is about a secret organisation called Shado, whose main job is to keep Earth safe from incursions by aliens in their UFOs.
Or, it's the show with the girls in purple wigs.
0:00 Intro
0:50 Cutting the Strings
5:27 UFO
8:44 Characters
12:10 Alien Schemes
14:20 Changes
14:58 Style and Substance
20:15 Remembrances
21:13 Initial Reception and Possible Sequel

[@JBofBrisbane]

The thing that struck me was that, for an organisation that was supposed to be super-secret, SHADO was really big on corporate branding.

[@CaminoAir]

Gerry Anderson said that he expected this show to make a star out of Ed Bishop and had no idea why that didn't happen. Neither do I. Bishop deserved to be a big name on TV.

[@rayvenkman2087]

Ed Bishop has that it factor to him.

[@thefurrybastard1964]

I more than agree.

[@davehall4054]

TV planners of the time did"nt know how to pitch it, too adult for kids, too many models etc for adults.Sad of course, but here it is still entertaining us.

[@k33k32]

Straker was such an unlikeable character. I guess that's why it didn't turn Bishop into a bigger star.

[@guardian33]

@@k33k32 You didn’t watch carefully. Even Ed said he’d find Straker interesting in Sub smash because the no nonsense guy Straker recited the prayer for the dead at sea, thinking he was about to die.

[@paulhelberg5269]

As a kid in the seventies, UFO was one of my favorites. It was like a live action Johnny Quest, or a futuristic "Wild Wild West". The style, the melodramatic plots, the intensity of Ed Bishop all combined to keep me on the edge of my seat. Absolutely loved it.

[@unclepatrick2]

I did not like it much as a kid. yes the Space ships were neat but I really did not understand the Story till I saw the episodes again on Sci Fi and understood the stories and the characters .

[@cowboykelly6590]

My lil brother and I just loved this as kids. We only had 3 channels.. other than , when dad adjusted the rabbit ears. Which we were not allowed to touch...EVER ! 🤠🖖🎄

[@paulhelberg5269]

@@cowboykelly6590 We were lucky to have an aerial on the roof that got our 3 channels and if conditions were favorable, sometimes PBS. Ah the "good" old days.

[@Monkofmagnesia]

The women of moon baseee wore purple wigs..... because Sylvia Anderson saw a purple wig and just loved it (I saw this in another documentary on the show).

[@Smenkhaare]

Correct... they hand waved it away by saying the purple wigs blocked radiation because the moon had no atmosphere.

[@Gary-Seven-and-Isis-in-1968]

UFO was a far better show than Space 1999. It was well made with some great characters and storylines and will always have a special place in my memories of watching TV back in the day when this was new and fresh and we got to see a new episode every week. Nothing made today can hold a candle up to this.

[@bbartky]

@PatchesRips It was syndicated here in the US so some markets had it and some didn’t. I watched it in the early ‘70s on an independent station in Southern California. I think KHJ Channel 9 but I’m not sure. I also liked it better than Space 1999. 😃

[@pennyburns4425]

Ed Bishop was a fab actor - it could not have worked without him! And Michael Billington - wow what a dish! RIP Ed and Mike xxxxx

[@daverage4729]

He certainly lent some real character to Straker's role. Great stuff!

[@tuttt99]

@Penny Burns, Were you in the old Yahoo UFO group? Your name looks familiar

[@peterhingle33]

My favourite show of all time, I'm lucky enough to have met most of the cast, through conventions but I also bumped into Vladek Sheybal in a men's clothes shop in High St Kensington back in 1986. Gerry and Sylvia's finest work in my opinion. Gabrielle Drake was something else.

[@shaggycan]

I especially agree with your last sentence.

[@shallendor]

I think she is a big part of the reason that the Moon stuff was so popular!

[@bettyleeist]

I was alway’s very fond of Vladek Sheybal!He was great 👍 in the Doctor No film,and the Ufo film,too!I think,in Doctor No,he played an agent an evil 👿 agent in the film,who got stabbed by a poison knife.Of course,to Ufo fans,he’ll be known as;Doctor Doug Jackson!Too,I have all the Ufo film”s in my room in a desk.I used to have the Ufo book’s,too,but sadly,I have lost them,or maybe,I gave them to a;Goodwill Industrie”s store?

