UFO

Director: Gerry Anderson
Writing Credits: Gerry Anderson, Sylvia Anderson & Tony Barwick
Guest Cast: Basil Dignam, Shane Rimmer, Michael Mundell, Paul Gillard, Gary Files, Matthew Roberton & Annette Kerr

Aliens have been found to be visiting Earth and Commander Edward Straker has proof so SHADO (Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organisation) is set up to protect Earth. There have been 10 years of setbacks, but at last they have the breakthrough they need, this comes in the form of something called Utronic equipment that will help them locate UFOs more easily. Colonel Alex Freeman is given the job of delivering safely the Utronic design team and equipment from Los Angeles to England but on the way a UFO is detected by SID (Space Intruder Detector), that is possibly on its way to destroy the aircraft. Alex Freeman

Col. Alex Freeman: "These clouds give about as much cover as a G-string on a belly dancer."

Director: David Lane
Writing Credits: Tony Barwick
Guest Cast: Matt Zimmerman, Sue Gerrard, Basil Moss, Robin Bailey, Paula Li Schiu, Jean Marsh & Arthur Cox

Test pilot Paul Foster and co-pilot are on a test flight of a new high altitude jet, when they see a UFO in the distance so the co-pilot takes some pictures using his own camera and a reconnaissance camera. Their plane is damaged by the blast of the UFO being destroyed as SHADO's Sky One intercepts the Alien craft. Foster ejects from the plane just in time as the stricken jet plummets to the ground but his co-pilot is killed. After recovering from his injuries Foster tries to make the truth known but finds his attempts are hampered by a cover-up.

Director: David Tomblin
Writing Credits: David Tomblin
Guest Cast: Alexis Kanner, Geraldine Moffat, Windsor Davies, Eleanor Summerfield, Lois Maxwell, Colin Gordon, Steven Berkoff, Al Mancini & Andrea Allan

Whilst driving back from an evening out, Interceptor pilot Lt. Jim Regan and his wife Jean stop their car for a cat in the road. Jean then spots that a landed UFO is close by, shortly later they are both stunned and taken by aliens to the UFO. Jim regains consciousness back at the car, his wife is missing and the aliens seem to be able to control his mind.

Director: Ken Turner
Writing Credits: Ruric Powell
Guest Cast: Gerard Norman, Alan Tucker, Drewe Henley, David Courtland & Michael Kilgarriff

Cmdr. Straker wants to clear space junk as it's a danger to SHADO's operations but General Henderson is opposed to this as he thinks it's an unnecessary expense and so is trying to block Straker's attempts. Whilst this disagreement is going on one of the lunar modules is destroyed re-entering earth's atmosphere, first it is thought that the pilot made the error causing its demise, Col. Foster disagrees and proves that something else is to blame. Some sort of device that hides itself on space debris no less!

Director: David Lane
Writing Credits: Tony Barwick
Guest Cast: Suzanne Neve, Mary Merrall, Barnaby Shaw, Philip Madoc, David Cargill, Andrea Allen, Penny Spencer, Peter Halliday, Russell Napier & Richard Aylen

Cmdr. Straker's son is critically injured in a car accident and requires some medicine transported from America urgently, so Straker commandeers one of SHADO's transport planes. En-route the transporter is needed on the west coast of Ireland, there could be an Alien who wishes to make contact and may also be a defector so the transporter is needed to drop off a team to investigate. Straker is stuck between his duty and his son's welfare.

Director: Ken Turner
Writing Credits: Alan Fennell
Guest Cast: John Stratton, Douglas Wilmer, Deborah Stanford, Donald Tandy & Stanley McGeogh

John Croxley is a troubled man because he has the gift of E.S.P. but it's too much for him and his wife. A UFO gets through the SHADO defences and for no apparent reason crashes through an isolated house in the country killing the sole occupant. It transpires that the occupant of this house is John Croxley's wife and he becomes a threat to the security of SHADO and the lives of Cmdr. Straker and Col. Freeman!

