The Unorthodox Shepherd
Encyclopedia
"The Unorthodox Shepherd" is the 13th episode of the British Supermarionation
television series Joe 90
. It was the eighth episode to be produced. Its original UK air date was 22 December 1968 on ATV Midlands. It was written by Tony Barwick
and directed by Ken Turner
.
have been paid into a bank by an unlikely counterfeiter
- the Reverend Joseph Shepherd, who leads the congregation of St David's, a village church. WIN's suspicions are raised, and Professor McClaine, Sam and Joe are dispatched to investigate in the days leading up to Christmas. Equipped with the brain pattern of a World Bank
vice president, Joe confirms that the Reverend's bills have been printed within the last two weeks, although the last authorised printing in Washington, D.C.
was 17 years ago and the plates were later reported to have been destroyed in a fire. The group decide to confront the slightly eccentric Reverend, who is apparently half-deaf, at his vicarage. However, the Reverend amazes the WIN agents by not only having guessed that Sam is carrying a concealed weapon, but also having determined the model of the gun just from the click of the safety catch
.
The Reverend's supposed deafness is an act: the plates were not destroyed, and have been smuggled into Britain to enable two criminals, Kline and Mason, to print $6 million in forged bills. The plates arrived in the coffin of Mason's uncle, Clem Mason - known on the West Coast of the United States
as an infamous racketeer, Carlo Masoni - who wished to be buried in the village of his birth. Kline and Mason's hideout is the crypt
beneath Clem Mason's tomb. To divert attention from their illegal activities, Mason has fitted the church with electronic devices, causing the bells to ring at irregular hours and leading the superstitious villagers to believe that the church and its grounds are haunted. The virger, Thomas, has been kidnapped; if the Reverend betrays Kline and Mason to the authorities, the hostage will be killed. Requiring £10,000 to rescue his church from dry rot
, the Reverend had no choice other than to agree to their demands.
Sam has a plan to expose the counterfeiting operation by Mason's fears against him. That night, with Kline and Mason approaching their $6 million target and the church empty of gadgets, the criminals are puzzled to hear the bells suddenly ring out across the graveyard. Searching the building for intruders, Mason flees in terror when Sam, hiding in the darkness with a megaphone, declares that he is the spirit of Carlo Masoni and that the Angel of Death
will avenge his dishonoured memory. Holding Thomas at gunpoint, Kline and Mason emerge from the crypt to face Mason's "ghost". Under Mac's instruction, Joe, wearing a jet pack
underneath an angel's white robes, lifts off and rushes towards them. While Mason tries to run, Kline fires wildly at Joe until he is knocked down. At the Reverend's request, Police Constable Lewis has stationed himself at the entrance to the church grounds and is immediately on hand to arrest the counterfeiters.
On Christmas Day, the combination of two rewards for assisting in the recovery of the plates - £8,000 from WIN and £2,000 from Interpol
– means that the Reverend now has the funds necessary to restore his church. Later, the St David's carol service
is heard singing the end of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
", the final lines resounding across the snow-blanketed fields surrounding the village.
"The Unorthodox Shepherd" incorporates location filming of the Church of St Mary the Virgin in Harefield
, Buckinghamshire
, which appears in the episode as St David's, the Reverend Shepherd's parish church. Following the production of Thunderbird 6
, which had involved the filming of special effects shots on location, director Ken Turner
and production designer Keith Wilson
conducted a recce on Church Hill at the start of 1968. Later, during pre-production of "The Unorthodox Shepherd", Wilson used photographs of the church interior to construct a scale model
for puppet scenes, to be recorded at the Century 21 Studios in Slough
.
Returning to Harefield, the production staff filmed on a path leading into St Mary the Virgin with a puppet of the villain Mason, and also entered the church to record a series of insert shots. After a snowfall, the crew re-visited the location to pan
about the blanketed church grounds for the closing shots, set on the snowbound Christmas Day. Turner and Wilson decided that Clem Mason's grave, which conceals the counterfeiters' hideout, would be modelled on a block tombstone in the churchyard. In September 1969, Century 21 Productions returned to the Church of St Mary the Virgin to film the concluding scenes of the UFO
episode, "The Square Triangle".
In a scene deleted from the finished episode, Constable Lewis arrests Mason and Kline after the confrontation with the disguised Joe. Music for this episode was recorded on two separate dates. The Organ Music was recorded on 26th March, 1968 at Barry Gray Studio between 8:30 to 10:30pm. While other music was recorded on the 10th April 1968 at CTS Studio between 2:00 to 6:00pm along with music for the episode Big Fish.
episode for FAB magazine, Ian Fryer compares "The Unorthodox Shepherd" to the episode "More Haste Less Speed". He notes that "both stories centre on the production of counterfeit dollar bills in old basements, and feature a vicar who isn't what he seems to be." He also likens the episode to "See You Down There
" as "an early flowering of the whimsy which was to be the defining feature of The Secret Service". Similar comparisons can be made to the Supercar
episode "A Little Art", which depicts the attempts of two criminals to obtain counterfeit dollar bill plates.
