Timelash (UFO)

"Timelash"
UFO episode
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 18
Directed by	Cyril Frankel
Written by	Terence Feely
Production code	24 July to 6 August 1970
Original air date	17 February 1971 (ATV Midlands)

"Timelash" is the eighteenth episode aired of the first series of UFO, a 1970 British television science fiction series about an alien invasion of Earth. The screenplay was written by Terence Feely and the director was Cyril Frankel. The episode was filmed from 24 July to 6 August 1970, and aired on ATV Midlands on 17 February 1971. Though shown as the eighteenth episode, it was actually the twenty-fourth to have been filmed.

The series was created by Gerry Anderson and Sylvia Anderson with Reg Hill, and produced by the Andersons and Lew Grade's Century 21 Productions for Grade's ITC Entertainment company.

Story

Straker and Col. Lake are attacked by a UFO whilst en route to SHADO headquarters. As they pass through the outer checkpoint, night mysteriously turns into day; they find everyone and everything, both on the studio lots and inside SHADO HQ, has been frozen in time.

Inside SHADO HQ they encounter Turner, a SHADO operative who is working for the aliens. He has placed a device in the HQ that freezes time on Earth and allows a UFO to approach the planet undetected. Straker and Lake attempt to kill Turner but he is able to manipulate time to avoid their attacks.

The UFO is waiting for time to unfreeze in order to attack SHADO HQ. Straker arms himself with a shoulder-fired missile to destroy it. However, Turner ambushes the pair, knocking Lake unconscious and stealing a key required to operate the missile. Straker hunts down Turner, chasing him in mini-cars through the studio lot. Turner tells Straker he cannot shoot him, for he is never where Straker sees him to be. To counter this, Straker shoots in a wide arc, hoping that at least one bullet will find its mark. He thereby shoots and kills Turner, gets the missile key, and destroys the incoming UFO; he also turns off the time-freezing device.

Errors

• Just as in the Space: 1999 episode "One Moment of Humanity", actors who are portraying "frozen" characters sometimes move.

Cast

Starring

• Ed Bishop — Col. Edward "Ed" Straker, Commander-in-chief of SHADO
• Michael Billington — Col. Paul J. Foster
• Wanda Ventham — Col. Virginia Lake
• Dolores Mantez — Lt. Nina Barry
• Keith Alexander — Lt. Keith Ford
• Ayshea — Lt. Ayshea Johnson
• Vladek Sheybal — Dr. Douglas Jackson
• Norma Ronald — Miss Ealand

Featuring

• Grant Taylor — Gen. James L. Henderson, President of IAC
• Patrick Allen — Turner

Other cast

• Ron Pember — Casting agent
• Kirsten Lindholm — Actress
• Jean Vladon — Actor
• Douglas Nottage — SHADO maintenance engineer
• John Lyons — Studio guard
• John C. Carney — Studio security guard

Production notes

Locations used for the filming included Neptune House, BBC Elstree Studios, Borehamwood.