Director: Alan Perry
Writing Credits: Donald James
Guest Cast: David Sumner, Steve Cory & Louise Pajo

To avoid an approaching UFO Col. Paul Foster and his co-pilot are forced to make a dangerous manoeuvre in their lunar module, but despite their efforts the UFO catches up with them and instead of being destroyed they experience something strange. They go missing for 16 hours with no radio contact and shortly after the incident the co-pilot tries to kill Cmdr. Straker. Col. Paul Foster is not quite himself either.

Director: David Lane
Writing Credits: Alan Fennell
Guest Cast: Anthony Chinn, Paul Maxwell, Burnell Tucker, Alan Heywood & John Golightly

A new type of underwater UFO destroys a ship in the Atlantic. Cmdr. Straker and Col. Foster go to investigate the area in the Skydiver submarine and whilst searching the area the UFO opens fire on the sub, damaging its systems causing it to crash onto a ledge in the ocean. With oxygen running out the crew need to find ways of getting to the surface before it is too late. Ed Straker

Cmdr. Ed Straker: "Well, the dictionary defines it as a morbid dread of confined spaces. Skydiver's not all that small." Col. Alex Freeman: "and you're not always morbid."

Director: Ken Turner
Writing Credits: Dennis Spooner
Guest Cast: Stephanie Beacham, Edwin Richfield, Philip Madoc, Peter Blythe, Steven Berkoff & David Warbeck

After managing to evade detection a UFO is shot down into the Atlantic by a naval ship. Cmdr. Straker wants to know more about the incident but the Admiralty is being evasive as to what had happened leading Straker to suspect there's more to the situation than meets the eye. He finds out that the ship was in the area to dispose of something that could mean the end of all life on earth and the aliens somehow know this.

Director: David Lane
Writing Credits: Alan Pattillo
Guest Cast: Adrienne Corri, Patrick Mower, Allan Cuthbertson, Anthony Chinn, Hugo Panczak & Godfrey James

Cmdr. Straker lets a UFO through SHADO's defences as he expects the it to land in a remote area, the reason for this is he wants to capture a UFO intact. This is a very risky plan but he feels that the information gained could help SHADO immensely. Unfortunately the UFO is destroyed but an alien manages to escape into the countryside.

Director: Alan Perry
Writing Credits: Tony Barwick
Guest Cast: Neil Hallett, James Beckett, Frank Mann, Mark Hawkins, Alan Tucker & Frank Mann

A new type of camera for close-ups of planets has been developed and is equipped on an automated spaceship. Cmdr. Straker hopes that by following a UFO back to the alien's home world, this craft will be able to take some high resolution photographs of the planet and maybe give some answers.

Director: Jeremy Summers
Writing Credits: Tony Barwick
Guest Cast: Deborah Grant, David Collings, Mike Pratt, Robin Hawdon, Gavin Campbell, Tom Adams, Peter Blythe, Peter Davies, Alexander Davion, Hans De Vries, Peter Dolphin, Nigel Gregory, Oscar James, Aiden Murphy, Derek Steen, Christopher Timothy & Mark York

Three people who are in the area of a landed UFO are taken over by a mysterious force which the alien ship is beaming out. This possesses them with superhuman strength and into 'psychobombs', a type of human bomb. Straker is given an ultimatum by one of these 'psychobombs' to shut down the SHADO operations or they will be destroyed.

Director: Alan Perry
Writing Credits: Tony Barwick
Guest Cast: Suzan Farmer, Gito Santana, Robert Swann, Ray Armstrong & David Weston

Damage to a window at moon base causes loss of pressure leading to the death of a crew member whilst Colonel Foster escapes unharmed. On investigation it is discovered that moon base had been shot at by an alien and a satellite discovers where it is located. Straker hopes to capture the craft intact so a team led by Colonel Foster is sent out to capture the UFO as it seems to be inoperable. On investigating the UFO it fires at the team, Colonel Foster is separated from the other astronauts, his radio is damaged and he is believed to be dead.

Director: Ken Turner
Writing Credits: Tony Barwick
Guest Cast: Anouska Hempel, Al Mancini, Charles Tingwell, Stuart Damon, Steven Berkoff, Craig Hunter, Stephen Chase, Norton Clarke, Paul Greaves, Larry Taylor, Richard Montez, Bill Morgan, James Marcus, Stanley McGeagh, John Lyons, Basil Digman, Jack Silk, Barnaby Shaw, Suzanne Neve, Philip Madoc & Peter Halliday

A crew member of the moon base finds an interesting rock whilst searching the site of a UFO which had mysteriously exploded for no reason. The rock seems to have the property of being able to make those who touch it hallucinate with disastrous results. Truly mind-bending. Paul Foster

Col. Paul Foster: "Well, I've heard of method acting but you take the coconut."

