Invasion of the Earthmen (27 Mar. 1968)

Following up a clue found on a dead agent Steed and Miss King pose as a married couple ,enabling them to infiltrate the Alpha Academy, where they claim they wish to enrol their 'son'. The ... See full summary »

Director:

Don Sharp

Writer:

Terry Nation (teleplay)

Stars:

Patrick Macnee, Linda Thorson, William Lucas

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Patrick Macnee	...	John Steed
Linda Thorson	...	Tara King
William Lucas	...	Brigadier Brett
Christian Roberts	...	Huxton
Lucy Fleming	...	Emily Wade
Chris Chittell	...	Bassin (as Christopher Chittell)
Warren Clarke	...	Rodney Trump
Wendy Allnutt	...	Sarah
George Roubicek	...	Bernard Grant

Storyline

Following up a clue found on a dead agent Steed and Miss King pose as a married couple ,enabling them to infiltrate the Alpha Academy, where they claim they wish to enrol their 'son'. The academy is run by Brigadier Brett and is supposedly for youngsters who possess super-intelligence but it is in reality a training ground for a force who seek not global but extra-terrestrial domination.

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Mystery | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 March 1968 (USA)

Filming Locations:

Essendon, Hertfordshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

ABC Weekend Television

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Spoofs Star Trek (1966)

User Reviews

Early Tara King in blonde wig

"Invasion of the Earthmen" was the earliest completed episode featuring Linda Thorson's Tara King, and the American broadcasts accurately followed the production line, as this was shown the week following Tara's official introduction in "The Forget-Me-Knot" (the first episode shot with a brunette Tara). Like "Have Guns-Will Haggle" and "Homicide and Old Lace," you can tell the original footage from the new due to Tara's quickly discarded blonde wig (only three scenes were shot with her a brunette). All three were supposed to be throwbacks to the show's more serious early days, but the lack of polish and overly simplistic story lines rendered them anachronistic, among the worst entries produced during its nine year run. Fellow agent Bernard Grant (George Roubicek, "The White Dwarf") falls victim to a fatal encounter on the deadly obstacle course located at an advanced academy for astronaut training, with both Steed and Tara dodging one death trap after another before foiling the futuristic takeover plans of Brigadier Brett (William Lucas, "Death's Door"). This was the debut for screenwriter Terry Nation and director Don Sharp, the scenes set in the tunnel of fear provide a few intriguing moments, and Tara does have much more to do here than in the other two blonde episodes (faint praise, but this may perhaps be the best of all three). Unfortunately, none of the actors perform with any sense of chemistry, and the painfully low budget makes it look like an AVENGERS version of STAR TREK's "Spock's Brain" (oddly, this was the lone episode where Steed refers to his partner only as "Miss King"). The series did recover quickly, with the next entry, "The Curious Case of the Countless Clues," signalling the proper beginning of Tara's brunette phase (and Brian Clemens returning to the producer's chair).