UFO - TV Series - Behind The Scenes

[@tuttt99]

So many are gone now: Ed Bishop - Straker - 2005 Mike Billington - Col. Foster - 2005 George Sewell - Col. Freeman - 2007 Harry Baird - Capt. Bradley - 2005 Vladek Sheybal - Dr. Jackson - 1992 Grant Taylor - Gen. Henderson - 1971 RIP all. You made the series great. We miss you!

[@rodcharade5919]

You forgot to mention Dolores Mantez.

[@stevesgaming7475]

Yes, we miss them all very much.

[@georgevavoulis4758]

Ed Bishop who played Commander Strayker and Micheal Billington who play Paul Foster both died just 2 days apart . God bless them all .

[@TestGearJunkie.]

I was privileged to meet Mike Billington in 2005 not long before he passed, a wonderful actor, as were they all that you mentioned.

[@gillparry7]

Such a shame that Ed, George, Michael and Dolores are no longer with us. Thanks for the fantastic childhood memories guys x

[@marthawillis7120]

I didn't know Dolores passed away. When?

[@ryanstephenkristoferkearns1319]

@@marthawillis7120 2012.

[@MrAvant123]

I was a big fan of Dolores also, hard to believe she's gone. I understand she was married to Robert Hardy ?

[@Mbelli9002]

I'm sorry that Ed Bishop didn't have a great career after the UFO series. He was a great actor to me; deserved more. I counted no more than 15 movies after UFO - Mostly appears briefly in movies. I don't know why this thing

U.F.O is a part of my very happy childhood in the early 70's...rest in peace all of them that are no longer with us....

[@9aspengold5]

How grand it was that all the actors were able to come together for this reunion before so many passed away. RIP. This was a fun series to watch

[@An.Individual]

when did this event happen?

[@christhornley1664]

Another great thing about this classic series was the theme tune and the accompanying music throughout each episode.

[@stevesgaming7475]

RIP Legends, UFO remains my ringtone and will always be my most favourite tv programme of all time.

[@PhantomDrums917]

I loved this show when I was a child and now I have the pleasure of binge watching it on my smart tv thanks to all the apps featuring classic programming. What I would have given to have been there for all these events. Such a talented group of actors.

[@thelero]

I can´t believe I found It!! UFO was one of my strongest TV experiences during my 1960´s growing years...!!

[@fw1421]

One of my favorite Anderson shows.👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@markshilobrit9756]

Love the show more NOW than I did as a kid!! Great Show.. way ahead of its time!

[@Mbelli9002]

Lo stesso anche io.

[@oldsynth]

I was only 6 years old in 1971 but my mum let me stay up late to watch it as I was obsessed with UFO. Ed Strakers car ended up a few miles from where I lived in Bridgenorth in the 1980's. I do believe it's still there at the back of a garage extension

[@geode8556]

Oh yes! So wonderful!!!

[@stevedandy973]

UFO was a GREAT addition to the sci-fi genre.

[@fw1421]

I’m glad to see the actors later on before we lost them. They were just normal people in interesting,unusual jobs.👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@captpicard6894]

Gabrielle Drake was seriously sexy as Lt Ellis. For me UFO was the best series Gerry Anderson ever produced😁😁

[@leaturk11]

yep totally agree

[@oldsynth]

She lived in my village

[@ianhill4585]

Her and Wanda, still foxy, to this day.

[@rudolphguarnacci197]

@@ianhill4585 What i like to hear.

[@nickdavies8197]

@@oldsynth Much Wenlock Shrops and a most imposing Priory.

[@Strap1205]

One of the best series - not only for its time! I am so glad to own the Blu Ray Box Set with all episodes - uncut - and it´s brilliant to watch them today!

[@rohnkd4hct260]

That was a cool show. I remember being about 13 or 14y/o and watching it on the local TV channel.

[@tpf5915]

Fantastic childhood memories this was my favourite programme !

[@marks5512]

Awesome show and amazing cast. One of my favorite science fiction series ever!

[@sdtheiss]

I just got back from a con where I dressed as Straker. Not many recognized me, but those who did thought it was great! Lots of fun!

