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 Defense Organization), 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).

EPISODES

Identified  Exposed  The cat with ten lives  Conflict A Question of priorities ESP  Kill Straker!  Sub Smash  Destruction  The Square Triangle Close up The Psychobombs  Survival

Mindbender  Flight Path  The man who came back  The Dalotek Affair Timelash  Ordeal  Court Martial  Computer Affair Confetti check A-OK  The sound of silence  Reflections in the water  The responsibility seat The long sleep