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{{Short description|1969 British science fiction TV series}}
{{About|the British television series||Secret Service (disambiguation){{!}}Secret Service}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2025}}
{{Infobox television
| image              = The Secret Service titlescreen.jpg
| alt                = The title "The Secret Service", rendered in a bold, white, serif font, is superimposed above an image of a church set against a rural background of tree-lined hills bathed in bright sunlight.
| genre              = [[Science fiction on television|Science fiction]]
| creator            = [[Gerry Anderson|Gerry]] & [[Sylvia Anderson]]
| voices             = {{Ubl|[[Keith Alexander (actor)|Keith Alexander]]|Sylvia Anderson|[[Gary Files]]|[[David Healy (actor)|David Healy]]|[[Stanley Unwin (comedian)|Stanley Unwin]]|[[Jeremy Wilkin]]|[[David Graham (actor)|David Graham]]}}
| music              = [[Barry Gray]]
| country            = United Kingdom
| language           = English
| num_series         = 1
| num_episodes       = 13
| producer           = [[David Lane (director)|David Lane]]
| executive_producer = [[Reg Hill]]
| cinematography     = {{Plain list|
* Paddy Seale
* Julien Lugrin
}}
| editor             = {{Plain list|
* Alan Killick
* Len Cleal
* Norman A. Cole
}}
| runtime            = 25 minutes
| company            = [[AP Films#Century 21|Century 21 Television Productions]]
| network            = [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]
| first_aired        = {{Start date|1969|09|21|df=y}}
| last_aired         = {{End date|1969|12|14|df=y}}
| budget             = £50,000 per episode<ref>{{Cite book |title = The Complete Book of Gerry Anderson's UFO |first1 = Chris |last1 = Bentley |editor1-first = Marcus |editor1-last = Hearn |year = 2016 |orig-year = 2003 |edition = 3rd |publisher = Signum Books |isbn = 978-0-9955191-0-7 |page = 15 }}</ref>
}}

'''''The Secret Service''''' is a 1969 British [[science fiction television series]] created by [[Gerry Anderson|Gerry]] and [[Sylvia Anderson]] and filmed by their production company, [[AP Films#Century 21|Century 21]], for [[ITC Entertainment]]. It follows the exploits of Father Stanley Unwin, a puppet character voiced by, and modelled on, the [[Stanley Unwin (comedian)|comedian of the same name]]. Outwardly an eccentric [[vicar]], Unwin is secretly an agent of BISHOP, a division of [[British Intelligence]] that counters criminal and terrorist threats. Assisted by fellow agent Matthew Harding, Unwin's missions involve frequent use of the Minimiser, a device capable of [[Resizing (fiction)|shrinking]] people and objects to facilitate covert operations. In hostile situations, Unwin spouts a form of [[gibberish]] (based on the real Unwin's nonsense language, "Unwinese") to distract the enemy.

''The Secret Service'' was the last Anderson series to be made using a form of electronic [[marionette]] puppetry called "[[Supermarionation]]". This technique was combined with [[scale model]] effects sequences and – uniquely for an Anderson puppet series – extensive footage of live actors in [[long shot]]. The move towards non-puppet live action was influenced by Gerry Anderson, who wanted to increase the realism of Supermarionation. Filming began in August 1968 and ended with the completion of the thirteenth episode in January 1969 after [[Lew Grade]], Century 21's owner and financial backer, responded negatively to a test screening and cancelled the production. Grade believed that the inclusion of Unwinese had made it impossible to sell the series to the American market.

The series was transmitted on three of the [[ITV network]]'s regional franchises and has not been repeated since 1975. Critical response has been mixed, with verdicts ranging from the Andersons' "forgotten gem" to their "one flop". Commentators have questioned the wisdom of hiring Unwin, arguing that his gibberish had too little comic value to sustain viewer interest. However, the series has been praised for the writing of its supporting characters. ''The Secret Service'' was Gerry Anderson's final puppet series until ''[[Terrahawks]]'' in the 1980s.

==Premise==
''The Secret Service'' follows the exploits of Father Stanley Unwin, the [[parish priest]] of an English village. Outwardly an eccentric middle-aged vicar, Unwin moonlights as an operative of the intelligence agency BISHOP ("[[British Intelligence|'''B'''ritish '''I'''ntelligence]] '''S'''ervice '''H'''eadquarters, '''O'''peration '''P'''riest"). He is stationed at his [[vicarage]] with fellow BISHOP agent Matthew Harding, who when not assisting Unwin on missions affects a country accent and serves as the Father's [[verger]] and gardener. Supporting characters include The Bishop, head of BISHOP and Unwin's superior, Blake, a junior BISHOP operative, and Mrs Appleby, Unwin's housekeeper, who is unaware of Unwin and Matthew's double life as spies.

Prior to the series, Professor Humbert invented the Minimiser, a device capable of [[Resizing (fiction)|shrinking]] people or objects to one third of their normal size. When Humbert died it was inherited by Unwin, who conceals it inside a large book. The device is regularly used on Matthew, who is reduced to a height of {{Convert|2|ft|cm|spell=in}} to enable him to carry out covert reconnaissance where any normal-sized person would be noticed. (In this way, the puppet is shown to interact with life-sized sets and live actors whose faces are kept out of shot.) Occasionally it is also used to shrink enemies, literally bringing them down to Matthew's size.

Unwin carries the miniaturised Matthew around in a specially adapted briefcase, which can open from the inside and contains field equipment such as a periscope. During missions, the agents communicate via [[earpiece]] transceivers, with Unwin's disguised as his hearing aid. Their primary mode of transport is a revamped 1917 [[Ford Model T]] called ''Gabriel'', which can reach speeds over {{Convert|50|mph}}. If challenged by law enforcement or enemy agents, Unwin spouts a form of gibberish to confuse the opposition and cover for Matthew.