Director: Ken Turner
Writing Credits: Ian Scott Stewart
Guest Cast: George Cole, Sonia Fox & Keith Grenville:

A SHADO operative by the name of Roper is threatened into giving away computer coordinates to the aliens. He is found out by Colonel Freeman who passes on the information of Roper's treachery to Commander Straker who then interrogates Roper. Straker finds out that the coordinates Roper has given away will put the moon base in a very vulnerable position from attack by the aliens.

Director: David Lane
Writing Credits: Terence Feely
Guest Cast: Derren Nesbitt, Gary Raymond, Roland Culver, Lois Maxwell, Robert Grange, Anouska Hempel, Andrea Allan, David Savile & Nancy Nevinson

One of Cmdr. Straker's closest friends, astronaut Col. Craig Collins goes missing when the spacecraft he is piloting suffers a serious malfunction. He is presumed dead after 48 hours but turns up eight weeks later safe and well, but his colleagues sense he has changed and is not the Collins they once knew.

Director: Alan Perry
Writing Credits: Ruric Powell
Guest Cast: Tracy Reed, Dr. Frank E. Stranges, Clinton Greyn, David Weston, Philip Latham, John Breslin, Alan Tucker, John Cobner, Richard Poore & Basil Moss

The presence of a private corporation called Dalotek, who are undertaking geological research, could jeopardise the security operations of SHADO's moon base. After a radio and video blackout leading to the deaths of a lunar module crew, the Dalotek team is thought to be at fault. It is suspected that a geo-scanner the Dalotek team are using is causing problems with the communication systems.

Mark Tanner: "Miss Carson is in charge of the geo-scanner. She's very experienced." Col. Paul Foster: "I can imagine."

Director: Cyril Frankel
Writing Credits: Terence Feely
Guest Cast: Patrick Allen, Douglas Nottage, Ron Bember, Jean Vladon, Kirsten Lindholm, John Lyons & John J. Carney

Cmdr. Straker goes to pick up Col. Virginia Lake from the airport and on the return journey back to SHADO headquarters they are attacked by a UFO but manage get away unharmed. When they get back to the headquarters they find everyone frozen in time, except that is for a SHADO operative named Turner. How have the aliens found a method to manipulate time, what is their purpose and why is Turner unaffected?

Director: Ken Turner
Writing Credits: Tony Barwick
Guest Cast: Quinn O'Hara, David Healy, Mark Hawkins, Basil Moss, Joseph Morris & Peter Burton

After a long stint on Skydiver Col. Paul Foster returns back to southern England and later goes to a party. Early the next morning, Col. Foster has to undergo fitness training at a SHADO facility but he is feeling a bit green due to partying and drinking all night. Worse still, while taking a sauna he is kidnapped and taken away by aliens into their UFO, or is he?

Director: Ron Appleton
Writing Credits: Tony Barwick
Guest Cast: Georgina Cookson, Noel Davis, Neil McCallum, Pippa Steel, Louise Pajo, Jack Hedley, Paul Greenhalgh, Michael Glover & Tutte Lemkow

International Astrophysical Commission has to suppress a leak of highly confidential information to the press from someone within the SHADO. This information if disclosed could put the lives of everyone within the SHADO organisation in jeopardy. It's not long before Col. Paul Foster is found to be the security breach and a court martial is held, if found guilty of espionage the sentence is death!

Director: David Lane
Writing Credits: Tony Barwick
Guest Cast: Peter Burton, Michael Mundell, Nigel Lambert, Henry Viljoen, Dennis Plenty & Hugh Armstrong

When an UFO is detected, interceptors are immediately mobilised from the moon base to destroy the craft. Unfortunately the UFO destroys one of the interceptors, killing an astronaut. In the encounter the UFO is damaged and crash lands in Canada. Three of the moon base personnel are quizzed to find out what went wrong and are put through numerous tests including computerised analysis, to find out who was to blame.

