"UFO" (1970) TV series 1970-1971

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Creators:

Gerry Anderson
Sylvia Anderson
(more)

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:

Acronym In Title | Alien Attack

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 / ... (19 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)
Vladek Sheybal	...	Dr. Doug Jackson (11 episodes, 1970-1973)
Gary Myers	...	Skydiver Capt. Lew Waterman (11 episodes, 1970-1973)

(more)

Series Directed by
David Lane		(8 episodes, 1970-1971)
Ken Turner		(6 episodes, 1970-1971)
Alan Perry		(5 episodes, 1970-1973)
David Tomblin		(2 episodes, 1970-1971)
Cyril Frankel		(2 episodes, 1971-1973)

Series Writing credits
Tony Barwick		(12 episodes, 1970-1973)
David Tomblin		(3 episodes, 1970-1973)
Gerry Anderson		(3 episodes, 1970)
Sylvia Anderson		(3 episodes, 1970)
Ruric Powell		(2 episodes, 1970-1971)
Alan Fennell		(2 episodes, 1970)
Terence Feely		(2 episodes, 1971)

Series Produced by
Gerry Anderson	....	executive producer / producer (2 episodes, 1970)

Series Original Music by
Barry Gray		(2 episodes, 1970)

Series Cinematography by
Brendan J. Stafford		(1 episode, 1970)

Series Film Editing by
Alan Killick		(1 episode, 1970)
Harry MacDonald		(1 episode, 1970)
Mike Campbell		(unknown episodes)
Lee Doig		(unknown episodes)
Len Walter		(unknown episodes)

Series Casting by
Rose Tobias Shaw		(2 episodes, 1970)

Series Art Direction by
Bob Bell		(2 episodes, 1970)

Series Costume Design by
Sylvia Anderson		(1 episode, 1970)

Series Makeup Department
Alice Holmes	....	hair stylist (1 episode, 1970)
Henry Montsash	....	hair stylist (1 episode, 1970)
Basil Newall	....	makeup artist (1 episode, 1970)
Cliff Sharpe	....	makeup artist (1 episode, 1970)
R.L. Alexander	....	makeup artist (unknown episodes)
Alex Garfath	....	makeup artist (unknown episodes)
Stephanie Kaye	....	hair stylist (unknown episodes)

Series Production Management
Roger Connolly	....	unit manager (2 episodes, 1970)
Norman Foster	....	production supervisor (2 episodes, 1970)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Leo Eaton	....	assistant director (2 episodes, 1970)
Ron Appleton	....	assistant director (unknown episodes)
Ken Baker	....	assistant director (unknown episodes)
Frank Hollands	....	assistant director (unknown episodes)
Gino Marotta	....	assistant director (unknown episodes)

Series Art Department
Fred Gunning	....	construction manager (2 episodes, 1970)
Harry Solomons	....	buyer (2 episodes, 1970)
Bill MacIlwraith	....	buyer (unknown episodes)

Series Sound Department
John Peverill	....	sound editor (2 episodes, 1970)
J.B. Smith	....	dubbing mixer / sound recordist (2 episodes, 1970)
Ken Barker	....	sound recordist (unknown episodes)
Brian Hickin	....	dialogue editor (unknown episodes)
Ted Karnon	....	sound recordist (unknown episodes)
John Streeter	....	sound recordist (unknown episodes)

Series Visual Effects by
Derek Meddings	....	visual effects supervisor (2 episodes, 1970)
Bill Camp	....	visual effects director (unknown episodes)
Frank Hollands	....	visual effects production manager (unknown episodes)
Alan Perry	....	visual effects camera operator (unknown episodes)

Series Stunts
Jack Silk	....	stunt arranger (1 episode, 1970)
Gerry Crampton	....	stunt coordinator (unknown episodes)
Roy Vincente	....	stunt coordinator (unknown episodes)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Derek Black	....	camera operator (2 episodes, 1970)
Steve Birtles	....	supervising electrician (unknown episodes)
Jack Lowin	....	camera operator (unknown episodes)

Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
Kim Martin	....	wardrobe (1 episode, 1970)
Jean Fairlie	....	wardrobe supervisor (unknown episodes)
Iris Richens	....	wardrobe (unknown episodes)

Series Editorial Department
Des Saunders	....	post-production executive (unknown episodes)

Series Music Department
George Randall	....	music editor (2 episodes, 1970)
Mike Campbell	....	music editor (unknown episodes)

Series Other crew
Des Saunders	....	assistant to producer (2 episodes, 1970)
Doreen Soan	....	continuity (2 episodes, 1970)
Tony Barwick	....	script editor (unknown episodes)
Ray Frift	....	location manager (unknown episodes)