While most of the Supermarionation series are set in the future, the events of ''The Secret Service'' take place in the then-present day.<ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 151">Bentley 2008, p. 151.</ref><ref name="Archer and Nicholls, 142"/><ref>Bentley 2001, p. 115.</ref><ref name="Archer, 85">Archer, p. 85.</ref> The episodes "Errand of Mercy" and "The Deadly Whisper" are respectively set on 3 February 1969 and 24 May 1969.<ref>Bentley 2008, pp.&nbsp;154 and 156.</ref> Gerry Anderson biographers [[Simon Archer (author)|Simon Archer]] and Marcus Hearn argue that the setting is ambiguous: they believe it to be "sometime in the near future" but note that the world of ''The Secret Service'' sees "[[Morris Minor]]s negotiate leafy country roads while space-age helijets patrol the skies", ultimately concluding that the series is so fantastic that it "isn't set in the real world at all."<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 183"/>

===Episodes===
{{Episode table
|overall=
|title=
|director=
|writer=
|airdate=
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{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=1
|Title=A Case for the Bishop
|DirectedBy=Alan Perry
|WrittenBy=[[Gerry Anderson|Gerry]] and [[Sylvia Anderson]]
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1969|9|21|df=y}}
|ProdCode=1
|ShortSummary=Agents of the rogue state of Dreisenberg raid the Healey Automation plant and steal the revolutionary KX20 computer. [[British Intelligence]] fear that the Dreisenberg ambassador will invoke his [[diplomatic immunity]] to smuggle the device out of the country. Father Unwin and Matthew set off in ''Gabriel'' to recapture the KX20.}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=2
|Title=A Question of Miracles
|DirectedBy=Leo Eaton
|WrittenBy=[[Donald James]]
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1969|9|28|df=y}}
|ProdCode=2
|ShortSummary=Explosions at [[desalination]] plants in Africa and Burgossa point to sabotage. Rushing to the last surviving facility in Port Trennick, Unwin and Matthew find themselves in a race against time to prevent its destruction.}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=3
|Title=To Catch A Spy
|DirectedBy=Brian Heard
|WrittenBy=Pat Dunlop
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1969|10|5|df=y}}
|ProdCode=4
|ShortSummary=Convict George Gray breaks out of prison and makes contact with Sir Humphrey Burton, who has promised him passage out of Britain aboard a submarine. Unwin is assigned to intercept the pair at [[Kew Gardens]] and capture them with the aid of the Minimiser.}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=4
|Title=The Feathered Spies
|DirectedBy=Ian Spurrier
|WrittenBy=[[Tony Barwick]]
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1969|10|12|df=y}}
|ProdCode=3
|ShortSummary=The development of the new XK4 fighter plane has been jeopardised by [[industrial spy]] De Groot, who has blackmailed [[ornithologist]] John Masden into fitting cameras to his domesticated pigeons to carry out illicit surveillance. Investigating, Unwin and Matthew learn that De Groot plans to use the pigeons to bomb Crayfield Airbase.}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=5
|Title=Last Train to Bufflers Halt
|DirectedBy=Alan Perry
|WrittenBy=Tony Barwick
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1969|10|19|df=y}}
|ProdCode=5
|ShortSummary=As part of a criminal operation to seize £1&nbsp;million in bank notes ''en route'' to London, the train carrying the shipment is diverted to the disused Buffler's Halt Station. Unwin and Matthew help to subdue the gang responsible. However, on the way back up the line, [[stationmaster]] Albert Hobson realises that he cannot stop the train, which is travelling at {{Convert|80|mph}}.}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=6
|Title=Hole in One
|DirectedBy=Brian Heard
|WrittenBy=[[Shane Rimmer]]
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1969|10|26|df=y}}
|ProdCode=8
|ShortSummary=When the G9 orbital satellite warning system is sabotaged, the evidence points to General Brompton, to whom Unwin relays false intelligence during a golf match. Spying on Brompton's henchmen Kromer and Blake, Unwin learns that the golf balls contain miniature recording devices. The fate of the satellites rests on Unwin's success in scoring a [[hole in one]].}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=7
|Title=Recall to Service
|DirectedBy=Peter Anderson
|WrittenBy=Pat Dunlop
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1969|11|2|df=y}}
|ProdCode=7
|ShortSummary=Unwin and Matthew investigate what appears to be a case of sabotage when the AquaTank, a new [[military robot]] of the World Army, develops a mechanical fault. As [[NATO]] officials attend a demonstration of the AquaTank's capabilities, suspicion falls on Captain Mitchell when he instructs computer expert Professor Graham to program the tank to fire on the officials' bunker.}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=8
|Title=Errand of Mercy
|DirectedBy=Leo Eaton
|WrittenBy=Tony Barwick
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1969|11|9|df=y}}
|ProdCode=6
|ShortSummary=Unwin falls ill from heatstroke and recovers at his vicarage. After reading a newspaper article about an epidemic in Africa, he has a surreal dream in which he and Matthew are tasked with ferrying medical supplies to Bishopsville in a [[Flying car|flying]] ''Gabriel''. When they are captured by native tribesmen for human sacrifice, Unwin must save himself and Matthew with the help of his gobbledygook.}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=9
|Title=The Deadly Whisper
|DirectedBy=Leo Eaton
|WrittenBy=Donald James
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1969|11|16|df=y}}
|ProdCode=11
|ShortSummary=Professor Soames has invented an ultrasonic vibrational rifle capable of destroying armoured vehicles. Plotting to use the weapon to shoot down an experimental aircraft, criminal Mark Slater and his gang kidnap Soames' daughter, Anne. With the professor's help, Unwin and Matthew rescue Anne and then set out to foil Slater.}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=10
|Title=The Cure
|DirectedBy=Leo Eaton
|WrittenBy=Pat Dunlop
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1969|11|23|df=y}}
|ProdCode=10
|ShortSummary=While racing to apprehend a foreign assassin called Sakov, who has checked in to Greenways health clinic on the pretext of receiving experimental therapy, Unwin is unaware that his target has designs on the new additive chemical GK2, which when mixed with water produces a lethal compound as combustible as high-octane fuel.}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=11
|Title=School for Spies
|DirectedBy=[[Ken Turner (director)|Ken Turner]]
|WrittenBy=Donald James
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1969|11|30|df=y}}
|ProdCode=9
|ShortSummary=The Bishop orders Unwin and Matthew to investigate the sabotage of several military installations. After tracking down Brother Gregory, a Christian [[layman]] who was involved in a car accident near the scene of the latest attack, Unwin slips the miniaturised Matthew into a briefcase belonging to Gregory's associate Brother Thomas. Arriving at Pennydridge Seminary, Harding discovers that the brothers are actually mercenaries who answer to their own [[Archdeacon]].}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=12
|Title=May-Day, May-Day!
|DirectedBy=Alan Perry
|WrittenBy=Bob Kesten
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1969|12|7|df=y}}
|ProdCode=12
|ShortSummary=Unwin and Harding are assigned to protect the King of Muldovia, who is in London to sign an [[oil rights]] treaty. The Muldovian Prince wants the throne for himself, but his attempt to have the King assassinated is foiled when his hitman is startled by the miniaturised Matthew and falls to his death from an open window. The Prince then hides a bomb inside a toy bear intended for the King's son.}}
{{Episode list
|EpisodeNumber=13
|Title=More Haste Less Speed
|DirectedBy=Ken Turner
|WrittenBy=Tony Barwick
|OriginalAirDate={{Start date|1969|12|14|df=y}}
|ProdCode=13
|ShortSummary=Lord and Lady Hazlewell, their associate Spiker and ex-convict Mullins meet at Hazlewell Manor in a conspiracy to print [[Counterfeit United States currency|forged US dollar bills]]. The Hazlewells inherited one of two counterfeiting plates from their late father; when the second plate is revealed to be hidden at Greenacre Farm, the Hazlewells, Spiker and Mullins turn on each other in a race to claim the prize. Unwin and Matthew set out to beat them to it.}}
}}

