The Most Special Agent
Encyclopedia
"The Most Special Agent" is the first episode
of the Supermarionation
television series Joe 90
. Its original UK
air date was 29 September 1968 on ATV Midlands
. It was written
by Gerry
and Sylvia Anderson
and directed
by Desmond Saunders
.
Headquarters, Shane Weston. Explaining how Joe could help to maintain world peace
, Weston conceives a mission in which he must capture a prototype Russia
n fighter
to reveal its secrets to the West
…
s to his head, to empty his mind of thoughts and then activates the computer. Joe’s sphere starts to spin and lights flash while the transference begins.
With the process complete, Mac and Sam ask Joe about the French
C-3400 computer. To Sam’s amazement, he answers every question correctly. Mac reveals that Joe will revert to his normal self once the special electrodes have been removed. The trio ascend to the living room of the McClaines' coastal cottage in a lift and Mac speculates how much Convex Computers will offer for the BIG RAT. Sam, however, can imagine a different future for the device and persuades Mac to keep the machine a secret for 12 hours.
In the early hours of the morning, Sam calls Mac from London
and asks him and Joe to drive to the World Intelligence Network Headquarters immediately. After a two-hour journey in their flying car
, the McClaines listen as the head of WIN London, Shane Weston, reveals that his organisation could use Joe and the BIG RAT to maintain world peace
. No one else but the four of them will know of the machine. To explain his intention, Weston describes the capabilities of the MiG-242, a new Russia
n fighter-bomber
, and how the lack of an equivalent in the West
means that the Russians could destroy the free world
at any time. WIN would counter this threat by capturing a MiG-242 and revealing its secrets to the West, and this is where Joe would come in…
At a press conference
in London, a top Russian pilot tells of his experiences flying the MiG-242. However, he is unaware that Mac and Sam have positioned a hidden aerial above his head and that his brain pattern is being transmitted to the McClaines' cottage. In the crowd, Mac calls Joe to order him to stop the recording on the BIG RAT and tells him that they are returning home at once. In the underground laboratory, the pilot's knowledge and experience is transferred to Joe and Sam presents him with gadgets for his time as a WIN's "Most Special Agent". A pair of modified glasses
equipped with small electrodes will give Joe access to others' brain patterns while fitted to his head; a specially-made pistol
will fire 200 rounds before needing a reload, and a transmitter will allow him to communicate with WIN from anywhere on Earth
.
Mac and Joe travel to Russia and tour an airbase with other aviation experts in a panoramic vehicle. The soldier acting as the guide presents a MiG-242 and reminds the party that it is the first occasion in which foreign correspondents have been allowed the view it at close quarters. He notices that Professor McClaine's son has gone missing and angrily demands to know where he is. Mac claims that his son is about to fly off in the MiG-242 to much laughter, only for the fighter to blast off at that moment. In his superior's office, the soldier insists that Joe stole the aircraft, but the commander has him placed under arrest. Asked where his boy is, Mac tells the commander that he is flying the MiG-242, but his questioner thinks that he is joking.
Meanwhile, in the fighter's cockpit, Joe notices that three other MiG-242s have been launched to shoot him down. He destroys the hostiles with air-to-air missile
s before they can open fire and attacks a missile base on the ground, causing total destruction. From the McClaines' cottage, Sam calls Joe to give him clearance to fly across Europe
and orders him to land in England
at Manston
, Kent
.
Joe lands on the runway but escapes from the cockpit before the MiG-242 is surrounded by armoured vehicles. The Manston Controller is baffled when a local farmer insists that he saw a young boy leave the aircraft and get into a strange car, which then flew away. Piloting Mac's vehicle, Sam congratulates Joe on a job well done…
Ending his idea, Weston stresses that there is no hostility between Russia and the West and that the MiG-242 does not exist. He asks if Mac would accept his proposal but the professor reacts angrily, believing that Joe is too young to have such a dangerous career. Eventually, Sam convinces Mac of the potential of using Joe to deceive enemies and Mac relents. Now truly WIN's Most Special Agent, Joe asks when he will get a badge.
Episode
An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin to a chapter of a book. The term sometimes applies to works based on other forms of mass media as well, as in Star Wars...
of the Supermarionation
Supermarionation
Supermarionation is a puppetry technique devised in the 1960s by British production company AP Films. It was used extensively in the company's numerous Gerry and Sylvia Anderson-produced action-adventure series, the most famous of which was Thunderbirds...
television series Joe 90
Joe 90
Joe 90 is a late-1960s British science-fiction television series documenting the exploits of a nine-year-old boy, Joe McClaine, who embarks on a double life as a schoolboy turned spy when his scientist father invents a pioneering machine capable of duplicating and transferring expert knowledge and...
