The adventures of the crew of an amazing land, sea and air vehicle based at a secret laboratory in the Nevada Desert in 1960.
AP Films/ATV/ITC
Produced: 1960-61
First UK broadcast: Saturday 28th January 1961 – 5.40pm
ATV London and Southern Television
26 episodes x 25 minutes
Producer: Gerry Anderson
Director of Photography: John Read
Art Director: Reg Hill
Dialogue Direction: Sylvia Anderson
Special Effects: Roger Woodburn
Music Composed, Arranged and Conducted by Barry Gray
Additional Music: Edwin Astley
| Episodes List | |
|---|---|
| 1 |
Rescue Bill and Jimmy Gibson and their pet chimpanzee Mitch are stranded in a life raft after their aircraft, Falcon 25, suffers engine failure and ditches into the sea 30 miles from Devil’s Point. Bill is injured in the crash and the trio are left without any supplies when Mitch playfully throws them overboard. A heavy fog settles and the Navy rescue helicopter is unable to locate the raft, so Mike Mercury suggests to Professor Popkiss and Dr Beaker that Supercar be given a test run to rescue the Gibsons and Mitch, using Beaker’s Clear-Vu apparatus to find them in the fog. However, Popkiss refuses to jeopardise five years’ work on the car by sending it out on a mission without properly completing its test programme… Story by Martin and Hugh Woodhouse Directed by Gerry Anderson Additional Voice Cast:
First UK Broadcasts:
Repeat Broadcasts (ITV): Anglia
Grampian
Granada
Scottish
Tyne Tees
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| 2 |
Amazonian Adventure Mitch is seriously ill and Dr Beaker diagnoses that he has contracted a form of sleeping sickness which can only be cured by ingesting the leaves of the t’logi, a rare plant which grows in the Amazon Basin. Mike and Beaker set off in Supercar and fly to South America to find the plant but as they search the Amazon jungle they are captured by natives of the Tuaga tribe, identified by Beaker as the last surviving head hunters on the South American continent. The pair are imprisoned in a hut but Mike escapes by cutting through the wall. He then races back to Supercar so that he can use it to scare the natives before their Medicine Man completes his strange ritual by cutting off Beaker’s head! Story by Martin and Hugh Woodhouse Directed by Alan Pattillo Additional Voice Cast:
First UK Broadcasts:
Repeat Broadcasts (ITV): Anglia
ATV London
ATV Midlands
Grampian
Granada
Scottish
Tyne Tees
Ulster
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| 3 |
The Talisman Of Sargon Masterspy learns of the whereabouts of the lost Talisman of Sargon the Sumerian, carved from a single priceless emerald and hidden in the burial temple of Sargon at Ka-Kabul. He is hired to find the Talisman by Mustapha Bey who covets the power that the gem is reputed to bring its owner. But the exact location is inscribed on a tablet in cuneiform so Masterspy masquerades as Dr Julius Mettanik to persuade Beaker to translate it for him. After Beaker realises Mettanik’s true identity, he races to the temple in Supercar with Mike, Jimmy and Mitch, but Masterspy and Zarin have already penetrated Sargon’s tomb and located the emerald. When the Supercar team arrive and enter the tomb, Masterspy closes the secret entrance, trapping them inside! Story by Martin and Hugh Woodhouse Directed by David Elliott Additional Voice Cast:
First UK Broadcasts:
Repeat Broadcasts (ITV): Anglia
ATV London
ATV Midlands
Grampian
Granada
Scottish
Tyne Tees
Ulster
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| 4 |
False Alarm The Supercar team have just successfully completed tests on an improved remote control system when Popkiss receives a call from Sergeant Petrie of the Nevada State Police requesting his help to rescue a pair of geologists in distress in the mountains. Mike and Beaker set off immediately in Supercar, unaware that Sergeant Petrie is actually Masterspy who has plans to steal Supercar. Arriving in the mountains after dark, Mike and Beaker set up camp to wait until first light before starting to search for the non-existent geologists, but while the pair are sleeping, Masterspy dopes them with ether from their own first aid kit and ties them up, With nobody to stop them, Masterspy and Zarin take control of Supercar and fly away, but they have not counted on Mitch playing with the directional control lever of the new remote control unit… Story by Martin and Hugh Woodhouse Directed by Alan Pattillo First UK Broadcasts:
Repeat Broadcasts (ITV): Anglia
ATV London
ATV Midlands
Granada
Ulster
|
| 5 |
What Goes Up The Supercar team are assisting Air Force Colonel Lewis with Project Fourth of July, monitoring readings from a canister of new rocket fuel launched into the stratosphere on a balloon. The capsule is too dangerous to attempt a controlled landing so it is to be detonated by remote control, but the remote trigger fails, leaving the capsule in danger of falling to Earth in the middle of the city. Dressed in a foil suit to protect him from cosmic radiation, Mike launches into the stratosphere in Supercar in an attempt to destroy the canister with a rocket launcher mounted on Supercar’s bonnet, but the canopy springs a leak and Mike starts losing pressure… Story by Martin and Hugh Woodhouse Directed by David Elliott Additional Voice Cast:
UK Broadcast Premiere: Saturday, 25th February 1961 5.40pm (ATV London/Southern) |
| 6 |
Keep It Cool Beaker and Bill Gibson are travelling back to the Black Rock laboratory with a cargo of Beaker’s new unstable high octane fuel, crossing the desert at night with the fuel cans in a refrigerator unit as the highly volatile chemical explodes above freezing point. However, Masterspy and Zarin have changed the signposts on their route and Bill and Beaker become hopelessly lost. Then Bill’s truck crashes into a rock left in the road by Masterspy, leaving them stranded in the desert with the fridge batteries running down and dawn approaching. Mike races to their location in Supercar with fresh batteries, but Bill and Beaker are captured by Masterspy who steals a sample of the fuel… Story by Martin and Hugh Woodhouse Directed by Alan Pattillo UK Broadcast Premiere: Saturday, 25th March 1961 5.40pm (ATV London/Southern) |
| 7 |
Grounded Supercar is being fitted with a new portable control unit at JFP Electronics Ltd in England when disgruntled employee Harper and his assistant Judd break into managing director J Farleigh Prothero’s safe and steal the control unit’s printed circuits. When the theft is discovered, the Supercar team dissuade Prothero from calling in the police so as to avoid publicity. Then Harper calls Beaker to admit the theft and inform him that he will be leaving the country in one hour from a flying club at Monk’s Norton near Birmingham, Mike prepares to set off in Supercar to intercept the villains, but he discovers that Harper has sabotaged the vehicle’s starboard wing leaving Supercar grounded! Story by Martin and Hugh Woodhouse Directed by David Elliott Additional Voice Cast:
UK Broadcast Premiere: Saturday, 18th March 1961 5.40pm (ATV London/Southern) |
| 8 |
Jungle Hazard Intending to take over a rubber-rich estate at Tinipoor in Malaya that has recently been inherited by Felicity Farnsworth from her late father, Masterspy and Zarin approach Felicity with an offer to purchase the estate. They plan to do away with Felicity if she does not agree to sell, but when she writes to her cousin Dr Beaker, describing the villainous pair in her letter, he fears the worst and races to the estate with Mike in Supercar. Meanwhile, Masterspy has offered to escort Felicity on a journey to Guam-Husang and they have already set off into the jungle by the time Mike and Beaker arrive. Beaker follows their trail on foot, guiding Mike in Supercar by radio, but Masterspy cuts the ropes on a bridge over a swamp as Felicity is crossing… Story by Martin and Hugh Woodhouse Directed by Alan Pattillo Additional Voice Cast:
UK Broadcast Premiere: Saturday, 1st April 1961 5.40pm (ATV London/Southern) |
| 9 |
