Destruction (UFO)


"Destruction" is the ninth episode aired of the first series of UFO - a 1970 British television science fiction series about an alien invasion of Earth. The screenplay was written by Dennis Spooner and the director was Ken Turner. The episode was filmed between 4 June to 16 June 1970 and aired on the ATV Midlands on 2 December 1970. Though shown as the ninth episode, it was actually the twentieth to have been filmed.
The series was created by Gerry Anderson and Sylvia Anderson with Reg Hill, and produced by the Andersons and Lew Grade's Century 21 Productions for Grade's ITC Entertainment company.

Story

A Royal Navy destroyer in the Atlantic Ocean shoots down a UFO. Straker wants to know why the UFO was interested in the ship and how it managed to evade SHADO's detection. The UFO's wreckage is too deep for Skydiver One to retrieve and a Royal Navy admiral, Sheringham, refuses to divulge any information on the incident or the ship's mission.
Straker decides to see if he can get information out of the Admiral's secretary, astrophile Sarah Bonsanquet. His sends Foster on a date with Sarah, whilst he and Colonel Virginia Lake break-in and search her apartment. There they discover a refracting telescope with a transmitter powerful enough to reach the aliens - she has been passing information to them.
Straker learns that the ship was going to dump nerve gas into the sea, but the aliens see an opportunity to release it into the atmosphere to kill everyone. Three UFOs are then detected heading for the ship, proving the aliens have managed to circumvented SHADO's detection systems. Moon-based SHADO Interceptors destroy one UFO, but another attacks the ship, which is later saved when Skydiver One arrives and Sky One destroys the UFO.

Cast

Starring