The Responsibility Seat (8 Mar. 1969)

Freelance journalist Jo Fraser comes to Straker's office, looking for a story but she plants a bug and absconds with the tape she has made of his conversations, having creamed him with a ... See full summary »

Director:

Alan Perry

Writers:

Tony Barwick, Gerry Anderson (format),

Stars:

Ed Bishop, George Sewell, Keith Alexander

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Ed Bishop	...	Cmdr. Ed Straker
George Sewell	...	Col. Alec Freeman
Keith Alexander	...	Lt. Keith Ford
Norma Ronald	...	Miss Ealand
Ayshea Brough	...	SHADO Operative (as Ayshea)
Jane Merrow	...	Josephine Fraser
Ralph Ball	...	Film Director
Royston Rowe	...	Stunt Man
Antonia Ellis	...	Joan Harrington
Dolores Mantez	...	Nina Barry
Mark Hawkins	...	Lt. Gary North
Gary Myers	...	Skydiver Capt. Lew Waterman
Georgina Moon	...	Skydiver Operative Lt. Sylvia Howell
Jeremy Wilkin	...	Skydiver Navigator Lt. Gordon Maxwell
Jon Kelley	...	Skydiver Engineer

Storyline

Freelance journalist Jo Fraser comes to Straker's office, looking for a story but she plants a bug and absconds with the tape she has made of his conversations, having creamed him with a vase. He pursues and catches up with her ,taking her on a date and leaving Freeman in 'the responsibility chair' to make all the decisions. When a Russian mining company's vehicle runs amok on the moon and threatens the SHADO Moonbase it is down to Foster to save the day for Freeman.

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Genres:

Action | Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 March 1969 (UK)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Century 21 Television, Incorporated Television Company (ITC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

46 min 46 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

On at least two occasions, the long shots of Straker's car shows a different driver from Straker. In the first, on the post opening credits, a brunette driver is shown as oppose to Straker's white hair. Later, in the first chase of of Jo Frazier, a man in a dark suit is shown when Straker is in a light suit.

User Reviews

Straker falls for a wily female spy

When 'U.F.O' was repeated on Saturday mornings in the H.T.V. area ( Wales and the West country ) in 1986/87, Tony Barwick's 'The Responsibility Seat' was allocated a later time-slot, along with 'Mindbender' and 'The Long Sleep'. The reason for this was probably two-fold; there is a bloody scene where a man who looks like Straker is walking around the lot when he gets a machine-gun blast in the face ( it turns out to be a sequence for a movie ), along with one where 'Jo Fraser' ( the delectable Jane Merrow ) strips down to her underwear to seduce the Commander. Fraser is a spy who poses as a freelance reporter to interview Straker. She leaves her handbag in his office, and goes back to retrieve it. Inside a bugging device has recorded 'Lt.Keith Ford' ( Keith Alexander ) referring to Straker as 'Commander'. It is hardly the beginnings of another Watergate, but Straker - fearing a security leak - is sufficiently worried to hand over command to Freeman while he goes after the girl. Another reviewer has commented on his amazing self-control; the sight of Fraser in her undies would be too much for most men to cope with.

Merrow is great as a Mata Hari type. The British actress later went to the States where she notched up roles in, among other things, 'The Six Million Dollar Man' and 'Mission: Impossible'. It is good to see Straker relaxed and having fun for once. The Alien threat barely registers, apart from a sequence in which three U.F.O's try to reach Earth, only to be fired upon by Interceptors.

There is a lengthy scene near the end where Moonbase is threatened by a runaway Russian mining rig which has gotten out of control. It looks to have been put in as an afterthought.