UFO
 The year is 1980 (The future!). The place is Earth. Aliens in
spinning, pyramid - shaped UFO's are raiding the planet for human
body parts to maintain their sterile race.
Trying to stop them is
SHADO (Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organisation), a secret
international outfit with a base under the Harlington-Straker TV
studios in London
The boss of SHADO is divorced ex-USAF pilot, Ed Straker (played
by Ed Bishop who supplied the voice of Captain Blue in Captain
Scarlet and the Mysterons). His chief aides are Colonel Alec
Freeman (George Sewell) and Colonel Paul Foster.
In order to combat the UFO's, SHADO have an impressive line up
of vehicles and hardware. A satellite early warning system called
SID (Space Intruder Detector), a submarine/aircraft called
Skydiver and tank-like SHADOmobiles to pursue any UFO's which land
on Earth.
 The rarely seen alien pilots of the UFO's wear helmets
filled with green washing-up liquid.
UFO was Gerry Anderson's first TV series using real
people instead of puppets and the first explicitly aimed at
adults.
Unfortunately the TV stations did not like it and played
it in "sleeper" spots late at night (they even withheld
the episode The Long Sleep because of an LSD sequence).
Season Two of UFO was eventually cancelled to make way
for Space: 1999. In retrospect this was extremely
unfortunate as UFO was superior space drama with tension
and excitement a-plenty.
The script writing was imaginative,
thought-provoking and entertaining. At times the acting was on a
par with the marionettes of Anderson's previous series, although Space:
1999 would prove worse.
There were some interesting cast members, including Peter
Gordeno (better known as a TV dancer) and Ayshea Brough (host of
the TV pop program Lift off with Ayshea).
A great attraction to the show were the purple-haired women of
Moonbase (including the gorgeous and pneumatic Gabrielle Drake who
went on to play the manager of the motel in Crossroads).
TRIVIA NOTE
The Harlington-Straker admin block is in fact Neptune House,
part of the BBC Elstree complex (formerly ATV Elstree) confusingly
NOT located in Elstree but in Borehamwood, Hertfordshire. These
days the building is better known as the home of Holby City
Hospital.
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