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I had vague memories of this show from when I was a kid. No one I asked could remember it and I wasn't sure it really existed. Fast forward to now and a search of the good ol' IMDb and there it was. even more surprising was it was (is) available on DVD. I rolled me own smokes and didn't buy any video games for the month of July and half of August. I bought a pre-paid VISA and ordered it. Oh, happy happy joy joy!! It arrived on a Friday, allowing me to hole up and spend the weekend with it. WOW! It was worth every crappy self-rolled cigarette. Some complicated characters, great writing, and lots of fun make it more than a treat. It also shows black characters as members of the team, no more and no less. Isn't that what equality is all about? Anglophiles, sci-fi buffs, and wanna-be film makers (myself included) should watch every minute. The models are great and the fashions for 1980 are hip, slick, and cool. By all means, check it out. You won't be disappointed.

UFO was one of the most ambitious science fiction series ever produced for television. The array of hardware ran from a base on the moon with interceptor space ships to submarines with a jet aircraft that could detatch itself from the bow & rocket through the ocean depts & into the sky. In between the S.H.A.D.O. organization had S.I.D., the satellite in space to detect enemy/alien saucers, to mobiles that were futuristic tank-like vehicles,and much, much more.These were all employed by the secret Supreme Headquarters Alien Defense Org. which was a collection of earth governments whose mission was to defend the planet from an unknown & hostile alien race invading us.Gerry Anderson created an epic series for TV that I doubt could be done these days for television due to what would be an enormous cost. If this premise is ever revived, it would be better served as a multi-million dollar feature film.I can't think of many U.S. series that had so much hardware, models, & fx all going on in them. To be sure it had its flaws.The Shado h.q. hidden beneath an operating movie studio hardly seemed the best choice for covert ops.The Interceptors, the first line of defense against the alien saucers, only had one missile to fire with no other weaponry on board,& the design for the alien saucers made it look more like a kid's toy.But you certainly got your money's worth & then some every week with this show.

Really, nobody did it better than the Andersons. But when that thing you do is so delieriously unique, that's understandable. In 1970, the "UFO" series was end of an era. It was the last production to carry the legend A GERRY ANDERSON CENTURY 21 PRODUCTION. With the passing of his studio operation, a little of the magic fell away from the Anderson production line. Certainly the loss of Derek Meddings was noticeable on "Space:1999" which has some wonderfil model work (courtesy of Martin Bower) but found the talents of Brian Johnson (SPX) lacking the elan and sophistication of Meddings. You only have to see a UFO exploding and compare that to an Eagle doing likewise to see that, when it came to the big pyrotechnic display, Meddings really was the master. "UFO" was the greatest work the Century 21 team ever produced. By the end of the 26 epsode run it had progressed from a slightly plodding live action take on "Captain Scarlet" to become one of the best science fiction series over produced in the UK, period. Check out the deranged final 9 episodes for proof of this. They are almost as good as "The Prisoner" in their way. If you haven't discovered the series yet, or haven't seen it for many years, now is most certainly the time. The new DVDs from Carlton show "UFO" in a shimmering new light. It was quite simply one of the best looking series ever made. So, welcome back "UFO" and thank you Gerry and Sylvia making our childhoods that little bit sweeter.

For many years the Anderson team wowed us with many cutting edge development in the movie arts.

First there was SuperMarrionation (sic) with the Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlett, Joe 90 etc. These combines with great miniature special effects gave Gerry and Sylvia many of the skills necessary to launch themselves into live action TV.

And Launch they did with UFO. Catchy sound track, futuristic special effects, story lines, and a great supporting task they stunned TV watchers with their vision of the future.

At that time 2001 a Space Oddysey was out and a lot of the set and concept ideas from there were incorporated into UFO.

Looking back there are some humorous moments (Like purple wigs and a moonbase) but hey - for that time it was visionary. Since it was only set 10 years into the future from its filming great detail was taken to make it 'advanced' but not beyond the realms of possibility.

Many of the concepts re special effects were developed further into Space 1999.

Do watch it and remember that this was a turning point in quality SciFi TV from the UK.

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"