==Voice cast==
With the exception of Unwin, all voice actors on ''The Secret Service'' had supplied voices for earlier Supermarionation series. ''The Secret Service'' featured the voices of:

*[[Stanley Unwin (comedian)|Stanley Unwin]] as Father Stanley Unwin (aged 57), a parish priest in rural England who carries out top-secret missions for BISHOP (British Intelligence Service Headquarters, Operation Priest).<ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 151"/> Due to the realistic vicar costume that he wore on location, passing members of the public often mistook Unwin for a real vicar.<ref name="StanleyUnwinInterview2">{{cite web |url = http://www.stanleyunwin.com/work_tv_secret_3.htm |title = The Seekry Servy: Stanley on ''The Secret Service'' |work = stanleyunwin.com |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110718094106/http://www.stanleyunwin.com/work_tv_secret_3.htm |archive-date = 18 July 2011 |access-date = 26 September 2010 |url-status = live }}</ref>
*[[Gary Files]] as Matthew Harding (aged 28), Unwin's partner in BISHOP as well as gardener of his vicarage.<ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 151"/> Files fondly remembered his time on ''The Secret Service'', stating that he enjoyed voicing Harding more than Captain Magenta in ''Captain Scarlet''.<ref name="TheVervoid">{{cite web |url = http://www.thevervoid.com/media/scarlet_interview.htm |title = Gary Files Interview |work = thevervoid.com |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080626072515/http://www.thevervoid.com/media/scarlet_interview.htm |archive-date = 26 June 2008 |access-date = 26 September 2010 |url-status = dead }}</ref> He made significant contributions to Harding's characterisation, devising the character's rural accent himself: "It just seemed so right for the character. Then once I had the voice, the rest of Matthew followed."<ref name="TheVervoid"/>
*[[Sylvia Anderson]] as Mrs Appleby (aged 55), Unwin's housekeeper, who is kept ignorant of Unwin and Harding's double life.<ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 151"/>
*[[Jeremy Wilkin]] as The Bishop (aged 52), a high-ranking British Intelligence official and head of BISHOP, based in [[Whitehall]].<ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 151"/>
*[[Keith Alexander (actor)|Keith Alexander]] as Agent Blake, a cautious junior agent of BISHOP, who has speaking roles in three episodes ("A Question of Miracles", "Last Train to Bufflers Halt" and "The Cure").

Supporting character voices were provided by all of the regular cast except Unwin, with additional contributions by [[David Healy (actor)|David Healy]] and (for the final two episodes, "May-Day, May-Day!" and "More Haste Less Speed") [[David Graham (actor)|David Graham]].

==Production==
===Development===
{{Quote box|quote=I thought it would be a great idea if I cast [Unwin] in the role of a secret agent; he played the part of a priest and he had his own church, hence the title – the double meaning – ''The Secret Service''. If he ever got into a difficult spot, say the police had stopped him, he would talk to them in his Unwinese and that would fox the police totally ... So that was the [[gimmick]].|source=—&nbsp;[[Gerry Anderson]] on the series' premise<ref name="La Rivière, 190"/>|salign=right|width=30%}}

After the completion of ''[[Joe 90]]'', producer Gerry Anderson decided to create another espionage series.<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 180">Archer and Hearn, p. 180.</ref> This would feature an English village as the home of its spy protagonist, an eccentric parish priest.<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 180"/> Anderson hired [[Stanley Unwin (comedian)|Stanley Unwin]] to voice the character (which was ultimately also sculpted on and named after him) after unexpectedly meeting Unwin at [[Pinewood Studios]] while the comedian was completing dubbing work on the film ''[[Chitty Chitty Bang Bang]]''.<ref>La Rivière, pp.&nbsp;189 and 192.</ref> Unwin's fee was set at £250 per episode.<ref name="Dale2023">{{Cite book |title = The Secrets of The Secret Service |first1 = Chris |last1 = Dale |editor1-first = Stephanie |editor1-last = Briggs |year = 2023 |publisher = [[Anderson Entertainment]] |isbn = 9781914522642 |page = 13 }}</ref>

Unwin was the creator of "Unwinese", a form of gibberish that was outwardly unintelligible but retained some aspects of meaning.<ref name="La Rivière, 189">La Rivière, p. 189.</ref> Anderson remembered Unwin's radio and TV performances using the language and thought that it would suit the character of a secret agent, also reasoning that it would have comic value if shown to confuse the enemy.<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 180"/> In his biography, he explained: "As far as I was concerned, Stanley came first and then the idea had to accommodate him. It wasn't that the story called for someone who could speak gobbledygook, it was a question of how we could fit him into the storyline."<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 180"/> Due to the esoteric nature of Unwinese, the writers briefed Unwin on the storylines and left space in their scripts for him to draft all the gibberish dialogue himself.<ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 151"/><ref name="StanleyUnwinInterview1">{{cite web |url = http://www.stanleyunwin.com/work_tv_secret_2.htm |title = The Seekry Servy: A Bit of a Chat |work = stanleyunwin.com |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091112103450/http://www.stanleyunwin.com/work_tv_secret_2.htm |archive-date = 12 November 2009 |access-date = 26 September 2010 |url-status = live }}</ref> [[Shane Rimmer]], who wrote the episode "Hole in One", recalled that "A lot of [the dialogue] you had to leave to [Unwin]. You gave him a line of patter that's going to work with what he does. Because ''he'' was such a bizarre character, you felt you could really go all the way with him: you could practically do anything."<ref name="StanleyUnwinInterview1"/>

