View source for Joe 90

{{Short description|British science fiction TV series (1968–1969)}}
{{For|the band named after the TV series|Joe 90 (band)}}
{{Good article}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2025}}
{{Infobox television
| image              = Joe 90 titlescreen.jpg
| alt                = Bold white lettering forming the words "Joe 90" is superimposed over the face of a young, blond-haired boy who has sets of wires connected to his head.
| genre              = [[Science fiction on television|Science fiction]]
| creator            = [[Gerry Anderson|Gerry]] & [[Sylvia Anderson]]
| voices             = [[Keith Alexander (actor)|Keith Alexander]]<br />Sylvia Anderson<br />[[Rupert Davies]]<br />[[Gary Files]]<br />[[Len Jones]]<br />[[Martin King (actor)|Martin King]]<br />[[David Healy (actor)|David Healy]]<br />[[Jeremy Wilkin]]<br />[[Liz Morgan]]<br />[[Shane Rimmer]]
| music              = [[Barry Gray]]
| country            = United Kingdom
| language           = English
| num_series         = 1
| num_episodes       = 30
| list_episodes      = List of Joe 90 episodes
| executive_producer = [[Reg Hill]]
| producer           = [[David Lane (director)|David Lane]]
| cinematography     = Julien Lugrin<br />Paddy Seale
| editor             = Harry MacDonald<br>Bob Dearberg<br>Len Cleal<br>Alan Killick<br>Norman A. Cole
| runtime            = 25 minutes
| company            = [[AP Films#Century 21|Century 21 Television Productions]]
| network            = [[ITV (TV network)|ITV]]
| first_aired        = {{Start date|df=y|1968|09|29}}<ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 140">Bentley: ''Episode Guide'', p.&nbsp;140.</ref>
| last_aired         = {{End date|df=y|1969|04|20}}<ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 149">Bentley: ''Episode Guide'', p.&nbsp;149.</ref>
| related            = {{Plainlist|
* ''[[Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons]]''
* ''[[The Secret Service]]''
}}
}}

'''''Joe 90''''' is a British [[science fiction television series]] created by [[Gerry Anderson|Gerry]] and [[Sylvia Anderson]] and filmed by their production company, [[AP Films#Century 21|Century 21]], for [[ITC Entertainment]]. It follows the exploits of nine-year-old schoolboy Joe McClaine, who becomes a spy after his adoptive father invents a device capable of recording expert knowledge and experience and [[Mind uploading in fiction|transferring it]] to another human brain. Armed with the skills of the world's top academic and military minds, Joe is recruited by the World Intelligence Network (WIN) as its "Most Special Agent".

First broadcast on the [[ITV (TV network)|ITV regional franchises]] between 1968 and 1969, the 30-episode series was the final Anderson production to be made primarily using [[Supermarionation]], a form of electronic [[marionette]] puppetry. The following series, ''[[The Secret Service]]'', included extensive footage of live actors. As in the preceding series, ''[[Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons]]'', the puppets of ''Joe 90'' are of natural body proportions rather than the caricatured design used in ''[[Thunderbirds (TV series)|Thunderbirds]]'' and its precursors.

Though not as successful as Century 21's earlier productions, ''Joe 90'' has been praised for the characterisation of its main puppet cast and the quality of its [[scale model]] sets and special effects. Commentators have interpreted the [[Spy-fi (subgenre)|spy-fi]] theme and use of a boy protagonist as both a "kids-play-[[James Bond|Bond]]" concept and an enshrinement of children's imagination. The series has drawn some criticism for its lack of female characters, especially compared to the Andersons' earlier series.

Century 21 produced [[tie-in]]s from comic strips to toy cars. The series was [[Broadcast syndication#First-run syndication in the U.S.|syndicated]] in the United States in 1969, repeated in the UK in the 1990s and released on DVD in the 2000s. A live-action film adaptation has been proposed more than once but remains undeveloped.

==Premise==
{{Further information|List of Joe 90 episodes}}

''Joe 90'' is widely believed to be set in 2012 and 2013.<ref name="Cull, 197"/><ref name="La Rivière, 185"/><ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 137"/> The scriptwriters' guide stated that the year is 1998, while other sources place the series at an unspecified point in the early 21st century.<ref name="La Rivière, 185"/><ref name="Bentley: Captain Scarlet, 112"/><ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 142">Bentley: ''Episode Guide'', p.&nbsp;142.</ref> The episode "[[The Unorthodox Shepherd]]" is implied to be set in 2013.<ref group="E" name="The Unorthodox Shepherd">{{cite episode |title = The Unorthodox Shepherd |episode-link = The Unorthodox Shepherd |series = Joe 90 |credits = Written by [[Tony Barwick]]. Directed by [[Ken Turner (director)|Ken Turner]] |airdate = 22 December 1968 }} Episode 13.</ref><ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 142"/>

The series revolves around the eponymous Joe, a nine-year-old schoolboy and the adopted son of widowed computer expert Professor Ian "Mac" McClaine. Ostensibly an ordinary father-and-son pair, the McClaines live in an [[Elizabethan-style]] cottage on the [[Dorset]] coast. In the basement of the cottage is a secret laboratory containing Mac's latest invention, the Brain Impulse [[Wikt:galvanoscope|Galvanoscope]] Record And Transfer (referred to by the acronym "BIG RAT"): a machine capable of recording a person's knowledge and experience and [[Mind uploading in fiction|transferring it]] to the mind of another. The BIG RAT is centred around the "Rat Trap": a spinning, spherical cage in which the pre-recorded "brain patterns" are uploaded to the recipient.

Sam Loover, a friend of Mac and an agent of the World Intelligence Network (WIN), recognises the potential of Joe and the BIG RAT and persuades the McClaines to pledge their services to the organisation. With the aid of the BIG RAT, Joe becomes a spy unlike any other: by taking on the brain patterns of expert adults, he gains the skills needed to undertake dangerous missions, while his youth helps him to avoid arousing enemy suspicion.<ref group="E" name="The Most Special Agent">{{cite episode |title = The Most Special Agent |episode-link = The Most Special Agent |series = Joe 90 |credits = Written by [[Gerry Anderson|Gerry]] and [[Sylvia Anderson]]. Directed by [[Desmond Saunders]] |airdate = 29 September 1968 }} Episode 1.</ref> As long as he wears a pair of special glasses, which contain electrodes that store the transferred brain patterns, he is able to carry out all manner of assignments – from piloting fighter aircraft<ref group="E" name="The Most Special Agent"/><ref group="E" name="Talkdown">{{cite episode |title = Talkdown |series = Joe 90 |credits = Written by Tony Barwick. Directed by Alan Perry |airdate = 9 February 1969 }} Episode 20.</ref><ref group="E" name="Attack of the Tiger">{{cite episode |title = Attack of the Tiger |series = Joe 90 |credits = Written by Tony Barwick. Directed by Peter Anderson |airdate = 16 March 1969 }} Episode 25.</ref><ref group="E" name="Mission X-41">{{cite episode |title = Mission X-41 |series = Joe 90 |credits = Written by Pat Dunlop. Directed by Ken Turner |airdate = 30 March 1969 }} Episode 27.</ref> to performing neurosurgery<ref group="E" name="Operation McClaine">{{cite episode |title = Operation McClaine |series = Joe 90 |credits = Written by Gerry Anderson and [[David Lane (director)|David Lane]]. Directed by Ken Turner |airdate = 15 December 1968 }} Episode 12.</ref> to playing the piano.<ref group="E" name="International Concerto">{{cite episode |title = International Concerto |series = Joe 90 |credits = Written by Tony Barwick. Directed by Alan Perry |airdate = 17 November 1968 }} Episode 8.</ref> Known as WIN's "Most Special Agent",<ref group="E" name="The Most Special Agent"/> Joe 90 reports to Shane Weston, the network's [[commander-in-chief]] in London, and carries a specially-adapted school case featuring a secret compartment that contains a radio transceiver and high-capacity handgun.<ref group="N">There is some inconsistency as to why Joe is codenamed "90". According to the series' publicity, he is so called because he is the 90th WIN agent to be based in London. However, the episode "Project 90" implies that it originates from "File Number 90", WIN's secret dossier on the BIG RAT (La Rivière, p.&nbsp;185).</ref><ref group="E" name="The Most Special Agent"/><ref group="E" name="Hi-jacked">{{cite episode |title = [[Hi-jacked (Joe 90)|Hi-jacked]] |series = Joe 90 |credits = Written by Tony Barwick. Directed by Alan Perry |airdate = 20 October 1968 }} Episode 4.</ref> The series ends with a [[clip show]] episode set on Joe's 10th birthday, in which a number of his missions are recalled as [[Flashback (narrative)|flashbacks]] during a surprise party.<ref group="E" name="The Birthday">{{cite episode |title = The Birthday |series = Joe 90 |credits = Written by Tony Barwick. Directed by Leo Eaton |airdate = 20 April 1969 }} Episode 30.</ref>

