Alice Digsit There are many fuller reviews so I want to say that in the ones I've read so far no one has mentioned the actual sound of the UFO. That was a pretty odd noise back in the day, and young as I was I found it creepy and a bit scary but more distinctive than the programme's signature tune (though harder to hum or imitate). There have been a few reviewers who seem to have suggested the show was cheesy or have become apologists trying to defend it, but it needs no defence. People who make anachronistic criticisms are simply showing their lack of insight. This was cutting edge stuff. That it was, at the same time, very much of its own time is quite naturalThe sad thing for me is that the future was never as swish as they promised. There are still almost no car manufacturers (a few Italian crazies aside) who have had the nerve to produce a car as interesting as the ones used on set - I mean homologate, when I say produce. I believe the cars were from major manufacturers, but were futuristic styling exercises which were always, and still are, watered down to accommodate the tastes of fuddy-duddies before tooling up for production. The fashions were a bit closer to what was available from Quant or Courreges et al, but such out and out sparseness was never really widely marketed.And I will get one of those wigs one day ... maybe with some salt n pepper grey thrown in, because my figure is not up to those fashions, but I could get away with being, perhaps, a retired and gone to seed moonbase maiden: and maybe one in 5,000 people would get the reference.From a design point of view this show was superb. The dramas were great stuff. The acting was good. The scripts were sound and thoughtful. Anyone who thinks this show was cheesy probably thinks Metropolis is Kitsch rather than a stunning trailblazer.Sorry, not really a review, just the rant of a fan.

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!!!

CatoTSR2 This is the second greatest TV show in the history of the Cathode Ray Tube, next to The Professionals. Only to be ruined by the non want, or desire of the U.S. market. The second series became a rehashed show, which was morphed into the dire Space 1999: Ed Bishop/George Sewell/Peter Gordeno/Gabrielle Drake, Made this monster hit into a timeless unrepeatable classic. The score by Barry Gray was a continued superlative musical masterpiece. Gerry Anderson's first real attempt, at Sci-Fi without the puppets, was a marvel in its own right. Often repeated or copied in flattery, the technology and realism of the ships have no equal. Its a jealousy thing once again and some countries, just did not like the idea that us Brits, could conjure up such a brilliant piece of work. The best advice I can give to any wannabe' Sci-Fi Buff, is by the box set and indulge, in what should have been....Da Da Da Der!!!

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...