[@chrisst8922]

@@bettyleeist Check out Valdek Sheybal as Otto Leipzig in Smiley's People.

[@bettyleeist]

@@chrisst8922 oh 👍 okay!We”ll check this movie out!Thank you for showing this movie to me!

[@Robovski]

Looking forward to Stam Fine Space:1999

[@manuel2106]

Only the great Ed Bishop can play to Ed Straker.. Unforgettable Commander Straker

[@jimred5700]

True. Only Ed could create that air of respect/admiration. Commander Straker is one of the great TV characters of all time.

[@jsfbr]

I particularly enjoy that eerie sound closing the episodes.

[@johnwatson3948]

Grew up with fond memories of UFO and Captain Scarlet. Hard to see but Ed Bishop was also one of the Aries pilots in Kubrick’s 2001.

[@bryanpalmer9660]

Absolutely agree,saw this in the early 70s and loved it-Gerry Anderson had nothing but praise for Ed Biship and his work CV was very extensive from early 60s until his death in 2006 only a few weeks before fellow UFO co star Mike Billington Auckland New Zealand 2023

[@The.Last.Guitar.Hero.]

Still watch UFO now. Best intro ever. George Sewell used to knock about with the Krays and other London gangsters in the 60s. No mention that Wanda Ventham is Bendecit Cumberbatch's mum and Gabrielle Drake was Nick Drake's sister

[@arch454]

Just watching the reruns in the UK, still fun still watch, and still listen to Nick Drakes music from time to time

[@zypalitra8080]

Never knew that about George Sewell

[@daverage4729]

Ahhh yes...the lovely Gabrielle Drake. She rocked the hell out of that purple wig and silver miniskirt.

[@carlrood4457]

All I could think was "Klaus Hergascheimer, G-Section" until I saw Kronsteen.

[@WaterWorld1]

SHADO's secret weapon was Gabrielle Drake! I think she was 24 at the time. As a young boy at the time, she taught me a lot about female anatomy.

[@richardhart9204]

I'm 57, and I grew up on a solid diet of Gerry & Sylvia Anderson's shows; however, I had no idea The Secret Service existed until a few years ago.

[@Lumibear.]

I recommend getting the box set, it gets relegated for being an oddity for the way it breaks accepted supermarionation rules and centres around Stanley Unwin in a highly Brit-centric and somewhat silly way, but it’s highly entertaining stuff. You stop questioning the unique format 2-3 stories in and personally I found its tongue in cheek charm really appealing, it reminded me of fun 50s movies with the likes of Alec Guinness that make you feel like you’re watching adults play.

[@maddog8621]

Same here!

[@AnOwlCalledSage]

Ha ha! For decades I'd been thought a nutter by my friends when I mentioned watching Secret Service and attempting to describe its premise!

[@daverage4729]

48 here and the same. Very odd concept I have to say.

[@jimbodimbo981]

Gabrielle Drake…I have nothing more to say

[@daverage4729]

Except...WOOF!!!

[@dallassukerkin6878]

Quite so :D

[@brianmccann2806]

Hear hear !

[@Dragonblaster1]

I am 60 years old. I still watch UFO, Captain Scarlet (including New Captain Scarlet, which was pretty good), Joe 90 and especially Thunderbirds.

[@gavalar7485]

60s honey alert at 9:40. Stunning!

[@GuineaPigEveryday]

Found out about this show (and Gerry Anderson's oeuvre in general) just two years ago. And since then its been episodes of a lot of enjoyment, this show is fantastic and definitely deserves to be considered alongside the notability of shows like Star Trek or Battlestar Galactica. The look of the show might make people think its camp, but any dated qualities are usually still entertaining and much of the time the quality of writing is fantastic and so is most of the production. I respect how serious it could deal with the concept and approaching it in a very pragmatic way of 'what would humanity do'. The SHADO organisation is like a well-oiled governmental and bureaucratic CIA-esque organisation, its much the opposite of Star Wars for instance and also very distinct from Star Trek. What an awesome show and highly underrated and unknown nowadays except to Gerry Anderson fans. Wish they would do reruns or have it be released on some streaming service, so many wonderful shows from the pre-90s era that were released on VHS often get swept away not to be heard of again. E.g. at complete luck I found shows like Shaka Zulu or Masada. And now Battlestar Galactica too is mostly overshadowed by its 2000s reboot.

