The Unorthodox Shepherd [SEP] series
The Unorthodox Shepherd
"The Unorthodox Shepherd" is the eighth episode of "Joe 90", a British Supermarionation television series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and produced by their company Century 21. Written by Tony Barwick and directed by Ken Turner, it was first broadcast on 22 December 1968 on ATV Midlands.
In this Christmas-themed episode, an investigation into the production of counterfeit currency leads WIN to an unusual suspect – a church minister. The episode incorporates live-action location filming to an extent never previously
integration" possible in mixing puppets with live actors. In this respect, "The Unorthodox Shepherd" serves as a precursor to the final Supermarionation series, "The Secret Service" (1969), which combined puppet sequences with greater amounts of live action (a hybrid format that according to Archer and Hearn "saw Supermarionation through to its natural conclusion"). Pixley notes the Reverend Shepherd's similarity to Father Stanley Unwin of the later series, remarking that like Unwin he is a vicar who "isn't all he seems