Even deeper joy

Following my post about Professor Stanley Unwin the other day, I received this email from my friend Mark Jones, in Cardiff.

"I saw your posting about Stanley Unwin and wondered if you've ever seen his 1960s TV series The Secret Service.

"It is truly bizarre. As it was made by Gerry Anderson it's a mix of long-shots of Unwin which then cut to his Supermarianation double for close-ups. He plays a country priest who works for B.I.S.H.O.P. (British Intelligence Special Headquarters Operation Priest) and owns a device which he uses to shrink his gardener Matthew for special ops. He lapses into Unwinese quite regularly to confuse the bad guys.

"Sadly it also confused the show's producer Lew Grade, who thought it wouldn't catch on in America. Sadly it didn't catch on over here either. But all 13 bonkers episodes are now available on DVD. It helps if you drop some acid before viewing, needless to say.

"Think of it as Thunderbirds meets Sergeant Pepper and you've just about got it."

I do remember seeing a lengthy clip of this, maybe even an entire epsiode, years and years ago, but I had no idea it was out on DVD. I'm on Amazon as I write...

EDIT: My colleague, fellow birdwatcher and moth-botherer Mike Weedon has pointed out that Tim Unwin, a fellow inmate of Media House, is actually the Prof's grandson. Respect.