Like earlier Supermarionation series, ''Joe 90'' features secret organisations,<ref group="E" name="Project 90">{{cite episode |title = Project 90 |series = Joe 90 |credits = Written by Tony Barwick. Directed by Peter Anderson |airdate = 13 October 1968 }} Episode 3.</ref> rescue missions,<ref group="E" name="Relative Danger">{{cite episode |title = Relative Danger |series = Joe 90 |credits = Written by [[Shane Rimmer]]. Directed by Peter Anderson |airdate = 8 December 1968 }} Episode 11.</ref> global security threats<ref group="E" name="Attack of the Tiger"/><ref name="Cull, 197">Cull, p.&nbsp;197.</ref> and advanced technology:<ref group="E" name="The Professional">{{cite episode |title = The Professional |series = Joe 90 |credits = Written by [[Donald James]]. Directed by Leo Eaton |airdate = 26 January 1969 }} Episode 18.</ref> the last exemplified by the "Jet Air Car", a land-sea-air vehicle invented by Mac as the primary means of transport for him and Joe. Like the World Aquanaut Security Patrol (WASP) in ''[[Stingray (1964 TV series)|Stingray]]'', the World Intelligence Network (WIN) is a global organisation referred to by an acronym.<ref name="Cull, 199">Cull, p.&nbsp;199.</ref> In the fictional world of ''Joe 90'', the [[Cold War]] – significant when the series was first broadcast, due to the [[1968 invasion of Czechoslovakia]] – has ended and a [[world government]] has been formed.<ref group="E" name="The Most Special Agent"/><ref group="E" name="Attack of the Tiger"/><ref name="Cull, 197"/><ref name="Cull, 205">Cull, p.&nbsp;205.</ref> WIN is the successor to [[MI6]], the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] and the [[KGB]], which all merged to form the new global spy network.<ref name="Cull, 197"/> Although [[The Most Special Agent|the first episode]] sees Joe hi-jack a prototype Russian fighter and bring it to England, this is revealed to be a fiction imagined by Weston to explain the types of espionage that the boy will perform as a WIN agent.<ref group="E" name="The Most Special Agent"/><ref name="Cull, 197"/> This plot twist, which also reveals that Russia and the West are now allies, has been praised by media historian [[Nicholas J. Cull]] for its "progressiveness of spirit" and for demonstrating Gerry Anderson's wish to "[take] an end to the Cold War as a given in his work".<ref name="Cull, 197"/> Cull states that Anderson was motivated by what he viewed as a "duty to the rising generation to avoid perpetuating Cold War stereotypes".<ref name="Cull, 197"/>

However, despite the existence of a world government, the nations of Earth are still divided into Western and [[Eastern world|Eastern]] blocs. Here, Cull argues, ''Joe 90'' is similar to earlier Anderson series in that it "unashamedly capitalised on the Cold War cult of the secret agent whose skills defend the home from enemies unknown".<ref>Cull, pp.&nbsp;199&ndash;200.</ref> Hostile entities include the Eastern Alliance, which dominates Asia and appears in the episodes "Attack of the Tiger" and "Mission X-41".<ref group="E" name="Attack of the Tiger"/><ref group="E" name="Mission X-41"/> "Arctic Adventure" and "Attack of the Tiger" combine the threat from the East with dangerous nuclear technology: in the former, Joe attempts to recover a lost atomic warhead from the ocean floor while avoiding enemy submarines; in the latter, he must destroy a nuclear device before it is launched into orbit to hold the world to ransom.<ref group="E" name="Attack of the Tiger"/><ref group="E" name="Arctic Adventure">{{cite episode |title = Arctic Adventure |series = Joe 90 |credits = Written by Tony Barwick. Directed by Alan Perry |airdate = 5 January 1968 }} Episode 15.</ref><ref name="Cull, 198">Cull, p.&nbsp;198.</ref> In contrast, "Big Fish" portrays nuclear technology as a force for good: in this episode, Joe pilots a damaged nuclear submarine out of the territorial waters of a Latin American police state.<ref group="E" name="Big Fish">{{cite episode |title = Big Fish |series = Joe 90 |credits = Written by Shane Rimmer. Directed by Leo Eaton |airdate = 1 December 1968 }} Episode 10.</ref><ref>Cull, p.&nbsp;206.</ref>

==Voice cast==
[[File:Joe90PuppetCast.jpg|thumb|alt=Three men and a boy stand in a palatial setting. A desert landscape is visible from a balcony in the background. One man on the far left is grey-haired and wears a grey suit and tie, the man to the right of him dark-haired and in deep navy blue. Both men are orientated in the direction of the (blond-haired) boy, who is also formally attired in grey. The third man, also blond but wearing a cream-shaded suit, stands directly behind him.|Four of the regular characters: (left to right) Sam Loover, Shane Weston, Mac and (in front of Mac) Joe.]]

Compared to ''Captain Scarlet'', ''Joe 90'' features a smaller cast of just five regular characters.<ref name="La Rivière, 179"/> Like the preceding series, it has been described as more "English-sounding" than ''Thunderbirds'', the Andersons having dispensed with the idea that the main character should be a "square-jawed, fair-skinned male with a Mid-Atlantic accent".<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 169">Archer and Hearn, p.&nbsp;169.</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1 = Christopher |first1 = David |title = British Culture: An Introduction |year = 1999 |publisher = [[Routledge]] |location = London, UK |isbn = 0-415-22053-X |page = 114 }}</ref> Instead, ''Joe 90'' focuses on the strong American supporting characters of Sam Loover and Shane Weston.<ref>Cull, p.&nbsp;202.</ref>

* [[Len Jones]] as Joe McClaine. While child characters in earlier Supermarionation series had been voiced by grown actresses, Joe was voiced by a child actor to give the new series greater realism.<ref name="La Rivière, 181">La Rivière, p.&nbsp;181.</ref> Gerry Anderson commented that having a woman voice a boy "always sounded rather odd to me. It never sounded like a real little boy&nbsp;... With ''Joe 90'', I suggested finding a British kid and making him repeat the lines parrot fashion." He described Jones' performance as "only adequate, but at least it sounded authentic."<ref name="Archer and Nicholls, 140"/><ref name="Archer and Hearn, 170"/>
* [[Rupert Davies]] as Professor Ian "Mac" McClaine. At the time of production, Davies was well known for playing [[Maigret]] in the  [[Maigret (1960 TV series)|TV series of the same name]], a role that had left him [[typecast]].<ref name="TVHeaven"/><ref name="La Rivière, 180"/><ref name="Archer and Hearn, 169"/> He was the most distinguished actor yet to contribute to an Anderson series.<ref name="La Rivière, 180"/><ref name="Archer and Hearn, 169"/> In Gerry Anderson's biography ''What Made Thunderbirds Go!'', [[Simon Archer (author)|Simon Archer]] and Marcus Hearn describe Mac's "warm yet distinguished" English tones as a "perfect counterpoint" to Sam Loover and Shane Weston.<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 169"/>
* [[Keith Alexander (actor)|Keith Alexander]] as Sam Loover. Alexander had previously voiced characters in ''[[Thunderbird 6]]'' as a replacement for [[Ray Barrett]].<ref name="La Rivière, 181"/> During the 1960s, he also provided the voice of another puppet character, [[Topo Gigio]], on ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'' in the US.<ref name="TVHeaven"/><ref name="60s70sPromotional">{{cite web |last = Frampton |first = Andrew |title = ITC Promotional Booklet |date = 9 April 2009 |url = http://www.bigrat.co.uk/merchandise/60s70s/promo_book.html |work = bigrat.co.uk |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060214101328/http://www.bigrat.co.uk/merchandise/60s70s/promo_book.html |archive-date = 14 February 2006 |access-date = 12 April 2010 |url-status = live }}</ref>
* [[David Healy (actor)|David Healy]] as Shane Weston. Healy, an American expatriate actor, had voiced guest characters in ''Captain Scarlet'' and often played transatlantic characters in British television.<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 169"/>
* [[Sylvia Anderson]] as Mrs Harris, the McClaines' housekeeper, who is unaware of their involvement with WIN. Anderson was best known for voicing [[Lady Penelope]] in ''Thunderbirds'' and its film sequels.

