The Secret Service facts for kids
Quick facts for kids The Secret Service |
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| Genre | Science fiction |
| Created by | Gerry and Sylvia Anderson |
| Voices of |
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| Composer(s) | Barry Gray |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Reg Hill |
| Producer(s) | David Lane |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Century 21 Television Productions |
| Distributor | ITC Entertainment |
| Release | |
| Original network | ATV |
| Picture format | 35mm film |
| Audio format | Mono |
| Original release | 21 September – 14 December 1969 |
| Chronology | |
| Preceded by | Joe 90 |
The Secret Service is a British science-fiction TV show from 1969. It was made by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and their company, Century 21. The show is about a puppet character named Father Stanley Unwin. He is voiced by and looks like the real comedian Stanley Unwin.
Father Unwin seems like a normal, slightly odd village priest. But he is secretly a spy for BISHOP. This is a special part of British Intelligence. They stop criminals and terrorists. Father Unwin works with another agent, Matthew Harding. They often use a cool device called the Minimiser. It can shrink people and things. This helps them do secret missions. When things get tough, Father Unwin speaks in a funny, made-up language. It's based on the real Stanley Unwin's "Unwinese." This helps distract enemies.
The Secret Service was the last show to use "Supermarionation" puppets. This was a special way of using marionette puppets. The show also used scale models for effects. What made it special was that it also used real actors in long shots. Gerry Anderson wanted the puppet shows to look more real. Filming started in August 1968. It stopped after 13 episodes in January 1969. This was because Lew Grade, who funded the company, didn't like it. He thought the "Unwinese" would make it hard to sell the show in America.
People have different opinions about the show. Some call it a "forgotten gem." Others say it was the Andersons' "one flop." Some think using Unwin's gibberish wasn't funny enough. But the show has been praised for its other characters. The Secret Service was Gerry Anderson's last puppet show until Terrahawks in the 1980s.
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Meet the Secret Agents
The Secret Service is all about Father Stanley Unwin. He is a priest in an English village. But he has a secret life! He works for BISHOP. This stands for "British Intelligence Service Headquarters, Operation Priest." Father Unwin lives at his vicarage. His helper is Matthew Harding, who is also a BISHOP agent. Matthew pretends to be the Father's gardener.
Other characters include The Bishop, who is in charge of BISHOP. There's also Blake, a new BISHOP agent. Mrs. Appleby is Father Unwin's housekeeper. She has no idea that Unwin and Matthew are spies!
The Minimiser Device
Before the show starts, a scientist named Professor Humbert invented the Minimiser. This amazing device can shrink people or objects. They become one-third of their normal size. When Professor Humbert died, Father Unwin got the Minimiser. He hides it inside a big book.
Matthew is often shrunk to about two feet (0.61 m) tall. This helps him go on secret missions. He can sneak into places where a normal-sized person would be seen. The show uses puppets for Matthew when he's tiny. Real actors play the normal-sized people. Sometimes, enemy agents are shrunk too!
Father Unwin carries the tiny Matthew in a special briefcase. It can open from the inside. It also has spy tools like a periscope. The agents talk to each other using earpiece radios. Father Unwin's earpiece looks like his hearing aid. Their main way to travel is in a special 1917 Ford Model T car. It's called Gabriel and can go over 50 miles per hour (80 km/h). If police or bad guys stop them, Father Unwin starts speaking his funny gibberish. This confuses everyone and helps Matthew get away.
When Does the Show Take Place?
Most of Gerry Anderson's puppet shows are set in the future. But The Secret Service happens in the "present day" of 1969. For example, one episode is set on February 3, 1969. Another is on May 24, 1969.
Some people who wrote about Gerry Anderson say the time is a bit unclear. They think it's "sometime in the near future." They point out that the show has old cars like Morris Minors. But it also has futuristic flying vehicles. So, they think the show's world isn't quite like our real world.
Episode Adventures
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original air date | Prod. code |
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| 1 | "A Case for the Bishop" | Alan Perry | Gerry and Sylvia Anderson | 21 September 1969 | 1 |
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Spies from a country called Dreisenberg steal a super computer. British Intelligence worries the ambassador will use his special rights to sneak it out. Father Unwin and Matthew use Gabriel to get the computer back.