The premise of ''The Secret Service'' was inspired partly by the ''Joe 90'' episode "[[The Unorthodox Shepherd]]", which features an elderly and seemingly half-deaf vicar who is covering up a money forging operation on the grounds of his church.<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 180"/> Archer and Marcus Hearn believe that ''Joe 90'' also had a broader influence on its successor, writing that ''The Secret Service'' "continues the espionage theme of ''Joe 90'' in a range of adventures that depict a Britain under siege from despicable foreign agents intent on stealing its secrets."<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 183"/>

===Puppets===
{{Quote box|quote=I came up with the idea of getting Stanley Unwin to do all the walking shots, and driving shots in his [[Model T Ford]] that he had. If, for example, you had a sequence where Stanley Unwin would arrive at a building in his Model T, he would drive it down the street, up to the kerb, turn the engine off, get out, walk down the path, and as he opened the door, you'd cut to the reverse angle and that would be the ''puppet'' of Stanley Unwin.|source=—&nbsp;Gerry Anderson on the series' hybrid format<ref name="La Rivière, 190"/>|salign=right|width=30%}}

After ''Joe 90'', Anderson had originally intended to abandon [[Supermarionation]] puppets altogether in favour of using live actors.<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 180"/> For reasons of economy, he eventually opted for a hybrid format that blended scale puppet sequences with footage of live actors filmed in full-sized surroundings.<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 180"/> On the style of the puppets – which, after ''[[Thunderbirds (TV series)|Thunderbirds]]'', had been re-designed with realistic [[body proportions]] – Anderson said that Century 21's ever-improving sculpting techniques had produced "imitations of human beings" that made the company's puppet series "like live-action shows but with unconvincing actors".<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 180"/> To avoid the long-running problem of making the puppets walk convincingly, the series often used footage of live actors in long shot for scenes that required characters to move.<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 180"/>

Century 21 had first experimented with extensive live-action location shooting during the production of ''[[Thunderbird 6]]'' (1968).<ref name="La Rivière, 190">La Rivière, p. 190.</ref> "The Unorthodox Shepherd" had also been filmed partly on location.<ref name="La Rivière, 190"/> [[Stephen La Rivière]] notes the contrast between the format of ''The Secret Service'' and those of earlier Supermarionation series, whose live-action elements were usually limited to occasional shots of human hands performing actions too complex for the puppets, such as operating machinery.<ref name="La Rivière, 193">La Rivière, p. 193.</ref>

The only new puppets created for ''The Secret Service'' were those of Unwin, his housekeeper Mrs Appleby (which sculptor [[Christine Glanville]] based on her mother) and The Bishop.<ref name="La Rivière, 192">La Rivière, p. 192.</ref> Supporting characters were played by puppets recycled from ''Joe 90'' and ''Captain Scarlet''; the Matthew Harding puppet was originally made for the ''Captain Scarlet'' episode "[[Treble Cross]]" while Blake was played by the [[Captain Scarlet (character)|Captain Scarlet]] puppet himself.<ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 151"/><ref name="Archer and Hearn, 182">Archer and Hearn, p. 182.</ref> La Rivière describes the puppet Unwin as "one of the most impressive artistic feats" to be produced by the Century 21 puppet workshop, calling the likeness "uncanny".<ref name="La Rivière, 192"/> It is possible to directly compare the puppet with the real-life Unwin in every episode as the opening credits show the real Unwin's face, rather than the puppet's.

===Filming===
[[File:SecretServiceGabriel.jpg|thumb|alt=A miniature yellow Ford Model T trundles down a tree-lined country road in sunlight, a full-sized car dwarfing it.|The crew built two scale models of ''Gabriel'', Father Unwin's [[Ford Model T]].<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 183"/>]]

The series was intended to run for 26 episodes.<ref name="Dale2023"/> After [[pre-production]] in the summer, filming began on 20 August 1968.<ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 151"/><ref name="Archer and Hearn, 180"/> According to director [[Ken Turner (director)|Ken Turner]], the series was difficult to film as it comprised three elements: puppet and effects filming, both carried out at Century 21's studios on the [[Slough Trading Estate]], as well as location filming.<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 182"/> ''The Secret Service'' also differed from earlier Supermarionation series in that episodes were structured around their location work, which had to be completed before the studio filming could commence.<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 182"/> Turner explained: "We felt that somebody had to take the location stuff by the balls, get it shot and then hand it over to the director to fit his puppet stuff in. I suppose that seemed a bit back to front but with that programme it was what worked out best."<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 182"/>

Producer [[David Lane (director)|David Lane]] remembered that making the series was "an absolute nightmare" due to the wide range of design scales used: "You can imagine the problems. You're shrinking [the Matthew Harding puppet] to puppet size on a puppet set and then you're having to build it in live-action size for the puppet because he's supposed to be a small man in a full-sized environment. And then you're using the 'shrunken' puppet in a full set."<ref>Peel, p. 25.</ref>

Filming locations included a house in [[Burnham, Buckinghamshire|Burnham]], Buckinghamshire as Father Unwin's vicarage, [[Centre Point]] as the British Intelligence building in London and [[Horse Guards (building)|Horse Guards]] as the headquarters of BISHOP. [[Wexham Park Hospital]] appears in the episode "School for Spies", while the Century 21 Studios themselves are featured in the opening of the first episode, "A Case for the Bishop".<ref name="AndersonicLocations">{{cite web |last = Farrell |first = Richard |title = Secret Servibold Locateymost |work = andersonic.co.uk |url = http://www.andersonic.co.uk/page20.htm |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100913145626/http://www.andersonic.co.uk/page20.htm |archive-date = 13 September 2010 |access-date = 26 September 2010 |url-status = live }}</ref>

As the series is set in the present day, the special effects team, headed by [[Derek Meddings]], were not required to design many futuristic-looking vehicles.<ref name="La Rivière, 192"/> Their main tasks were to build the Ford Model T, ''Gabriel'', create miniature replicas of vehicles and settings common to the 1960s, and produce the optical effects for Matthew Harding's "minimisation".<ref name="La Rivière, 192"/> Three versions of ''Gabriel'' were built: one full-sized car and two models in differing scales.<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 183"/> The car was fitted with belt-driven electric motors, an upholstered interior, a folding roof and a radio control mechanism so that it could be driven remotely.<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 183"/> The location work using the car was conducted in and around [[Burnham Beeches]] during the autumn of 1968 and proved challenging as filming was often disrupted by low light levels.<ref name="Archer and Nicholls, 142">Archer and Nicholls, p. 142.</ref><ref name="Archer and Hearn, 183">Archer and Hearn, p. 183.</ref> On some days only two minutes of footage were recorded.<ref name="Archer and Nicholls, 142"/> Technician "Wag" Evans, who was responsible for operating the car's radio control, remembered "standing out of shot and having to 'drive' [the car] down the road while it was out of view. Often I didn't know where it was, or where and when it had stopped."<ref name="Archer and Nicholls, 142"/> A crew member with a large cushion would be on hand to bring the car to a halt whenever it went out of control.<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 183"/>