[@UNOwen1]

Always loved this series (ALL of the Gerry & Sylvia Anderson work, actually). The cast - both Mses Wanda Ventham and Dolores Mantez (R.I.P.). They both appeared (several times) on Danger Man -sometimes on the same episode.

[@beyond_the_infinite2098]

I grew up watching Gerry Anderson's shows. I still like the older sci fi like UFO, Space 1999, and Star Trek TOS, and of course 2001 better than these hyper CGI films of today that lack any sense of reality.

[@davemarine01]

RIP you guys, thanks for the amazing memories

[@yvettemoore1228]

Ah Mike. Still gorgeous after all those years. I only wish I'd gone to a UFO con when they were still with us 😪

[@jamesearp6396]

Probably the only show I wish would get a modern reboot.

[@sarasen8147]

Ed Bishop was cool, Mike Billington was gorgeous, and the theme music was "ace." Im glad they showed this again on british TV in the 90s cos that's when I was at home watching this in a sabbatical of my 13 yrs of University.

[@thefurrybastard1964]

Dunno if he was gorgeous or not But when I was between the ages of 5 to 8 I wanted to be Paul Foster.

[@lawrencedoliveiro9104]

Billington had that sullen, brooding look. Or maybe that was just his character ... You’d think Foster would have rebelled against Straker at some point. But when it came the crunch (in “Conflict”), his loyalty was unswerving.

[@sarasen8147]

yes and yes! I think that's a reason why they wanted him for bond-the brooding type. I think there wasn't enough time for rebellion-too many emergency alerts where everyone jumps into the holes if you know what I mean.....

[@yvettemoore1228]

@@thefurrybastard1964 trust us, he was 😂😂

[@yvettemoore1228]

So. Much. This. I'm watching the show for the nth time on Forces TV!

[@1959Berre]

Gabrielle Drake, she caused quite some sleepless nights.

[@Mr_Kenneth]

​@garytwitchett9359classic. I did the same about Erin Gray in Buck Rogers

[@deanthomas8026]

Lives on in All its Glory!

[@stevesusenet]

Thanks for posting this video. I was a fan of the series as a child and recently rewatched it on DVD. It was interesting to see how the actors changed over time.

[@Effingbaddude]

I am old enough remember seeing 1st runs of Star Trek and UFO....love em both and as we enter the cyber generation online I use the same hair colors on my avatars.

[@tanukisan666]

What a wonderful insight into a show I grew up with. Fabulous. Thank you.

[@keramiroberts6695]

Just 'discovered' UFO on Forces TV in UK. flipping love it! The music is totally addictive. In fact.... 8 now play the theme tune as I go up the stairs on my stair lift....

[@thejupiter2574]

sighhh and of course there had to be background noise, banging as one of the actresses Gabrielle spoke but, I still enjoyed this very very rare video. Loved all of these actors on the show.

[@lialakaren]

Thanks a lot. It was a great emotion to see all the actors, included the awesome 'Foster' and 'Straker', unfortunately not with us anymore.

[@literacylabyrinth4018]

Fabulous look back at wonderful UFO

[@bournemouth1964]

A great series, I was just 6 years old at the time. My favourite scenes were when the interceptors, sky 1 and the mobiles were in combat with the UFOs. The storylines were truly original, it seems hard to believe that after 1980, the year in which the series was set that NASA launched the Space Shuttle the following year. It's only just retired from service this last week in 2011 as I write.........

[@tootsiejoon]

@Anlushac11 I was a big fan of UFO too and still am and always will be. I also watched star trek too, but they both were different shows in their own ways. They had great cast and crew in both series, It's too bad that most of the UFO casts have died. It is a true classic show and it will be forever.

[@shooterman20kills]

Yeah i have fond memories of UFO love the womans S.H.A.D.O. uniforms my favorite ship was Sky Diver vicious machine.Now finally i got both seasons of the show it was worth the wait!!

[@MrAvant123]

Loved UFO and the cast also, very happy memories when i was about 13 I know a lot of them have now passed away sadly.

[@garageguy879]

Also this show had one of the best opening theme songs ever,right up there with Hawaii Five-O

[@yvettemoore1228]

Yes!

