Forcefield X

plot
Earth is being affected by a sudden intense heat wave and Galasphere 347 is sent above the planet’s atmosphere to investigate.  Slim leaves the Galasphere and returns with some unusual “particles”.  He leaves again to take further readings while Dart and Husky take the particles back to Earth.  There, Haggerty discovers them to be electromagnetically charged and explains that the particles are creating a huge forcefield and causing Earth’s atmosphere become thinner.  Earth’s entire electricity supply then fails, as a result of the field’s interference.  Dart and Husky are also unable to retrieve Slim from space because Galaspheres, like all modern spacecraft, need electricity in order to launch.  Raeburn suspects the Neptunians are behind all this and contacts Tyro, who tells him that he will not remove the forcefield unless he is sent slaves from Earth.  Haggerty suggests that Dart use an old, fossil-fueled rocket ship, from around the year 1980 to get Slim back.  Taking one into space with a ray gun attached, he rescues Slim, who helps him to destroy one of the Neptunian ships controlling the forcefield.  Raeburn arranges to have more rockets made and the Neptunians are defeated.

notes
The Neptunians make their sixth, and final, appearance in this episode.  They had previously featured in Deadly Whirlwind, the Telepathic Robot, the Planet of Thought, the Cloud of Death and the Slaves of Neptune.
In a sequence apparently borrowed directly from Secret Formula, Gabbler tries to eat what he thinks is sugar from a dish in Professor Haggerty’s laboratory.

credits
a National Interest Picture production
Wonderama Productions Ltd. © 1962
produced by Roberta Leigh and Arthur Provis
directed by Frank Goulding
created & written by Roberta Leigh
voices by Libby Morris, Dick Vosburgh, Ronnie Stevens, Murray Cash, Ysanne Churchman
puppetry by Martin & Heather Granger, Joan Garrick
electronics by F.C. Judd
editor: Len Walter
sound editor: John Beaton
recordist: Cyril Brown
RCA sound recording
processed at Kay’s
cameraman: Arthur Provis
art director: Roland Whiteside
models: Derek Freeborn
script assistant: Denise Kaye
space consultant: Colin Ronan
special effects & animation: Brian Stevens, Bert Walker
2nd unit cameraman: Jimmy Hopewell