| "The Unorthodox Shepherd" | |
|---|---|
| Joe 90 episode | |
| Episode no. | Episode 8 |
| Directed by | Ken Turner |
| Written by | Tony Barwick |
| Cinematography by | Paddy Seale |
| Editing by | Harry MacDonald |
| Production code | 8 |
| Original air date | 22 December 1968 |
| Guest character voices | |
| |
"The Unorthodox Shepherd" is the eighth episode of Joe 90, a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and filmed by their production company Century 21 for ITC Entertainment. Written by Tony Barwick and directed by Ken Turner, it was first broadcast on 22 December 1968 on Anglia, Associated and Ulster Television.[1][2]
Set in the future, the series follows the adventures of nine-year-old schoolboy Joe McClaine, who becomes the "Most Special Agent" of the World Intelligence Network (WIN). With the help of the Brain Impulse Galvanoscope Record And Transfer (BIG RAT), a mind uploading device created by his adoptive father Professor "Mac" McClaine, Joe assumes the knowledge and experience of leading experts to carry out dangerous spy missions for WIN, his youth and innocence helping him to avoid raising enemy suspicion.
In the Christmas-themed "The Unorthodox Shepherd", the McClaines investigate a money forgery case which leads them to an unusual suspect – an elderly church vicar. The episode was filmed partly on location in Harefield in one of Century 21's first major location shoots. Its intercutting of scale puppet scenes with live-action location footage influenced the format of the company's final puppet series, The Secret Service, which made extensive use of live actors.
"The Unorthodox Shepherd" has received a mixed to favourable response from commentators. The Joe 90 Region 1 DVD box set by A&E Home Video includes an audio commentary on the episode by director Ken Turner.[3]