[@rickhughes954]

Watched and see Lt Ellis in a whole different light, compared to watching first time round as a 12 yr old

[@bbartky]

I also watched UFO as a 12-year-old and I had such a crush on Lt. Ellis. 😂

[@progbloke6655]

I could never decide between UFO, and Space 1999. They both had their merits. They were both better than Picard, that's for damn sure.

[@davidcopplestone6266]

I found it easy. UFO all the way. I hated Space 1999.

[@daverage4729]

Loved em both too. Damn, those Eagles were beautiful spacecraft.

[@gravelydon7072]

Always loved UFO and Space 1999. Interest ran deep as we watched the NASA launches from as close as a few miles away to over 200 miles away. And during the late 80s and early 90s , was cleared into KSC a number of times with unescorted access. Watched the first Shuttle launch from FL 50 and the St Johns River. Watched the Shuttle Challenger explosion from work 200+ miles away while new on the job. Started the loco that was last used to move the booster remains while it still was at the Cape. First person to operate that loco when it was back in service at its new home. Still have a couple of my badges from those times at KSC.

[@warrenburroughs3025]

My brother and I loved, loved, loved UFO when it came out. We even had most of the toys, especially the interceptors. I loved Straker's stoicism, after all protecting the earth was a very serious matter and there was no room for levity. It is a real shame that they didn't make more than they did. I also liked Space:1999. It had one of the grooviest theme tunes of all time, but I much preferred UFO (no matter how it's pronounced). I never saw it again after it's initial run in the early 70s, I wonder how it look now to my adult eyes.

[@SuperCymru]

Apace 1999 was to be an evolution of UFO, but never quite got it. The 2 main leads had zero charisma (Martin Landau & Barbara Bain) and were obviously chosen to please the US market. On the very many re-runs, I have tried watching but frequently seem to be Brian Blessed doing his over-acting and 'I'll just talk loudly routine' Tony Anholt (Tony), Nick Tate (Carter) & Prentis Hancock (Paul) were well cast. The Series is reasonably OK up to the point that they introduce Catherine Schell character (as Maya) and the series went downhill from that point. Gotta laugh at the number of times they find a desolate world that becomes a garden of Eden and the first thing they do is start playing beach volley ball!

[@timmcgrath9788]

I rewatched it recently and enjoyed it just as much as in the 70's.

[@alcoholic2412]

UFO was awesome! I only wish there were more episodes.

[@gerardcousineau3478]

In the early 70th this was a show I really like to watch. It was the best sci-fi on tv. The pictures were beautiful and it still beautiful today.

[@exidy-yt]

The Straker/Freeman relationship (and especially Straker himself) were used by Hideki Anno for Commanders Ikari and Fyutski as well as SHADO itself as a basis for NERV in Neon Genesis Evangelion. Of course the whole premise of a secretly funded worldwide organization to intercept, recover and learn from aliens was the basis of (the original) X-com:UFO Defense (or UFO: Enemy Unknown). This was one seriously influential show, and I was so glad to find a still seeded copy out there. I love watching it, and it's multiple times backed up now. Thanks for covering it!

[@AnOwlCalledSage]

Probably my favourite Century 21 series. Southern TV used to show it during a kids TV slot either Saturday afternoon or Saturday mornings. I've watched it more recently and I still love it. In retrospect, Gabrielle Drake was probably my first crush. I make no excuses. I was 6 😉

[@davidlafleche1142]

What's with the purple wigs? It would be cool if that were real hair, but it wasn't; so why do it?

