"UFO" (1970) TV series 1970-1971

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Creators:

Gerry Anderson
Sylvia Anderson

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

16 September 1970 (UK)

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Plot:

In the year 1980 the Earth is threatened by an alien race who kidnap and kill humans and use them for body parts...

Plot Keywords:

Alien Attack | Acronym In Title

Cast

Ed Bishop	...	Cmdr. Ed Straker (26 episodes, 1970-1973)
Mel Oxley	...	Space Intruder Detector SID (25 episodes, 1970-1973)
Dolores Mantez	...	Nina Barry (23 episodes, 1970-1973)
Michael Billington	...	Col. Paul Foster (21 episodes, 1970-1973)
George Sewell	...	Col. Alec Freeman (17 episodes, 1970-1973)
Ayshea Brough	...	SHADO Operative (16 episodes, 1970-1973)
Keith Alexander	...	Lt. Keith Ford (15 episodes, 1970-1973)
Antonia Ellis	...	Joan Harrington (14 episodes, 1970-1973)
Gabrielle Drake	...	Lt. Gay Ellis / ... (12 episodes, 1970-1973)

Runtime:

45 min (26 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

MGM British Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company:

Century 21 Television

Trivia:

Gerry Anderson's first live-action TV series, after a number of shows produced in the "Supermarionation" process. Star Ed Bishop provided voices for one of these shows, _Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons (1967)_

Goofs:

Factual errors: Gravity on the lunar surface is actually 1/6 of Earth normal. The actor's movements and inertia are all wrong.

Quotes:

Ed Straker: Imagine a dying planet in some distant corner of the universe. Its natural resources exhausted. Its inhabitants sterile. Doomed to extinction. A situation we may one day find ourselves in, gentlemen. So they discover earth. Abundant, fertile. Able to satisfy their needs...

Movie Connections:

Referenced in All About 'Thunderbirds' (2008) (TV)

Sublime

Really, nobody did it better than the Andersons. But when that thing you do is so delieriously unique, that's understandable. In 1970, the "UFO" series was end of an era. It was the last production to carry the legend A GERRY ANDERSON CENTURY 21 PRODUCTION. With the passing of his studio operation, a little of the magic fell away from the Anderson production line. Certainly the loss of Derek Meddings was noticeable on "Space:1999" which has some wonderfil model work (courtesy of Martin Bower) but found the talents of Brian Johnson (SPX) lacking the elan and sophistication of Meddings. You only have to see a UFO exploding and compare that to an Eagle doing likewise to see that, when it came to the big pyrotechnic display, Meddings really was the master. "UFO" was the greatest work the Century 21 team ever produced. By the end of the 26 epsode run it had progressed from a slightly plodding live action take on "Captain Scarlet" to become one of the best science fiction series over produced in the UK, period. Check out the deranged final 9 episodes for proof of this. They are almost as good as "The Prisoner" in their way. If you haven't discovered the series yet, or haven't seen it for many years, now is most certainly the time. The new DVDs from Carlton show "UFO" in a shimmering new light. It was quite simply one of the best looking series ever made. So, welcome back "UFO" and thank you Gerry and Sylvia making our childhoods that little bit sweeter.