Supporting characters were voiced by Alexander, Healy and Anderson as well as returning voice actors [[Gary Files]], [[Martin King (actor)|Martin King]], [[Jeremy Wilkin]], [[Shane Rimmer]] and (for one episode, "Viva Cordova") [[Liz Morgan]]. Rimmer and Morgan were not credited for their contributions.<ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 139">Bentley: ''Episode Guide'', p.&nbsp;139.</ref> Files said that he was "tickled pink" to be working with Davies, commenting: "I hated the way that so many so-called producers wouldn't meet his eye. He was Maigret forever, you see, in their eyes."<ref name="La Rivière, 180"/><ref name="GFInterview">{{cite web |title = Gary Files Interview |url = http://www.thevervoid.com/media/scarlet_interview.htm |work = thevervoid.com |access-date = 28 March 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080626072515/http://www.thevervoid.com/media/scarlet_interview.htm |archive-date = 26 June 2008 |url-status = dead }}</ref> On her one role in ''Joe 90'', Morgan said: "They needed a voice, they called around and everyone else was out shopping. So they called me in."<ref name="La Rivière, 185"/>

==Production==
===Development===
''Joe 90'' was intended to be a different kind of Supermarionation series, with the emphasis less on action, gadgetry and special effects and more on characterisation and plots that were more [[spy thriller]] than science fiction.<ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 137">Bentley: ''Episode Guide'', p.&nbsp;137.</ref><ref name="Bentley: Captain Scarlet, 112">Bentley: ''Captain Scarlet'', p.&nbsp;112.</ref><ref name="TVHeaven">{{cite web |last1 = Hulse |first1 = Stephen R. |title = ''Joe 90'': A Television Heaven Review |url = http://www.televisionheaven.co.uk/joe90.htm |work = televisionheaven.co.uk |year = 2000 |access-date = 26 March 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080416172837/http://www.televisionheaven.co.uk/joe90.htm |archive-date = 16 April 2008 |url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name="Teletronic">{{cite web |last1 = Marcus |first1 = Laurence |title = Gerry Anderson: The Puppet Master – Part 3 |url = http://www.teletronic.co.uk/gerryanderson3.htm |work = teletronic.co.uk |date = October 2005 |access-date = 25 March 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080221150836/http://www.teletronic.co.uk/gerryanderson3.htm |archive-date = 21 February 2008 |url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name="La Rivière, 182">La Rivière, p.&nbsp;182.</ref><ref>''Supermarionation Classics'', p.&nbsp;300.</ref> According to Gerry Anderson, "The show majored on its characters, which I thought were all very good. The puppets had become so lifelike, I now strongly believed that they could carry the action without the usual massive assistance from futuristic hardware."<ref name="Bentley: Captain Scarlet, 112"/><ref name="Archer and Nicholls, 140">Archer and Nicholls, p.&nbsp;140.</ref><ref>Archer and Hearn, p.&nbsp;167.</ref>

When it came to devising the series, Anderson was inspired by his early work as an assistant editor on films such as ''[[The Wicked Lady]]'' (1945), for which he handled recording tape on a daily basis.<ref name="Teletronic"/><ref name="La Rivière, 177">La Rivière, p.&nbsp;177.</ref> While reflecting on the uses of the tape, Anderson made an association with the workings of the human brain:<ref name="Teletronic"/><ref name="La Rivière, 177"/> "I read somewhere that the human brain is controlled by electrical impulses and how thoughts are stored electronically. I started toying with the story potential of a process that would allow the recording of brain patterns and [[Mind uploading|transferring them to another brain]]. I was really likening it to magnetic recording, where material could be stored or transferred to another tape."<ref name="Bentley: Captain Scarlet, 112"/><ref name="Archer and Nicholls, 140"/> As to naming the main character, Anderson remembered that Steve Zodiac, the protagonist of ''[[Fireball XL5]]'', was originally to have had the surname "Ninety".<ref name="La Rivière, 185">La Rivière, p.&nbsp;185.</ref><ref name="Archer and Hearn, 166">Archer and Hearn, p.&nbsp;166.</ref>

===Writing and filming===
The series was commissioned by [[Lew Grade]] in the autumn of 1967.<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 166"/> [[Pre-production]] was completed in October while the last episodes of ''Captain Scarlet'' were being filmed.<ref name="Bentley: Captain Scarlet, 112"/><ref name="La Rivière, 179">La Rivière, p.&nbsp;179.</ref> [[Principal photography]] ran from 13 November 1967 to mid-August 1968 on the two puppet stages at Century 21's studios on the [[Slough Trading Estate]].<ref name="La Rivière, 185"/><ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 137"/><ref name="Archer and Hearn, 168">Archer and Hearn, p.&nbsp;168.</ref><ref name="La Rivière, 184">La Rivière, p.&nbsp;184.</ref><ref name="Bentley: Captain Scarlet, 114">Bentley: ''Captain Scarlet'', p.&nbsp;114.</ref><ref group="L">[[Slough Trading Estate]]: {{Coord|51.5244|-0.6250|type:landmark_region:GB-NWP|name=Slough Trading Estate, Slough, Berkshire|format=dms}} (principal photography and editing)</ref> Each episode took an average of two weeks to film.<ref name="La Rivière, 184"/>

As with their earlier series, the Andersons wrote the first episode ("[[The Most Special Agent]]").<ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 140"/><ref name="Archer and Hearn, 166"/><ref name="TBR">{{Cite web |url = http://www.bigrat.co.uk/episodes/episode_01.html |title = The Most Special Agent |date = 9 April 2009 |publisher = BigRat.co.uk |access-date = 4 December 2013 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110725084046/http://www.bigrat.co.uk/episodes/episode_01.html |archive-date = 25 July 2011 |url-status = live }}</ref> Before they devised WIN, Joe was to have become the "Most Special Agent" of the [[CIA]].<ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 140"/> Most of the episodes were written by [[Tony Barwick]], with [[Shane Rimmer]] contributing six scripts. Rimmer was hired while co-authoring a book with Barwick, who initially offered him a two-script contract. Those scripts were "Splashdown" and "Big Fish".<ref name="SRMAFTP">{{Cite book |last1 = Shane |first1 = Rimmer |author-link1 = Shane Rimmer |title = Shane Rimmer: My Autobiography from ''Thunderbirds'' to Pterodactyls |year = 2010 |publisher = Signum Books |location = Cambridge, UK |isbn = 978-0-9566534-0-6 |page = 85 }}</ref>

Occupied by ''[[Thunderbird 6]]'' and his live-action film ''[[Doppelgänger (1969 film)|Doppelgänger]]'', Gerry Anderson was unable to serve as producer as he had on ''Captain Scarlet''. The role was assumed by [[Reg Hill]] and [[David Lane (director)|David Lane]].<ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 137"/><ref name="Bentley: Captain Scarlet, 112"/> Lane remembered that as producer he was responsible for "looking at the scripts, the effects, the puppets, the whole thing really".<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 168"/> He found support in Anderson's long-serving collaborator [[Desmond Saunders]], who directed the first episode and stayed on as production manager for the rest of the series.<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 168"/><ref name="La Rivière, 184"/> ''Joe 90''{{'}}s other directors included Leo Eaton, Alan Perry and [[Ken Turner (director)|Ken Turner]], all of whom had directed episodes of ''Captain Scarlet'', and Peter Anderson, who was promoted from assistant director to replace Brian Burgess and [[Robert Lynn (director)|Robert Lynn]].<ref name="La Rivière, 184"/>

A Christmas-themed episode, "[[The Unorthodox Shepherd]]",<ref group="E" name="The Unorthodox Shepherd"/> featured location shooting to an extent that Century 21 had never attempted before.<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 171"/> The following series, ''[[The Secret Service]]'', advanced this hybrid format by combining puppet sequences with extensive footage of live actors.<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 180">Archer and Hearn, p.&nbsp;180.</ref>

===Production design===
[[File:Joe90Cars.jpg|thumb|alt=Two very different vehicles are parked at the side of a street in front of the entrance to a grey concrete building. The vehicle on the left is viridian green and of an eccentric design, with a turbine engine positioned behind a cockpit to seat the driver and passengers. The vehicle on the right is a car of a more standard appearance and grey in colour, although it is fitted with tail fins at the rear.|Examples of model work for ''Joe 90'': Professor McClaine's Jet Air Car (left) and Sam Loover's car (right), both at {{frac|1|24}} scale, parked in front of WIN Headquarters. Loover's car was made open-top to accommodate the puppets' head wires. In the end, shots inside the car used "under-control" versions of the puppets that were operated from beneath the set.<ref name="LooverCar">{{cite web |url = http://www.tvcentury21.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=86 |title = Snappy Gallery – ''Joe 90'': "The Most Special Agent" |first = Simon |last = Wickes |date = 29 December 2003 |work = tvcentury21.com |access-date = 29 March 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110717115356/http://www.tvcentury21.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=86 |archive-date = 17 July 2011 |url-status = dead }}</ref>]]

The Supermarionation puppets of ''Joe 90'' were the naturally-proportioned kind that had been introduced for ''Captain Scarlet''. The drive for increased realism in all design aspects that had begun with the preceding series continued in ''Joe 90''.<ref name="TVHeaven"/><ref name="Teletronic"/><ref name="ToonhoundEntry">{{cite web |title = Toonhound Entry |url = http://www.toonhound.com/joe90.htm |work = toonhound.com |access-date = 26 March 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080504191227/http://www.toonhound.com/joe90.htm |archive-date = 4 May 2008 |url-status = dead }}</ref> Except for Captains [[Captain Scarlet (character)|Scarlet]] and [[Captain Blue (Captain Scarlet)|Blue]], all of the main character puppets from ''Captain Scarlet'' were re-used.<ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 137"/><ref name="Bentley: Captain Scarlet, 112"/><ref name="HowsWhys">{{cite web |last1 = Wickes |first1 = Simon |title = The Hows and Whys of Supermarionation – Part 4 |url = http://www.tvcentury21.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=81 |work = tvcentury21.com |date = 29 December 2003 |access-date = 26 March 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110717115311/http://www.tvcentury21.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=81 |archive-date = 17 July 2011 |url-status = dead }}</ref> Few new puppets were made, the only notable exceptions being Mac (who was sculpted on "[[bouncing bomb]]" designer [[Barnes Wallis]]), Joe and Mrs Harris.<ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 137"/><ref name="Bentley: Captain Scarlet, 112"/><ref name="Teletronic"/><ref name="La Rivière, 179"/><ref name="HowsWhys"/>

