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''The Secret Service'' is a British children's espionage television series, filmed by Century 21 for ITC Entertainment and broadcast on Associated Television, Granada Television and Southern Television in 1969. Created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, and produced by David Lane and Reg Hill, it was the eighth and last Century 21 production to feature – in a manner similar to ''Thunderbirds'' and other earlier series – marionette puppet characters as part of a filming technique known as "Supermarionation". Under the direction of Gerry Anderson, who wanted to increase the realism of the Supermarionation format, ''The Secret Service'' incorporates footage of live actors for long-distance shots. Following ''The Secret Service'', Anderson would not work with puppets again until the 1980s, when he produced ''Terrahawks'' in "Supermacromation". The series follows the adventures of Father Stanley Unwin, a character both voiced by and resembling the real-life comedian of the same name. Outwardly the parish priest of a rural English village, Unwin is in fact a secret agent for BISHOP, a covert branch of British Intelligence that counters criminal and terrorist threats from abroad. Aided by junior operative Matthew Harding, the Father answers to his London-based superior, "The Bishop". Whenever they must gather intelligence in a hostile situation, Unwin and Matthew deploy the "Minimiser" – a gadget capable of shrinking people and objects to a fraction of their normal size – to carry out secret reconnaissance. A form of gobbledegook of Unwin's devising is used to confuse and distract enemies when required. Filming commenced at Century 21 Studios in Slough and on location in August 1968. Production was cancelled in December when Lew Grade, the Andersons' financial backer, responded poorly to a test screening of the pilot episode, fearing that successful distribution in the United States would be impossible with the inclusion of the nonsensical "Unwinese" dialogue. Filming concluded in January 1969 with the completion of the thirteenth episode. Critical reception to ''The Secret Service'' remains mixed: when compared to the Andersons' previous series, verdicts range from "the forgotten gem" to "the one flop". Commentators have questioned the wisdom of hiring Unwin as a voice actor, suggesting that the potential for comedy provided by his Unwinese is too weak to sustain interest; however, the writing of the supporting characters has been praised. ==Plot== ''The Secret Service'' follows the adventures of Father Stanley Unwin, the parish priest of a rural English village. Affecting the appearance of an eccentric middle-aged vicar, Unwin moonlights as a secret agent for BISHOP (an acronym of "British Intelligence Service Headquarters, Operation Priest"), a top-secret division of British Intelligence based in Whitehall. Answering to his superior, "The Bishop", Unwin is stationed at his vicarage with Matthew Harding – another agent who, when not assisting the Father on missions, adopts the manner of a simple gardener. Supporting characters include Blake, a junior BISHOP operative, and Mrs Appleby, the Father's ageing housekeeper, who is unaware of Unwin and Harding's involvement with British Intelligence. Prior to the events of the series, the pioneering scientist Professor Humbert invented the Minimiser, a device capable of shrinking people or objects to one third of their original size. After Humbert's death, it was passed down to Father Unwin, who conceals his deceased parishioner's parting gift inside a large Bible. The regular focus of the Minimiser is Harding, whom Unwin reduces to a height of two feet (0.6 m) to enable him to infiltrate situations to which no ordinary-sized person could make a discreet entry. In this manner, the Harding puppet interacts with life-sized sets and live actors whose faces are excluded from shots. The Minimiser is also used to shrink enemy agents, literally bringing them down to Harding's size. While miniaturised, Harding is transported in Unwin's specially-adapted briefcase, which is fitted with equipment such as a periscope, stores other gadgets as and when required, and can open from the inside. Unwin's hearing aid is in fact a transceiver that enables him to communicate covertly with Harding, who wears a corresponding unit. The Father's preferred means of transport is ''Gabriel'', a repainted and revamped 1917-issue Ford Model T that can travel at speeds in excess of . When enemies, police or other authorities challenge Unwin, the Father spouts a form of nonsensical gobbledegook as a smokescreen to confuse the opposition and cover for Matthew. ''The Secret Service'' represents a departure from most earlier Supermarionation television series on account of its contemporary, late-1960s setting.〔Bentley 2008, p. 151.〕〔〔Bentley 2001, p. 115.〕〔Archer, p. 85.〕 The events of the episodes "Errand of Mercy" and "The Deadly Whisper" are set on 3 February and 24 May 1969, respectively.〔Bentley 2008, pp. 154 and 156.〕 The earlier series ''Supercar'' is set between 1960 and 1962.〔 However, Simon Archer and Marcus Hearn, writers of ''The Complete Gerry Anderson: the Authorised Episode Guide'', argue that the setting is ambiguous: although they suggest it to be "sometime in the near future", they also observe that "Morris Minors negotiate leafy country roads while space-age helijets patrol the skies" and conclude that the series is so fantastic that it "isn't set in the real world at all."〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Secret Service」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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