Author Archives: Jack Knoll

Stingray – 6. The Big Gun

Okay, let’s get this out of the way upfront. You know it. I know it. We all know it. So let’s just accept it, and move on to the important business. Here it is. Here’s the elephant in the room. And I won’t mince my words or beat about any bushes. The fact of the matter is, when all is said and done, that when you think about it truly and honestly… the “Big Gun” in this episode looks a bit like a thingy… And y’know, even if it doesn’t look a bit like a thingy, the urge for me to make thingy-based double entendres throughout this review are going to be far too great for me to not acknowledge it here and now. So I guess that’s your only warning. Time for some Stingray.

Stingray – 5. Treasure Down Below

I’ve been looking forward to this one. Treasure Down Below is chock-full of memorable moments and contains all the ingredients of a classic – salty seadogs, funky-looking aliens, love triangle drama – it’s all here! So no more hanging around, let’s get started! Oh, but incidentally, I thought it would be worth mentioning that we’re five episodes into the series and I’m still singing along to the theme music…

Stingray – 4. Hostages of the Deep

Hostages of the Deep was the 37th episode of Stingray to be broadcast. 37! This one really has the look and feel of an early episode so I don’t know who they were trying to fool by putting it so late in the run. I’ve never watched Stingray in broadcast order but it must feel so strange because the later episodes are just quite different from these early ones, and the progression in production and storytelling is pretty clear. Hopping from one end of the production order of the series to the other willy-nilly must be a bizarre experience for regular viewers. Or maybe I’m thinking about it too hard. Maybe the viewing public just opened their mouths and stuffed whatever Stingray goodness in that was served up to them without very much thought. Gobble gobble gobble. Anyway, what are we doing here? Oh yeah, Hostages of the Deep.

Stingray – 3. Sea of Oil

Another early episode broadcast late in the run, Sea of Oil represents the first of what I would consider a run-of-the-mill Stingray episode, following the formula of the Stingray crew investigating X incident, and discovering Y undersea race who are behind the whole affair. It’s not exactly the most outlandish story of the series, but give ’em a break, it’s only episode three. And hey, there are definitely some hidden gems in there. Can anyone else hear an “oink”?

Stingray – 2. Plant of Doom

Bizarrely, this second episode which follows on directly from the plot of the pilot episode, was broadcast incredibly late in Stingray’s first run on television. It was common practice back in the day to push early episodes to later in the broadcast order, with the supposed reasoning that initial episodes weren’t as good as later ones. So to keep viewers tuning in during those crucial first few weeks of broadcast, heavy hitters from later in the production order of episodes would be brought forward. In the case of Stingray, it was decided that the episode Emergency Marineville be broadcast second, and Plant of Doom was moved all the way to slot number 34. While fairly nonsensical in terms of the plot and it’s bearing on other episodes of the series, is this indicative of the quality of the finished episode itself? Let’s dive in…

Gerry Anderson: A Life Uncharted REVIEW ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

The work of Gerry Anderson has been, and continues to be, thoroughly documented across books, films, events and more. Historians and researchers work hard to unearth fascinating information surrounding the Anderson productions. The story of Gerry’s career and his works will be told and updated with new knowledge and insight so long as there is a fascination with the magic of film. The legacy of his work will continue to live on with each new generation that discovers it. But the story of Gerry himself – the man, the son, the husband, the father – sadly came to an end on December 26th, 2012.

‘Gerry Anderson: A Life Uncharted’ launches on the big screen and Britbox in April!

The story of Gerry Anderson’s life has always been a great inspiration to me. It’s a tale of hard work, determination, building and trusting a good team, and bouncing back against insurmountable odds. Much like anyone else, Gerry had his fair share of successes and struggles which shaped his career and often left an impression on his work as a producer. A new documentary from The Format Factory and Anderson Entertainment entitled Gerry Anderson: A Life Uncharted, is set to tell the story of Gerry’s life and work in a remarkable new way.