Supermarionation
Supermarionation is a puppetry technique devised in the 1960s by British production company AP Films. It was used extensively in the company's numerous Gerry and Sylvia Anderson-produced action-adventure series, the most famous of which was Thunderbirds...
television series Joe 90
Joe 90
Joe 90 is a late-1960s British science-fiction television series documenting the exploits of a nine-year-old boy, Joe McClaine, who embarks on a double life as a schoolboy turned spy when his scientist father invents a pioneering machine capable of duplicating and transferring expert knowledge and...
. It was the eighth episode to be produced. Its original UK air date was 22 December 1968 on ATV Midlands. It was written by Tony Barwick
Tony Barwick
Tony Barwick was a British television scriptwriter who worked extensively on series created and produced by Gerry Anderson....
and directed by Ken Turner
Ken Turner (director)
Ken Turner is a British television and film director and screenwriter who has worked extensively on series created by Gerry Anderson....
.
Plot
Forged United States dollar billsCounterfeit United States currency
Counterfeiting of the currency of the United States is widely attempted. According to the United States Department of Treasury, an estimated 70 million counterfeit dollars are believed to be in circulation, or approximately $1 in counterfeits for every $12,500 in genuine currency.-Historical...
have been paid into a bank by an unlikely counterfeiter
Counterfeit money
Counterfeit money is currency that is produced without the legal sanction of the state or government to resemble some official form of currency closely enough that it may be confused for genuine currency. Producing or using counterfeit money is a form of fraud or forgery. Counterfeiting is probably...
- the Reverend Joseph Shepherd, who leads the congregation of St David's, a village church. WIN's suspicions are raised, and Professor McClaine, Sam and Joe are dispatched to investigate in the days leading up to Christmas. Equipped with the brain pattern of a World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
vice president, Joe confirms that the Reverend's bills have been printed within the last two weeks, although the last authorised printing in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
was 17 years ago and the plates were later reported to have been destroyed in a fire. The group decide to confront the slightly eccentric Reverend, who is apparently half-deaf, at his vicarage. However, the Reverend amazes the WIN agents by not only having guessed that Sam is carrying a concealed weapon, but also having determined the model of the gun just from the click of the safety catch
Safety (firearms)
In firearms, a safety or safety catch is a mechanism used to help prevent the accidental discharge of a firearm, helping to ensure safer handling....
.
The Reverend's supposed deafness is an act: the plates were not destroyed, and have been smuggled into Britain to enable two criminals, Kline and Mason, to print $6 million in forged bills. The plates arrived in the coffin of Mason's uncle, Clem Mason - known on the West Coast of the United States
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
as an infamous racketeer, Carlo Masoni - who wished to be buried in the village of his birth. Kline and Mason's hideout is the crypt
Crypt
In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....
beneath Clem Mason's tomb. To divert attention from their illegal activities, Mason has fitted the church with electronic devices, causing the bells to ring at irregular hours and leading the superstitious villagers to believe that the church and its grounds are haunted. The virger, Thomas, has been kidnapped; if the Reverend betrays Kline and Mason to the authorities, the hostage will be killed. Requiring £10,000 to rescue his church from dry rot
Dry rot
Dry rot refers to a type of wood decay caused by certain types of fungi, also known as True Dry Rot, that digests parts of the wood which give the wood strength and stiffness...
, the Reverend had no choice other than to agree to their demands.
Sam has a plan to expose the counterfeiting operation by Mason's fears against him. That night, with Kline and Mason approaching their $6 million target and the church empty of gadgets, the criminals are puzzled to hear the bells suddenly ring out across the graveyard. Searching the building for intruders, Mason flees in terror when Sam, hiding in the darkness with a megaphone, declares that he is the spirit of Carlo Masoni and that the Angel of Death
Death (personification)
The concept of death as a sentient entity has existed in many societies since the beginning of history. In English, Death is often given the name Grim Reaper and, from the 15th century onwards, came to be shown as a skeletal figure carrying a large scythe and clothed in a black cloak with a hood...
will avenge his dishonoured memory. Holding Thomas at gunpoint, Kline and Mason emerge from the crypt to face Mason's "ghost". Under Mac's instruction, Joe, wearing a jet pack
Jet pack
Jet pack, rocket belt, rocket pack, and similar names are various types of devices, usually worn on the back, that are propelled by jets of escaping gases so as to allow a single user to fly....
underneath an angel's white robes, lifts off and rushes towards them. While Mason tries to run, Kline fires wildly at Joe until he is knocked down. At the Reverend's request, Police Constable Lewis has stationed himself at the entrance to the church grounds and is immediately on hand to arrest the counterfeiters.