[@dawnfinch8232]

Lol I was a teenager when UFO first aired I had a massive crush on commander straker he was my hero 🤣🤣

[@daverage4729]

Used to love watching reruns of this on a Saturday afternoon in the 90's as a teenager. The only thing I wanted more than Strakers car, was Gabrielle Drake in a silver miniskirt. I got neither. But the show was class....especially that theme tune. I am surprised 'The Erotic Adventures Of Alan Freeman' didn't become a thing though. Lol!!

[@Day1Adventures]

Best theme song ever. Itc brought me some of the best Saturday tv

[@davidlafleche1142]

Nah, ABC's Wide World of Sports.

[@jeanettecarnell8933]

My favorite,it is the show that got me hooked on sci fi

[@beverins]

The space girls made me realize I liked girls before I understood what that meant.

[@tomroland2315]

Watched this back in the seventies in my early teens. Given what else was on UK TV it was definitely ahead of the game.

[@shallendor]

UFO was such a great and fun series!

[@timmcgrath9788]

Funny how all of the narrator's criticisms are things that attracted me to the show.

[@billsinkins361]

I saw this when it was first broadcast in Canada in 1972, and I was hooked. The miniatures and effects more than made up for the weaknesses. And IMHO the closing sequence and score are unequaled in television. That sequence gives me chills 50 years later.

[@SJKPJR007]

Top drawer review as I've come to expect from Stam Fine content. I enjoyed 'UFO' as a child but appreciated it a good deal more as an adult. Aside from the great design, the concept and technical aspects of the show it benefited from a good quality cast who were probably not particularly well known at that time but had been around enough to know their craft. Just as well as the show often portrayed some very emotive and weighty issues.

[@mnbv990]

agreed. Some very adult scripts in there.

[@steveperks602]

@@mnbv990 Very dark ones too.

[@SimonLeicester]

I re-watched all the episodes last year. Remarkable how well it has held up, much more than Space 1999 which feels awfully dated/tired now. Also much better special effects than those on Blakes 7 produced a decade later. Great review as usual. Thanks

[@dogwalker666]

They had a massive budget compared to Blake's 7.

[@davidflack6430]

Some of the special effects like explosions on the moon with fireballs let it down. Also, people walking normally on the moon and the sound of the UFO in space. Still enjoyed it though.

[@howardkerr8174]

I thought Space 1999 was ok...the first season, then when they did the second season re-shuffle the show seemed to lose what little originality it had and appeared to follow other space/futuristic tv shows.

[@michaelbruvolt4221]

Space1999 did have cooler music though. That opening credit sequence was epic.

[@TurbosTantrums]

"A degree of overcompensation ... a yearning to appeal to an adult audience" So basically, Torchwood.

[@Wolfen443]

Yeah, it was ahead of its time apparently.

[@tooleyheadbang4239]

Torchwood was introduced as an adult version of Doctor Who, because Russel T Davies couldn't present his favourite subject, buggery, in a pre-9pm. family show.

[@adriansherlockdamondark.1094]

One of the best TV series ever made.

[@alancranford3398]

"Team America: World Police" was an homage to the Andersons.

[@stevenmcnicoll5060]

Sidewalks instead of pavements. Great stuff. Thanks for this. Love your stuff.

[@jhonwask]

Your description of being immersed in liquids during travel is priceless.

[@iansands8607]

I was 11 when UFO was first broadcast in 1970, the first three or four episodes came on about 5 o clock on Saturday afternoon then disappeared of our screen, some weeks later I discovered it was been shown at about 11 pm just before Yorkshire TV shut down for the night, so because of school the next day I had no chance of watching any further episodes. At 11 years however I hoped when 1980 came I might get to join such an organisation, such is life instead when I turned 16 I went down the pit and no aliens attempted to invade earth in 1980 anyway, still as I was working then I got to watch the late night re-runs of UFO, definitely one of Gerry Andersons best.

[@StolenEyesX]

Great video. Actor George Sewell (Alec Freeman) was going to be fired anyway during the production break as ITC thought he was, to be kind, less than photogenic. As it was, he had found other work in the meantime and was indeed unavailable.

[@chrisst8922]

Mendel in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.

