Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's UFO. Series Guide, Volume Two: Straker's Private Life

by Adrian Sherlock

'What's more important, the life of one child or the safety of the planet Earth? And does it make any difference if the child is your own son?' For Commander Ed Straker of SHADO (Supreme Head Quarters, Alien Defence Organisation) 'These things are always a question of priorities.' Drawing inspiration for Cold War drama Fail Safe , Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's science fiction opus UFO dared to present one of the most complex, tragic and unforgettable main characters ever to appear on television. Actor Ed Bishop was a master of tortured intensity and the complex, almost subversive scripts for episodes like 'The Square Triangle', 'Confett Check A OK', 'A Question of Priorities', 'The Responsibility Seat' and 'Sub Smash' gave him some remarkably powerful material to work with. Together with 'ESP' and 'Close Up', these episodes are discussed, analysed and reviewed in detail by writer Adrian Sherlock in an attempt to understand the hidden private dimensions of Ed Straker. This book is the second in a three volume investigation of the UFO TV series. It also features a look at the un-produced UFO episode 'The Patriot' and a transcribed 'fan commentary' on a viewing of the later episode 'Mindbender'.

118 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 10, 2023

About the author

I'm a writer and all my books and stories are available on Kindle & Amazon now.

Reviews

[AndrewP · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second book of this trilogy of episode guides focus more on the stories concerning Straker's private life than anything else. Although these particular shows were not the most action packed, they feature some of the most powerful storytelling. Anyone who has ever seen 'The Square Triangle' will know what I mean. If you haven't, then track it down and watch it. Very thought provoking stuff.