Space Patrol: Mystery On The Moon

Plot Device:
• A tad convenient that Sam Marsden happens to be at hand with the story of the new crater.

2100 ?:
• A comment by Slim to Larry Dart suggests there are still newspapers.
• When left behind in the Galasphere, Husky comments he should have brought some knitting.
• A very conventional 1960's style clock is seen several times as Berridge's deadline nears.

Harmony For Strings:
• Approaching Moon Station One, Slim's hoverjet dips and hits a rock on the lunar surface.

Haven’t I Seen... ?:
• The Berridge puppet makes the first of many appearances as a standard ‘crook’ type, seen in later episodes as Jones (MTS), a forger (TF) and Brig (WB).
• Sam Marsden is General Smith with a beard
• Major Valla was first seen as the replacement Venusian in Volcanoes Of Venus. When he and Slim stand side by side, you could almost think they were twins.
• The mirror that the Galasphere uses made its first appearance in The Cloud Of Death.
• The Leyhart Building gets blown up twice - once at the beginning of the episode and again, seen on the monitor as the Galasphere leaves Earth.

Take A Break:
• After a lengthy sequence of Dart on his hoverjet, a laser rises from the lunar surface and we see Berridge and his men in their base.

Astro Viewer Working:
• This would appear to be the first episode to feature the National Interest Picture Productions ident before the main opening titles.
• Slim states that the laser was invented 'about 130 years ago, in 1961', curiously suggesting that this episode at least takes place in the early 2090s.
• It is stated Roxite is too rare to cover a Galasphere in but how come all the robots are built from it?

Hoorah!:
• The explosion of the Leyhart Building that opens the episode is quite effective, even if it is modeled out of a packed powder-like material to allow it to be blown apart.

Boo!:
• In one shot at the start of the episode, Raeburn sports the scarf he wore in The Cloud Of Death.
• The 'Galasphere 024' launch is used.
• Lasers are spoken of as if rarely used in 2100 but they are mentioned in the earlier episode The Cloud Of Death.
• The mirror is supposedly attached to Galasphere 347 prior to launch but there is little evidence of it until the Galasphere is in space.

Computer Central:
• This was one of four episodes released as a Super 8mm home movie, edited down to approximately 15 minutes in length.
• This is also one of two episodes that survive as a 35mm print, found with the 16mm version in the possession of Roberta Leigh.
• First screened: June 9th 1963 (Tyne Tees)
• Running time: 25 minutes 1 second
• BFCC Classified - 30th March 1998 - the last episode of the four initial volumes to be classified.
• VHS - Volume 3
• DVD - 'The Best of', Vol. 1
• DVD - Complete Series Box Set, Disk 2

Listings
• London, October 10th 1963:
When Colonel Raeburn finds that criminals on the moon are operating a Lazer [sic] gun against Earth he sends Dart to investigate. The Patrol Captain has a disturbing report to make on his return.
• Wales, November 20th 1963:
Earth is threatened by a Lazer Beam, directed from an artificial crater on the moon. So well is the site protected that it becomes necessary to destroy the moon in order to get rid of the beam - unless Larry Dart can think of another solution to the problem.

Brahms & List
• The Viewer for Scottish Television calls Colonel Raeburn 'Carl Raeburn'.

Ready To Lift ?:
An almost straight-forward, near cliched, adventure. Watchable, but nothing special.