Very sad news for fans of the 1970 TV series UFO. In a rather grim coincidence, Ed Bishop and Michael Billington, who played Commander Ed Straker and Colonel Paul Foster respectively in the groundbreaking Gerry Anderson production, died on consecutive days this week.

As a kid I absolutely loved UFO, a science-fiction drama set ten years in the future, where SHADO, an ultra-secret military organisation funded by the world's governments defended Earth against ruthless, mysteriously silent alien invaders. It captured my imagination like no other TV programme before or since, and I confess, it retains much of its appeal for me to this day. Bishop in particular had an extremely charismatic screen presence in his role as the unyielding, ice-cold Straker, an almost tragic figure whose personal life suffered from his obsessive commitment to his command.


Anderson's vision of a future ten years hence (1980) was as mesmerising as it turned out to be inaccurate, and despite the fact that the last episode was filmed over 35 years ago, UFO retains a remarkable cult popularity with a thriving fan community, given a new lease of life firstly by the advent of the Internet, then by a DVD release of the entire series in 2002. Both Bishop and Billington were regulars at UFO conventions, and perhaps remarkably, both are still idolised by many female fans, both in the UK and the US. I'm afraid there will be an outpouring of grief in the UFO fan community today, as the news is absorbed.

I happened upon Ed Bishop by chance at the Tesco Metro supermarket in Covent Garden about four years ago. I couldn't resist saying hello, and found him to be a thoroughly pleasant chap. He'd made a living in England for many years, appearing in the occasional radio play and theatrical production.

Michael Billington died on Monday, June 6th, aged 63, following a battle with cancer. Ed Bishop died on Tuesday, June 7th, aged 72. He is believed to have contracted an infection which proved to be fatal while undergoing hospital treatment.