[@portland-182]

Best show ever. Like a proto X-Files mashed up with a Sentai effects series from Japan, and those Italian Sci Fi movies from the sixties. Great video review. Alec would be an HR nightmare now, but was par for the course on TV in the sixties. The only things you missed were the secret organisation putting their name all over their vehicles, the moon is always in the same phase everywhere on the Earth, every time, widespread chimney level of smoking, and the alcoholism (again standard issue for the sixties). Curiously Straker is tea total, perhaps suggesting that he had an alcohol problem in his past.

[@noahbawdy3395]

UFO was one of my favorite shows when I was a kid. I really liked that most of the episodes did not have happy endings.

[@DanDman14a]

This was a great show for the time it was made and well worth a reboot. Great story, great effects, sexy birds with purple hair and the best theme tune ever made.

[@SwainyAtRetroAsylum]

Great seeing George Cole… Daley In Space!

[@daverage4729]

Lol! Managed to take out a UFO with a rocket launcher...."Terry, you can trust me; Stand on me!!"

[@greggvanvranken6482]

A really good deep dive into a show I loved as a child in America (UFO and Star Trek were the must-watch sci-fi programs when I was a kid). The American market in the '60s was weird, syndicated show didn't always get picked up for rebroadcast so while I could always see Star Trek re-runs no matter what state I was living in, I never saw UFO re-runs. And not all markets picked up the same shows, so while I am familiar with Thunderbirds, which seems to have had good distribution in America at the time, I never even heard of Captain Scarlet or Stingray when I was a kid.

[@NicholasKaufmann]

I remember watching this one as a kid! I didn't remember any of the details except the purple wigs, the awkward slides they would descend to their spaceships on the moon, and the fact that for some reason the injured aliens bled water.

[@drewdederer8965]

For being rather obscure (at least in the States, Space 1999 at least made network TV) this show has it's fingerprints all over 2 properties that were much more successful. The XCOM series of Computer names (also sold as UFO defense) borrows huge chunks from the show (though the modern "sequel" XCOM 2 steals a lot from "V" as well). Like most Anderson shows, it did quite well in Japan and influenced several Anime and live action shows, most notably "Neon Genesis Evangelion". Eva opening credits is very much a UFO homage, and they have come out and said that one character is basically Col. Foster. Quite a legacy for a show that never made US syndication..

[@Scyllax]

I watched it on PBS in the 1970’s in Maine. I learned later that it was one of the shows designed specifically to be aired opposite Doctor Who, and, as the later “Space:1999”, and others, it got slaughtered in the ratings..

[@milkwater1204]

Let me guess: the character based on Foster is Kaji.

[@drewdederer8965]

@@milkwater1204 Right in one. They also said that they made Kaiji a bit more of a lech than Foster, but of course, some of that is an act (some).

[@Wellibob68]

I'm 53 & watched UFO on Sunday midday on itv Midlands & then 1pm on itv Anglia during 1974/76 I believe . I think the Midlands run was always a week behind Anglia. I didn't care it was 2 for 1 and I was loving it. As always a cracking review / perspective.

[@stephenrobertson6025]

Must have been around the time that I watched it as a kid, but on London Weekend Television, which showed most of the Anderson shows. My biggest regret with UFO is not having the cash to buy the Product Enterprise models when they were available, as they were excellent. You can buy newer reproductions of the same models but they're even more expensive!

[@susanscott8653]

I was also watching around the same time, but in New Zealand. I think it screened around 5p.m. on Fridays. I loved the style of it, but the end credits creeped me out. 🛸👽😱

[@BTScriviner]

Good review. Just started watching it again on KZbin.

[@martincolvill5453]

I loved this show! That being said, I think they should have done a show where the puppets were sentient and the people were controlled by them.

[@62Cristoforo]

I was about 9 when this came out, and I loved it. I was a big fan.

[@Fungusfilms]

Caught the pilot on a Friday night in 1971, watched every episode, up until the last, when we were told that the final episode had been banned. Wasn't until 1980 that the full series was screened in full. This show has probably the best ever written encounters with a technically advanced alien, when the mute alien walks into the house of a blind woman.

