Spectrum Headquarters Forum

Anything new in there?

Cheers.

I received UFO volume 1 in my Santa stocking this year. Although I feel it's dated a bit more than Space 1999, boy are the scripts better! It's gritty, slightly depressing and full of real world dilemmas.

The effects are amazing, as are the vehicles. Anyone else want one of those chutes to zip down on their way out of bed in the morning?

I only have a couple of criticisms:

Yet again, we have a top secret outfit that fly and drive around in vehicles and wear uniforms emblazoned with the organisation's logo. Just wouldn't happen, would it?

What really dates the series is the constant drinking and smoking that goes on.

I was interested to read that the Shado cars' doors were too heavy to stay up on their own, which meant that a crew member stood out of shot holding the door up....

Favourite quote: "No need to panic, Alec..." Always raises a smile!

I always figured that the symbols and use of secret organizations in public was done because there would be no way for people to know what they were in the first place. If someone saw a Spectrum symbol, or heard the name SHADO that they would just not think that they were related to an alien attack. In the case of Spectrum, was it not a World police type of organization as well as a secret org against the Mysterons?

Of course this argument is weak in many cases and maybe SHADO pumped the amnesia drug out of the exhaust of their Mobiles so that anyone seeing them would forget they did

Then we have the secret org of International Rescue where often the Tracy name was associated with this secret group.

KP

Santa was awfully nice to me this Christmas and I found the entire 26 episodes on DVD of UFO in my stocking..(ruddy great hole in it now..but who cares...)
I must have been an awfully good girl this year!!

Truly sorry of this isn't needed, but does anybody know where abouts they filmed the UFO series?

It's something i am sure that has also bee playing over in others minds as well as my own, but it would be interesting to know where it was filmed.

Captain Burgundy wrote:Truly sorry of this isn't needed, but does anybody know where abouts they filmed the UFO series?

With regard to the interiors scenes, the first 17 episodes were filmed at Elstree, then after a break in production the final 9 were filmed at Pinewood.

Obviously there were various locations (the Pinewood episodes made spectacular use of the studio grounds and backlots - notably in 'Timelash' and 'Mindbender', and also in 'The Psychobombs' and 'The Long Sleep') and i'm sure Fanderson did a location guide in an issue of FAB. Unfortunately I'm at work and don't have it immediately to hand but I know one in the first production block was a hotel in North West London ('A Question Of Priorities') that has been used as the venue for some of their conventions.

cheers for that ^^

i see they also in some scenes mixed in some models like in Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons.

The Shado Mobiles as they left the transporters gave it away, if you looked inside the cabs you can clearly see model figures as the pilot drivers before they then went to view the live action parts.

Overall, this has to be my most fave series, as opposed to Thunderbirds, Stingray and Captain Scarlet ^^

There are also a few Joe 90 models in there - a space station is in General Henderson's office in Court Martial, and earlier on in that episode Straker nearly crashes into a transporter carrying some of Mario Coletti's trucks...

Just to let UK fans know - if you haven't got the UFO boxset etc that ITV4 on Thursday 2nd August at 8:00pm will be airing "Identified"

Oh, excellent. I'll check that out. Though I note its on a veritable backwater channel...ITV4!

Matt Crowther wrote:Oh, excellent. I'll check that out. Though I note its on a veritable backwater channel...ITV4!

Yep - ITV4 when first launched aired around 15 or so episodes then stopped showing them, and they were not always in the correct airing order.

Fingers crossed they show all the episodes and its not just a filler for the 8pm slot on a Thursday night.

It has been a heck of a time since I saw UFO it would be good to see it again. It has one of the funkiest themes of all the Anderson series'.

Matt Crowther wrote:It has been a heck of a time since I saw UFO it would be good to see it again. It has one of the funkiest themes of all the Anderson series'.

I love the UFO theme and the Intro, and some of the music in the show is great.

It might have been posted before on here, but I recommend UFOSeries.com

Its a great site with an excellent episode guide, music such as the "Interceptors launch" music and "Sky One launch" music.

Also the site contains sound effects to download as well as video clips such as the intro, sky one taking off, interceptors taking off.

I always liked Gerry Andersons series because of the launch sequences for the vechicles - always great.

One thing I've noticed thoe now being older etc is when Captain Carlin goes down the tube to Sky One, it looks like he is going down like Virgil does to get to Thunderbird 2, but SkyDiver is vertical so he's not technically going down to the cockpit of Sky One.

Nickpick it may be, but one I've noticed. Also, imagine the crew in SkyDiver, they've just made a cup of tea and they have to tilt backwards to launch Sky One, the tea and everything else goes everywhere!!!

I always preferred UFO to Space :1999, I dont know why, just Ed Bishop I suppose. Although the ladies in those purple wigs was quite nice too!