{{Gallery
| title        = Selected filming locations<ref>{{Cite book |first1 = Stephen |last1 = Brown |first2 = Mike |last2 = Jones |first3 = Nick |last3 = Williams |editor1-first = Mike |editor1-last = Jones |title = The Secret Service: Close-Up |chapter = ''The Secret Service'' – Filming Locations |year = 2019 |publisher = [[Fanderson]] |pages = 32–50 }}</ref>
| align        = center
| mode         = packed
| height       = 155
| captionstyle = font-size:90%
|File:Horse Guards Parade Entrance.JPG
 |[[Horse Guards (building)|Horse Guards]], London (multiple episodes)
 |alt1=A grand building behind tall, black gates
|File:Central point-لندن.JPG
 |[[Centre Point]], London (multiple episodes)
 |alt2=A tower block surrounded by shorter buildings
|File:Burnham Beeches, Victoria Drive - geograph.org.uk - 1046759.jpg
 |[[Burnham Beeches]] (multiple episodes)
 |alt3=Woodland by day
|File:New Lodge Winkfield - geograph.org.uk - 111368.jpg
 |New Lodge, [[Winkfield]] (episode "School for Spies")
 |alt4=A grand country house behind a lawn
|File:Diamond Jubilee Clock, Maidenhead.jpg
 |[[Jubilee clock#Maidenhead|Jubilee Clock Tower, Maidenhead]] ("Last Train to Bufflers Halt")
 |alt5=A brick tower with a clock face at its top
|File:Wexham Park Hospital - geograph.org.uk - 4555582.jpg
 |[[Wexham Park Hospital]] ("School for Spies")
 |alt6=A hospital car park with a squat tower in the background
}}

===Titles and music===
[[File:St Michael and All Angels 20080726-01.jpg|thumb|alt=A side view of a church.|The opening and closing titles feature [[St Michael and All Angels Church, Hughenden]].]]

Both the opening and closing titles feature shots of [[St Michael and All Angels Church, Hughenden|St Michael and All Angels Church]] in [[Hughenden Valley]], Buckinghamshire, which doubles as the church of Father Unwin.<ref name="La Rivière, 194"/> The [[title sequence]] begins with a zoom-in shot of the church against a backdrop of fields. This features the title graphic sliding down into view and gradually filling the screen – an effect was inspired by traditional imagery of angels descending from [[Heaven in Christianity|Heaven]].<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 181"/>

[[Barry Gray]]'s theme music was his first Century 21 composition since ''[[Stingray (1964 TV series)|Stingray]]'' to include vocals.<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 181">Archer and Hearn, p. 181.</ref><ref name="Peel, 30">Peel, p. 30.</ref> He developed the initial concept into a three-part [[fugue]] in the style of [[Bach]].<ref name="La Rivière, 194" /> Accompanied by a [[church organ]] and percussion instruments, the vocals were intended to be performed by [[The Swingle Singers]], but their prospective fee was too high for the music budget.<ref name="Peel, 30"/> Instead, Gray hired the [[Mike Sammes Singers]], who had sung the ''[[Supercar (TV series)|Supercar]]'' theme several years earlier, to provide an imitation of the Swingles' style.<ref name="Peel, 30"/> The theme was recorded in a four-hour studio session on 16 October 1968 and is described by Archer and Hearn as a "glorious piece of choral lunacy".<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 181"/><ref name="TVCentury21Music">{{cite web |url = http://www.tvcentury21.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=67:complete-studio-recording-list-of-barry-gray&catid=116:barry-gray&Itemid=182 |title = Complete Studio-Recording List of Barry Gray |first = Theo |last = de Klerk |date = 25 December 2003 |work = tvcentury21.com |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100301234926/http://www.tvcentury21.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=67:complete-studio-recording-list-of-barry-gray&catid=116:barry-gray&Itemid=182 |archive-date = 1 March 2010 |access-date = 26 September 2010 |url-status = dead }}</ref>

As well as the theme, Gray recorded [[incidental music]] for four episodes in three additional four-hour sessions. The first of these was held at [[Olympic Studios]] in Barnes, London on 12 November 1968, when an orchestra of 29 instrumentalists performed the music for the first episode, "A Case for the Bishop". Recording for "A Question of Miracles" took place on 11 December at Gray's private studios with an ensemble of eight. The other two episodes to include original scores are "The Feathered Spies" and "Last Train To Bufflers Halt"; the remaining episodes use music recycled from the other four, as well as from Century 21's earlier series (in particular, ''Captain Scarlet'' and ''Joe 90''). The final recording session was held on 10 January 1969.<ref name="TVCentury21Music"/><ref>"The Music of ''The Secret Service''", p.&nbsp;3, Soundtrack Album, [[Fanderson]] (FANSS11)</ref>

In 2007, [[Fanderson]] released the series' soundtrack on CD exclusively for its members.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://lester.demon.nl/superm/gray-disco.html |title = Barry Gray Discography |first = Theo |last = de Klerk |year = 2008 |work = lester.demon.nl |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110724151436/http://lester.demon.nl/superm/gray-disco.html |archive-date = 24 July 2011 |access-date = 26 September 2010 |url-status = live }}</ref> In 2022, Silva Screen released it on CD for the public.<ref>{{Cite web |title = Barry Gray – The Secret Service (Original Television Soundtrack) |url = https://www.discogs.com/fr/release/24096797-Barry-Gray-The-Secret-Service-Original-Television-Soundtrack |website = [[Discogs]] |date = 29 July 2022 }}</ref>

===Cancellation===
{{Quote box|quote="Cut! Cut! Cut! Stop! Put the lights up!" cried out [[Lew Grade]], leaping to his feet. Gerry Anderson was startled by this outburst, just as he had been by Lew's reaction to ''Thunderbirds'' four years before. However, this time Lew's response was vastly different, as Gerry explains: {{"'}}Cancel the show, Gerry. Just finish off the first thirteen.' I said, 'Why?' and he said, 'They'll never understand [Father Unwin] in America!' I said, 'But, Lew, that's the whole point, they're not ''supposed'' to understand.' He said, 'No, no, no, no!{{'"}}|source=—&nbsp;[[Stephen La Rivière]] (2009)<ref name="La Rivière, 194"/>|salign=right|width=22%}}