[@unclepatrick2]

I always like the excuse of SHADO being underneath a film studio . If you see a futuristic vehicle at a film studio , your first thought is , a prop for a Sci Fi film .

[@hubbsllc]

But the cars were simply 1980-era cars, not futuristic (i.e., past 1980) to them. But you're right about the film studio aspect - there were a lot of scenes filmed that were set in the movie studio part...which was about as convenient as you could get from a location perspective.

[@nigeh5326]

I kept expecting you to point out Wanda Ventham is Benedict Cumberbatch’s mom. Used to love UFO as a kid in the 70s

[@TroyTempest63]

Another fine review. Looking forward to your take on "Space:1999". And a review of "Journey to the Far Side of the Sun" would be good too.

[@Taurusguy]

"but by the late 1960s, the Anderson's were....pretty sick to the tits of puppets". Ok, I very seriously "LOL'd" there. 😂

[@bettyleeist]

I wish I could walk as good as Gabriel Drake!LoL,I’m sixty two,now!But,when I was a fourth grader,Ufo was an awesome,and amazing 😻 show!I enjoy the re-run’s threw my Ufo boxed serie’s set that I have on my dresser.

[@peteriuliano5846]

Hate To Say It But The Puppet Shows Were Genius And So Were The LIVE ACTION SHOW To Follow. The Return Of The ANDERSON UNIVERSE.

[@blakepace]

Wonderful editing! My favorite is at 4:10 with the eyes boggling at the lucrative market they foresee. I'm old enough to have seen some of these things back in the day, and always delighted in them then.

[@cfox7811]

When I was a kid I could watch my fill of TV on weekends but could only watch one show for the week on school nights. My pick was always UFO ~

[@keithcall7795]

Big fan of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's shows. Used to watch UFO latenight in the 70s. One of the best things I did was get the UFO DVD box set. Still watch it today. I was a fan of Wanda Ventham and the purple wigs!

[@faustbos]

UFO is a favourite of mine, but Space 1999 (year 1) is at the top. Looking forward to a vid on that !

[@blackpeter70]

I used to have a Dinky Interceptor. I think it took me about .08 seconds to lose the front missile. I was always puzzled why they were coloured green, though, unlike the ones in the show. The space-white ones looked cool! 😼👍

[@rangercv4263]

I still have the front missile on my interceptor but the landing gear on one side is a bit wonky. Haven’t figured out how to properly repair it.

[@blackpeter70]

@@rangercv4263 Ebay has a surprising selection of spare parts for such things. Take a look, maybe improvise something. I'm looking for a decent Captain Scarlet Spectrum Pursuit Vehicle - I could never afford many Dinky's when I was a kid. Expensive, but really well made!

[@rangercv4263]

@@blackpeter70 Will do m8. Thanks for the suggestion. I also have my original Space 1999 Eagle but unfortunately it is the worse for wear and I have long since lost all of the Space 1999 action figures for it. Wish I still had them. I imagine they are a bit more rare than the Star Wars figures that came out years later.

[@blackpeter70]

@@rangercv4263 I reckon so - it's news to me there even were action figures! 😺👌

[@richmcgee434]

"I was always puzzled why they were coloured green..." Going to hazard a guess it was some child's toy safety regulation thing. In the US market small, detachable "choking hazard" parts like that were generally neon orange, for ex.

[@maxout7306]

Good account - thanks for uploading. I used to enjoyed the end credits section with the planet visuals and surreal music. I thought that was good.

[@alexanderwells8951]

I just started watching U.F.O for the first time. It is currently showing on the Horror Channel in the UK. I'm very much enjoying it, and I 'm not sure why I never saw it before. Apparently it was repeated in full across 1996 and 1997 on BBC2, and is exactly the kind of thing (I was at university at the time)I would have watched, but I don't even remember that run taking place. What's weirder is I always liked Gerry Anderson productions. I bought the Stingray and Thunderbirds compilation videos, as well as the Space 1999 "film" ALIEN ATTACK, and as I sit here I do so with my new, giant Australian just-imported SPACE:1999 box set. Yet U.F.O passed me by.

