catey-49 I was hooked on this show from episode one, although I seem to be one of the few of my friends who remembers it. I was maybe twelve years old, but I loved the adult themes and personal stories. Plus I had a huge crush on Paul Foster....bet I'm not the only one. He was front and center for the whole last half of the series, by Straker's side every moment. Poor bugger, in almost every episode he gets the crap beat out of him. Or gets to kiss the girl. Or both. So glad I bought the series on DVD.Straker is a super cool character. The platinum hair gives him just the right icy touch, and he is believable as the commander of this life-and-death organization. He is constantly fighting for funding against beurocrats who can only see the bottom line, and his devotion to his work has cost him his marriage and his family. His isolation and loneliness are a constant theme, although they're never spelled out....only illustrated by Ed Bishop's wonderful performance.

johngraham64 UFO is undoubtedly a slick and glossy show, ahead of it's time maybe - and unfortunately cancelled before it's time...OK so some of the episodes had flimsy plots - and some had plot holes large enough to swim Skydiver through - but I enjoyed it none-the-less.SHADO hides under the Harlington-Straker film studios. Ed Straker appears to head the studio - but it's all a cover. Passing the efficient Miss Ealand, Straker enters his office only for it to sink into the ground to SHADO proper. Personnel in incredibly tight jump suits patrol the corridors and control room. All to track and destroy invaders from outer space who are coming here to kidnap people for organ transplant (a nice plot device which seems to get lost along the way).Aided by submarines that have jet planes attached to the front, the Space Intruder Detector satellite, mobiles, lunar modules and the wonderfully-designed moonbase with it's interceptors and proper sci-fi-silver-suited personnel, the series is set up for some dramatic battles and intriguing story lines.Oh and the moonbase ladies have purple wigs on...Ed Bishop excels as Straker, ably supported by all the cast. Can I put in a vote here for Keith Alexander (playing Lt Ford)? He was used well in more than one story. And another vote for Delores Mantez (playing Nina Barry). The episode when she is stuck underwater with Straker is a real classic and gives one of the ladies (sans purple wig) more to do.My favourite episode has to be the one where Staker and Virginia Lake (Wanda Ventham looking superb!) find themselves stuck in time. I loved all the frozen things around the studio - and people. Cleverly filmed. Perhaps someone will explain what it was all about to me one day - but I love it.As a child I had a corgi or dinky or whatever die-cast moonbase interceptor that actually fired it's plastic missile at the touch of a button. Don't tell health and safety! Oh and I loved the UFO's themselves.Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's visions of the future were often stunning and beautifully realised through props (Straker's car with it's gull-wing doors), models (moonbase, interceptors, SID, Skydiver etc), fashion (purple wigs again!) and plausible story lines. This was another credit to them.Interceptors - immediate launch!!!

MARIO GAUCI I'm a devoted fan of science-fiction, even if I prefer the intellectual rather than the cheesy stuff: this one - with its hilarious would-be futuristic fashions and gadgetry and the cheap effects - tends to lean towards the latter category, apart from the occasional psychological insight (particularly the contribution of Vladek Sheybal as the space organization's resident doctor), intriguing 'horror' theme or outburst of excitement and suspense...but I warmed up to it after a while and actually found its inherent naivete quite endearing! Given that each episode follows a different plot line, quality is bound to vary but they're all eminently watchable and entertaining (despite some dull patches and a general lack of pace); the series' creators had earlier made sci-fi TV shows involving puppet characters, such as THUNDERBIRDS (1965), but the level of maturity here is clearly higher (if inconsistent).The main characters - Ed Bishop, George Sewell and Michael Billington, supported throughout the series by a respectable array of guest stars - are surprisingly engaging and the score, as redolent of its period as the rest of it(!), is undeniably infectious. Just for the record, I'd name "A Question Of Priorities", "Court Martial", "E.S.P.", "Kill Straker!", "The Cat With Ten Lives", "The Man Who Came Back", "The Psychobombs", "Reflections In The Water", "Timelash" and "Mindbender" among the best episodes - many of which are comparable to what was being done in THE TWILIGHT ZONE series; on the other hand, the weakest would have to be "Flight Path", "Survival", "Ordeal", "The Square Triangle" and "Close Up" - verging from the pedestrian to the overly technical.P.S. The series shared a staggering 11 actors with the sci-fi feature DOPPELGANGER aka JOURNEY TO THE FAR SIDE OF THE SUN (1969) - apart from being partly shot on standing sets from that film, not to mention utilizing some of its music cues!; regrettably, I missed out on its sole broadcast (on late-night Italian TV) eons ago...

karlfred In the early 70ies I saw it in B&W, but something that struck me firsthand was the main theme by Barry Gray: what an incredible music! Then there was all these "realistic" future production design: Ed Straker's turbine car, the fighter jet that was launched from a submarine (Sky Diver), the moonbase with these three girls (later I become aware that their hair was purple), and the space interceptors. Another very cool thing were the UFOs, they rotate making a very funny noise. When I buy the DVD collector set, after more than 35 years, I became aware that it was undoubtedly retro, but a very serious approach to a fictitious future environment. The SHADO (Supreme Headquarters Alien Defense Organization) sounds too much like SHAEF (Supreme Headquarters Allied Expeditionary Force) and all those Cold War's codes and organizations. Highly recommend it for the Sci Fi fans.