The Psychobombs

"The Psychobombs" is the twelfth episode aired of the first series of UFO, a 1970 British television science fiction series about an alien invasion of Earth. The screenplay was written by Tony Barwick and the director was Jeremy Summers. The episode was filmed between 30 June and 10 July 1970, and first aired on ATV Midlands on 30 December 1970. Though shown as the twelfth episode, it was actually the twenty-second to be filmed.

The series was 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.

Plot
A UFO lands in England, and takes control of the minds of two men and a woman (Linda Simmons, Daniel Clark and Clem Mason). Each is given superhuman strength as well as being made into a walking bomb. Simmons strangles a policeman close to her home, and each of the three is sent to destroy a SHADO installation. Following an unsuccessful attack on Straker's car, a note is found detailing three attacks on SHADO if it continues to operate.

Clark attacks the Fairfield Tracker Station, which he destroys by grabbing high-voltage power cables and then exploding. This is followed by Mason evading security and getting on board Skydiver 3, and destroying it by grabbing power cables as it leaves its base of operations.

Foster investigates Simmonds (following up on the strangled policeman), the last surviving 'living bomb', and takes her to SHADO headquarters unaware of what she is capable of. Whilst in detention, Simmonds escapes and looks for high-voltage cables she can use to explode herself. Just before she manages to do this, Sky One destroys the UFO that has been controlling the humans, and Simmonds only electrocutes herself.

Regular cast

 * Ed Bishop — Commander Ed Straker
 * Michael Billington — Colonel Paul Foster
 * Vladek Sheybal — Dr Douglas Jackson
 * Wanda Ventham — Colonel Virginia Lake
 * Ayshea — Lieutenant Ayshea Johnson

Production
Locations used for the filming included Heatherden Hall, Pinewood Studios and St Alphage House, London.

Reception
Calling the episode "a pretty strong addition" even if the story is "pure formula", John Kenneth Muir likens the guest characters to terrorist suicide bombers, writing that "in a post-9/11 world, this entire plot line seems even more fascinating than it may have in the early 1970s".

Review website anorakzone.com ranks the episode the sixth-worst of the series, commenting that its "terrorism" theme is "rendered in pulp terms".