Joe was the first child marionette to be made as part of the new generation of Supermarionation puppets.<ref name="La Rivière, 180">La Rivière, p.&nbsp;180.</ref> The puppets of Sam Loover and Shane Weston had each made several guest appearances in ''Captain Scarlet''. For their regular roles in ''Joe 90'' they were given a range of alternative "mood" heads, including "smilers", "frowners" and "blinkers".<ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 137"/><ref name="Bentley: Captain Scarlet, 112"/><ref name="La Rivière, 179"/> The Weston puppet was also re-wigged.<ref>Bentley: ''Captain Scarlet'', p.&nbsp;113.</ref> Many of Century 21's "revamp puppets", which had played supporting characters in ''Captain Scarlet'', were copied in darker skin colours to portray a range of ethnicities. As two stages were being used for filming, the "expressionless" main character puppets were also duplicated.<ref name="La Rivière, 179"/> Like ''Captain Scarlet'', ''Joe 90'' also featured "under-control" puppets that were manipulated by levers from under the set instead of wires from an overhead gantry.<ref name="La Rivière, 179"/>

In other production design areas, [[Keith Wilson (production designer)|Keith Wilson]] and Grenville Nott succeeded [[Bob Bell (art director)|Bob Bell]] as heads of the [[art department]] and built the inside of Culver Bay Cottage from a design by [[Mike Trim]].<ref name="La Rivière, 182"/><ref>La Rivière, p.&nbsp;183.</ref> Anderson remembered being pleased with the cottage set: "The interior, with its beams and lovely soft furnishings, was really beautiful."<ref name="Archer and Nicholls, 140"/> The BIG RAT model was built by the newly-formed Century 21 Props (or Century 21 Electronics), which was based in [[Bourne End, Buckinghamshire|Bourne End]]<ref group="L">Century 21 Props: {{Coord|51.5752|-0.7096|type:landmark_region:GB-NWP|name=Bourne End, Buckinghamshire|format=dms}} (props and electronics)</ref> and was responsible for making the gadget props that appear in the series.<ref name="La Rivière, 184"/><ref name="Archer and Hearn, 171">Archer and Hearn, p.&nbsp;171.</ref><ref name="Archer and Nicholls, 141">Archer and Nicholls, p.&nbsp;141.</ref>

Though busy with ''Thunderbird 6'' and ''Doppelgänger'', [[Derek Meddings]] briefly reprised his role as [[special effect]]s director to construct Mac's Jet Air Car.<ref name="La Rivière, 182"/> The vehicle was a disappointment to Anderson, who commented that it "looked like no other piece of hardware we had had previously, but I was wary of canning it as I feared I might be becoming stereotyped."<ref name="La Rivière, 182"/><ref name="Archer and Hearn, 170">Archer and Hearn, p.&nbsp;170.</ref> [[Stephen La Rivière]] considers the Jet Air Car an update of Supercar from the [[Supercar (TV series)|series of the same name]]. However, he agrees that while the car is ''Joe 90''{{'}}s "star vehicle", it is unimpressive compared to the "beautiful, sleek design of its predecessor".<ref name="La Rivière, 182"/>

===Music===
The theme and [[incidental music]] were composed by [[Barry Gray]]. Episodes begin with either a [[cold open]] (a first for an Anderson series) or the title sequence, which sees Joe receiving a brain pattern from the BIG RAT. The opening theme is dominated by the notes of guitarist [[Vic Flick]], known for performing lead guitar in the "[[James Bond Theme]]" from the film ''[[Dr. No (film)|Dr. No]]'' (1962).<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 170"/> In Gerry Anderson's biography, ''What Made Thunderbirds Go!'', the ''Joe 90'' theme is described as a "dizzying piece of [[Psychedelic music|psychedelic]] pop art that could have been produced only in the late Sixties".<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 170"/> The closing credits are superimposed over images of objects such as Joe's spectacles and WIN badge.<ref name="Volume5DVD">{{cite AV media|date=2002|title=''Joe 90'' Collector's Edition DVD Box Set: Disc 5 Special Features|medium=DVD|publisher=[[Carlton Communications|Carlton]]|location=London, UK}}</ref> While the concepts for these images were photographic, the final versions were augmented with airbrush artwork.<ref name="Volume5DVD"/>

Besides the music for the first episode, "The Most Special Agent", Gray composed incidental music for a further 20 episodes.<ref name="TVCentury21">{{cite web |last1 = de Klerk |first1 = Theo |title = Complete Studio-Recording List of Barry Gray |url = http://www.tvcentury21.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=67:complete-studio-recording-list-of-barry-gray&catid=116:barry-gray&Itemid=182 |work = tvcentury21.com |date = 25 December 2003 |access-date = 26 March 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100301234926/http://www.tvcentury21.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=67:complete-studio-recording-list-of-barry-gray&catid=116:barry-gray&Itemid=182 |archive-date = 1 March 2010 |url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name="MusicSessions">{{cite web |last = Frampton |first = Andrew |title = The Music Sessions |date = 9 April 2009 |url = http://www.bigrat.co.uk/music/sessions.html |work = bigrat.co.uk |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20050909074940/http://www.bigrat.co.uk/music/sessions.html |archive-date = 9 September 2005 |access-date = 29 March 2010 |url-status = live }}</ref> This music was recorded between 18 January and 27 September 1968, beginning with the titles and the first episode tracks in a session at the [[Olympic Sound Studios]] in London<ref group="L">[[Olympic Sound Studios]]: {{Coord|51.4752|-0.2407|type:landmark_region:GB-NWP|name=Olympic Sound Studios, Barnes, London|format=dms}} (music recording)</ref> and ending with the music for "[[See You Down There]]" at CTS Studios.<ref name="TVCentury21"/><ref name="MusicSessions"/> Recording was sometimes conducted at Gray's house in [[Esher]].<ref name="MusicSessions"/><ref group="L">Barry Gray Studio: {{Coord|51.3691|-0.365|type:landmark_region:GB-NWP|name=Barry Gray Studio, Esher, Surrey|format=dms}} (music recording)</ref> Gray's compositions occasionally required guest talent. The piano music in the episode "International Concerto" was performed by [[Robert Docker]], while the child's hands seen in the close-up shots of Joe playing belonged to Gray's son, Simon.<ref name="J90OTS">{{cite AV media notes|title=Joe 90 Original Television Soundtrack|others=[[Barry Gray]]|year=2006|publisher=Silva Screen Music|pages=8, 13}}</ref><ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 141">Bentley: ''Episode Guide'', p.&nbsp;141.</ref> "Lone-Handed 90" features a recurring harmonica played by [[Tommy Reilly (harmonica player)|Tommy Reilly]].<ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 146">Bentley: ''Episode Guide'', p.&nbsp;146.</ref>

Silva Screen Records released a ''Joe 90'' soundtrack CD in 2006.<ref name="MusicSessions"/><ref name="CD">{{cite web |last = Frampton |first = Andrew |title = The Music |date = 9 April 2009 |url = http://www.bigrat.co.uk/contents/music.html |work = bigrat.co.uk |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071011023132/http://www.bigrat.co.uk/contents/music.html |archive-date = 11 October 2007 |access-date = 28 March 2010 |url-status = live }}</ref> Rating the CD three-and-a-half stars out of five, [[AllMusic]] reviewer William Ruhlmann comments that while the music is "not great writing" it remains "perfectly adequate, if not inspired."<ref name="AllRovi">{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r838867|pure_url=yes}} |title=AllRovi Entry for Soundtrack Album |first=William |last=Ruhlmann |publisher=AllRovi |access-date=31 March 2010 |archive-url=https://www.webcitation.org/5ofyaoffS?url=http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p%3Damg%26sql%3D10:0zfyxqudldfe |archive-date= 1 April 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> Earlier releases include a 45&nbsp;rpm gramophone record, ''Title Theme from the ATV Series Joe 90'', which also featured various incidental music.<ref name="TBRCR">{{Cite web |url = http://www.bigrat.co.uk/music/commercial.html |title = Commercial Releases |date = 9 April 2009 |access-date = 5 December 2013 |publisher = BigRat.co.uk |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110725084046/http://www.bigrat.co.uk/music/commercial.html |archive-date = 25 July 2011 |url-status = live }}</ref>