High Tension While shopping in Carson City, Beaker accepts a lift from a pair of strangers looking for the road to Bonneville Flats, unaware that his travelling companions are Masterspy and Zarin. By the time he realises his mistake, Beaker is a prisoner and the trio are well on their way to Ghost Green Wells, a group of craters in the desert where Masterspy intends to offer Beaker in exchange for Supercar. He calls Popkiss with his instructions and Mike sets off in Supercar, planning to land half a mile from the craters and make the rest of the way on foot while Popkiss flies Supercar to the rendezvous on remote control. However, this plan depends upon Mike being able to fly Supercar to a landing in glide mode so as not to alert Masterspy with the sound of the vehicle’s motors, but without the vertical thrust motors activated, the operation is a dangerous one… Story by Martin and Hugh Woodhouse Directed by David Elliott UK Broadcast Premiere: Saturday, 8th April 1961 5.40pm (ATV London/Southern) |
| 10 |
Island Incident Called to a rendezvous in Southern California, Mike meets General Sebastian Caprilo de la Festiola LaGuava, President of the islands of Pelota in the Pacific, who has been usurped by his brother Colonel Humberto LaGuava. Humberto has transformed Pelota into a corrupt police state and the General asks for Mike’s assistance to restore him to power. With the General aboard, Mike flies Supercar to Pelota, but as they approach the main island seaboard Supercar is spotted by one of Humberto’s guards who believes that he has seen a flying saucer. The Colonel orders his army to shoot the craft down and as they open fire, Mike sends Supercar into a dive and crashes into the sea… Story by Martin and Hugh Woodhouse Directed by David Elliott Additional Voice Cast:
UK Broadcast Premiere: Saturday, 15th April 1961 5.40pm (ATV London/Southern) |
| 11 |
A Little Art Dr Beaker has bought a painting, ‘Mexican Plain’ by forger Bud Hassler, from art dealer Steindorf who then learns from ex-con Jodie Mellon that the painting shows the exact spot where Hassler buried his counterfeit plates just before he was caught. Steindorf attempts to buy the painting back from Beaker, but the doctor refuses to sell. Steindorf and Mellon break into the laboratory and steal the painting, unaware that Beaker has sprayed the canvas with a solvent to dissolve the top layer in the belief that the artist may have painted over a masterpiece. However, Beaker has kept a photo of the painting, so when Mike recognises the mountain range depicted in it, he and Beaker fly there in Supercar to find out why the painting was stolen. Story by Martin and Hugh Woodhouse Directed by Alan Pattillo Additional Voice Cast:
UK Broadcast Premiere: Saturday, 13th May 1961 5.40pm (ATV London/Southern) |
| 12 |
Ice-Fall The Supercar team take a short break to picnic in the mountains where Beaker intends to explore an underground cave network in search of a frozen waterfall that he has read about. So as not to get lost Beaker ties a piece of string to an outcrop at the cave entrance and unwinds the thread from a ball as he makes his way through the tunnels. Unfortunately, Mitch unties the string and follows the doctor, so when Beaker finally finds the ice-fall and Mitch appears tangled in string, the doctor realises that he is completely lost. Examining the ice-fall, Beaker discovers ancient cave drawings behind the ice curtain, but then a sudden cave-in traps him there and without the trail of string, the rest of the team have no way to find him! Story by Martin and Hugh Woodhouse Directed by Desmond Saunders UK Broadcast Premiere: Saturday, 22nd April 1961 5.40pm (ATV London/Southern) |
| 13 |
The Tracking Of Masterspy Dr Beaker has just completed work on a new direction-finding apparatus as a navigation aid for Supercar when Mike returns from town to report that he has been approached by a journalist from the Grayburn News Agency and interviewed about Supercar. However, the journalist was Masterspy in disguise and Mike has been tailed by Zarin back to Black Rock, enabling Masterspy to pinpoint the laboratory’s secret location. Masterspy arrives in the workshop and threatens to destroy Supercar by igniting leaked aviation spirit unless the team hand over the plans for Supercar and Beaker’s new device. Damaging some of the equipment, Masterspy makes his escape, but the device he has taken is a radio transmitter which enables Mike to track him in Supercar… Story by Martin and Hugh Woodhouse Directed by David Elliott UK Broadcast Premiere: Sunday, 30th July 1961 5.00pm (Southern) |
