The Secret Service

The Secret Service

The Secret Service is a British children's science-fiction television series, filmed by Century 21 for ITC Entertainment and broadcast on Associated Television, Granada Television and Southern Television in 1969. It was created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, and produced by David Lane and Reg Hill. It was the eighth and final Century 21 production to feature—in a manner similar to Thunderbirds and other earlier series—marionette puppet characters as part of a filming technique known as "Supermarionation". Under the direction of Gerry Anderson, who wanted to increase the realism of the Supermarionation format, The Secret Service incorporates footage of live actors for long-distance shots. Following The Secret Service, Anderson did not work with puppets again until the 1980s, when he produced Terrahawks in "Supermacromation". The series follows the adventures of Father Stanley Unwin, a character both voiced by and resembling the real-life comedian of the same name. Outwardly the parish priest of a rural English village, Unwin is in fact a secret agent for BISHOP, a covert branch of British Intelligence that counters criminal and terrorist threats from abroad. Aided by junior operative Matthew Harding, the Father answers to his London-based superior, "The Bishop". Whenever they must gather intelligence in a hostile situation, Unwin and Matthew deploy the "Minimiser", a gadget capable of shrinking people and objects to a fraction of their normal size, to carry out secret reconnaissance. A form of gobbledegook of Unwin's devising is used to confuse and distract enemies when required. Filming commenced at Century 21 Studios in Slough and on location in August 1968. Production ceased in January 1969 with the completion of the thirteenth episode after Lew Grade, the Andersons' financial backer, responded negatively to a test screening of the pilot episode in the previous December, fearing that successful distribution in the United States would be impossible with the inclusion of the nonsensical "Unwinese" dialogue. Critical reception to The Secret Service remains mixed: when compared to the Andersons' previous series, verdicts range from "the forgotten gem" to "the one flop". Commentators have questioned the wisdom of hiring Unwin as a voice actor, suggesting that the potential for comedy provided by his Unwinese is too weak to sustain interest; however, the writing of the supporting characters has been praised.

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