(grave orchestrated music)
- [Gerry] Ed Bishop is one of the most talented people
I've ever worked with.
And my only sadness was that he didn't go on
to become an international star.
I would have loved him to, perhaps, been James Bond.
- [Narrator] George Victor Bishop was born
at the Shore Road Hospital in Brooklyn
on June the 11th, 1932,
and moved with his family to New York at the age of seven.
At the age of 20, he was called up for national service,
spending two years working as an announcer
in the Armed Forces Radio Service
at St. John's, Newfoundland.
After being discharged from the army,
be briefly attempted to follow in his father's footsteps
by training as a banker,
but soon found that that life was not for him.
Instead, he enrolled in a drama course at university.
- Boston. - Oh.
- [Narrator] Where he graduated with a bachelor
of fine arts degree in the theatre in 1959.
From there, he won a scholarship
to continue his dramatic studies
at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art,
and was so inundated by offers of work in the UK
that he put his plans to return to the States on hold.
Within a month of leaving LAMDA,
Bishop made his theatre debut in Croydon
in August, 1960,
and his first television work followed in April, 1961
when he appeared in an episode of Drama 61
for Granada Television.
After switching to the stage name
of Edward, later Ed, Bishop,
Ed made his feature film debut
with an uncredited role as an ambulance attendant
in Stanley Kubrick's Lolita.
He wouldn't receive his first big screen credit
until 1962 when he played a small role
in the Steve McQueen World War II film the War Lover.
- Lieutenant, we feel you're about ready
to command your own plane.
Now would you like to be transferred
from Captain Rickson's crew
while we put you through some additional training?
- [Lieutenant] Are you giving me a choice, sir?
- [Ed] Yes.
- I'll stay with my own present crew.
- Well, that's all, Lieutenant.
- [Narrator] As his film career began to take off,
Ed was still very much in demand for theatre work
and returned to the States in 1963
for a short run in several plays on the US stage.
(beeping)
- What are you doing here?
- Checking the switches.
They're set now so I can lock up.
- I'll make sure everything's in order.
- You think I'm a traitor?
- It's my job to suspect everyone.
- [Narrator] On returning to London in 1964,
Ed voiced his very first puppet character,
the daring space agent Paul Starr
in a pilot film produced by the creator
of Twizzle and Torchy, Roberta Lee.
- What happened? - Nothing.
- [Narrator] Staying in the field of children's sci-fi,
Ed also provided the voice of the narrator for the cartoon--
♪ Do Do, the kid from outer space ♪
- [Narrator] And narrated the Halas and Batchelor short
Automania 2000.
- [Ed] In the more densely populated areas of our planet,
people have been confined to their cars for over five years.
(innocent music)
The younger children cannot remember the time
when it was possible to move around in cars.
- [Narrator] While his voiceover career
was beginning to take off,
Ed continued to make regular television appearances
in such shows as Court Martial, the Baron,
and four episodes of the Saint.
- Sherm?
This is Mr. Simon Templar.
My brother Sherman.
- Nice to meet you. - I'm pleased to know you.
- Uh, would you like some breakfast?
- No thank you, I've already had mine.
- Well, uh, thanks for the meal.
We hate to eat and run, but we do have some work to do,
and, uh, well, we gotta fix our radio.
Thanks for the dinner and everything.
We really must be going off.
- [Narrator] Throughout the mid to late 1960s,
Ed's film career was beginning to gain traction
with minor roles in the James Bond movie You Only Live Twice
and as a shuttle pilot in Stanley Kubrick's
2001: A Space Odyssey.
Sadly, most of Ed's contribution to the latter was cut,
and in the finished film,
his voice cannot be heard in all that remains
of his performance.
(dramatic imposing music)
- [Announcer] Leading the fight, one man
fate has made indestructible.
His name, Captain Scarlet.
- [Narrator] Ed's long association with Gerry Anderson
began in autumn 1966 when he was hired
to provide the voice of Captain Blue
in Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons.
- Yes, sir, Captain Blue.
- SIG, Captain Scarlet.
- [Narrator] Although not originally intended
to be one of the show's main characters,
Captain Blue soon became Captain Scarlet's regular partner,
and Ed went on to play the character
in all 32 episodes of the show,
also providing additional voices
in five Captain Scarlet mini-albums
produced on the Century 21 Records label.
