"Slow and steady wins the race - not the one that sets the pace."
Original UK broadcast: December 14th, 1969 (ATV Midlands)
Written by: Tony Barwick
Directed by: Ken Turner
Regular cast: Father Unwin, Matthew, The Bishop, Mrs. Appleby
Additional voice cast:
Lady Martha Hazlewell Keith Alexander
Lord Edward Hazlewell David Graham
Spiker Gary Files
Mullins Jeremy Wilkin
Charlie Gary Files
Pete Gary Files
Attendant Gary Files
Lady Martha Hazlewell and Lord Edward have inherited a counterfeit plate from their father, but the location of the second plate is known only to their father's accomplice, Mullins. Unwin and Matthew trail Mullins to Hazlewell Manor and join a frantic chase to retrieve the second plate from an old barn at Greenacre Farm...
The Captain Scarlet pop theme music is heard one more time when Lady Hazlewell steals the motorbike of the bikers, one of which was the Captain Magenta puppet once again. One more final reuse in the series is the Tiger Moth plane, better known as a slightly altered version of Thunderbird 6, which of course was the main feature of the 1968 film with the same title, as was the Lady Hazlewell puppet who was Mrs. Harris in Joe 90. This is another fun and highly enjoyable episode, featuring a frantic chase with plenty of excitement, thrills and enjoyment to make this one of the best episodes of the series. The characters of this episode are outstanding, providing much more humour to the episode, Lord Hazlewell is a hilariously stereotypical English gentleman voiced by Anderson legend David Graham and the silly but gagful Martha Hazlewell is voiced by Keith Alexander. They get justice as they are just another wealthy, snobby family with too much greed. Stephen La Rivière (Filmed in Supermarionation: A History of the Future) favours More Haste Less Speed describing the series finale as "wonderfully quirky" and "glorious", he sees the counterfeiting plot as being reminiscent of the "gentler, earlier days of Supercar". He also praises Keith Alexander for his elderly voice for the aforementioned Lady Martha Hazelwell. However, SUPERMARIONATION was evolving.
The series had been cancelled, making this the last episode in the series. At least the series ended on a high, now UFO was coming. On Friday 24th January 1969, the original Gerry Anderson puppetry works were now finally over.
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The Secret Service: The Vault
Non-FictionThe Secret Service was a 1960s British children's TV series created by Gerry Anderson and the team of Century 21 studios in Slough, from the makers of Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and Space: 1999. This was the final of his television series to feat...
