User Reviews

One thing 'U.F.O.' had in common with 'The Goodies' was that although intended as an adult show, it kept being scheduled in family-friendly time slots because the station realised it was popular with children. 'The Long Sleep', however, was the only episode to receive its first showing in a late-night slot.

Straker learns that 'Catherine Frazer' ( Tessa Wyatt ) has emerged from a ten-year long coma, caused by a car accident. He has good cause to remember her - he was driving the car! The girl recalls she had left home to get away from her 'stifling' parents, and met 'Tim Redman' ( Christian Roberts ), a medical student who dropped out of college to become a busker on London's streets. Tim and Catherine hitch a lift into the country and arrive at a derelict farmhouse. They take L.S.D. and experience strange psychedelic images ( it should be noted at this point that the flashbacks were in sepia but as the drugs take effect the picture goes colour crazy ). They find Aliens planting a device, and assume it is part of the trip. Catherine steals a vital component, which she hides. Tim dies when he falls from the roof, and the Aliens drag his body away. Running away from a would-be rapist, Catherine is hit by Straker's car. The S.H.A.D.O. boss has to find out where the bomb is, along with its component, to stop the Aliens causing an explosion that will kill millions...

Written by David Tomblin, also responsible for 'The Cat With Ten Lives' and 'Reflections In The Water', this is a stunning episode, with Wyatt turning in a strong performance as Catherine. As her memory of the nightmare gradually returns - assisted by Jackson's drugs - she seems to warm to Straker. It is the 'trip' sequence which caused the episode to be scheduled in a later slot, along with Catherine's near-rape at the hands of a lorry driver ( John Garrie ). There are a few plot holes, however - the boat where Catherine hid the component is still moored under the same bridge ten years later!

Jeremy Summers was one of several experienced film makers brought in during a production break, and a notable difference can be seen compared to the earlier shows, which were mostly directed by long-term Anderson associates such as Ken Turner and Dave Lane. The sequence with Tim doffing his top hat and falling off the roof in slow motion while Catherine laughs maniacally is haunting and beautifully shot.

The tragic ending - Catherine ages to death because the Aliens gave her remaining years to Tim - effectively brought the show to a close. I regret there was no second season - although one nearly did get made - but the comic-strip stories in 'Countdown/T.V. Action' are well worth seeking out.

Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's next show saw them move out of sci-fi territory altogether, for the globe-trotting Robert Vaughn & Nyree Dawn Porter adventure show 'The Protectors'.