UFO

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.

I recently had a chance to review ALL of the UFO episodes in the order that they were numbered. Now I realize that this is not the order that they were originally presented, however they were great. Just great. I saw Star Wars in the theater. I have been weaned on science-fiction, so I think that I can say when I see good stuff and when I don't. Another reviewer said that the basic premise of this story could go for at least FIVE YEARS. I agree. 100%. Even the LAST episode (which was obviously not meant to be THE last episode) was very high quality and an appropriate ending, where it referenced the original pilot.

My friend highly recommended this show to me, and I cannot say that I'm disappointed. I've seen people complain about the acting? Unreal. The acting is top-notch, and many of the principals have been (or were) involved in high-end British acting gigs at the time. To me, the characters and the story were the driving forces. At the time they were very original. In fact, I am not surprised that many of the 'key elements' have been recycled in other places.

If Hollywood were to make a movie of this series they had best hold true to the original notion(s). As I said before, one review said that this idea could go for 5 years. It could. They could have COUNTLESS plots with the Moon Base, SkyDiver, the Mobiles, people from the past, people about to expose SHADO, budget funding, and so forth. Frankly, I think that they quit while they were FAR AHEAD. I'm sure that the fans would salivate for more, but only if the quality was as good. More often than not any sort of revival is often met with disdain. It would be unfortunate if UFO was met with that sort of inane fandom. It was far classier than that.

To me, probably one of classiest sci-fi show I've ever seen. Awesome. Truly awesome. Don't ruin it. Please! Cheers! PAYROLL

I remember this show when I was a kid in the late 70's. Every so often it was on during Saturday afternoons. Always a fan of spaceships and such, I was hooked. I couldn't remember much other than the various vehicles and Ed Straker's hair.

I recently got the entire thing on DVD and yes it's kind of campy but it's so fun to watch. I love retro stuff. I love British programming. I love SciFi. For me this was a hit.

I can echo the comments of another poster who said that he must be the only American to have seen and remembered it. I felt the same way. All through the years I when the topic came up I would describe it and the series name and NO ONE would remember it to the point of questioning if there was such a series ever on American TV. There was. U.F.O.

As far as the criticism goes... Yes some of them are a bit true but that is part of what makes this a SciFi cult classic.

I love the series with all of it's campiness and am so happy to own it on DVD. I received it as a Christmas present and still haven't watched the entire thing. I take it in small doses in order to savor every last drop.

My favorite female is Joan Harrington (Antonia Ellis - what a beautiful lady) and although Ed Straker (Ed Bishop) is an awesome character I really enjoyed the "James Bond" like smoothness and eye for the ladies of Alex Freeman. (George Sewell)

My favorite prop was the liquor dispenser in Straker's office and how they are all smoking cigarettes. I don't smoke cigarettes but it's so 60's/70's.

I LOVE IT!

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"

I watched this show as a child in Canada, and I remember it fondly. It was very ambitious in its reach - the anti-alien organization had at its disposal a moon base, space craft, special land mobiles and a submarine that could also launch a manned aircraft! This involved lots of models and special effects, and was very exciting at the time. I also enjoyed the personal life conflicts of the characters in the series; the show was not just an endless series of explosions and chases, it tried for a more serious, complex approach. It's funny now to look at the odd clothes worn and bizarre hairdos (including purple wigs as part of the uniform of the female personnel on the moon base!) but the show was meant to be taking place 10 years in the future, so it is possible that the unusual costuming was meant to add an exotic, futuristic atmosphere.