{{Infobox album
| name       = Joe 90<br />(Original Television Soundtrack)
| type       = soundtrack
| artist     = [[Barry Gray]]
| cover      = 
| alt        = 
| released   = 15 May 2006<ref name="MusicSessions"/><ref name="CD"/>
| recorded   = 
| venue      = 
| studio     = 
| genre      = [[Popular music|Pop]]
| length     = 78:07<ref name="AllRovi"/>
| label      = Silva Screen Records<ref name="MusicSessions"/><ref name="CD"/>
| producer   = 
| prev_title = 
| prev_year  = 
| next_title = 
| next_year  = 
}}
{{Track listing
| title1    = Century 21 Sting
| length1   = 0:10
| title2    = Main Titles
| note2     = Stereo. From "[[The Most Special Agent]]"
| length2   = 1:58
| title3    = The Most Special Agent
| note3     = Stereo
| length3   = 3:21
| title4    = Arctic Adventure
| length4   = 5:07
| title5    = Operation McClaine
| length5   = 2:25
| title6    = The Race
| length6   = 5.39
| title7    = Double Agent Entertainment
| note7     = Stereo. From "Double Agent"
| length7   = 2:02
| title8    = Jungle Fortress
| note8     = Stereo. From "The Fortress"
| length8   = 2:03
| title9    = Dr Darota's Alpine Clinic
| note9     = Stereo. From "Project 90"
| length9   = 1:38
| title10   = Balloon Flight
| note10    = Stereo. From "Project 90"
| length10  = 4:04
| title11   = Death, Love and Betrayal
| note11    = Stereo. From "Three's a Crowd"
| length11  = 3:32
| title12   = Tragedy Aboard the U85
| note12    = Stereo. From "Big Fish"
| length12  = 3:19
| title13   = Porto Guavan
| note13    = Stereo. From "Big Fish"
| length13  = 3:18
| title14   = King for a Day
| length14  = 5:18
| title15   = [[The Unorthodox Shepherd]]
| note15    = Stereo
| length15  = 2:24
| title16   = Mission Tango 120
| note16    = From "[[Hi-jacked (Joe 90)|Hi-jacked]]"
| length16  = 5:02
| title17   = Break Sting – Version 1
| note17    = Stereo
| length17  = 0:04
| title18   = Lyons Maid Commercial
| length18  = 0:29
| title19   = Break Sting – Version 2
| note19    = Stereo
| length19  = 0:07
| title20   = Showdown at Colletti's Hideout
| note20    = From "Hi-jacked"
| length20  = 3:34
| title21   = International Concerto
| note21    = Stereo
| length21  = 3:47
| title22   = A Piano Recital from Igor Sladek
| note22    = From "International Concerto"
| length22  = 1:39
| title23   = Relative Danger
| length23  = 3:12
| title24   = Splashdown
| note24    = Stereo
| length24  = 4:43
| title25   = The Colonel's March
| note25    = From "Colonel McClaine"
| length25  = 1:35
| title26   = Lone-Handed 90
| length26  = 4:48
| title27   = End Titles
| note27    = Stereo
| length27  = 1:26
| title28   = Opening Titles
| note28    = Stereo
| length28  = 1:23
}}

==Release==
===Broadcast===
''Joe 90'' debuted on [[ATV Midlands]] and [[Tyne Tees Television]] in late September 1968.<ref name="La Rivière, 185"/><ref name="Teletronic"/><ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 139"/> Broadcasts on [[LWT]], [[Southern Television]] and [[Anglia Television]] began shortly after.<ref name="Teletronic"/><ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 139"/> The series reached [[ITV Wales & West|Harlech]] and [[Channel Television]] in November and [[Granada Television]] on Christmas Day.<ref name="Teletronic"/><ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 139"/> Granada, which started its run with the Christmas-themed "[[The Unorthodox Shepherd]]" rather than "[[The Most Special Agent]]", was one of several broadcasters to transmit the series under the alternative title ''The Adventures of Joe 90''.<ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 139"/><ref name="LesterDemon">{{cite magazine |last1 = Pixley |first1 = Andrew |author2 = Michael Richardson |author3 = Alice Hendry |year = 1985 |title = Supermarionation – the UK Broadcasts |magazine = Supermarionation is Go! |issue = 14–5 |publisher = Super M Productions |url = http://lester.demon.nl/superm/broadcastsUK.html |access-date = 6 November 2009 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110724150956/http://lester.demon.nl/superm/broadcastsUK.html |archive-date = 24 July 2011 |url-status = live }}</ref> In the US, ''Joe 90'' aired in [[Broadcast syndication#First-run syndication in the U.S.|first-run syndication]] in 1969.<ref name="AllMovie">{{cite web |url = http://www.allmovie.com/work/the-amazing-adventures-of-joe-90-123645 |title = AllMovie Entry for ''The Amazing Adventures of Joe 90'' |first = Hal |last = Erickson |work = [[AllMovie]] |access-date = 28 March 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090611075701/http://www.allmovie.com/work/the-amazing-adventures-of-joe-90-123645 |archive-date = 11 June 2009 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title = Sci-Fi On TV: Archive List |url = http://www.scifiontv.com/archive_list.php |work = scifiontv.com |access-date = 26 March 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100105222250/http://www.scifiontv.com/archive_list.php |archive-date = 5 January 2010 |url-status = dead }}</ref>

The series had several UK [[re-run]]s during the 1970s but was not shown on [[Yorkshire Television]] until 1981.<ref name="Teletronic"/><ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 139"/><ref name="LesterDemon"/><ref name="Supermarionation Classics, 290">''Supermarionation Classics'', p.&nbsp;290.</ref> Some broadcasters used an alternative version of the title sequence beginning with a zoom-in shot of Joe's special glasses accompanied by a voice-over from [[Tim Turner]] stating: "These are Joe 90's special glasses. Without them, he's a boy. Wearing them, he's an expert."<ref name="La Rivière, 185"/><ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 137"/> These words, intended to warn young viewers not to endanger themselves by copying Joe's exploits, have sometimes been wrongly attributed to [[Keith Alexander (actor)|Keith Alexander]].<ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 137"/><ref>Cull, p.&nbsp;200.</ref>

In 1994, ''Joe 90'' was shown on [[BBC1]] as part of the Children's BBC strand.<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 260">Archer and Hearn, p.&nbsp;260.</ref> Rights holder [[PolyGram]] cleared the series for broadcast on the condition that the title sequence's "zooming" ''Joe 90'' logo be replaced with a static version to distinguish it from the logo for [[G.I. Joe]] toys.<ref name="Re-runs">{{cite web |last = Frampton |first = Andrew |title = The 90s 90 |date = 9 April 2009 |url = http://www.bigrat.co.uk/contents/90s90.html |work = bigrat.co.uk |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070731204946/http://www.bigrat.co.uk/contents/90s90.html |archive-date = 31 July 2007 |access-date = 28 March 2010 |url-status = live }}</ref> The video tapes used for broadcast were [[16 mm film|16&nbsp;mm]] transfers of the original [[35mm movie film|35&nbsp;mm]] film and were edited for timing reasons: cold opens were moved so that all episodes began with the title sequence, while the end titles were shrunk to allow a [[CBBC]] presenter to read out viewer birthday cards.<ref name="Re-runs"/> A simultaneous run on [[Nickelodeon (UK & Ireland)|Nickelodeon]] presented the episodes in their original forms.<ref name="Re-runs"/> The series was shown several more times on the BBC until 1997. In 2009, the series aired on the UK [[Sci Fi Channel (United Kingdom)|Sci Fi Channel]] alongside ''Thunderbirds'' and ''Captain Scarlet''.<ref>{{cite news |title = Brains from ''Thunderbirds'' to Help People Combat post-New Year's Eve Hangovers |first = Urmee |last = Khan |url = https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/3920576/Brains-from-Thunderbirds-to-help-people-combat-post-New-Years-eve-hangovers.html |newspaper = [[The Daily Telegraph]] |location = London, UK |date = 24 December 2008 |access-date = 26 March 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100113121459/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/3920576/Brains-from-Thunderbirds-to-help-people-combat-post-New-Years-eve-hangovers.html |archive-date = 13 January 2010 |url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title = ''Thunderbirds'' to Be Given TV Revival |first = Mark |last = Sweney |url = https://www.theguardian.com/media/2008/dec/22/thunderbirds-television |newspaper = [[The Guardian]] |location = London, UK |date = 22 December 2008 |access-date = 26 March 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110211044538/http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008/dec/22/thunderbirds-television |archive-date = 11 February 2011 |url-status = live }}</ref>

===Home media===
In the 1980s, Channel 5 (later PolyGram Video) released the series on home video in the UK.<ref name="80s90sVideos">{{cite web |last = Frampton |first = Andrew |title = The 1980s/1990s – Video Cassettes |date = 9 April 2009 |url = http://www.bigrat.co.uk/merchandise/80s90s/videos.html |work = bigrat.co.uk |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070824045845/http://www.bigrat.co.uk/merchandise/80s90s/videos.html |archive-date = 24 August 2007 |access-date = 29 March 2010 |url-status = live }}</ref> The eight-volume set featured the episodes "[[The Most Special Agent]]", "Splashdown", "Attack of the Tiger" and "Arctic Adventure" in their re-edited forms from the 1981 compilation film ''The Amazing Adventures of Joe 90'', which itself received three video releases in the 1980s.<ref name="80s90sVideos"/> Re-released in 1992, the set used 16&nbsp;mm prints of poorer quality than the original film.<ref name="80s90sVideos"/><ref name="2000sBeyondDVD">{{cite web |last = Frampton |first = Andrew |title = 2000 and Beyond – DVDs |date = 9 April 2009 |url = http://www.bigrat.co.uk/merchandise/2000up/dvd.html |work = bigrat.co.uk |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071028120721/http://www.bigrat.co.uk/merchandise/2000up/dvd.html |archive-date = 28 October 2007 |access-date = 29 March 2010 |url-status = live }}</ref>

