THE SECRET SERVICE - "A Case For The Bishop" (1969)

Tonight's Weird Wednesday presentation is a very krazy British TV show from 1969 called "The Secret Service." There were a total of fourteen episodes. "The Secret Service" is a strange show because it's a mixture or real people and/or marionettes of the same people. I still haven't figured out if I like it or not, but it is definitely odd!

Stanley Unwin is Father Stanley Unwin, Yes, they named the lead character after the man who was playing him, and that pretty much explains the whole thing!

 

You can be the judge as to whether you think this puppet is a good likeness of Stanley or not!
 

 

Even though you probably never heard of him, Stanley Unwin was famous for speaking "Unwinese", a made-up language of gibberish, that for some uncanny reason still seems to make sense. If this video doesn't make you snicker, then I don't know what will!

This first episode was called "A Case For The Bishop."

 

"The Secret Service" was another puppet show that was created by the Andersons, Gerry and Sylvia. You know, the "Thunderbirds Are Go," "Captain Scarlett," "Stingray," and "Fireball XL5" people.

Some of their creations are so realistic, they can be quite creepy, like this guy, The Bishop who runs the whole show!

Oh, and there are always lots of strange and interesting devices like this!

"British Investigation Services Headquarters - Operation Priest"

Father Unwin unwinds outside and is catching some rays.

Groovy Building!

This is the Father's gardener Matthew Harding whose voice was that of Gary Files. Gary has done voice over work in many other Anderson shows too.

But Matthew isn't just a gardener, he's also the Father's right hand man, and the guy who makes things happen!!

 

This creepy bad guy puppet looks like he was based on the look of Charles Bronson to me!

Just push a few buttons on this handy dandy unit, and watch what happens to Mathew!

Matthew goes from being a full-sized man................

.................To a pipsqueak in just a matter of a few seconds!

And now he can conveniently be placed in this spy briefcase. It looks a little claustrophobic to me, but Matthew doesn't seem to mind!

The whole show bounces back and forth between real people action, and puppet action!

Tell me that the look of this puppet was not based on Martin Shaw...........

.......................Aka, Doyle of "The Professionals."

After all the serious stuff gets taken care of, Father Unwin goes back and is just a priest again.

"The Secret Service" is pretty wild, and thanks once again to Lord Litter in Berlin, 

you can watch them all yourself and come to your own conclusions, and you can do it all right 

HERE!!