[[Lew Grade]], Century 21's financial backer, ordered Anderson to end filming on ''The Secret Service'' during a test screening of the pilot episode, "A Case for the Bishop", in December 1968.<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 183"/> Objecting to the series' concept on the basis that American audiences would be confused by the Unwinese, Grade capped the production at the thirteen episodes that either had been completed or were shooting at the time of the screening.<ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 151"/> Anderson countered that a nonsense language such as Unwinese is inherently incomprehensible, and questioned Grade's reasoning for the cancellation, stating that "I chose Stanley Unwin because you are not supposed to understand Stanley Unwin, even if you're British. I thought if the Americans don't understand him either, what's the difference?"<ref name="StanleyUnwinInterview1"/>

However, Anderson conceded that Grade "was not a man you could argue with. If he said "No", you had to accept that he wouldn't change his mind."<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 184">Archer and Hearn, p. 184.</ref> Of Grade's decision, La Rivière conjectures: "No one knows what was running through [his] mind ... but given the ease with which the 'Unwinese' element could have been removed [from] the series, it seems probable that he simply didn't like a lot of what he was seeing."<ref name="La Rivière, 194">La Rivière, p. 194.</ref> In a move that led to the discontinuation of the Supermarionation format, Anderson and Grade transferred many of Century 21's staff from the company's Slough base to [[Pinewood Studios]], where they would begin work on ''[[UFO (British TV series)|UFO]]'', the Andersons' first full live-action series.

Having wanted to abandon puppet work and move into live-action, Anderson greeted the cancellation of ''The Secret Service'' with optimism, saying of live actors: "I started to think, 'It's amazing! They speak! Their mouths are in sync with their words! And they can walk! And they can pick up things!'"<ref name="La Rivière, 195"/> The Century 21 puppet stages closed down on 24 January 1969 on completion of the final episode of ''The Secret Service'', "More Haste Less Speed",<ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 151"/> whereupon the special effects teams took over the disused space to film the miniature model effects for ''UFO''.<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 181"/><ref>La Rivière, p. 196.</ref>

==Broadcast and reception==
''The Secret Service'' had a very limited distribution compared to earlier Anderson productions. It was originally transmitted by the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]] regional franchises [[Associated Television|ATV]], [[Granada Television|Granada]] and [[Southern Television|Southern]], airing on Sundays at the regular time of 5.30&nbsp;pm.<ref>Bentley 2008, pp.&nbsp;151–156.</ref> ATV and Southern re-ran the series until 1972 and Granada until 1975.<ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 151"/> Since then, the series has never been repeated in the UK.<ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 151"/> As of October 2023, all 13 episodes are available in the UK on the [[ITVX]] streaming service.

===Critical response===
{{Quote box|quote=''The Secret Service'' captures the English whimsy that was making ''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]]'' such a hit in America, but adds to it the charm of ''[[Four Feather Falls]]'', the irony and wit of ''[[Fireball XL5]]'' and the technical accomplishments of the later Supermarionation shows. It is the forgotten gem in the Anderson canon, with highlights almost too numerous to mention.|source=—&nbsp;[[Simon Archer (author)|Simon Archer]] and Marcus Hearn<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 183"/>|salign=right|width=30%}}

Critical reception of ''The Secret Service'' has been mixed. Gerry Anderson, however, said that it was his favourite of all the series that he had produced.<ref name="Drake and Bassett, 293">Drake and Bassett, p. 293.</ref> Leo Eaton, who directed four episodes, described ''The Secret Service'' as "just a bit weird" and questioned the effectiveness of Unwin's humour.<ref name="La Rivière, 191">La Rivière, p. 191.</ref> Production supervisor [[Desmond Saunders]] called it "strange", elaborating: "I suppose it was the gobbledygook and the mixture of live action with puppets. It never seemed to me to be a very good idea."<ref name="La Rivière, 191"/> Simon Wickes of the website ''TVCentury21.com'' suggests that the series was made primarily to bridge the gap between the Andersons' puppet productions and their later efforts in live action.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.tvcentury21.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=81 |title = The Hows and Whys of Supermarionation |first = Simon |last = Wickes |date = 29 December 2003 |work = tvcentury.com |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110717115311/http://www.tvcentury21.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=81 |archive-date = 17 July 2011 |access-date = 26 September 2010 |url-status = dead }}</ref> Kif Bowden-Smith of the Transdiffusion website describes the mixing of puppetry and live action as "an experimental format for the following live-action series".<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.transdiffusion.org/tmc/itv50/strings.php |title = ITV at Fifty: No Strings Attached |first = Kif |last = Bowden-Smith |date = 29 January 2008 |work = transdiffusion.org |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110608171301/http://www.transdiffusion.org/tmc/itv50/strings.php |archive-date = 8 June 2011 |access-date = 26 September 2010 |url-status = dead }}</ref>

[[Simon Archer (author)|Simon Archer]] and Marcus Hearn, authors of ''What Made Thunderbirds Go! The Authorised Biography of Gerry Anderson'', write that ''The Secret Service'' differs from earlier Anderson series by being less "American-orientated" and featuring fewer action sequences. They regard it as the "most eccentric" of all the Supermarionation productions up to 1969, and the hybrid format as the "natural conclusion" of the filming technique.<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 180"/> They especially commend the characterisation of Mrs Appleby, whose ignorance of Unwin and Harding's true occupations adds to the humour: for example, when Unwin speaks into his hearing aid, she deduces that he is simply muttering to himself, not knowing that the device is actually a transceiver for communicating with Harding.<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 182"/> Archer and Hearn also praise the episodes "A Question of Miracles", which sees the miniaturised Harding dwarfed by the contents of a picnic basket, and "Last Train to Bufflers Halt", whose plot concerns a runaway freight train.<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 183"/>

{{Quote box|quote=The puppets and special effects had always worked well together because they existed in the same artificial universe ... By contrast, no such forgiveness is extended when you see a puppet in a car, then cut to a human getting out of the vehicle and walking across the road. The viewers simply find themselves removed from the storytelling, as the brain knows that the shots do not match.|source=—&nbsp;Stephen La Rivière on the format<ref>La Rivière, pp.&nbsp;193–194.</ref>|align=left|salign=right|width=33%}}