| 14 |
Phantom Piper Felicity Farnsworth calls Beaker to ask the Supercar team to investigate the appearance of the Phantom Piper of Inverlachan at Castle McCrail in Scotland. The phantom is considered to be an ill omen heralding disaster and Beaker fears that Felicity may be in acute danger, so the entire team take off for Scotland. Anticipating foul play, Mike lands the car on the moors away from the castle and while he and Beaker keep watch on the southern battlements, Popkiss and Jimmy meet Beaker’s uncle Angus McCrail, the Laird of Inverlachan, and his faithful retainer Campbell. On the stroke of midnight, the piper begins to play, but his visibility on the Clear-Vu screen confirms that he is not a ghost at all and Mike suspects a plot to steal the Laird’s priceless Cairngom of McCrail. Story by Martin and Hugh Woodhouse Directed by Alan Pattillo Additional Voice Cast:
UK Broadcast Premiere: Saturday, 29th April 1961 5.40pm (ATV London/Southern) |
| 15 |
Deep Seven To test Supercar’s abilities deep underwater, Mike takes the vehicle 400 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean to be monitored by Beaker and Bill Gibson on the shore. Beaker has attached a cable connecting Supercar with a transmitting aerial floating on the surface so that Mike remains in constant radio contact. Supercar comes to rest on the sea bed but water starts to leak in through the edge of the canopy and when Mike charges the port engine to return to the surface, it initially fails to fire. A second attempt is successful but as the car rises it becomes fouled in the cable of an acoustic mine and the slightest sound could detonate it. Bill dives to the rescue wearing a deep sea diving suit, but then a vicious monster fish attacks Supercar and Mike realises that if it spots Bill, he won’t stand a chance! Story by Martin and Hugh Woodhouse Directed by Desmond Saunders UK Broadcast Premiere: Saturday, 27th May 1961 5.40pm (ATV London/Southern) |
| 16 |
Pirate Plunder Modern-day pirate Black Morgan has been terrorising pleasure yachts in the Pacific, but his boat, the Cuttlefish, is so fast that the authorities are unable to catch him. Mike decides to pursue Morgan in Supercar so the team rendezvous with the Argosy, the private yacht of millionaire Jason Monroe III who agrees to allow his jewel collection to be used as bait for Morgan. Mike submerges Supercar to trail the Argosy at periscope depth and soon the Cuttlefish appears. Destroying the Argosy’s radio aerial, Morgan boards the yacht and steals Monroe’s jewels. But as he leaves, he threatens to open fire on the Argosy with homing torpedoes if anyone attempts to follow him… Story by Martin and Hugh Woodhouse Directed by David Elliott Additional Voice Cast:
UK Broadcast Premiere: Saturday, 6th May 1961 5.25pm (ATV London/Southern) |
| 17 |
Flight Of Fancy Before he goes to bed, Jimmy reads about Princess Caroline of Bavania, a central European state where the King is being deposed. Princess Caroline has vanished so Jimmy suggests taking Supercar to find her. He falls asleep and dreams that he and a talking Mitch fly Supercar to Bavania, landing at an old castle where the Princess is being held prisoner by the villainous Marzak and his secretary Hertz. Marzak plans to become the first President of Bavania by denouncing Rudolph’s claim to the throne and with Caroline being held hostage, the King will have no choice but to accept Marzak’s proclamation. Then Marzak hears Jimmy and Mitch approaching so he sets a trap, locking them in the castle’s main hall with no means of escape… Story by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson Directed by Alan Pattillo Additional Voice Cast:
UK Broadcast Premiere: Saturday, 20th May 1961 5.40pm (ATV London/Southern) |
| 18 |