In 2002, [[Carlton Communications|Carlton]] released a five-disc [[DVD region code|Region 2]] DVD box set and a VHS box set of 5 tapes sourced from a digital [[remaster]] of the original 35&nbsp;mm prints.<ref name="2000sBeyondDVD"/> This was followed by DVD Region 1 and Region 4 releases in 2003.<ref name="2000sBeyondDVD"/> A French-language release – ''Joe 90: Agent Très Spécial'' – hit the Canadian market in 2004.<ref name="2000sBeyondDVD"/> Through these releases, the episodes that make up the compilation film were made commercially available in their unedited forms for the first time.<ref name="80s90sVideos"/>

====DVD====
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:1em auto 1em auto;"
|-
! align="center" | Title and country<ref name="2000sBeyondDVD"/>
! align="center" | [[DVD region code|Region]]<ref name="2000sBeyondDVD"/>
! align="center" | Specifications<ref name="2000sBeyondDVD"/>
! align="center" | Distributor<ref name="2000sBeyondDVD"/>
! align="center" | Special features<ref name="DVDCase">{{cite AV media notes|title=Joe 90 Collector's Edition DVD Box Set|orig-year=1967|type=Back Cover|publisher=[[Carlton Communications|Carlton]]|location=London, UK|year=2002}}</ref><ref name="2000sBeyondDVD"/>
! align="center" | Released<ref name="2000sBeyondDVD"/>
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | {{Nowrap|''Joe 90'' – The Complete Series}}<br />US
| style="text-align:center;" | 1
|
*'''Discs''' – 4
*'''Format''' – [[NTSC]]
*'''Language''' – English
*{{Nowrap|'''[[Aspect ratio (image)|Aspect ratio]]''' – 1.33:1}}
| style="text-align:center;" | [[A&E Home Video]]
| 
*Commentaries:
**"[[The Most Special Agent]]" (with [[Mike Trim]])
**"[[The Unorthodox Shepherd]]" (with [[Ken Turner (director)|Ken Turner]])
*Character Biographies – Joe McClaine, Professor McClaine, Sam Loover, Shane Weston
*Information Files – WIN, Culver Bay Cottage, the BIG RAT, Mac's Jet Air Car, Joe's Briefcase
*Galleries
| style="text-align:center;" | 29 July 2003
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | ''Joe 90 – Agent Très Spécial''<br />Canada
| style="text-align:center;" | 1
|
*'''Discs''' – 4
*'''Format''' – NTSC
*'''Language''' – French
*'''Aspect ratio''' – 1.33:1
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Imavision]]
|
*Character Biographies – Joe McClaine, Professor McClaine, Sam Loover, Shane Weston
*Gallery
| style="text-align:center;" | 25 May 2004
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | ''Joe 90'' – Complete Series<br />UK
| style="text-align:center;" | 2
|
*'''Discs''' – 5
*'''Format''' – [[PAL]]
*'''Language''' – English
*'''Aspect ratio''' – 4:3
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Carlton Communications|Carlton International]]
| rowspan=2 |
*1960s Warning Sequence (with [[Tim Turner]])
*''[[I Love the '90s (UK TV series)|I Love the '90s]]'' Trailers
*Character Biographies – Joe McClaine, Professor McClaine, Sam Loover, Shane Weston
*Information Files – WIN, Culver Bay Cottage, the BIG RAT, Mac's Jet Air Car, Joe's Briefcase
*Galleries
**Location filming: "The Unorthodox Shepherd"
**Draft End Titles
**Original Artwork
**Original Merchandise
**Episode Photographs
**Production Photographs
|
*'''Box set'''
**30 September 2002
*'''Volumes'''
**{{Nowrap|1 – 30 September 2002}}
**2 – 30 September 2002
**3 – 11 November 2002
**4 – 11 November 2002
**5 – 27 January 2003
|-
| style="text-align:center;" | ''Joe 90'' – Complete Series<br />Australia
| style="text-align:center;" | 4
|
*'''Discs''' – 5
*'''Format''' – PAL
*'''Language''' – English
*'''Aspect ratio''' – 1.33:1
| style="text-align:center;" | [[Beyond Home Entertainment]]
| style="text-align:center;" | 8 October 2003
|}

====Blu-ray (UK)====
{| class="wikitable" style="width: 100%; text-align: center"
|-
! Title
! Episodes
! Released
|-
| {{Nowrap|''This is Supermarionation/HD21''}}
|| "[[The Most Special Agent]]" and "[[Hi-jacked (Joe 90)|Hi-jacked]]" (plus episodes from other Supermarionation series)
|| 20 October 2014
|-
|| ''Joe 90'' – Volume 1
| "The Most Special Agent", "Hi-jacked", "Splashdown", "Operation McClaine", "Three's a Crowd", "International Concerto", "Big Fish" and "[[The Unorthodox Shepherd]]"
| {{Nowrap|29 September 2018}}
|-
|| ''Joe 90'' – Volume 2
| "Relative Danger", "Business Holiday", "King for a Day", "Double Agent", "Most Special Astronaut", "Arctic Adventure", "The Fortress" and "Colonel McClaine"
| 10 December 2018
|-
|| ''Joe 90'' – Volume 3
| "Project 90", "The Race", "The Professional", "Lone-Handed 90", "Attack of the Tiger", "Talkdown", "Breakout" and "Mission X-41"
| 10 December 2018
|-
|| ''Joe 90'' – Volume 4
| "Test Flight", "Child of the Sun God", "Trial at Sea", "Viva Cordova", "[[See You Down There]]" and "The Birthday" (plus additional documentaries)
| 18 March 2019
|-
| ''Joe 90'' – The Complete Series
|| All
|| {{nowrap|14 October 2019}}<ref>{{cite web |title = Joe 90: The Complete Series Blu-Ray Box Set |url = https://www.amazon.co.uk/Joe-90-Complete-Blu-ray/dp/B07TXQHRFF |work = [[Amazon.co.uk]] |access-date = 5 October 2020 }}</ref>
|}

==Reception==
{{Quote box|quote=I liked the idea of it all being a sort of family thing and I also liked the puppets themselves more than the ones in ''[[Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons|Captain Scarlet]]''. They had more character and were a bit of a move back to the earlier characters. […] We had old-lady housekeepers and that sort of thing, which I personally thought was much better.|salign=right|source=[[David Lane (director)|David Lane]] (2001)<ref name="Bentley: Captain Scarlet, 114"/>|width=25%}}

Author [[John Peel (writer)|John Peel]] questions Mac's ethics in "experimenting on" Joe to further the development of the BIG RAT.<ref>Peel, p.&nbsp;223.</ref><ref name="Peel, 247">Peel, p.&nbsp;247.</ref> On Joe as a secret agent he jokingly remarks "presumably there are no child labour laws in the future!"<ref>Peel, p.&nbsp;224.</ref> La Rivière's attention is drawn to Mac's line at the end of the first episode: the admonition "Don't come crying to me if you get hurt!" demonstrates the professor's willingness to "abnegate all parental responsibility".<ref name="La Rivière, 179"/> Noting ''Joe 90''{{'}}s subscription to "wider themes in Cold War culture", Cull likens the BIG RAT's capabilities to brainwashing but concludes that fundamentally it is "benign" technology.<ref name="Cull, 199"/> The stronger violence introduced in ''Captain Scarlet'' is sometimes evident in ''Joe 90'': in "[[Hi-jacked (Joe 90)|Hi-jacked]]", Joe kills an enemy with a grenade,<ref group="E" name="Hi-jacked"/> while in "Project 90", Mac narrowly avoids having his head pulverised by a drill.<ref group="E" name="Project 90"/><ref name="La Rivière, 185"/> [[Desmond Saunders]] comments: "There was an unpleasant side to [the series] which I never really understood. There was something about it that was very strange and sinister."<ref name="La Rivière, 185"/>

Producer [[David Lane (director)|David Lane]] praises the series for its humour, contrasting this with the darker tone of ''Captain Scarlet''.<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 168"/><ref name="Bentley: Captain Scarlet, 114"/> He believes ''Joe 90'' to be considerably more family-friendly, summing it up as "a great little programme".<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 168"/><ref name="Bentley: Captain Scarlet, 114"/> Anthony Clark of the [[British Film Institute]] commends ''Joe 90'' for including more effective characterisation than ''Captain Scarlet'', also praising the writing and [[Barry Gray]]'s musical score.<ref name="BFI">{{cite web |last1 = Clark |first1 = Anthony |title = BFI Screenonline Entry |url = http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/442501/index.html |work = [[BFI]] [[Screenonline]] |access-date = 27 March 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080516123603/http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/442501/index.html |archive-date = 16 May 2008 |url-status = live }}</ref> La Rivière highlights the connection between the boy protagonist and the theme of espionage, writing that the series' premise "taps into the fantasy indulged by most boys that they, even at nine years old, can be [[James Bond]]."<ref name="La Rivière, 177"/> Writer John R. Cook agrees with La Rivière's points on viewer self-identification, describing the series as "wish-fulfilment fantasy" and Joe as a reflection of the young target audience.<ref name="Cook, 97">Cook, p.&nbsp;97.</ref> Comparisons have been made to other media featuring child spies, such as the ''[[Spy Kids]]'' films and the ''[[Alex Rider]]'' novels.<ref name="ToonhoundEntry"/><ref name="Toonhound03">{{cite web |url = http://www.toonhound.com/may2003.htm |title = The Hound – May 2003: Joe W.I.N.'s Feature Deal |work = toonhound.com |date = 5 May 2003 |access-date = 26 March 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080421161815/http://www.toonhound.com/may2003.htm |archive-date = 21 April 2008 |url-status = dead }}</ref>

