Planet Patrol

Space Patrol is a series that has stayed vividly in the memory so it must have had something special about it. I loved it almost as much as I loved Fireball XL5. It was quirkier somehow and the characters were lively and varied. I remember giant leeks for aliens and the robots that patrolled the ship while the crew were in suspended animation were a treat. It was a show packed with original ideas. I hadn't realised it ran to three series. What I remember most was the immortal catchphrase used every time a voyage was about to begin and the ship had to be powered up - 'Gamma rays on. Yobba rays on'. The series deserved an award simply for coming up with the idea of yobba rays!

I regret I don't recall much of this show, and I have no knowledge of it ever being rebroadcast or issued on video, but I believe it tried to be technically accurate in its predictions of foreseeable future technology. For example, the spaceships ('galaspheres' - spelling?) were toroidal, and rotated to simulate gravity. I also have an idea that they used suspended animation on long trips (journey times never seemed to be more than a couple of hours in Fireball XL5!), but can't be certain of that. In response to the question "why 39 episodes?": I believe that TV series are/were often commissioned for 13-week 'seasons', so 39 episodes = 3 series/seasons.

Although for children the content is quite watchable by any age. This series sticks in my mind as one of the best thought out scifi TV programs of the sixties. OK so we know Mars and Venus have no life as such but don't let this spoil your enjoyment. Exceptional animation at times and dialogue thats usually non PC. This is a true treasure that shows what can be done on a budget.

I think Gerry Anderson used some ideas for what followed. Fireball XL5 although had a bigger budget didn't come anywhere near Space Patrols story lines.

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Space Patrol is not something I would spend much time on these days, but it has the distinction of being the earliest TV programme I remember from the early 60s. For years I racked my brains trying to remember what it was called. Some elements were quite futuristic. One thing I recalled was the Galasphere - in space there is no reason apart from the aesthetic why a spaceship should have the more traditional rocket shape. Travel on earth is by a vehicle inside a tube, now recognisable as a hyperloop.

The most memorable aliens are the effeminate but ruthless Neptunians with their imperious demands for slaves. If Space Patrol is ever on TV again the Neptune related episodes would probably need to be accompanied by trigger warnings to avoid upsetting easily offended snowflakes. That's even supposing outright cancellation can be avoided.

"Space Patrol" (a.k.a. "Planet Patrol" for U.S. release) was a children's cartoon show with puppet marionettes. The concept was an interplanetary organization of men and women from Earth, Mars and Venus, patrolling the Solar System to maintain the peace in the year 2100.

What distinguished this series from others of its ilk was the thought that went into it. The characters had real personalities. The futuristic Headquarters City was well done despite the cheap budget, with individual personal vehicles traveling thru transparent tubes to be automatically guided to their final destination. The spaceship wasn't the usual rocket ship, but something innovative: a "Galasphere" that looked vaguely like a kid's gyroscope toy, that made weird humming sounds as it sailed thru space. (Those humming sounds became the theme song for the TV series.)

The plots and sets were surprisingly dark for a children's show, in the style of "Outer Limits." One plot concerned aliens from Neptune (I think) conspiring to take over the minds of Earthlings and eventually "conquer the Earth leaders". Another dealt with a plot to subvert Earth's currency by counterfeiting huge quantities of Earth money. Even the backdrops were dark--the sky over the Headquarters City was usually dark, dreary overcast rather than bright and sunny.

Could have been a great show with a bigger budget.