Hostage While visiting Ireland, Beaker is staying at the Shamrock Inn when Harper and Judd arrive for a drink. The innkeeper’s daughter Eileen recognises the pair as agents of the Big Man and his smuggling operation but Harper pulls a gun and takes her hostage to deter her father from calling the police. Beaker calls Mike who races to Ireland in Supercar. In order to locate Harper’s hideout, they secrete Beaker’s radio transmitter inside a case of money which Judd is unable to resist stealing when he and Harper make their next visit to the inn. Unfortunately, as he and Beaker monitor the villains’ position, Mike accidentally throws the ‘Talk’ switch on the radio receiver. When Harper hears their voices coming from the case, he discovers the transmitter and decides to lay a trap! Story by Martin and Hugh Woodhouse Directed by Desmond Saunders Additional Voice Cast:
UK Broadcast Premiere: Saturday, 3rd June 1961 5.25pm (ATV London/Southern) |
| 19 |
The Sunken Temple Archaeologist Professor Terman invites the Supercar team to help in locating the sunken temple of Poseidon the sea god after he finds an ancient vase in the Aegean Sea. Five days later, the team fly out to the Mediterranean and join Terman at his camp, but as they enjoy a barbecue around the camp fire, a gypsy named Antonio appears, claiming to read their fortunes and warning of danger and death if they persist in their search for the temple. The next morning, Mike and Beaker set off to explore the sea bed in Supercar, observed from the cliffs above by Antonio, actually a bandit named Spyros who has hidden a stolen strong box in the temple remains. To prevent the team from finding it, he intends to sabotage the mission by launching home-made depth charges into the sea! Story by Martin and Hugh Woodhouse Directed by David Elliott Additional Voice Cast:
UK Broadcast Premiere: Saturday, 10th June 1961 5.25pm (ATV London) |
| 20 |
Trapped In The Depths Off the coast of New Zealand, a Navy attempt to make the deepest ever underwater dive goes badly wrong when bathyscaphe LU-1 is inexplicably damaged and sinks, becoming jammed between rocks 4,000 fathoms down. Telephone contact is severed, but Commander Keefe and scientist John Fraser are able to communicate their situation via their Asdic equipment. With a new ultrasonic gun mounted on Supercar’s bonnet, Mike and Beaker set off for New Zealand and dive into the sea, making a swift descent to attempt a rescue but suddenly the car is attacked by a monster fish! Story by Martin and Hugh Woodhouse Directed by Alan Pattillo Additional Voice Cast:
UK Broadcast Premiere: Sunday, 25th June 1961 5.00pm (Southern) |
| 21 |
Crash Landing After completing another test in Supercar, Mike, Beaker, Jimmy and Mitch are about to return to Black Rock when the starboard engine fails and the controls become jammed. Mike is forced to make a crash landing in the African jungle and fortunately no one is hurt. Mike and Jimmy set up camp while Mitch helps Beaker to make repairs to Supercar, but after Beaker is attacked by a snake, the team realise that it is too dangerous to continue the repair work in the dark so they turn in, leaving Mitch on guard duty. The next morning, Mitch has disappeared so, while Mike and Jimmy search for him, Beaker completes his repairs. He tests the car at supersonic speed by remote control, but the sonic boom causes a herd of elephants to stampede, heading directly for the camp! Story by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson Directed by Desmond Saunders UK Broadcast Premiere: Sunday, 23rd July 1961 5.00pm (Southern) |
| 22 |
The Dragon Of Ho Meng Caught in a typhoon, Mike, Jimmy and Mitch land Supercar on a remote Chinese island. There, they find an ancient Chinese temple and are welcomed to the home of Ho Meng and his daughter Lotus Blossom. Ho Meng has mistaken Supercar for a dragon which is a sign of ill fortune, so Mike takes the old man for a ride in the ‘mechanical kite’ in an attempt to persuade him that the car will not bring bad luck. As they land inside the temple, an evil Chinaman named Mr Fang appears and announces that he intends to blow up the temple to reveal a legendary treasure hidden within its walls. He takes Ho Meng hostage and locks Mike, Jimmy, Mitch and Lotus Blossom in the temple, but they escape in Supercar along a secret underground tunnel which eventually leads outside. Mike races back to the temple to stop Mr Fang before he can detonate his explosives! Story by Martin and Hugh Woodhouse Directed by David Elliott Additional Voice Cast:
UK Broadcast Premiere: Sunday, 2nd July 1961 5.00pm (Southern) |
| 23 |
The Lost City Mike, Beaker, Jimmy and Mitch take Supercar on an exploratory mission to the South Pole but the vehicle is forced off course over the Amazon Basin and brought to a controlled landing in the ruins of an ancient city. As Mike and Beaker investigate the mins, they step onto a hidden elevator panel which takes them underground into a secret complex. There they meet mad scientist Professor Watkins who imprisons them in a steel cell and reveals his plan to target Washington DC with an atomic missile. Jimmy and Mitch attempt to escape in Supercar, which is flown by Popkiss under remote control, but Watkins sends one of his robot servants to stop them… Story by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson Directed by Alan Pattillo Additional Voice Cast:
UK Broadcast Premiere: Saturday, 17th June 1961 5.25pm (ATV London) |
| 24 |
The Magic Carpet Beaker has developed a pocket remote console with engine noise suppressor for Supercar. Just as he and Mike finish testing it, Popkiss sends them on an urgent mission to deliver medical supplies to Karakan in Central Asia where Prince Hassan is dangerously ill after a riding accident. The team fly to the remote city in the desert, but when they arrive at the palace they meet Alif Bey who intends to allow Hassan to die so that he can seize power and marry Hassan’s sister, the Princess Medina. The Supercar team are locked in a room on the opposite side of the courtyard from Hassan and Medina, so Beaker uses the pocket remote to send Supercar on a pilotless flight… Story by Martin and Hugh Woodhouse Directed by Desmond Saunders Additional Voice Cast:
UK Broadcast Premiere: Sunday, 9th July 1961 5.00pm (Southern) |
| 25 |
The White Line Chicago gangsters Maxie and Joe Hoyle have organised a series of night-time robberies on Safe T Cars security vehicles in England, laying a false centre line on a sharp bend in the road to lead the drivers over the edge of a cliff. Scotland Yard asks the Supercar team for help so Mike, Beaker, Jimmy and Mitch fly to London where they agree to transport a shipment of gold bullion across the city to the Bank of Kensington. Once there, Mike, Beaker and a Scotland Yard Inspector deliver the gold to the vault, but the Hoyles are waiting inside with machine guns. They lock the trio in the vault and make a clean getaway with the gold! Story by Martin and Hugh Woodhouse Directed by Alan Pattillo Additional Voice Cast:
UK Broadcast Premiere: Sunday, 6th August 1961 5.00pm (Southern) |
| 26 |
Supercar "Take One" While Popkiss is on holiday at his sister’s house in Chicago, Beaker purchases professional film-making equipment in order to make a permanent film record of all of his experiments. Jimmy persuades Beaker to use the equipment to make a film about the Supercar team, but when the negatives are sent to be processed by a laboratory at Satellite Productions in New York, the reels that are returned show US Naval warships and top secret plans of a marine nuclear power unit. Mike realises that a spy ring is operating from the Satellite Productions offices, but when the team fly to New York to investigate, Mike and Beaker fall foul of foreign agent Herman Gredenski and his devious assistant Miss Devenish… Story by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson Directed by Desmond Saunders Additional Voice Cast:
UK Broadcast Premiere: Sunday, 16th July 1961 5.00pm (Southern) |
| Cast List | |
|---|---|
| Mike Mercury | Graydon Gould |
| Professor Rudolph Popkiss | George Murcell |
| Dr. Horatio Beaker | David Graham |
| Jimmy Gibson | Sylvia Thamm |
| Mitch | David Graham |
| Masterspy | George Murcell |
| Zarin | David Graham |