Director: David Lane
Writing Credits: Tony Barwick
Guest Cast: Suzanne Neve, Michael Nightingale, Julian Grant, Shane Rimmer, Geoffrey Hinsliff, Michael Forrest, Frank Tregear, Jack May, Jeffrey Segal, Gordon Sterne, Alan Tilvern, Donald Pelmear, Tom Oliver & Penny Jackson

Cmdr. Ed Straker reminisces about the early years of both his wrecked marriage and the SHADO organisation. The long hours Straker has to put in to the building of the organisation and highly secret nature of his work puts a great strain on his wife. Mrs Straker suspects that Ed is having an affair and as he cannot prove what he is doing late into the night, this helps lead to the breakdown of their marriage.

Director: David Lane
Writing Credits: David Lane and Bob Bell
Guest Cast: Michael Jayston, Susan Jameson, Nigel Gregory, Gito Santana, Richard Vernon, Burnell Tucker, Craig Hunter, Andrea Allan, Tom Oliver, Malcolm Reynolds & Basil Moss

A UFO evades SHADOs interceptors by following closely the path of a returning GSP4 space probe. The UFO lands in a thickly wooded area and is lost, the only thing to do is to send the SHADO mobiles out with Col. Foster to investigate. They have no luck finding the UFO until SHADO intelligence receive a missing person report of Russell Stone, an international showjumper, who happens to live near where the UFO went missing.

Cmdr. Ed Straker: "There's an old miners' saying, the nearer you are to an explosion, the better your chances are."

Director: David Tomblin
Writing Credits: David Tomblin
Guest Cast: James Cosmo, Barry Stokes, Gordon Sterne, Conrad Phillips, Frederic Abbott, Richard Caldicot, Mark Griffith, Keith Bell, Gerald Cross & Steven Berkoff

Events lead to the discovery of a large underwater dome in the mid Atlantic and the only explanation for this is that it is somehow being used by the aliens. Cmdr. Straker and Col. Foster manage to gain entry to the dome and find inside a replica of SHADO's earth operations control room and aliens who look like clones of the SHADO team. But what is its purpose?

Cmdr. Ed Straker: "The next batch of information you feed in, add a drop of castor oil." (regarding lack of computer output)

Director: Alan Perry
Writing Credits: Tony Barwick
Guest Cast: Jane Merrow, Ralph Ball, Patrick Jordan, Royston Rowe, Mark Hawkins, Janos Kurucz & Paul Tamarin

While Cmdr. Straker is investigating a female press reporter who has become a security risk Col. Freeman is left in charge of SHADO operations and has to deal with three UFOs trying to break through the defences, then an out-of-control Russian lunar vehicle is heading on a collision course with moon base. These incidents necessitate Freeman to make many important decisions about the lives of others.

Director: Cyril Frankel
Writing Credits: David Tomblin
Guest Cast: Tessa Wyatt, Christian Roberts, John Garrie & Christopher Robbie

Catherine Frazer comes to after ten years in a coma, reopening a case for Straker to investigate. During questioning it is found that the aliens were planting a bomb that could possibly destroy Britain and that Catherine had grabbed the detonator and hidden it. She is finding it hard to remember exactly where this component is until a drug is administered to her. The problem is that the drug was given by Catherine's boyfriend who previously was thought to have died and his body taken by the aliens. This makes it imperative that Straker finds the component before he does.

Fanderson - The Official Gerry Anderson Appreciation Society

• Movies

Doppelgänger (1969)
Men in Black (1997)
Invaders from Mars (1953)
Target Earth (1954)
The War of the Worlds (1953)
Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956)
They Came from Beyond Space (1967)

• Television

The Invaders (1967 - 1968)
Fireball XL5 (1962-1963)
Stingray (1964 - 1965)
Captain Scarlet and The Mysterons (1967 - 1968)
The Protectors (1972 - 1974)
Space: 1999 (1975 - 1978)
Space Precinct (1994 - 1995)

• Literature

Dr Who: The Indestructible Man, Simon Messingham (Homage to UFO, Captain Scarlet etc)