{{Quote box|quote=I think the concept was a good one, but again there was a lack of humour and a lack of feminine influence. If you ever see anything that's all male, apart from a war film, it's a bit dull, isn't it?|salign=right|source=[[Sylvia Anderson]] (1992)<ref name="SAInterview">{{cite web |last1 = Turner |first1 = Stephen |title = Sylvia Anderson Interview (1992) |url = http://www.tvcentury21.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=63:sylvia-anderson-interview-1992&catid=115:production-staff&Itemid=182 |work = tvcentury21.com |date = 25 December 2003 |access-date = 26 March 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110717115240/http://www.tvcentury21.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=63:sylvia-anderson-interview-1992&catid=115:production-staff&Itemid=182 |archive-date = 17 July 2011 |url-status = dead }}</ref>|width=21%|align=left}}

{{Quote box|quote=Premiered in the same year [as] ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey]]'', [...] ''Joe 90'' expressed for its child audience equivalent kinds of "golden living dreams and visions" of futuristic possibility, appropriate to the then general utopian [[Zeitgeist]].|salign=right|source=John R. Cook (2006)<ref name="Cook, 98">Cook, p.&nbsp;98.</ref>|width=21%|align=left}}

La Rivière notes the intimacy of the premise and the predominantly male characters, suggesting that ''Joe 90'' is "very much a [[Boy's Own Paper|''Boy's Own'']] adventure."<ref name="La Rivière, 181"/> Of the 30 episodes, only ten feature female characters, a fact that La Rivière attributes to Century 21's preoccupation with ''[[Thunderbird 6]]'' and ''[[Doppelgänger (1969 film)|Doppelgänger]]''.<ref name="La Rivière, 181"/> Peel suggests that the absence of female characters makes ''Joe 90'' inferior to ''[[Thunderbirds (TV series)|Thunderbirds]]''.<ref name="Peel, 243">Peel, p.&nbsp;243.</ref> Grouping ''Joe 90'' with ''[[Supercar (TV series)|Supercar]]'' and ''[[The Secret Service]]'', Peel concludes that it is "hardly coincidental that these tend to be the least loved of [Anderson's] series; he had, after all, ignored half of his potential audience."<ref name="Peel, 243"/> He questions the comparisons to the ''James Bond'' films, arguing that "being a somewhat nerdy kid with glasses and brain implants was not really thrilling."<ref name="Peel, 247"/>

Both Gerry Anderson and Cull suggest that the series, with its bespectacled protagonist, boosted the self-confidence of young viewers who wore glasses.<ref name="Cull, 205"/><ref name="Archer and Nicholls, 140"/><ref name="h2g2">{{cite web |title = TV Puppets |url = https://h2g2.com/edited_entry/A206470 |work = [[BBC Online]] |date = 19 November 1999 |access-date = 26 March 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071114011939/http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A206470 |archive-date = 14 November 2007 |url-status = live }}</ref> The name "Joe 90" has become a popular term of endearment for both children and adults who wear glasses similar to Joe's, such as snooker player [[Dennis Taylor]].<ref name="Archer and Nicholls, 141"/> During the 1990s, comparisons were made between Joe and then-Prime Minister [[John Major]], also known for his large glasses.<ref>Cook, p.&nbsp;113.</ref> Jeff Evans, author of ''The Penguin TV Companion'', criticises the glasses as a plot device, writing that they make Joe "look more like the class swot than a secret agent."<ref name="PenTVCom">{{cite book |last = Evans |first = Jeff |title = The Penguin TV Companion |year = 2003 |publisher = [[Penguin Books]] |isbn = 978-0-14-101221-6 |page = 383 }}</ref>

Cook reads further into the series' theme of child empowerment, writing that ''Joe 90'' creates a "[[technological utopia]]" around youth.<ref>Cook, p.&nbsp;95.</ref> He comments: "Through the character of Joe, his brain hardwired at the start of each episode into the BIG RAT supercomputer, the young are shown to be literally at one with technology."<ref name="Cook, 97"/> Cook suggests that BIG RAT's ability to provide Joe with instant access to brain patterns could be interpreted as a prediction of the development of the Internet.<ref name="Cook, 97"/> With his added knowledge and experience, Joe becomes the manifestation of ''[[homo superior]]'', and yet his youth and imagination grant him the power to change the world in ways that no adult could.<ref name="Cook, 97"/> In this respect, Cook regards ''Joe 90'' as a forerunner of ''[[The Tomorrow People]]'', another series featuring themes of transcendence in children.<ref name="Cook, 98"/> This concept, Cook suggests, is evident in the title "''Joe 90''" itself: "No longer is [Joe] a nine-year-old boy but instead his status and capacities have been multiplied tenfold to transform him into agent 'Joe 90', his name an appealing futuristic echo of the then distant year of 1990."<ref name="Cook, 97"/>

{{Quote box|quote=''Joe 90'' lacked some of the lustre of the earlier shows. It didn't have much success, although I was proud of the concept. Maybe the stories assumed too much importance and the inadequacies of the puppets showed through.|salign=right|source=[[Gerry Anderson]] (2002)<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 170"/>|width=33.5%}}

Ultimately, ''Joe 90'' has proven to be less successful than earlier Anderson productions.<ref name="La Rivière, 185"/><ref name="Supermarionation Classics, 290"/><ref name="h2g2"/><ref name="Bentley: Captain Scarlet, 115">Bentley: ''Captain Scarlet'', p.&nbsp;115.</ref> The authors of ''Supermarionation Classics'' praise the writing and model work but add that the series "failed to arouse more than a passing interest" with some fans.<ref name="Supermarionation Classics, 290"/> Stephen Hulse refers to ''Joe 90'' as "technically accomplished" and "clearly the most child-oriented" of the Andersons' later puppet productions, but also calls it one of their "lesser series".<ref name="TVHeaven"/><ref name="Teletronic"/>

The series' spy-fi theme was further developed in the following Supermarionation production, ''The Secret Service'', which like ''Joe 90'' features an unconventional secret agent (a vicar – Father [[Stanley Unwin (comedian)|Stanley Unwin]]) and an intelligence agency with an acronym for a name (BISHOP – short for "British Intelligence Service Headquarters, Operation Priest").<ref name="Bentley: Captain Scarlet, 115"/><ref>Archer and Hearn, p.&nbsp;183.</ref>

==Other media==
Series [[tie-in]]s included a [[Century 21 Toys]] range comprising [[Friction drive|friction-drive]] and battery-operated versions of the Jet Air Car and Sam Loover's car. Also available were Joe's WIN briefcase (complete with replica gadgets and pistol) and his WIN badge (reading "Most Special Agent").<ref name="60s70sToys">{{cite web |last = Frampton |first = Andrew |title = The 1960s/1970s – Century 21 Toys |date = 9 April 2009 |url = http://www.bigrat.co.uk/merchandise/60s70s/c21toys.html |work = bigrat.co.uk |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071028035428/http://www.bigrat.co.uk/merchandise/60s70s/c21toys.html |archive-date = 28 October 2007 |access-date = 29 March 2010 |url-status = live }}</ref> The series was also given its own weekly comic, ''Joe 90 Top Secret'', published by [[City Magazines]], which ran for 34 issues and presented the TV episodes in strip form, while also including strips based on the TV shows ''[[The Champions]]'' and ''[[Land of the Giants]]''.<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 170"/><ref>{{cite web |last = Frampton |first = Andrew |title = The 1960s/1970s – Comics |date = 9 April 2009 |url = http://www.bigrat.co.uk/merchandise/60s70s/comics.html |work = bigrat.co.uk |access-date = 25 March 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070824045515/http://www.bigrat.co.uk/merchandise/60s70s/comics.html |archive-date = 24 August 2007 |url-status = live }}</ref> In September 1969, ''Joe 90 Top Secret'' merged with ''[[TV Century 21|TV21]]'' (formerly ''TV Century 21'') to form ''TV21 and Joe 90''.<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 170"/> After a further 36 issues, the ''Joe 90'' strips were dropped and the title reverted to ''TV21''.<ref name="Archer and Hearn, 170"/> Other print media included 1968 and 1969 ''Joe 90'' [[Annual publication|annuals]] by Century 21 Publishing/City Magazines as well as two short novels by May Fair Books: ''Joe 90 and the Raiders'' and ''Joe 90 in Revenge''.<ref name="60s70sPublications">{{cite web |last = Frampton |first = Andrew |title = The 1960s/1970s – Publications |date = 9 April 2009 |url = http://www.bigrat.co.uk/merchandise/60s70s/publications.html |work = bigrat.co.uk |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070824045402/http://www.bigrat.co.uk/merchandise/60s70s/publications.html |archive-date = 24 August 2007 |access-date = 29 March 2010 |url-status = live }}</ref>