- At that time, I was just new to the theatre.
I had two children,
and I worked in a theatre that paid me
small money.
But Captain Blue,
he gave me the money to pay the rent,
and pay baby food and nappies.
So I loved Captain Blue, he was very good to me.
He was a good man.
- Yippee!
- [Narrator] The flexibility of the Captain Scarlet
recording schedule enabled Ed to pursue other work.
On television in 1967, he appeared in Man in a Suitcase,
and in 1968, the feature film Battle Beneath the Earth.
- [Trailer] Was this the scientific breakthrough
our leaders could not ignore?
Or was it a dangerous delusion?
- You might wind up in a padded cell along with Kramer.
- [Narrator] Also in 1968,
he was cast in the BBC dramatisation
of The Portrait of a Lady opposite Suzanne Neve
with whom he would later work again in UFO.
- Okay, sir.
How much is it gonna cost us this time?
- [Narrator] The Anderson connection continued in 1968
when Ed was cast as NASA liaison David Poulson
in the feature film Doppelganger,
better known by its alternative title
Journey to the Far Side of the Sun.
- I know how you feel about this project, Jason.
The answer is no.
I'm sorry, I really am.
- So am I.
- [Narrator] Despite being a late recast for a role
that had originally been given to Thunderbirds regular
Peter Dyneley,
Ed impressed both cast and crew alike with his performance,
particularly when called upon to ad lib
this moment with George Sewell.
- Oh, can I have another look at the photographic equipment?
Does our side have anything like this?
- We have now.
- [Narrator] Although he only appeared
in a handful of scenes,
it was his work on Doppelganger that was to land Ed
the role he would become best known for,
that of Commander Ed Straker
in the 1969 live action series UFO.
(exciting mod music)
As commander of the Shadow organisation
leading Earth's defences against hostile invaders
from an unknown planet,
the character of Ed Straker was originally intended
to remain largely confined to his office
at Shadow headquarters.
- It would appear they are driven by circumstance
across a billion miles of space.
Driven on by the greatest force in the universe.
Survival.
- [Narrator] Ed's driven, determined portrayal
so captured the imagination of the show's writers, however,
that by the end of production,
Straker was very much the focus of the entire series,
and whole episodes were written specifically
to put the character through the ringer physically,
mentally and emotionally.
Ed rose to the challenge every time,
most notably in the episodes dealing
with the death of his son,
and the earlier break up of his marriage.
- [Wife] Tell me where you've been.
- Come on.
- Where have you been?
- You know I can't tell you--
- Oh, for God's sake, Ed,
break the bloody rule just for once and tell me!
I'm your wife!
- And you know I can't tell you!
- [Narrator] When filming on UFO was complete,
Gerry and Sylvia Anderson gave Ed
a very special gift.
- Yes, now there's the watch
that I wore in every episode.
And I was very pleased and honoured
that at the end of the series, the producers,
Gerry, Sylvia, and Reg, they gave me the watch,
suitably engraved on the back.
And I'm pleased to be able to say
that I've worn it every day on my left wrist since then.
And it's been one of my prized possessions.
- [Narrator] Following completion of UFO,
Ed continued to find work in the UK,
most notably in the James Bond movie Diamonds are Forever
as the bumbling technician Klaus Hergersheimer.
- Hi, sorry to bother you.
I'm Klaus Hergersheimer.
G-section.
(tense music)
Checking radiation shields?
- [Narrator] In October, 1971,
Ed once again found himself working for Gerry Anderson
when he guest starred in the Protectors episode
The First Circle.
This episode, in which Ed played
a mentally disturbed Vietnam war veteran,
was almost a two-hander between him and Robert Vaughan,
and was not only one of the best episodes of the series,
but also featured one of Ed's finest performances.
- Still remember the interrogation.
He spoke perfect English.
In the states two years.
"Where are you from, Colonel," he said.
"Where are you from, Colonel?"
- [Narrator] In 1973, Ed moved to Los Angeles
in an attempt to reestablish himself in the USA,
but this proved largely unsuccessful
as he found he was now just one American actor
in a country already full of them.
- We are gathered here today, good citizens,
to see justice done.