[[Stephen La Rivière]] favours the episode "More Haste Less Speed": describing the series finale as "wonderfully quirky", he considers the plot about a money-forging scheme to be reminiscent of the "gentler, earlier days of ''[[Supercar (TV series)|Supercar]]''" and lauds voice actor [[Keith Alexander (actor)|Keith Alexander]] for his impression of the elderly Lady Hazlewell. Nevertheless, in his overall assessment of the series, La Rivière asserts that a spy posing as a vicar and driving an antique car would not have appealed to children and that adults would have been disappointed by the series' "traditional espionage format".<ref name="La Rivière, 195">La Rivière, p. 195.</ref> Ian Fryer of ''FAB'' magazine expresses similar views, writing that "very little about ''The Secret Service'' has obvious appeal to the traditionally young Supermarionation audience." He notes that the title sequence marked a departure from Supermarionation's "tradition of having a thrilling or suspenseful promise of what was to come", instead "[making] the series look suspiciously like it might be about the life and work of an elderly vicar." Fryer also suggests that prospective foreign buyers were put off by the espionage theme, noting that by the time ''The Secret Service'' debuted on British TV, other spy series like ''[[The Man from U.N.C.L.E.]]'' and ''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]]'' had already aired their last episodes.<ref name="IaFrTMT">{{Cite magazine |author = Fryer, Ian |title = ''FAB'' Magazine Review |magazine = FAB |issue = 69 |year = 2011 |publisher = [[Fanderson]] |page = 29 }}</ref>

{{Quote box|quote=The clerical vocation of the main character also introduces the issue of faith – the series doesn't so much preach any religion as such but rather demonstrates people putting faith in each other. In trusting the eccentric Unwin ... Professor Graham helps to avert the disaster. Unwin circumspectly passes it off as "a miracle of ''science''", avoiding any awkward questions. In several other episodes it's interesting that he implies that his successes (achieved using the ''science'' of the Minimiser) are down to ''divine'' intervention.|source=—&nbsp;Paul O'Brien on "Recall to Service"<ref name="AndersonicReview"/>|salign=right|width=30%}}

Writers Chris Drake and Graeme Bassett state that "On paper, at least, the premise seemed irresistible" but view the blending of puppetry and live action as "uneasy".<ref>Drake and Bassett, pp.&nbsp;291–292.</ref> La Rivière is critical of the format, stating that it "requires more than the audience can give in terms of acceptance." He points out that the live-action shots of Lady Hazlewell in "More Haste Less Speed" used a stuntman in [[Drag (clothing)|drag]] – an "unintentionally hilarious moment that illustrates beautifully why the live-action inserts didn't work."<ref name="La Rivière, 193"/> La Rivière also argues that another factor contributing to the failure of ''The Secret Service'' was the frequent re-runs of earlier Anderson series: "... as with anything that is phenomenally popular, the time must come when the audience is satiated and drifts away to something else."<ref name="La Rivière, 195"/> Archer and Hearn echo these concerns, writing that Century 21 had become "a bit too successful" in producing a winning format.<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 184"/>

[[John Peel (writer)|John Peel]] calls ''The Secret Service'' a "dismal" effort that "marked the death knell of Supermarionation." He judges the combination of puppetry and live action "completely pointless" and the casting of Unwin not only "bizarre in the extreme" but also ill-considered given that Unwinese "was hardly funny to most people (let alone children)." He adds that despite Grade's fears, the actor's gobbledygook would have been incomprehensible to British and American audiences alike.<ref>Peel, pp.&nbsp;247–248.</ref> John Walsh of ''[[The Guardian]]'' challenges the view that the series was weakened by the gobbledygook, arguing that British audiences "quite like not understanding things."<ref>{{cite news |last = Walsh |first = John |date = 15 January 2002 |title = Tales of the City: Goodlee Byelode Mr Unwin |newspaper = [[The Independent]] |issn = 0951-9467 |oclc = 185201487 |url = https://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/john-walsh/tales-of-the-city-goodlee-byelode-mrunwin-660558.html |archive-url = https://archive.today/20100906221532/http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/columnists/john-walsh/tales-of-the-city-goodlee-byelode-mrunwin-660558.html |archive-date = 6 September 2010 |access-date = 26 September 2010 |url-status = dead }}</ref> Unwin himself praised the series' off-beat tone, defending the inclusion of Unwinese as "an attempt to add a new dimension to the puppet field ... It was a bit bizarre, but then aren't many new ideas a little odd at first?" He also said that the series was perhaps "a little bit before its time".<ref name="StanleyUnwinInterview2"/>

{{Quote box|quote=Of course, the burning question is, does it work? – And one has to answer with an uncomfortable "yes". It does work. But in succeeding to make the puppets "real", the show has lost much of the reason for being a puppet series in the first place. The series might have worked even more successfully had it been a fully-fledged live-action production.|source=—&nbsp;''ToonHound.com'' on the format<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.toonhound.com/secretserv.htm |title = Toonhound.com Entry |work = toonhound.com |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20101210000903/http://www.toonhound.com/secretserv.htm |archive-date = 10 December 2010 |access-date = 26 September 2010 |url-status = dead }}</ref>|align=left|salign=right|width=35%}}

Media historian [[Nicholas J. Cull]], who views ''The Secret Service'' as the Andersons' "one flop", calls it an "idiosyncratically British product", adding that through BISHOP the series reflected "the 1960s vogue for stories set in secret organisations with extravagant acronyms". He considers ''The Secret Service'' to be one of several Anderson series that "unashamedly capitalised on the [[Cold War]] cult of the secret agent whose skills defend the home from enemies unknown", noting that Sakov in "The Cure" is a hostile Russian agent.<ref>Cull, pp.&nbsp;193, 199–200 and 203.</ref>

Reviewing the episode "Recall to Service" for the fanzine ''Andersonic'', Paul O'Brien describes the plot about the AquaTank – a [[military robot]] gone rogue – as "an obvious allegory about the hazards of complete automation". He adds that the pivotal moment comes when Harding returns the AquaTank to manual control: "in other words, the machinery is now subordinate to its creator once again, as it should stay." On the series generally, O'Brien is critical of the puppet cast, noting the persistent absence of female characters and commenting that only female regular, Mrs Appleby, "contributes precisely nil to the plot."<ref name="AndersonicReview">{{cite web |last = O'Brien |first = Paul |title = Optical Deludey |work = andersonic.co.uk |url = http://www.andersonic.co.uk/page23.htm |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100913150714/http://www.andersonic.co.uk/page23.htm |archive-date = 13 September 2010 |access-date = 26 September 2010 |url-status = live }}</ref>

==Other media==
Two novels based on the series – ''The Destroyer'' and ''The VIP'', both written by John William Jennison under the pseudonym "John Theydon" – were published in 1969.<ref>Bentley 2001, p. 108.</ref> In the early 1970s, the weekly children's title ''[[Countdown (Polystyle Publications)|Countdown]]'' printed a number of ''Secret Service'' comic strips, including an [[origin story]].