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| 2 | "A Question of Miracles" | Leo Eaton | Donald James | 28 September 1969 | 2 |
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Water plants in Africa are blowing up. This looks like sabotage! Unwin and Matthew race to the last working plant to stop it from being destroyed.
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| 3 | "To Catch A Spy" | Brian Heard | Pat Dunlop | 5 October 1969 | 4 |
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A prisoner named George Gray escapes. He plans to leave Britain on a submarine. Unwin must catch him at Kew Gardens using the Minimiser.
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| 4 | "The Feathered Spies" | Ian Spurrier | Tony Barwick | 12 October 1969 | 3 |
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A new fighter jet is in danger because of a spy. The spy is using pigeons with cameras! Unwin and Matthew find out the spy plans to bomb an airbase with the pigeons.
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| 5 | "Last Train to Bufflers Halt" | Alan Perry | Tony Barwick | 19 October 1969 | 5 |
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Criminals try to steal £1 million from a train. They divert the train to an old station. Unwin and Matthew stop the gang. But then the train can't stop and is going 80 miles per hour (130 km/h)!
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| 6 | "Hole in One" | Brian Heard | Shane Rimmer | 26 October 1969 | 8 |
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A satellite warning system is broken. It looks like a general did it. Unwin plays golf with him to get information. He learns that the golf balls have tiny recorders inside. Unwin must get a hole in one to save the satellites.
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| 7 | "Recall to Service" | Peter Anderson | Pat Dunlop | 2 November 1969 | 7 |
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Unwin and Matthew investigate a broken military robot called AquaTank. A captain seems to be making the robot attack officials. The spies must stop him.
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| 8 | "Errand of Mercy" | Leo Eaton | Tony Barwick | 9 November 1969 | 6 |
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Unwin gets sick. He dreams he and Matthew are taking medicine to Africa in a flying Gabriel. They are captured by a tribe. Unwin must use his funny language to save them.
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| 9 | "The Deadly Whisper" | Leo Eaton | Donald James | 16 November 1969 | 11 |
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A professor invents a powerful rifle that can destroy armored cars. A criminal kidnaps the professor's daughter to get the weapon. Unwin and Matthew must rescue her and stop the criminal.
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| 10 | "The Cure" | Leo Eaton | Pat Dunlop | 23 November 1969 | 10 |
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Unwin chases a foreign assassin. The assassin is at a health clinic. Unwin doesn't know the assassin wants a new chemical. This chemical can become a deadly explosive when mixed with water.
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| 11 | "School for Spies" | Ken Turner | Donald James | 30 November 1969 | 9 |
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The Bishop tells Unwin and Matthew to find out who is damaging military bases. Unwin puts the tiny Matthew into a briefcase. Matthew finds out that some religious brothers are actually spies working for their own boss.
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| 12 | "May-Day, May-Day!" | Alan Perry | Bob Kesten | 7 December 1969 | 12 |
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Unwin and Matthew must protect the King of Muldovia. The King's son wants the throne. He tries to have his father killed. The spies stop the killer. Then the Prince hides a bomb in a toy bear for the King's son.
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| 13 | "More Haste Less Speed" | Ken Turner | Tony Barwick | 14 December 1969 | 13 |
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A group of people meet to print fake US dollar bills. They have one printing plate. The second plate is hidden on a farm. Everyone turns on each other to get it. Unwin and Matthew race to get it first.
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Showings and Releases
The Secret Service was not shown as widely as other Anderson shows. It was first shown on TV channels like ATV, Granada, and Southern in the UK. It usually aired on Sundays at 5:30 p.m. These channels showed reruns until 1972 or 1975. The series has not been repeated in the UK since then.
DVD Releases
The show was released on Region 1 DVD in December 2003. This version had improved picture and sound. It also included special features. One feature was a talk by producer David Lane about the first episode. The AllMovie website gave this DVD release a good rating.
A Region 2 DVD was released in June 2005. This one had talks by Gerry Anderson. It also included copies of original production documents in PDF.
Other Stories
Two books based on the series were written by John William Jennison. He used the name "John Theydon." These books were called The Destroyer and The VIP and came out in 1969.
Some stories about The Secret Service also appeared in a weekly comic book called Countdown. This included a story about how the show's world began.