[@dallassukerkin6878]

I have never seen the whole series, sad to say. When it was first broadcast is was on as the last thing at night and I was too young to be up that late. Since then I have caught an episode here and there but not the complete season ... just enough to fall for Gabrielle Drake :chuckles:

[@CaptainNemo1701]

Hello alexander, I am old enough to recall watching it the first time around when I was about 7 or 8. It's only re-watching it on files I downloaded years back that I came to fully appreciate it. I enjoyed the Horror Channel repeat too, nice to see it on my big TV instead of a laptop:). UFO is certainly unique with its wonderful blend of live action, miniatures, great story ideas (Mindbender, Timelash) with some 60's psychedelia. Pretty cool soundtrack too.

[@campion10]

In the last couple of days I’ve watched dozens of your videos. These are fantastic. We must be close to the same age because the perspective is right in the wheelhouse, I was born in 1971. You sir should have more subscribers.

[@spacecase13]

Wonderful rundown on this show and it's history! Thank you!

[@evo5dave]

I still love UFO but its biggest weakness is the seeming inability of the directors to get anything but relatively wooden performances from its generally competent central cast. The theme is an absolute banger though.

[@sunspot42]

The regular cast were, as you said, competent but not outstanding. Gabrielle Drake - in addition to being stunningly beautiful - gives one of the more memorable, relaxed, natural performances among the regulars - she was missed in that second block of episodes. Dolores Mantez replaced her, and while not quite as solid an actress was a compelling personality and likeable. Ed Bishop as Straker has one note - irritated - he plays throughout all twenty-whatever episodes, and it quickly grows old. Michael Billington is more likeable as Paul Foster - SHADO's would-be James Bond - but also somewhat dull. (Billington was reportedly in the running for the Bond role after Sean Connery departed, but watching UFO you can see why Eon Productions passed. He doesn't quite have *it*.) George Sewell's Alec Freeman brings a little lightness to the proceedings but is also sexually creepy and makes contemporary viewers squirm - even at the time his antics were ridiculous. Wanda Ventham is much more enjoyable as Straker's second in command playing the professionally uptight and ruthless Col. Virginia Lake, who's equally sexually charged as Freeman but far less pathetic - she'd actually be much more-interesting as SHADO commander than Straker, and indeed when she arrives for the final block he begins to feel somewhat redundant. Peter Gordeno as Captain Carlin is - like Dolores Mantez - not a great actor but has great presence, like an anime character come to life, and it's sad he left the program after only six episodes. Norma Ronald is so good as Straker's secretary Miss Ealand it's a shame they didn't give her more to do. The funny thing is, while the casting of the regulars was a mixed bag, UFO did an incredible job luring in guest stars. Alexis Kanner and Lois Maxwell both appear in "The Cat With Ten Lives", giving fine performances, the always-wonderful Philip Madoc turns up in two episodes, once as Straker's ex-wife's new husband, Adrienne Corri and Patrick Mower are plotting murder before being interrupted by aliens in "The Square Triangle", Deborah Grant and David Collings turn in exceptional performances as doomed people possessed by the aliens in "The Psychobombs", George Cole has an especially tragic role in "Flight Path", Darren Nesbit is effectively creepy in "The Man Who Came Back", Michael Jayston and Susan Jameson play competitive show jumper siblings in "The Sound Of Silence" with hints at a very strange relationship, and Sable Colby herself, a baby-faced Stephanie Beacham, lights up "Destruction". The only problem with all of these wonderful guest stars is that they consistently make the main cast look relatively weak in comparison.

[@artbyvince]

Great video presentation. UFO and Space 1999 are the two shows I keep revisiting more since I was a kid than any other show I've seen since. They have a certain appeal that is special and quite fun that never gets old.

[@speedracer1945]

Not a fan of reboots but this show deserved more than one season though the theme and opening credits was awesome.

[@gavalar7485]

Loved the secret santa cup for Strayker. Lol.

[@marzsit9833]

i remember watching ufo in the us for the first time in 1971 when a local station aired all 26 episodes in order, and fell in love with the show immediately. really wish they had continued it, space:1999 was ok but a lot of the writing was pretty weak.... when it was announced that ufo was going to be released on dvd in the us i put my order in a year before i received them, and it was worth the wait. i had always watched them on broadcast television, the dvd quality literally blew my head off, it was like watching something totally new.