. Its original UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
air date was 29 September 1968 on ATV Midlands
Associated TeleVision
Associated Television, often referred to as ATV, was a British television company, holder of various licences to broadcast on the ITV network from 24 September 1955 until 00:34 on 1 January 1982...
. It was written
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
by Gerry
Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson MBE is a British publisher, producer, director and writer, famous for his futuristic television programmes, particularly those involving specially modified marionettes, a process called "Supermarionation"....
and Sylvia Anderson
Sylvia Anderson
Sylvia Anderson , born 25 March 1937, is a British voice artist and film producer, most notable for collaborations with Gerry Anderson, to whom she was married from 1962 to 1975....
and directed
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
by Desmond Saunders
Desmond Saunders
Desmond Saunders is a British television director and film editor.He has a long association with producer Gerry Anderson, having served as a director for the series Supercar , Stingray , Thunderbirds , Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons , Joe 90 and Terrahawks...
.
Synopsis
Professor Ian "Mac" McClaine demonstrates the abilities of his latest invention - the Brain Impulse Galvanoscope Record And Transfer (BIG RAT) - to his friend Sam Loover by conveying his knowledge and experience to his nine-year-old son, Joe. Sam believes that the device might be useful to the World Intelligence Network and contacts his boss and head of WIN’s LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
Headquarters, Shane Weston. Explaining how Joe could help to maintain world peace
World peace
World Peace is an ideal of freedom, peace, and happiness among and within all nations and/or people. World peace is an idea of planetary non-violence by which nations willingly cooperate, either voluntarily or by virtue of a system of governance that prevents warfare. The term is sometimes used to...
, Weston conceives a mission in which he must capture a prototype Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n fighter
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
to reveal its secrets to the West
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
…
Plot
In his secret underground laboratory, Professor McClaine presents the Brain Impulse Galvanoscope Record And Transfer to his friend, Sam Loover. Sam is doubtful of the BIG RAT's potential but Mac asks his son, Joe, to sit on a chair which is then elevated into the casket of the machine. Mac explains to Sam that he has recorded his brain pattern, containing all his knowledge and experience, onto a reel of tape and that he will now transfer the pattern to Joe. Mac tells Joe, who has attached electrodeElectrode
An electrode is an electrical conductor used to make contact with a nonmetallic part of a circuit...
s to his head, to empty his mind of thoughts and then activates the computer. Joe’s sphere starts to spin and lights flash while the transference begins.
With the process complete, Mac and Sam ask Joe about the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
C-3400 computer. To Sam’s amazement, he answers every question correctly. Mac reveals that Joe will revert to his normal self once the special electrodes have been removed. The trio ascend to the living room of the McClaines' coastal cottage in a lift and Mac speculates how much Convex Computers will offer for the BIG RAT. Sam, however, can imagine a different future for the device and persuades Mac to keep the machine a secret for 12 hours.
In the early hours of the morning, Sam calls Mac from London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and asks him and Joe to drive to the World Intelligence Network Headquarters immediately. After a two-hour journey in their flying car
Flying car
A flying car or roadable aircraft is an aircraft that can also travel along roads. All the working examples have required some manual or automated process of conversion between the two modes of operation....
, the McClaines listen as the head of WIN London, Shane Weston, reveals that his organisation could use Joe and the BIG RAT to maintain world peace
World peace
World Peace is an ideal of freedom, peace, and happiness among and within all nations and/or people. World peace is an idea of planetary non-violence by which nations willingly cooperate, either voluntarily or by virtue of a system of governance that prevents warfare. The term is sometimes used to...
. No one else but the four of them will know of the machine. To explain his intention, Weston describes the capabilities of the MiG-242, a new Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n fighter-bomber
Ground attack aircraft
Ground-attack aircraft are military aircraft with primary role of attacking targets on the ground with greater precision than bombers and prepared to face stronger low-level air defense...
, and how the lack of an equivalent in the West
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
means that the Russians could destroy the free world
Free World
The Free World is a Cold War-era term often used to describe states not under the rule of the Soviet Union, its Eastern European allies, China, Vietnam, Cuba, and other communist nations. The term often referred to states such as the United States, Canada, and Western European states such as the...
at any time. WIN would counter this threat by capturing a MiG-242 and revealing its secrets to the West, and this is where Joe would come in…
At a press conference
News conference
A news conference or press conference is a media event in which newsmakers invite journalists to hear them speak and, most often, ask questions. A joint press conference instead is held between two or more talking sides.-Practice:...