[@davidfrost2819]

@@yvettemoore1228 UFO has a slightly better theme and the series is much better

[@geode8556]

All of the music is almost timeless and plays deep in my soul! & My psycheeeeee... It's my theme song...✌😘👌 💞💞💞💞💞

[@johnmcglinchey]

Wow such a great post . They seem to have very happy memories of making it

[@mccartney2]

the best Anderson series by far

[@DaveFromBrooklyn]

Looking at the series now on DVD, it's pretty funny seeing how Straker smoked like chimney and Alex drank like it was going out of style. We need more of that in today's series.

[@IvyCottageIndustries]

Oh man I LOVED this series. Rest of the family hated it. Great share!

[@marthawillis7120]

Me too. Still love it.

[@marthawillis7120]

My favorite also.

[@guardian33]

At the end when Ed climbs into the jeep, he’s wearing a Greek Fisherman’s hat which he waves in farewell. I have it among other things of his and I treasure it.

[@robuteolittles1959]

I love all S.H.A.D.O AND ALL YOUR ACTORS🥰🥰🥰

[@PASCHDigiMedia]

I too was a fan of the series in late childhood. Even then I knew that many of the themes were for more mature audiences. I view them as an adult and I say to myself "How was this considered 'children's entertainment'? I would have liked to have seen how Barry Gray came up with the UFO sound effect. To this day it STILL gives me the creeps.

[@kenny8528]

fantastic !! thanks for putting this up .....

[@chshutter]

Beautiful memories!!!

[@PatchworkDream]

Thanks alien8ted-that's awesome news indeed! loved this series sooo much-I remember never missing a show on TV -I remember the first time I saw a Delorean and thinking-I wonder if Ed Bishop drives one?

[@pierstheoneandonly]

Thanks for sharing that. Fascinating, in a nostalgic kind of way!

[@AUCHTERMUCHTYZZ]

Wanda, amazing her son Benedict Cumberbatch is also in a cult tv series "Sherlock"

[@dtashley]

Much appreciated. I discovered UFO by chance ... it came up as a Netflix recommendation based on what I'd watched previously, so gave it a try. Now I'm hooked on the series and DVD #3 should be arriving on Wednesday. Funny to be watching stuff that was made when I was 7 years old ... Good to see a human side to the actors. Everyone gets old ... : ) Amazing and charming video ... thanks much for posting. It is charming and has a human perspective.

[@wk4max]

💜 used to watch on my black and white portable TV back in the 70s age 9 and I still watch it on Forces TV Network (UK) a Classic!! Loved the episode were the a Hippy girl was tripped out and fell off the roof !! When she saw the alien!! ..lol ,thanks guys!!! 👽👽👽👽

[@vicsaul5459]

the best of the anderson era . ufo was unique

[@Garabaldi78]

Thank you for posting. It is a shame that many of the stars featured in the video are no longer with us. :(

[@mikeismad61]

Cool! Thanks for posting this - have both box sets - such a pity that Series 3 was never made - elements of which I understand went on to become parts of Space 1999. Remember being told off at school as all I wrote about in my english lessons was UFO! Yes - it was a long time ago....

[@MichaelLee-dt1iw]

A wonderful part of my childhood! This show was way ahead of its time! Brilliant and classic science fiction. This was part of several shows I routinely watched: Star Trek, Space: 1999, original Battlestar Galactica, Planet of the Apes on Saturday mornings. I had most of the action figures from these shows. Fan magazines and some other memorabilia. Wonderful times and happy memories!

[@templarseries]

How we reminisce....a new movie is a brilliant idea.

[@7777Scion]

Very good series - loved it - sort of sad to see what aging does - kinda scary. Ack!

[@brianfuller5868]

This was awesome.

[@johnjones-ch5sh]

Wanda Ventham was a fine actress. Dig out 'The Lotus Eaters'.

[@jetpigeon8758]

Benedict Cumberbatch is her Son.

[@steviedee8921]

Gabrielle Drake as Lt. Ellis..mmm

[@garageguy879]

at 2:43 I noticed they were sitting in front of the bridge of the original USS Enterprise from Star Trek,with a model hanging down from the ceiling,,,pretty cool

[@marcconyard5024]

Always feel incredibly frustrated that the story wasn't developed into a deeper second series. The mystery of the "Aliens" and their amazing UFOs will remain just that. I read somewhere a few years ago that Michael Billington was on a short list to be a chosen for James Bond, well, at least he had a small part in "The Spy Who Loved Me"!