Production Companies

• Century 21 Television
• Incorporated Television Company (ITC)

Distributors

• ITC Films (1970) (worldwide) (all media) (sales)
• Independent Television (ITV) (1970-1972) (UK) (TV) (original airing)
• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) (????) (UK) (TV) (BBC 2) (syndication)
• ITV4 (2006-2007) (UK) (TV) (syndication)
• Today Home Entertainment (????) (USA) (VHS)
• A&E Home Video (2005) (USA) (DVD)
• A&E Home Video (2005) (Canada) (DVD)
• Epix Media (2005) (Germany) (DVD)
• NTV (1970-1971) (Japan) (TV)
• Touhoku Shinsha (2003) (Japan) (DVD)

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:

Col. Paul Foster: But don't you see what it means? They planned a cold blooded murder. They had it all worked out. But unfortunately for them an alien came through that door instead of her husband.
Alec Freeman: It all fits. Morally, they're guilty.
Ed Straker: Oh. Well, the amensia drug was administered a few minutes ago. They won't be able to remember a thing.
Col. Paul Foster: Well, we can't just let them go free.
Ed Straker: I suppose you think I should hand them over to the public prosecutor. We'd sure have a great case. Now what would he go for? The attempted murder of the husband or the killing of an alien? We can't produce that body. There's no concrete evidence against them and the two accused would both have genuine total amnesia.
[...]

Movie Connections:

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

Wonderfully entertaining Brit retro-futurism!

Gerry Anderson was the creator of 'The Thunderbirds' and several other hugely successful children's SF/adventure puppet shows that enthralled generations of British and Australian kids and kept them glued to their TV sets. Anderson eventually grew tired of the format and wanted to branch out into live action drama. He made the hugely underrated movie 'Journey To The Far Side Of The Sun' in 1969, and used several members of the supporting cast in his next project 'UFO', most notably the super cool Ed Bishop. Bishop had a small role in Anderson's movie, and had previously had a bit part in '2001', but he became the central character of 'UFO', playing Com. Ed Straker leader of SHADO a secret organisation fighting a group of mysterious and hostile aliens. Anderson believed the series would lead on to bigger and better things for Bishop and make a major star, but sadly this was not to be. Watching 'UFO' now is a very strange experience because it combines lots of hilarious kitschy moments with some quite serious dramatic touches e.g. characters actually die, even children, and many episodes have very downbeat endings, something not all that common in say, the usually optimistic (original) 'Star Trek'. Despite being continually told we are watching events set in 1980, there are many bits of 1960s fashions, hair style and attitudes on display. This is particularly amusing in one episode where Col. Foster (Paul Billington) is on leave and goes to a party where everybody is frugging and grooving to The Beatles 'Get Back', or another great episode where two hippies take acid and meet a couple of spacemen. The whole series mixes and matches styles from the time it was made with ideas of what it was going to be like ten years in the future , which of course, is now over twenty years ago... This means that 'UFO's 1980 is very unlike OUR 1980! So the show has a unique retro-futuristic feel, quite unlike anything else before or since. Another odd thing about the show was that the supporting cast changed back and forth without a word of explanation. Early on the extremely foxy Gabrielle Drake (sister of doomed cult singer Nick Drake!) is in charge of the moonbase, then it's Foster, then someone else. And Straker (Bishop)'s second in command changes from the craggy faced George Sewell (Col. Freeman) to the more aesthetically pleasing Wanda Ventham (Col. Lake), and nothing is mentioned about it. Fans of British TV and movies from the 1960s will see several familiar faces as semi-regulars or guest stars, including David Warbeck, Steven Berkoff, Anoushka Hempel, Lois Maxwell, Shane Rimmer, and others. Also keep an eye out for 60s cult babe Ayshea, who is in just about every episode but hardly says half a page of dialogue throughout the whole series. She mainly wanders around holding a clip board and looking beautiful. The real sex symbol of the show however was the utterly gorgeous Gabrielle Drake, complete with silver jumpsuit and purple wig. Hundreds of middle aged men around the world are still in love with her I'm sure. I know I am! The early episodes of the series are sometimes a bit uneven, but the quality improved as the series went on. Unfortunately the series didn't continue, but Anderson went on to make 'Space 1999', a more commercially successful series, but not necessarily a better program. 'UFO' is highly recommended to all SF fans, especially those that dig the 1960s. It is by no means as mind-blowing and innovative as 'The Prisoner', or as consistently enjoyable as 'The Avengers', but personally I still prefer it to original Trek.