HYPNOTIC SPHERE

The production team are clearly still finding their feet in this early episode. Script and direction don’t quite gel at certain points, and Alan Fennell’s comic strip background is evident in some of the rather corny dialogue, eg: “he’s got us cold.” Oddities that should have been removed at script editing stage also find their way into the script, such as Steve’s meaningless utterance: “Landing procedure 473. Ten minus zero.” In general, Gerry and Sylvia made quite a poor job of script editing Fireball, certainly in these early episodes, and many inconsistencies are allowed to creep through.

Barry Gray’s score, by contrast, is exemplary, and the music from Hypnotic Sphere ranks amongst Fireball’s best, with a moody jazz theme underscoring the scenes where Steve and Matt approach the EFZ tanker. Sadly, little or none of it was deemed suitable for re-use in later episodes.

There are a number of poorly-lit scenes: a left to right angle across the control cabin is oddly murky and lacking contrast. Similarly, the scenes as Fireball approaches Mirana are dark and obscured by an ill-judged attempt to introduce a smoky atmosphere. It’s possible these few scenes may have been shot on different film stock: they are the worst examples of photography in the entire series, and the effect is jarring when intercut with the crisp, well-exposed black and white footage that was the norm on Fireball. Similarly, the episode suffers rather badly from visible strings on screen. This would be considerably improved as the series progressed. In this instance, the pulsating light from the hypnotic sphere seems to have caused most of the problems.

Visual inconsistencies include Fireball landing directly onto its launching cradle, and the tanker pilots’ uniforms: in subsequent episodes, all space pilots are seen in variants of the Fireball uniform, whereas the pilots in Hypnotic Sphere are dressed similarly to Lt. Ninety. One might infer from this that the original Fireball pilots’ uniform was intended to be the same as that worn by Space City personnel, and indeed Reg Hill’s early production drawings depict Steve Zodiac in this more basic outfit. The EFZ tanker, though not featured in subsequent episodes, can be seen again on the Space City apron in Plant Man From Space, and evidently caught the eye of artist Eric Eden, who included it in two illustrations for the second edition of WM Collins’ Fireball XL5 Annual.

Alan Pattillo’s direction shows some of his trademark effects, such as extreme closeups and inventive angles, especially noticeable in the scenes where Steve and co. confront the brain creature.

In summary, one of Fireball’s weakest episodes, unevenly paced, with no genuine moments of drama and none of the humour that would come to characterise the series. Someone, either at APF or ATV, evidently realised Hypnotic Sphere was a dud, for despite being one of the first episodes completed, it remained unbroadcast until close to the end of the original transmission run.

Planet 46

Pilot episodes are rarely the best examples of any series, and Planet 46 is no exception. During the 1960s, an 18-minute edit of this episode was available to buy on 8mm film, and this shorter version is a much more efficient telling of the story. By contrast, the full length episode suffers from padding and expository dialogue typical of pilot episode scene-setting.

Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s storyline is somewhat lacking in logic: there is no attempt to explain the Subterrains’ attack on Earth, and Professor Matic’s threat to the Subterrain Chief to “destroy your planet” is typical of these early series, wherein alien threats are usually settled by missiles or at gunpoint. Later, in Stingray, Alan Fennell would go some way towards setting the record straight, with peaceful solutions to several stories.

The script and direction are somewhat strained in places, and there is already too much procedural jargon, most notably in the scenes where XL5 prepares to intercept the Planetomic missile: “Master guidance system UHF. G rate two.” There is an attempt to convey the length of time Fireball travels through space to reach Planet 46: a scene in the XL5 lounge and a montage of characters sleeping while Robert pilots the ship. To modern audiences this must seem an unnecessary longeur, and the episode in general is held back by too many such scenes.

Visual inconsistencies that would be addressed in later episodes include shots of Fireball Junior undocking and the absence of both landing legs and pyrotechnic effects on the large Junior model.

Once Fireball reaches Planet 46, the pace improves considerably, with Steve’s crossing of the lake of fire, a sequence that is handled remarkably well (though the combination of two Barry Gray themes in the background results in some oddly dissonant music here).

Viewing the episode on a modern large screen TV reveals many flaws in the models, such as blistering paint on Steve’s jetmobile and Fireball Junior. These would be less evident in later episodes. As the production team’s first attempt at alien characters, the Subterrains are remarkably effective, and would provide a blueprint for subsequent races. A surviving face section from one of the characters shows them to have had metallic green skin and red eyes.

Planet 46 does its job in establishing the series characters and hardware, but the story itself is so routine it could be comfortably condensed into a two-page comic strip.

"Right - let's go!"

"I've seen that doggone movie of yours so many times I recognise every rusty old cannonball in it!" Not a quote from Fireball XL5, but Stingray. And as with Commander Shore and Admiral Denver's movie, so it is with me and Fireball XL5. I've literally seen the episodes so many times I know every wobbly special effect, every dialogue oddity, every toothpaste tube cap...

I'm just embarking on another re-run of all the episodes for what must be the tenth time (at least), and I'll be blogging my observations as we go along.

At times, this may read like harsh criticism - but I've been a fan of the series since the age of two, and I'll try to be fair as well as firm. This critique is intended as an accompaniment to your own re-runs of the episodes, rather like a commentary, and I hope it will add to your own enjoyment of the series.

Okay Venus?