[@will4ward]

Much appreciated - Long Live UFO!

[@berwickboy316]

Great clip but so sad that so many of these nice people are no longer with us

[@ugoaffronto6226]

Fantastico...mi piantavo d'avanti la tv e vedevo questa meraviglia di film,pero non capivo perche' quella specie di elicottero avesse un solo missile,contro i continui raggi ufo,ma cmnq ci difendevano benissimo

[@tuttt99]

I know. Ed Bishop and Mike Billington died within a week of one another. So sad. I think Miss Ealand (Norma Ronald) is also gone...

[@kyleashley]

thanks very much for posting this.....Wonderful

[@andreabeltrami2431]

Grande serie televisiva della mia adolescenza con protagonisti di primo ordine

[@pawt1963]

Wanda Ventham is the mother of Benedict Cumberbatch, known for his roles in Atonement, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, Sherlock and the next Star Trek movie.

[@Oilyrag1963]

The hardest Dinky Toy to find is the model of Straker's car. I had to bid nearly 30 quid for a tatty one on ebay. If you can find a mint, boxed one I've seen them go for over a ton.

[@i-a-g-r-e-e-----f-----jo--b]

I'd like to go to a sci fi convention dressed up like Straker and my wife dressed up like a Moon soldier with the purple hair and silver outfit, that would be a lot of fun.

[@geode8556]

Do it!!! Hell yeah!!!😉

[@Anlushac11]

I was a fanaticla fan of this series as a kid. While everyone I knew was watching Star Trek I was watching U.F.O. I also used to have some of the Corgi U.F.O. toys. Had the Skydiver 1 flyer and a SHADO mobile. Could never find the alien UFO.

[@garageguy879]

I had the lunch box,back in 1973 the local tv station in Bristol,Va aired this show at 7 pm on Saturday nights for a few weeks then they moved it to Sunday nights after midnight which was a total bummer because I had to get up for school the next morning.I never saw the show again untill the mid 90's when it came on the SyFy Channel and it was only on for a short time then,,now I've found it on You Tube

[@CJ-rf9jm]

I discovered it in the early 80's on late night tv (when that was still tv not infomercial crap) with several episodes mangled into a movie with all the music replaced with that crappy timex commercial soundtrack. I did manage to track it down on dvd (full set) a decade ago though n have watched through it piles of times.

[@massimoboris3704]

Gabrielle Was My first love toghter with U.F.O. The best series

[@ewaf88]

Great series although a long trip to get to Earth for spare parts. The alien's health insurance premiums must have been sky high.

[@rudolphguarnacci197]

Their ship were fast, like 8X the speed of light.

[@ewaf88]

@@rudolphguarnacci197 Which of course is impossible - but it was a great show

[@rudolphguarnacci197]

@@ewaf88 So if Moonbase is reporting that the UFOs are traveling faster than the speed of light they're lying? SID's lying?

[@ewaf88]

@@rudolphguarnacci197 Within the series they could break the rules of physics

[@kazzwatanabe]

I　recently become a fan of UFO. Very Fashinable .

[@megbgreenvelvet2750]

So cool watching it again ,now on early mornings on sky

[@turbocompound]

Perfect, thanks a lot.

[@LeighRichards27]

wanda ventham, gabrielle drake and ayshea brough still with us

[@MrMoggyman]

UFO was a great series. Even the opening (beatty) and closing (so spooky) music were so right. But it took the genius of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson (they must have come from the late 21st Century), and the balls of Lew Grade (not unknown for taking risks on TV series that paid off big time) of ITC to get it on the air. The actors in this series were total class. The men were real men, and WOW, the women were all absolute mark one beautiful corkers! Ed Bishop as Ed Straker, who could have made a better choice? The moonbase uniforms and purple wigs, net shirts for Skydiver crews, and the futuristic attire of Straker and the HQ team, what class and fantastic imagination from Sylvia Anderson and her 21st Century fashion team. Why do TV companies keep pumping millions into reality programmes, when series like these did not break the bank but provided such fantastic entertainment? And there was no CGI around when the series was made, a true credit to the special effects guys. Does anyone not think that the series should be re-born? With modern CGI and new actors it would feel a little different, but would still make for a fantastic series. Glamour, excitement, suspense. Brilliant!

