Top 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsMost Popular Video GamesMost Popular Music VideosMost Popular Podcasts
    Release CalendarBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV NewsIndia TV Spotlight
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsBest Picture WinnersBest Picture WinnersSundance Film FestivalIndependent Spirit AwardsBlack History MonthSXSWSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Episode guide
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

UFO

  • TV Series
  • 1970–19711970–1971
  • TV-PGTV-PG
  • 45m
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
3.7K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,129
141
Ed Bishop in UFO (1970)
ActionSci-Fi
The missions of the Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organization, which defends Earth from extra-terrestrial threats.The missions of the Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organization, which defends Earth from extra-terrestrial threats.The missions of the Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organization, which defends Earth from extra-terrestrial threats.
IMDb RATING
7.9/10
3.7K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,129
141
    • Gerry Anderson(format)
    • Sylvia Anderson(format)
  • Stars
    • Ed Bishop
    • Dolores Mantez
    • Michael Billington
    • Gerry Anderson(format)
    • Sylvia Anderson(format)
  • Stars
    • Ed Bishop
    • Dolores Mantez
    • Michael Billington
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 82User reviews
    • 16Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Episodes26

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated
    1 Season

    Photos399

    Alexis Kanner and Geraldine Moffat in UFO (1970)
    Ed Bishop and Wanda Ventham in UFO (1970)
    Ed Bishop in UFO (1970)
    Dolores Mantez in UFO (1970)
    George Sewell in UFO (1970)
    Gary Raymond in UFO (1970)
    Michael Billington and Ed Bishop in UFO (1970)
    John Stratton in UFO (1970)
    Ed Bishop and Suzanne Neve in UFO (1970)
    Dolores Mantez in UFO (1970)
    Shane Rimmer and George Sewell in UFO (1970)
    George Cole in UFO (1970)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ed Bishop
    Ed Bishop
    • Cmdr. Ed Straker…
    Dolores Mantez
    Dolores Mantez
    • Nina Barry
    Michael Billington
    Michael Billington
    • Col. Paul Foster…
    Ayshea Brough
    Ayshea Brough
    • SHADO Operative…
    George Sewell
    George Sewell
    • Col. Freeman…
    Keith Alexander
    Keith Alexander
    • Shado Radio Operator…
    Antonia Ellis
    Antonia Ellis
    • Joan Harrington
    Gary Myers
    • Capt. Waterman…
    Gabrielle Drake
    Gabrielle Drake
    • Lt. Ellis…
    Vladek Sheybal
    Vladek Sheybal
    • Dr. Doug Jackson…
    Jon Kelley
    • Skydiver Engineer…
    Norma Ronald
    Norma Ronald
    • Miss Ealand…
    Wanda Ventham
    Wanda Ventham
    • Col. Virginia Lake
    Grant Taylor
    Grant Taylor
    • Gen. James Henderson…
    Jeremy Wilkin
    Jeremy Wilkin
    • Skydiver Navigator…
    Georgina Moon
    Georgina Moon
    • Skydiver Operative…
    Harry Baird
    Harry Baird
    • Mark Bradley…
    Peter Gordeno
    • Capt. Carlin
      • Gerry Anderson(format)
      • Sylvia Anderson(format)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Space: 1999
    7.3
    Space: 1999
    Invasion: UFO
    5.7
    Invasion: UFO
    UFO... annientare S.H.A.D.O. stop. Uccidete Straker...
    6.7
    UFO... annientare S.H.A.D.O. stop. Uccidete Straker...
    The Champions
    7.5
    The Champions
    UFO: Distruggete Base Luna
    6.4
    UFO: Distruggete Base Luna
    Blake's 7
    8.1
    Blake's 7
    UFO: Prendeteli vivi.
    5.9
    UFO: Prendeteli vivi.
    The Saint
    7.5
    The Saint
    The Time Tunnel
    7.5
    The Time Tunnel
    My Partner the Ghost
    7.6
    My Partner the Ghost
    UFO
    6.2
    UFO
    The Persuaders!
    8.0
    The Persuaders!