- [Narrator] During this period, Ed added
another classic science fiction credit to his CV
when he voiced the prosecutor
in the animated Star Trek episode
The Magicks of Megas-tu.
- He has told you his name is Lucien.
Would you defend him still if you knew
he had another name, too?
The Rollicker, the Tempter,
Lucifer!
- [Narrator] While a significant low point came
with a lead role in the 1974 sexploitation movie Pets.
- All my pets, they love me, you know.
But I must punish them when they deserve it.
- I'm ready to accept your surrender.
- [Narrator] Upon returning to the UK,
Ed was very quickly able to pick up where he had left off
with appearances in hit series like Thriller,
Colditz, and The Professionals.
- Our orders were to get Forest out from under
and fly straight back to the States.
- Get Forest out from under what?
- He's an ex-Maffia accountant.
- [Narrator] He also read the Jay Williams novel
The Hawk Stone on the BBC children's series
Jack and Aurie.
- [Ed] One thing is sure,
this is not the final word.
Not the end but the beginning.
- [Narrator] He continued his association
with Gerry Anderson by providing narration
for the 1975 film The Day After Tomorrow,
and also lent his voice
to the Jiff dessert topping commercial Alien Attack.
- [Computer] Alien attack.
- Flying saucers.
- No! Flying dishes!
- [Astronaut] Ice cream?
Rice pudding?
- He's gonna find us.
I'm telling you now,
he won't stop 'til he does.
- [Man] Stewart?
Where the hell are you?
- You almost brought him out of his cage.
- [Narrator] In 1978, he worked again with Robert Vaughan
on the feature film Brass Target,
and with UFO guest star
and future Terrahawks voice artist Windsor Davies
in an episode of the BBC's
It Ain't Half Hot Mum.
- That's a little better.
- [Announcer] Labatt's Canadian lager,
regular and strong.
- [Narrator] With his uniquely distinctive voice,
Ed was always very much in demand
for audio book and voiceover work
with regular roles in the radio dramas
the Archers and and Waggoner's Walk,
and in one off radio sci-fi plays
such as the Cave of Steel
and the 1983 Journey into Space special
The Return from Mars.
- [Ed] Don't move, Commissioner.
- [Man] Put that thing away!
- [Ed] Not 'til you've heard me out.
- [Man] You'll get 20 years for this.
- [Skinny Man] Partner Elijah, I cannot allow this.
You must not harm another human being.
- [Man] That's right, you keep between us!
- [Ed] I'm not going to harm him, Daniel.
I'm just going to make sure he listens.
- [Narrator] His biggest radio success came in 1977
when he was cast as Phillip Marlowe
in a series of six Radio Four adaptations
of the famous Raymond Chandler mystery novels.
- [Ed] I was neat, clean, shaved and sober.
I was everything a well dressed
private detective ought to be.
I was calling on four million dollars.
- [Narrator] This radio work often brought Ed
back into contact with many of the voice artists
he had worked with on Captain Scarlet,
such as Shane Rimmer, David Healy, and Paul Maxwell.
- I wondered if you could tell me how I learn
who owns a house here in Kokomo.
Is that difficult?
- Give me the address,
I'll have one of my people call you tomorrow.
- WBC Worldwide News coast to coast,
bringing you all the news that's news
this Wednesday midnight from WBC Late Line news,
I'm Jay Garrick, have a cookie.
- [Narrator] Throughout the 1980s,
Ed remained a familiar face and voice on British television,
in everything from the comedy series Whoops Apocalypse
and The Two Ronnies,
the children's drama serial Chucky's Children,
a bizarre one off puppet sci fi special
Stainless Steel and the Star Spies,
and the horrific BBC dramas Threads and The Mad Death.
- What your husband might be suffering from is rabies.
- [Narrator] He even made one of his most bizarre
television appearances on a 1981 edition of Top of the Pops
when the group Landscape performed their latest single
Norman Bates.
♪ My name is Norman Bates ♪
- Did Norman murder the girl at the Bates motel?
Yes and no.
We have to go back to the time when a young Norman
murdered his mother and her lover.
- [Narration] By this time, nostalgia
for the Gerry Anderson shows was in full swing,
and when TVS repeated UFO as part
of their Late Night Late programme during 1988,
Ed was on hand to reminisce about his time on the show.
- Well, they finally got me a wig.
