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When Gerry Anderson's Joe 90 (ITV, 1968-69) proved unpopular and his spy-fi
drama The Secret Service (ITV, 1969) was pulled mid-series, Lew Grade (now
managing director of Anderson's AP Films) suggested the Thunderbirds (ITV,
1965-66) creator should hang up his marionettes and try a live-action series
instead. Anderson did so with his next sci-fi adventure series UFO, which
dispensed entirely with Anderson's trademark 'SuperMarionation', but retained
its comic-book lustre.
Recycling props (as well as actor George Sewell) from the Anderson-produced
sci-fi movie Doppelganger (d. Robert Parrish, 1969), UFO presented an
endearingly kitsch vision of the near future, circa 1980. Female employees of
the series' secret organisation SHADO (Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence
Organisation) were required to wear uniforms (designed by Anderson's then-wife
Sylvia) consisting of a metallic miniskirt, silver go-go boots and a huge purple
wig, the necessity of which remained a mystery.
UFO adhered to the formula that characterised Anderson's previously
successful children's series: a secret government installation run by a
close-knit group of men and women mobilises an array of high-tech vehicles to
defend earth from an alien menace. Yet episodes were often surprisingly adult in
tone, like the rarely-repeated 'The Long Sleep' (tx. 15/3/1973), which was held
back for two years and finally aired in a late-night slot because of an LSD
sequence. Another episode concentrated entirely on the disintegration of a
marriage. Young audiences often lost patience with the series' lack of pace,
while critics could rarely resist the temptation to liken the actors' wooden
performances to those of Anderson's previous casts.
Although it never achieved the consistent dignity Terry Nation would later
bring to sci-fi TV with Blake's 7 (BBC, 1978-81), UFO boasted several memorably
entertaining episodes, 'Mindbender' (tx. 13/1/1971), in which an alien mineral
causes the icy, peroxide-blonde Commander Straker to believe he is an actor on
the set of a sci-fi series. Derek Meddings' special effects proved another
highlight. Their impressively detailed miniature landscapes, warbling flying
saucers and sleek futuristic aircraft (including Sky One, a jet fighter launched
via submarine), proved almost as popular among young male fans as future
Crossroads (ITV, 1964-88; 2001-03) manageress Gabrielle Drake, here playing sci-fi pin-up Lt. Gay Ellis.
Fondly remembered by devotees of sci-fi camp, UFO lasted 26 episodes, before
Anderson cannibalised his remaining ideas for the show (along with sets and
props) for his next live-action sci-fi series, Space: 1999 (ITV,
1975-77).
Alec Worley
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1. Pressure leak (2:40)
