Space Patrol: Series Two Overview By Space Patrol's final series, it seemed very much as if the ideas were starting to run out. Deprived of new locales, only The Telepathic Robot and Deadly Whirlwind offered a change of space with two new planets - one natural and one artificial - but both inhabited by the Neptunians. These episodes also represented the final high point of the series before falling into a repetition of ideas and rehashed stories - notably Sands Of Death and The Water Bomb, near identical and already going over territory seen previously in Volcanoes Of Venus. Invisibility and shrinking are also revisited. One would have hoped this would have given Roberta Leigh a chance to expand on the cultures we had seen, to flesh out Earth, Mars and Venus especially, but what we do see merely expands the geography (the Silver Forest on Venus and the Toohera Jungle on Mars) rather than tell us about the races themselves. That said, the script-writing and characterisation was far sharper, especially with the regular characters. The Hairy Men Of Mars contains some superb humour, with a Martian primitive taking a shine to Dart because of his beard (one of the series' more subtle running jokes), Haggarty spouting long hair and an invisible Gabbler. This series also saw Roberta Leigh go back on some of her well crafted continuity for the sake of stories, though admittedly these were minor glitches that could have been explained - the Saturnians did not seem dependent on carbon dioxide as seen in The Grass Of Saturn, and there was supposedly no metal on Yria's planet Delta, revisited in Destruction By Sound. Despite a makeover for these episodes, with glitzy new costumes, an addition to the cast in Ysanne Churchman and a glossier look to the production, it was obvious the series was running a little out of steam and ended at perhaps the right time. Reproduced here are the programme details from the London region of TVTimes: The Unknown Asteroid March 19 1964 - 5.25 pm A new adventure in the mysterious world of space, with Captain Larry dart and his Galasphere crew The Evil Eye Of Venus March 26 1964 - 5.25 pm A Venusian professor invents a weapon to prevent aliens and enemies from landing on Venus and, without realising it, puts Larry Dart's life in danger. Secret Formula (listed as The Secret Formula) April 2 1964 - 5.25 pm Husky gets trapped in a Martian spider's web, and it looks as though he will be stuck for good, until Professor Haggarty and Gabbler come up with a solution. The Telepathic Robot April 9 1964 - 5.25 pm Professor Haggarty's latest invention, a robot servant, has unexpected qualities, and Dart and his crew soon find out that it can be a perilous companion. Deadly Whirlwind (listed as The Deadly Whirlwind) April 16 1964 - 5.25 pm A whirlwind loaded with deadly poison is no joke, but this is what threatens Space Headquarters. The Jitter Waves April 23 1964 - 5.25 pm Once a day the Earth begins to shake violently. Professor Haggarty finds out the cause of this phenomenon but how is it to be stopped? Sands Of Death April 30 1964 - 5.25 pm An unknown power is threatening the freedom of the planet Mars. Dart and his crew are given the perilous task of investigating. The Hairy Men Of Mars May 7 1964 - 5.25 pm Professor Haggarty tries a special hair restoring treatment which Dart has brought back from Mars. The Grass Of Saturn May 14 1964 - 5.25 pm The ruler of Saturn is overthrown by a rival who, not content with seizing power on his own planet, determines to conquer Earth as well. The method he adopts is surprising simple and effective. Force Field X (listed as Force Field) May 21 1964 - 5.25 pm The people of Neptune evolve a diabolical plan to enslave the inhabitants of Earth. When Dart returns from an unsuccesful attempt to counter the efforts of the Neptunians, things look grim indeed. The Water Bomb (listed as Water Bomb) May 28 1964 - 5.25 pm On their way to Mars with a cargo of hydrogen and oxygen, required for an irrigation project, Dart and his galasphere are captured by a Martian renegade who has sinister palns for the gas. Destruction By Sound June 4 1964 - 5.25 pm Professor Haggarty uses his daughter as a subject for a strange experiment, which ends still more strangely and affects events in another galaxy. The Shrinking Gas Of Jupiter June 11 1964 - 5.25 pm Larry Dart and Slim have an extraordinary experience when they are caught in a swamp on Jupiter. Series Two Production Characteristics • The National Interest Picture Productions ident before the opening titles on most episodes. • All the title captons show the same view of Space Headquarters. • The Space Patrol uniforms have been revamped. • Raeburn's desk and chair have been smartened up considerably, with a marble effect surface and less silver hemispheres for the desk, and a covered and trim for the chair. • Cassie has a more mature look, with her hair tied up in a bun. • The addition of Ysanne Churchman to the voice artists. • The crew no longer wear oxygen tanks with their molungs. • The hoverjets no longer have a rim of metallic half-spheres - just circular markings - and the 'Space Patrol' and 'Hover Jet' flashes are different. • The Martian President is older, with grey hair and a moustache. • Additional end title credit for Wonderama Productions Ltd ©1962