"They may have no physical being at all and therefore need a vehicle, a container – our bodies!"
Written by David Tomblin
Directed by David Tomblin
Filming Schedule: Friday, 22nd May – Wednesday, 3rd June 1970
Original UK Airdate: Wednesday, 30th September 1970 (ATV)
Tech; Moonbase, Rocket Launchers, Interceptors, UFOs, Fosters car.
Cast; Straker, Lake, Barry, Foster, Jackson, Ayshea
Additional cast;
Jim Regan Alexis Kanner Jean Regan Geraldine Moffatt Albert Thompson Colin Gordon Muriel Thompson Eleanor Summerfield Miss Holland Lois Maxwell Captain Steve Minto Steven Berkoff Morgan Windsor Davies Andy Conroy Al Mancini
My overall rating; 10/10
Shooting featured at Studio Lot, Pinewood Studios, Pinewood Road, Iver Heath (Buckinghamshire) Neptune House, BBC Elstree Studios, Eldon Avenue, Borehamwood (Hertfordshire). Several tracks from The Secret Service episode Last Train To Buffler's Halt is reused here again. Alexis Kanner starred as, most famously, in The Prisoner (in Living In Harmony, The Girl Who Was Death and most remembered as Number 48 in Fall Out), and also appeared in Love Story, Softly Softly, The Saint, Conflict and Armchair Theatre. Geraldine Moffatt starred in Coronation Street, Crown Court, The New Avengers, Z Cars, The Wednesday Play, Paul Temple and Strange Report. Colin Gordon starred in Doctor Who: The Faceless Ones (1967 as the Commandant), The Baron, Oh Brother, Hine, Brothers In Law and Complete and Utter History of Britain. Eleanor Summerfield appeared in Jake's Progress, Pig In The Middle, Murder At The Wedding, The World Of Wooster, David Copperfield, The World Of Wooster and The Mating Machine.
Lois Maxwell (most famously Miss Moneypenny in James Bond from Dr. No right up to A View To A Kill) was the voice of Atlanta Shore in Stingray, and her other notable credits include The Persuaders, Adventures In Rainbow Country, The Saint, Gideon's Way, The Avengers, The Baron and Ghost Squad. Steven Berkoff (a writer who wrote dribble that I've personally performed in - but hey I got a Grade 9 at Drama GCSE - was also in Doctor Who: The Power Of Three (2012 as the Shackri), Vikings, The Borgias, Star Trek Deep Space Nine, The Saint, The Champions, Space Precinct (Deadline as Dr. Jorry) and other UFO episodes as Minto in the other episodes Destruction, Reflections In The Water and Mindbender. Windsor Davies, best known to Anderson fans as the voice of Sergeant Major Zero in Terrahawks, also starred in The New Statesman, Never The Twain, It Ain't Half Hot Mum, Sam, Z Cars, General Hospital, Dixon Of Dock Green, Mogul and Brett. Finally, Al Mancini returned as Conroy in Mindbender, and also appeared in The Protectors (See No Evil as Walter), Department S, Jason King, Jackanory, Monster Squad, Meeting On Minds and Joan Of Arcadia.
A banger of an episode! I am lost for words on this episode! An excellent episode that explores the concept of the aliens further, and creates the thought of our understanding of the aliens being completely wrong - now that is scary. The opening was of course beautifully shot and directed, as was the dramatic ending. Cats can be evil. And I also love how Straker sent Regan back on duty because of the imminent UFOs after such a traumatic experience, and at the end when he dies the episode simply ends with Straker walking back to his office once again in terrible shame - easily one of the best episodes of the series.
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