The series was released on [[DVD region code#Region 1|Region 1]] DVD in December 2003 by [[A&E Home Video]]. This featured digitally-remastered picture and sound as well as bonus materials including an [[audio commentary]] by producer [[David Lane (director)|David Lane]] for the first episode, "A Case for the Bishop". The website [[AllMovie]] gives the release a feature rating of three-and-a-half stars out of five.<ref name="AllMovieRegion1">{{cite web |first = Andrea |last = LeVasseur |url = http://www.allmovie.com/dvd/the-secret-service-the-complete-series-2-discs-46296/menu |title = ''The Secret Service'' Region 1 DVD Specifications |work = [[AllMovie]] |archive-url = https://archive.today/20100926194709/http://www.allmovie.com/dvd/the-secret-service-the-complete-series-2-discs-46296/menu |archive-date = 26 September 2010 |access-date = 26 September 2010 |url-status = dead }}</ref>

Network DVD followed with a Region 2 DVD in June 2005. It included audio commentaries by Gerry Anderson and [[PDF]] transfers of original production documents.<ref name="AllMovieRegion2">{{cite web |url = http://www.allmovie.com/dvd/the-secret-service-complete-series-131681 |title = ''The Secret Service'' Region 2 DVD Specifications |work = AllMovie |archive-url = https://www.webcitation.org/5t2U3jNBD?url=http://www.allmovie.com/dvd/the-secret-service-complete-series-131681 |archive-date = 26 September 2010 |access-date = 26 September 2010 |url-status = dead }}</ref>

==References==
=== Citations ===
{{Reflist}}

===Works cited===
* {{Cite book |last1 = Archer |first1 = Simon |author1-link = Simon Archer (author) |year = 1993 |title = Gerry Anderson's FAB Facts |location = London |publisher = HarperCollins |isbn = 978-0-00-638247-8 |url-access = registration |url = https://archive.org/details/gerryandersonsfa00arch }}
* {{Cite book |last1 = Archer |first1 = Simon |last2 = Hearn |first2 = Marcus |year = 2002 |title = What Made ''Thunderbirds'' Go! The Authorised Biography of Gerry Anderson |location = London |publisher = BBC Books |isbn = 978-0-563-53481-5 }}
* {{Cite book |last1 = Archer |first1 = Simon |last2 = Nicholls |first2 = Stan |author-link2 = Stan Nicholls |year = 1996 |title = Gerry Anderson: The Authorised Biography |location = London |publisher = Legend Books |isbn = 978-0-09-978141-7 }}
* {{Cite book |last1 = Bentley |first1 = Chris |title = The Complete Book of Captain Scarlet |year = 2001 |location = London |publisher = Carlton Books |isbn = 978-1-84222-405-2 }}
* {{Cite book |last1 = Bentley |first1 = Chris |year = 2008 |orig-year = 2001 |title = The Complete Gerry Anderson: The Authorised Episode Guide |edition = 4th |location = London |publisher = Reynolds & Hearn |isbn = 978-1-905287-74-1 }}
* {{Cite journal |last1 = Cull |first1 = Nicholas J. |author-link = Nicholas J. Cull |date = August 2006 |title = Was Captain Black Really Red? The TV Science Fiction of Gerry Anderson in its Cold War Context |journal = Media History |publisher = Routledge |volume = 12 |issue = 2 |pages = 193–207 |doi = 10.1080/13688800600808005 |issn = 1368-8804 |oclc = 364457089 |s2cid = 142878042 }}
* {{Cite book |last1 = La Rivière |first1 = Stephen |author1-link = Stephen La Rivière |year = 2009 |title = Filmed in Supermarionation: A History of the Future |location = Neshannock, Penn. |publisher = Hermes Press |isbn = 978-1-932563-23-8 }}
* {{Cite book |last1 = Marriott |first1 = John |last2 = Rogers |first2 = Dave |last3 = Drake |first3 = Chris |last4 = Bassett |first4 = Graeme |year = 1993 |title = Supermarionation Classics: Stingray, Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons |location = London |publisher = Boxtree |isbn = 978-1-85283-900-0 |oclc = 30030307 }}
* {{Cite book |last1 = Peel |first1 = John |author-link1 = John Peel (writer) |year = 1993 |title = Thunderbirds, Stingray, Captain Scarlet: The Authorised Programme Guide |location = London |publisher = Virgin Books |isbn = 978-0-86369-728-9 }}

== Further reading ==
* {{Cite magazine |last1 = Pixley |first1 = Andrew |last2 = Rogers |first2 = Julie |date = March 2002 |title = Fantasy Flashback: ''The Secret Service'' – 'A Case for the Bishop' |editor1-last = Spilsbury |editor1-first = Tom |editor1-link = Tom Spilsbury |magazine = [[TV Zone]] |issue = 148 |location = London |publisher = Visual Imagination |publication-date = February 2002 |pages = 46–50 |issn = 0957-3844 }}

==External links==
{{Portal|Science fiction|Television}}

* {{IMDb title|0163491}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20110724151324/http://lester.demon.nl/superm/sfx/secserv/snap01.html "A Case for the Bishop"] &ndash; photo gallery with production information
* {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20090106165624/http://www2.tv-ark.org.uk/cult/cult-anderson.html The Gerry Anderson Title Sequences]}} &ndash; includes ''The Secret Service'' title sequence
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070815193216/http://www.technodelic.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Upload01/SecretService.htm The Gerry Anderson Complete Comic History] &ndash; includes ''The Secret Service'' comic strips

{{Gerry Anderson}}
{{ITC Distributions}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Secret Service, The}}
[[Category:1960s British children's television series]]
[[Category:1960s British science fiction television series]]
[[Category:1969 British television series debuts]]
[[Category:1969 British television series endings]]
[[Category:British children's science fiction television series]]
[[Category:British English-language television shows]]
[[Category:British television shows featuring puppetry]]
[[Category:Christian allegory]]
[[Category:ITV children's television shows]]
[[Category:Marionette films]]
[[Category:Television series about intelligence agencies]]
[[Category:Television series about size change]]
[[Category:Television series by AP Films]]
[[Category:Television series by ITC Entertainment]]
[[Category:Television shows adapted into comics]]
[[Category:Television shows adapted into novels]]
[[Category:Television shows set in London]]
[[Category:Television shows shot in London]]