in London, a top Russian pilot tells of his experiences flying the MiG-242. However, he is unaware that Mac and Sam have positioned a hidden aerial above his head and that his brain pattern is being transmitted to the McClaines' cottage. In the crowd, Mac calls Joe to order him to stop the recording on the BIG RAT and tells him that they are returning home at once. In the underground laboratory, the pilot's knowledge and experience is transferred to Joe and Sam presents him with gadgets for his time as a WIN's "Most Special Agent". A pair of modified glasses
Glasses
Glasses, also known as eyeglasses , spectacles or simply specs , are frames bearing lenses worn in front of the eyes. They are normally used for vision correction or eye protection. Safety glasses are a kind of eye protection against flying debris or against visible and near visible light or...
equipped with small electrodes will give Joe access to others' brain patterns while fitted to his head; a specially-made pistol
Pistol
When distinguished as a subset of handguns, a pistol is a handgun with a chamber that is integral with the barrel, as opposed to a revolver, wherein the chamber is separate from the barrel as a revolving cylinder. Typically, pistols have an effective range of about 100 feet.-History:The pistol...
will fire 200 rounds before needing a reload, and a transmitter will allow him to communicate with WIN from anywhere on Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
.
Mac and Joe travel to Russia and tour an airbase with other aviation experts in a panoramic vehicle. The soldier acting as the guide presents a MiG-242 and reminds the party that it is the first occasion in which foreign correspondents have been allowed the view it at close quarters. He notices that Professor McClaine's son has gone missing and angrily demands to know where he is. Mac claims that his son is about to fly off in the MiG-242 to much laughter, only for the fighter to blast off at that moment. In his superior's office, the soldier insists that Joe stole the aircraft, but the commander has him placed under arrest. Asked where his boy is, Mac tells the commander that he is flying the MiG-242, but his questioner thinks that he is joking.
Meanwhile, in the fighter's cockpit, Joe notices that three other MiG-242s have been launched to shoot him down. He destroys the hostiles with air-to-air missile
Air-to-air missile
An air-to-air missile is a missile fired from an aircraft for the purpose of destroying another aircraft. AAMs are typically powered by one or more rocket motors, usually solid fuelled but sometimes liquid fuelled...
s before they can open fire and attacks a missile base on the ground, causing total destruction. From the McClaines' cottage, Sam calls Joe to give him clearance to fly across Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
and orders him to land in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
at Manston
Kent International Airport
Manston - Kent's International Airport is an airport located at Manston in the District of Thanet within Kent, England, northeast of Canterbury. It was formerly called RAF Manston , and was also known as London Manston Airport...
, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
.
Joe lands on the runway but escapes from the cockpit before the MiG-242 is surrounded by armoured vehicles. The Manston Controller is baffled when a local farmer insists that he saw a young boy leave the aircraft and get into a strange car, which then flew away. Piloting Mac's vehicle, Sam congratulates Joe on a job well done…
Ending his idea, Weston stresses that there is no hostility between Russia and the West and that the MiG-242 does not exist. He asks if Mac would accept his proposal but the professor reacts angrily, believing that Joe is too young to have such a dangerous career. Eventually, Sam convinces Mac of the potential of using Joe to deceive enemies and Mac relents. Now truly WIN's Most Special Agent, Joe asks when he will get a badge.
Regular voice cast
- Joe McClaine — Len JonesLen JonesLen Jones was a British actor and voice actor of the 1960s and 70s.In his youth, Jones featured in television series such as Z-Cars , Adam Adamant Lives! , Dixon of Dock Green , Softly, Softly and The Adventures of Black Beauty...
- Professor Ian "Mac" McClaine — Rupert DaviesRupert DaviesRupert Davies was a British actor. He remains best known for playing the title role in the BBC's 1960s television adaptation of Maigret, based on the Maigret novels written by Georges Simenon....
- Sam Loover — Keith AlexanderKeith Alexander (actor)Keith Alexander is a British actor and voice actor.Alexander's television credits include Softly, Softly , The New Avengers , Minder and The Day of the Triffids...
- Shane Weston — David HealyDavid Healy (actor)David Healy was an American-born actor who starred in many British and American television shows. His credits include voices for the Supermarionation series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, Joe 90 and The Secret Service, as well as parts in UFO, The Troubleshooters, Randall and Hopkirk , Space...
Guest voice cast
In speaking order:- John Woodburn — Gary FilesGary FilesGary Files was born in Melbourne, Australia and is an Australian-Canadian actor, writer and director who has resided in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. He has lived in Australia since 1976.-Early life:...
- Russian Pilot — Keith Alexander
- Guard — Gary Files
- Controller (voice) — David Healy
- Commander — David Healy
- Director — Keith Alexander
- Radio (voice) — Gary Files
- Pilot (Red Leader) — Gary Files
- Manston Controller — Gary Files
- Armoured Vehicle 1 (voice) — Keith Alexander
- Farmer — Gary Files