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      In the UK, people drive on the left side of the road and steering wheels are on the right side of the vehicle. However, in UFO's version of 1980s Britain, both of these have been reversed. The show's creators were simply going along with what was being predicted at the time, which was that the UK would switch its driving system sometime in the near future. That change never happened. Just as the U.S. was predicted to have switched to the metric system, which also didn't happen.
    • Goofs
      Although set (and filmed) in the United Kingdom, all the futuristic cars are left-hand drive, and everyone drives on the right-hand side of the road. Several other series by the Andersons featured the same driving system, presumably because the UK was predicted to switch over sometime before the future events depicted. Flashback scenes showed the "normal" British driving arrangement.
    • 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. They look upon us not with animosity, but callousness. As we look upon our animals that we depend on for food. Yes, it appears they are driven by circumstance across a billion miles of space, driven on by the greatest force in the universe - survival.

    • Crazy credits
      The opening credits of every episode include "Century 21 fashions by Sylvia Anderson". It is uncommon for such a credit to appear at the start of a TV episode (usually such credits appear at the end).
    • Alternate versions
      Many episodes had censorship cuts for the Italian edition, for example Foster drunken in Ordeal (1970) or Straker's relationship with Jo Fraser in The Responsibility Seat (1971) and Freeman's many flirts and jokes about women.
    • Connections
      Edited into UFO: Distruggete Base Luna (1971)

    User reviews82

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    9/10
    It does exactly what it says on the tin
    Everything you need to know about the show is contained in the opening credits; and they're some of the most eye popping and in your face since "Hawaii 5-0". Lots of quick cuts, flash frames, printouts and action shots showing you that aliens are attacking and that SHADO, Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organisation are on the case. All this is set to a thumping and groovy Barry Gray theme tune.

    As a child, we loved the models, the action and the gimmicks. Sometimes we'd go to anywhere where there was a tube (like a waterslide or even a building site) and imagine us going down the chutes to enter our interceptors like the SHADO pilots did. As an adult, I never realized that under the mod fashions and shiny sets, there were some grim and downbeat stories in that show. Ed Straker was probably the first truly mean bastard to be a TV series main character. There was nothing he wouldn't do to stop the aliens, sacrificing his troops and even his family for the cause. Gerry Anderson said that Ed Bishop was the most talented actor he's ever worked with, and Bishop certainly is powerful in the role of Straker. Michael Billington was the man who might have been James Bond; he tested for the role 4 times and certainly you can imagine him in the part when you see him as Paul Foster here. Poor old Foster, every other week he was being set up by one side or the other.

    The show has it's faults, what show doesn't? But UFO was a darker series than it's contemporary, Star Trek, because it had major characters arguing with each other, episodes where the aliens beat SHADO, personal tragedy and downbeat endings; all of which caused problems. A second series was going to be made, and the new moonbase sets were designed, new craft called "Eagles" were made when the network said that sci-fi set on Earth was a thing of the past; from now on it had to be about space exploration and lots of different aliens. So series two of UFO was canned and we got "Space:1999" instead. Ever feel short changed? The end credits of UFO were genuinely chilling which left the viewer feeling even more down! In the end, shows like "Blake's 7", "Babylon 5" and the new version of "Battlestar Galactica" owe a lot to Ed Straker and SHADO, with its charismatic yet ruthless characters, its interpersonal conflicts and humanity. My favourite episode? "Court Martial". Favourite line? Straker: "I'll listen to any reasonable suggestion, then I'm going to tell you how it's going to be"
    helpful•61
    3
    • ubercommando
    • Oct 12, 2004

    FAQ3

    • Is "UFO" anyway linked to other TV shows?
    • Is there a "UFO" fanclub?
    • Where can I find answers to my UFO series questions?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 16, 1970 (United Kingdom)
      • United Kingdom
    • Official sites
      • Fanderson: the official Gerry and Sylvia Anderson appreciation society site
      • The official Gerry Anderson site
      • English
    • Also known as
    • Filming locations
      • MGM British Studios, Borehamwood, Hertfordshire, England, UK
    • Production companies
      • Century 21 Television
      • Incorporated Television Company (ITC)
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • 45 minutes
      • Color
      • Mono

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Ed Bishop in UFO (1970)
    Top Gap
    By what name was UFO (1970) officially released in India in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page
    Add episode

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    • Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • IMDb Developer
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.