[@Raintiger88]

I'd never actually heard of the show before. Thanks for the education.

[@qzorn4440]

wow a whole new world of fun stuff. The air TV channel is showing the Thunderbirds and it is so cool. 😎 Thanks. PS The figures are almost like getting hooked on real people. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👧 The UK Avengers, Dr. Who, British mystery movies... The best. 🥰 Now I think I know where they got Star Trek's 7 of 9 costume?

[@badwolfest83o8]

I watched repeats on ITV in the 80s, and I loved it. Recently my wife and I have been watching it on alternate nights, since finding it on Brit Box. Oh, and like most Gerry Anderson productions, it had an awesome opening theme.

[@carlrood4457]

I wonder how much the show was hurt by the fact that at around the same time, Doctor Who was running with a similar premise.

[@kali3665]

But we will never know why the purple wigs on the moon.....

[@blackpeter70]

Obviously too much reversed polarity. No, really.

[@richmcgee434]

At one point the official explanation was that they were some kind of radiation protection gear. At others they just plain admitted Sylvia thought they looked cool and exotic and spacey. I think I prefer the latter.

[@stephenrobertson6025]

@@richmcgee434 The novelisation called them 'anti-static wigs'. As you say the real reason was because Sylvia liked them because they looked futuristic.

[@AlfredFJones1776]

Boy you can really see how much Captain Blue from Captain Scarlet looks like Ed Bishop.

[@OscarPlymouth]

Very funny narration. I laughed most of the way through it. Thanks.

[@markallen2984]

Straker REALLY looks like Benjamin Orr from the band "The Cars" I remember watching this show as a kid. I bought some moderately expensive metal toys of the Interceptors that fired a spring-loaded plastic missile. I also thought those purple haired Moon dames were hot stuff

[@bryanpalmer9660]

Saw this show early 70s and loved it,my favorite episodes were The Sound of silence,Reflections in the water Auckland New Zealand 2023

[@RighteousBrother]

Fantastic video, great work!

[@pauljeffries8529]

Thought this show was awesome as a kid. Super cool models (vehicles and the ladies 😝). This was my favourite Stam Fine retrospective yet. 👍👍

[@jlovebirch]

As a kid was so distracted and confused to hear the voice of Capt. Blue (Captain Scarlett) coming from the lead actor.

[@OwenPhillipsMBA]

Excellent really enjoyed ht trip back to Harlington Straker!

[@lanternsown3525]

Great Job! covering the show.

[@khuti007]

I got the box set...love this show

[@MtnBadger]

I just happened to have binge-watched the entire series on FireTV. Hadn't seen it since I was a kid. It's even better now. Space 1999 was the continuation when it remained traction after a hiatus on the back burner, trying to get rebought. Both are awesome, the uniforms are risqué, what more could you want. 😀

[@EdVanMeyer]

UFO was such a great series, the models were very good and convincing, only cgi could really better it now.

[@jeffthompson9622]

I was a fan of Supercar and Fireball XL5 as a kid. I saw and liked Journey To The Far Side Of The Sun but didn't notice that it was a Gerry Anderson production.

[@tjejojyj]

You had to push the envelope, didn’t you! You had to do it!! Great review. Never heard of it.

[@codelicious6590]

Holyo shit! I had no idea any of that crazy puppet shit existed! Im gonna have to find some to watch! Looks like a hilarious trip!

[@davidwatson22]

Great breakdown of one of my favourite childhood shows .i need to get the box set

[@kulturkriget]

Wow. That is just wow. Maybe this is what inspired Wes Anderson. In fact, if he is to do anything it should be a remake of this. But even stiffer.

[@newwavepop]

growing up in the 70s and 80s in the U.S. i was not that aware of any of these shows though i did see some Thunderbirds on tv every now and then. but i didnt know this show existed till maybe 10 years ago when i just saw some random photo of Lt Ellis and had to put some serious effort into tracking down what it was from. good lord that women was stunning, purple hair and all.