The Many Moods Of Jason King

22/30

The Many Moods Of Jason King

21/30

UFO: Timelash

‘Timelash’ is a top notch ‘UFO’ episode that keeps you guessing for its duration (and beyond as, to be honest, it doesn’t make much sense in analysis).

It begins with a crazed and dirty Straker smashing up some very expensive computer equipment before a flashback reveals that, for a while, the aliens were able to freeze time and that only Straker and Colonel Lake were immune to having to act like slightly shaky waxworks. The scenes where Straker and Lake wander around the eerie, frozen studios are superbly realised - and the viewer is left genuinely intrigued as to what could be happening.

The alien plan is to destroy SHADO, end resistance entirely and then, presumably, waltz in, take over and let the transplants begin. The obvious disadvantages of leaving the defence of the entire Earth to a group of about fifty people in Boreham Wood is, as ever, up for debate, but what particularly bothers me is the fact that the aliens – who can stop time, for pity’s sake – are just so short sighted, sending one UFO to finish the job which is quite easily destroyed by Straker with the one shell he has left in his space bazooka. It’s ridiculous. & Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.    

The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes

Elvi Hale as Lady Molly of Scotland Yard, the Lady lady Detective.

UFO: The Cat With Ten Lives

I always love the weird episodes of TV series, the ones where they decide to shake up the format, or write it in a hurry, or use costumes and sets from another production, or just go completely off the rails and appear to be working on a completely different programme. 'UFO' has more than its share of these anomalies, but 'The Cat With Ten Lives' takes the bleeding biscuit.

Alexis Kanner plays Jim Regan, a Moonbase pilot ace who, after a seance, is kidnapped by aliens who steal his pregnant wife and leave him in the control of a Siamese cat. Yes, a Siamese cat. The cat makes him claw Colonel Foster's face before getting him to try and crash his Interceptor into Moonbase itself.

It's pretty bizarre stuff, made even stranger by some directorial flourishes that jar with the usual fairly straightforward series approach. Alexis Kanner, familiar from 'The Prisoner' and 'Goodbye, Gemini' is a strange, unsettling and irritating actor, anyway: waxy of complexion, glassy eyed, prone to gritting his teeth and standing rigidly like an abandoned tailor's dummy. This approach works well to portray Regan as alien pawn, of course, but falls down when attempting to show him as a caring family man: he's just too odd and creepy.

Don't get me wrong, it's an excellent, fast moving episode - it's just weird, but, here on The Island, since when was that a problem?  

As If By Magic...

...another luvverly and timely Piper Gates Design appeared, in a very limited edition.

Know Your Enemy

So, what do these 'UFO' aliens look like? Well, they're humanoid, wear plastic contact lenses to protect their eyes from the liquid based atmosphere they use to travel across the universe (the same liquid based atmosphere that temporarily turns their faces green), oh, and they wear hugely kinky red pvc bondage suits festooned in chains around the nipples, knees and crotch. No-one on Earth is safe.

Production Model

Some nice production photographs from 'UFO', again courtesy of the UFO Series fan page.

UFO: The Psychobombs

'The Psychobombs' is a 'UFO' episode originally broadcast on December 30th, 1970.

In it, a UFO lands, as usual, a few miles from the SHADO base, and begins transmitting hypnotic radio signals. The first three receptive people in the vicinity (Mike Pratt, Silver from 'Sapphire & Steel' and the very pretty Deborah Evans) are given the gift of unlimited energy and power and sent out to destroy key targets. It's rather good, slightly sad, and has a surprisingly high casualty list.

Lunch Time on Moon Base

US 1972 'UFO' lunch box. Image borrowed from the absurdly and wonderfully comprehensive UFO Series fan site which features episode guides, original scripts, music and sound effects, memorabilia and much more.

UFO: Identified

'Identified' was the first ever episode of 'UFO', originally broadcast on 16th September, 1970. As you would expect, it introduces most of the characters (at least those that were in place until a six month production break which led to several of the stars finding other work), as well as the basic premise, that Earth is under constant attack from the far reaches of space by a mysterious, advanced alien race and that a hugely expensive organisation, SHADO, has been set up to both combat the threat and to keep the danger a secret from the general population.

This episode also provides us with first glimpses of all the technology invented to battle the extraterrestial menace: Moonbase, the Interceptors, Skydiver, the SHADO Mobiles, all presented in carefully orchestrated sequences with quite brilliant models and effects. If you miss them in this one, however, there's no need to worry, you'll see the same bits again and again and again and again and again...  

Oh, just in case you were wondering why the aliens are crossing millions of space miles to mess us about, the answer is that they are a dying race, sterile and weak, who are only able to survive by constant organ transplants...for them, popping out to Earth, with its compatible, free range life forms, is like a trip to the Co-Op.   

UFO

I was indoctrinated at an early age into thinking 'UFO', was the most exciting television programme ever made. The first time I saw it I was seduced by the action and the energy and, most importantly, the toys and merchandise: I was utterly sold.

Forty years later (and thirty years after the events shown in 'UFO' were supposed to have happened) I can see quite clearly that it's an uneven, illogical show full of pacing problems, dodgy performances, stick on acrylic hair, ridiculous clothes, outmoded attitudes, repetitive stories and major continuity issues. That said, I still get excited when I hear the theme music, so I think it's incurable.

Here's that thrilling title sequence. I love the urgency of it, the promise of an action packed, five hundred miles an hour show full of sexy girls, silver clothes, aliens, emergencies and massive explosions. Music is by Barry Gray, of course, and I'd like it played at my funeral.

There'll be more 'UFO' very soon. Watch the skies.