And this was, it's not lookin' her best.
I don't think either one of us have held up
(chuckles) very well over the years.
- Oh, I don't think that's true.
Anyway, we better quickly just answer some questions
that people have written. - Okay, back in the box.
- [Narrator] Although Ed would never return
to the role of Commander Straker--
- No.
- [Narrator] Captain Blue received a new lease of life
in the early 1990s
when he recorded for narrations
for audio adaptations of eight episodes
of the original Captain Scarlet television series.
- [Ed] The lift seemed to be taking forever to come back up.
All the while, the bomb's timer
was ticking away its last few seconds.
15 seconds left, still 3,000 feet from safety.
It was touch and go.
2,000 feet.
As time ran out,
Captain Scarlet was still in the lift shaft.
(explosion booms)
- [Narrator] Sadly, these recordings would remain
on the shelf for the next 20 years
until they received CD releases
through Fanderson and Big Finish.
- When do you think they'll make their first move, Paul?
- Very soon, Adam.
You can be sure of that.
- [Narrator] Ed reprized Captain Blue again in 1999
in the CGI short film Captain Scarlet
and the Return of the Mysterons,
and yet again for the 2001 DVD documentary
Captain Scarlet SIG,
as well as in several commercial and toys.
- Science fiction star whose super smooth role
of Commander Straker in UFO
was universally lauded.
But his portrayal of Captain Blue in Captain Scarlet
was so ropy you could see all the strings.
(laughter)
Ed Bishop!
(cheering)
- [Narrator] Ed was a regular and popular guest
at TV and film conventions around the world,
and was beloved by many fans
for how kind and generous he was towards anybody
who wanted to meet him.
Always strongly opposed to conflict,
he attended protests and demonstrations
against the bombing of Afghanistan
and the invasion of Iraq,
while in 1993 he gatecrashed an arms fair in Aldershot
while dressed as General Pinochet.
- It's amazing.
Come with me please.
- Oh, but Mr. Mason--
- I'm Bill Carstairs, I'm taking over.
Come.
It's amazing.
That hat's a great touch.
- (chuckles) Oh, this old thing?
- You're very good.
- [Narrator] In the early 2000s,
screen acting roles began to dry up a little,
but in 2003,
Ed finally got to lend his voice
to the world of Doctor Who
when he voiced the ruthless General Flint
opposite David Collings's Doctor
in the Big Finish audio drama Full Fathom Five.
- [Flint] I've met your kind before, Doctor.
Full of high minded principals.
But you're all talk and no action,
handicapped by compassion.
It takes ruthless men to make history,
and I don't think you've got what it takes.
- [Doctor] You don't know me at all, chap.
You just think you do.
- [Narrator] Ed Bishop passed away
on June the second, 2005
after contracting a chest infection
while in hospital undergoing treatment for leukaemia.
It was just three days before his 73rd birthday,
and five days after the death of his UFO co-star
Michael Billington.
His final screen appearance,
recorded just a few months before his passing,
was alongside fellow Anderson stalwart Shane Rimmer
in the BBC docudrama Hiroshima
- We call upon the government of Japan
to proclaim now the unconditional surrender
of all Japanese armed forces.
- [Narrator] In a career spanning nearly 45 years,
Ed Bishop amassed more than 150 stage and screen credits
and lent his voice to dozens of radio productions.
However, he always knew that the role
he would be best remembered for
was that of Ed Straker in UFO.
- [Ed] Straker was one of those people--
he has very high dedication,
and he doesn't care what happens in the grey.
It's only black or white.
It works or it doesn't work.
It's good or it's bad, it serves the purpose.
- The older you get,
the more precious life becomes.
You become aware of what life is.
- [Narrator] With UFO now fast approaching
its 50th anniversary,
and his role as Straker being for many people
the highlight of the series,
it's clear that Ed Bishops' work will live on
and be appreciated for a very long time to come.
- Quite a guy.
- Yeah.
- The timelessness of the series is simply that,
like for Disney, I think he said
there's a new audience for his works every seven years.
And I think that the same proves true
for most of Gerry's output.
The technical achievements are fine,
the same values of good and evil,
or excitement and tension and suspense are all there,
and those elements never go out of circulation,
never go out of demand.
And I knew that this would go on, I really did.
(playful music)