On Christmas Day, the combination of two rewards for assisting in the recovery of the plates - £8,000 from WIN and £2,000 from Interpol
Interpol
Interpol, whose full name is the International Criminal Police Organization – INTERPOL, is an organization facilitating international police cooperation...
– means that the Reverend now has the funds necessary to restore his church. Later, the St David's carol service
Carol service
Most Churches in Britain hold Carol Services in the weeks leading up to Christmas. The service usually consists of Hymns about Christmas and readings from the gospels telling the Christmas story...
is heard singing the end of "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
“Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” is a Christmas carol that first appeared in 1739 in the collection Hymns and Sacred Poems, having been written by Charles Wesley. This is not the version widely known today. A sombre man, Wesley had requested and received slow and solemn music for his lyrics, not the...
", the final lines resounding across the snow-blanketed fields surrounding the village.
Production
Harefield
Harefield is a village in the London Borough of Hillingdon in northwest London, England. It is situated on top of a hill, northwest of Charing Cross, near the Greater London boundary with Buckinghamshire to the west and Hertfordshire to the north...
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
, which appears in the episode as St David's, the Reverend Shepherd's parish church. Following the production of Thunderbird 6
Thunderbird 6
Thunderbird 6 is a 1968 British science-fiction and adventure film written by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, directed by David Lane and produced by Century 21 Cinema...
, which had involved the filming of special effects shots on location, director Ken Turner
Ken Turner (director)
Ken Turner is a British television and film director and screenwriter who has worked extensively on series created by Gerry Anderson....
and production designer Keith Wilson
Keith Wilson (production designer)
Keith George Wilson was an award-winning production designer who began work at AP Films, working as art assistant on Fireball XL5 and many other Gerry Anderson productions to follow. As a production designer he created all the futuristic sets for Space: 1999 and Star Maidens...
conducted a recce on Church Hill at the start of 1968. Later, during pre-production of "The Unorthodox Shepherd", Wilson used photographs of the church interior to construct a scale model
Scale model
A scale model is a physical model, a representation or copy of an object that is larger or smaller than the actual size of the object, which seeks to maintain the relative proportions of the physical size of the original object. Very often the scale model is used as a guide to making the object in...
for puppet scenes, to be recorded at the Century 21 Studios in Slough
Slough
Slough is a borough and unitary authority within the ceremonial county of Royal Berkshire, England. The town straddles the A4 Bath Road and the Great Western Main Line, west of central London...
.
Returning to Harefield, the production staff filmed on a path leading into St Mary the Virgin with a puppet of the villain Mason, and also entered the church to record a series of insert shots. After a snowfall, the crew re-visited the location to pan
Panning (camera)
In photography, panning refers to the horizontal movement or rotation of a still or video camera, or the scanning of a subject horizontally on video or a display device...
about the blanketed church grounds for the closing shots, set on the snowbound Christmas Day. Turner and Wilson decided that Clem Mason's grave, which conceals the counterfeiters' hideout, would be modelled on a block tombstone in the churchyard. In September 1969, Century 21 Productions returned to the Church of St Mary the Virgin to film the concluding scenes of the UFO
UFO (TV series)
UFO is a 1970-1971 British television science fiction series about an alien invasion of Earth, 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.UFO first aired in the UK and Canada...
episode, "The Square Triangle".
In a scene deleted from the finished episode, Constable Lewis arrests Mason and Kline after the confrontation with the disguised Joe. Music for this episode was recorded on two separate dates. The Organ Music was recorded on 26th March, 1968 at Barry Gray Studio between 8:30 to 10:30pm. While other music was recorded on the 10th April 1968 at CTS Studio between 2:00 to 6:00pm along with music for the episode Big Fish.
Reception
Reviewing a The Secret ServiceThe Secret Service
The Secret Service is a British children's espionage television series, made as a Century 21 production for ITC Entertainment and broadcast in 1969...
episode for FAB magazine, Ian Fryer compares "The Unorthodox Shepherd" to the episode "More Haste Less Speed". He notes that "both stories centre on the production of counterfeit dollar bills in old basements, and feature a vicar who isn't what he seems to be." He also likens the episode to "See You Down There
See You Down There
"See You Down There" is the 23rd episode of the Supermarionation television series Joe 90. It was the 28th episode to be produced. Its original UK air date was March 2, 1969 on ATV Midlands. It was written by Tony Barwick and directed by Leo Eaton....
" as "an early flowering of the whimsy which was to be the defining feature of The Secret Service". Similar comparisons can be made to the Supercar
Supercar (TV series)
Supercar was a children's TV show produced by Gerry Anderson and Arthur Provis's AP Films for ATV and ITC Entertainment. 39 episodes were produced between 1961 and 1962, and it was Anderson's first half-hour series. In the UK it was seen on ITV and in the US in syndication...
episode "A Little Art", which depicts the attempts of two criminals to obtain counterfeit dollar bill plates.