[@geode8556]

Wow...... Can't believe this was posted 14 years ago and ONLY 203 comments!!! 😐😕😲😒😖 It seems the world is deprived of such wonderful stories and stellar entertainment beyond it's times!!! I want to travel through a wormhole to the place & time U.F.O. was being made!!! ...what happened??? ...where did the world go wrong??? I'd like to revive SHADOW's agenda/story...

[@rob24974]

ufo desrved a 2nd series......

[@markperryman1797]

"Have I got a 2nd series?" Ah ha

[@davidrossetti1061]

I think space 1999 was supposed to be the " sequel "

[@CJ-rf9jm]

@@davidrossetti1061 Yeah I've heard similar, sets for 1999 originally designed for ufo n when that was canned Gerry came up with a whole new plan. I love 1999 but I still wish UFO continued n got some resolution. We'll never know who the aliens really were or what would've happened to them or SHADO.

[@marcjboy1]

I love this hen I was a kid and had one of the 'green' interceptors! No-one knew why they were that colour as they were white in the series!

[@stevesusenet]

@DaveFromBrooklyn I noticed the same thing. Both those characters were unapologetically masculine too, in a way you don't see in entertainment anymore. I don't think the smoking and drinking would happen in a modern series.

[@kokujin1014]

Harry Baird (Mark Bradley) is gone as well.He passed before the others.

[@RobertOrgRobert]

Benedict Cumberbatch is the son of Wanda Ventham, How mad is that !

[@radioralleviersen2088]

oh,das wusste ich nicht.i dont know that.....

[@TryptychUK]

Most of the main male cast are gone. Straker, Foster, Freeman, Jackson, Henderson, Carlin, Bradley. All the female cast are still around as far as I know.

[@yvettemoore1228]

It really is sad 😪

[@cytherians]

I still have my original Dinky Mobile Shado 2, with both missles. Shortly after the series ended, I saw an interceptor in the store, but I didn't buy it because the color scheme looked terrible to me, hardly much like the original. Why they painted it metallic green with orange fittings is beyond me. If it were white, I might have bought it, though. Some enterprising people have repainted their original interceptors and they look really good.

[@der_Stichweh]

THANK YOU VERY MUCH. When was this convention? This is the first time I saw something from a UFO Convention.

[@oxcart4172]

Who is Michael Billington talking about when he mentions Alan Perry?

[@Alex-gn9px]

UFO is not just a science fiction series, but it is also a metaphor for the worst side of humans. In fact: 1) the aliens are in fact physically almost equal to the humans, so similar that they kidnap humans to explant their organs compatible with their organs 2) We don't known where aliens come from exactly as we don't know where the wickedness of humans comes from . 3) aliens and their planet are dying out exactly as humans will die for global warming and pollution 3) aliens, like bad humans, instead of seeking dialogue with others attack, kidnap, manipulate and kill. 4) A dialogue with aliens is impossible, just like trying to dialogue with bad humans.

[@GusMcGuire]

UFO - a series made in the 1970s and set in the 1980s, where everyone wore clothing from the 1960s. Ironically, if they'd set it in the 1990s (when there was a big 60s clothing revival) it might have looked more authentic. 😆

[@zenileon]

|Yeah. It would seem that was the case in Captain Scarlett - the various manouverings of the Mysterons were due to the Mysterons defence computers.

[@flametop93]

Those guys at ISOSHADO, what stars they are for doing these meetings and rescuing bits of gear from the series, like the Patrol car at the end - Ace work! Does anyone know what part of Italy they 're based in?

[@The.Last.Guitar.Hero.]

possibly my fav prog as a kid + six million dollar man

[@44skins]

It just disgust's me to see these fine actors have to do a convention with just a few people in attendance! The UFO series should of been a raging smash hit! Hollywood and it's over sea's counterpart's blow!

[@italianbutterfly217]

I was there!

[@edstraker8451]

Those were the days.

[@70midatanto]

Ragazzi di isohado quanto mi sarebbe piaciuto essere li con voi... con i piedi nella storia.