In 1981, the New York branch of ITC released a ''Joe 90'' [[compilation film]], ''The Amazing Adventures of Joe 90'', comprising the episodes "[[The Most Special Agent]]", "Splashdown", "Attack of the Tiger" and "Arctic Adventure".<ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 361">Bentley: ''Episode Guide'', p.&nbsp;361.</ref><ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 362">Bentley: ''Episode Guide'', p.&nbsp;362.</ref> Intended to boost US syndication sales, the film was one of several Anderson anthologies to be released in the 1980s under the promotional banner "Super Space Theater".<ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 361"/> "The Most Special Agent" was re-edited to remove its [[framing sequence]]s, thus giving the impression that Joe's theft of the MiG-242 is a real mission rather than a fiction.<ref name="Bentley: Episode Guide, 362"/> The [[British Board of Film Classification]] rated the film [[History of British film certificates|PG]], though the episodes are individually rated U.<ref name="BBFC">{{Cite web |title = ''The Amazing Adventures of Joe 90'' Rated PG by the BBFC |url = http://www.bbfc.co.uk/AVV071570/ |work = [[British Board of Film Classification|bbfc.co.uk]] |date = 6 May 1986 |access-date = 9 October 2011 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120613041127/http://www.bbfc.co.uk/AVV071570/ |archive-date = 13 June 2012 |url-status = dead }}</ref>

During the 1990s, ''Joe 90'' appeared as a comic strip in the ''[[Funday Times]]''. Strips from the discontinued ''Joe 90 Top Secret'' were reprinted in a new publication, ''Joe 90'', which was launched to tie in with the 1994 BBC repeats. After seven issues, this merged into [[Fleetway]]'s ''Thunderbirds'' comic.<ref name="80s90sComics">{{cite web |last = Frampton |first = Andrew |title = The 1980s/1990s – Comics |date = 9 April 2009 |url = http://www.bigrat.co.uk/merchandise/80s90s/comics.html |work = bigrat.co.uk |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071028001444/http://www.bigrat.co.uk/merchandise/80s90s/comics.html |archive-date = 28 October 2007 |access-date = 29 March 2010 |url-status = live }}</ref>

In 2001, three ''Joe 90''-themed "trailers" were filmed to accompany the BBC nostalgia series ''[[I Love the '90s (British TV series)|I Love The '90s]]''. Each of these depicts Joe entering the BIG RAT and receiving the brain pattern of a 1990s household name, from [[Liam Gallagher]] to [[Vic Reeves]] to Garth (played by [[Dana Carvey]]) from the film ''[[Wayne's World (film)|Wayne's World]]''. The trailers are included as a special feature on the ''Joe 90'' Region 2 DVD box set.<ref name="ILove90s">{{cite web |last = Frampton |first = Andrew |title = I Love the 90s |date = 9 April 2009 |url = http://www.bigrat.co.uk/contents/ilove90s.html |work = bigrat.co.uk |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070705232310/http://www.bigrat.co.uk/contents/ilove90s.html |archive-date = 5 July 2007 |access-date = 28 March 2010 |url-status = live }}</ref>

===Unmade film===
By the 1980s, the rights to the ITC productions belonged to [[PolyGram Filmed Entertainment|PolyGram Television]].<ref name="Transdiffusion">{{cite web |last = Buxton |first = Roddy |title = Cinema for Television |date = 5 February 2008 |url = http://www.transdiffusion.org/emc/behindthescreens/cinema_for_tele.php |work = transdiffusion.org |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080604104428/http://www.transdiffusion.org/emc/behindthescreens/cinema_for_tele.php |archive-date = 4 June 2008 |access-date = 12 April 2010 |url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name="BFIDistribution">{{cite web |title = British Film and TV Rights and Distribution Histories |date = 5 May 2009 |url = http://www.bfi.org.uk/filmtvinfo/researchers/distribution/british.html |work = [[BFI]] [[Screenonline]] |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080822071937/http://www.bfi.org.uk/filmtvinfo/researchers/distribution/british.html |archive-date = 22 August 2008 |access-date = 12 April 2010 }}</ref> They were later sold to [[Carlton Communications|Carlton International]] and then [[Granada plc|Granada International]], which merged with Carlton in 2004 to form ITV Global Entertainment, a division of [[ITV plc]].<ref name="Transdiffusion"/><ref name="BFIDistribution"/> In the 1990s, PolyGram proposed a live-action film adaptation of ''Joe 90''.<ref>Archer and Nicholls, p.&nbsp;215.</ref> In 2003, ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' reported that a film version was in the planning stages with [[Disney]] producing.<ref name="Toonhound03"/><ref name="BBCNews">{{cite news |title = ''Joe 90'' "Set for Big Screen" |url = https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/3000195.stm |work = [[BBC News Online]] |date = 5 May 2003 |access-date = 26 March 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20030807094326/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/3000195.stm |archive-date = 7 August 2003 |url-status = live }}</ref><ref name="Toonhound05">{{cite web |url = http://www.toonhound.com/mar2005.htm |title = The Hound – March 2005: Hypermarionation |work = toonhound.com |date = 9 March 2005 |access-date = 26 March 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080524075350/http://www.toonhound.com/mar2005.htm |archive-date = 24 May 2008 |url-status = dead }}</ref>

The film remains undeveloped. In 2005, while discussing obtaining remake rights from Granada, Anderson said: "We have regular meetings and although they are very polite and very nice, nothing ever happens."<ref>{{cite news |title = TV Land: Gerry on a String |first = Methven |last = Nicola |author2 = Polly Hudson |url = https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2005/09/03/tv-land-gerry-on-a-string-115875-15927691/ |newspaper = [[Daily Mirror]] |location = London, UK |date = 3 September 2005 |access-date = 31 March 2010 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110605034250/http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2005/09/03/tv-land-gerry-on-a-string-115875-15927691/ |archive-date = 5 June 2011 |url-status = live }}</ref> He died in 2012.

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group="N"}}

==References==
===Primary sources===
{{Reflist|group="E"}}

===Secondary sources===
{{Reflist}}

===Works cited===
*{{Cite book |last1 = Archer |first1 = Simon |author1-link = Simon Archer (author) |last2 = Hearn |first2 = Marcus |title = What Made ''Thunderbirds'' Go! The Authorised Biography of Gerry Anderson |year = 2002 |publisher = [[BBC Books]] |location = London, UK |isbn = 978-0-563-53481-5 |pages = 166–72, 183, 260 }}
*{{Cite book |last1 = Archer |first1 = Simon |last2 = Nicholls |first2 = Stan |author-link2 = Stan Nicholls |title = Gerry Anderson: The Authorised Biography |year = 1996 |publisher = [[Legend Books]] |location = London, UK |isbn = 978-0-09-922442-6 |pages = 140–1, 215 }}
*{{Cite book |last1 = Bentley |first1 = Chris |title = The Complete Book of Captain Scarlet |publisher = [[Carlton Books]] |location = London, UK |year = 2001 |isbn = 978-1-84222-405-2 |pages = 112–5 }}
*{{Cite book |last1 = Bentley |first1 = Chris |title = The Complete Gerry Anderson: The Authorised Episode Guide |publisher = Reynolds & Hearn |location = London, UK |edition = 4th |year = 2008 |orig-year = 2001 |isbn = 978-1-905287-74-1 |pages = 137, 139–40, 149, 361–2 }}
*{{Cite book |last1 = Cook |first1 = John R. |editor1-last = Cook |editor1-first = John R. |editor2-last = Wright |editor2-first = Peter |title = British Science Fiction Television: A Hitchhiker's Guide |year = 2006 |publisher = [[I.B. Tauris]] |location = London, UK |isbn = 978-1-84511-047-5 |chapter = The Age of Aquarius: Utopia and Anti-Utopia in late 1960s' and early 1970s' British Science Fiction Television |pages = 95, 97–8, 113 }}
*{{Cite journal |last1 = Cull |first1 = Nicholas J. |author-link = Nicholas J. Cull |date = August 2006 |title = Was Captain Black Really Red? The TV Science Fiction of Gerry Anderson in its Cold War Context |journal = Media History |volume = 12 |issue = 2 |publisher = [[Routledge]] |location = London, UK |issn = 1368-8804 |oclc = 364457089 |doi = 10.1080/13688800600808005 |pages = 197–200, 202, 205–6 |s2cid = 142878042 }}
*{{Cite book |last1 = La Rivière |first1 = Stephen |author-link = Stephen La Rivière |title = Filmed in Supermarionation: A History of the Future |year = 2009 |publisher = Hermes Press |location = Neshannock, Pennsylvania |isbn = 978-1-932563-23-8 |pages = 177–85 }}
*{{Cite book |last1 = Marriott |first1 = John |last2 = Rogers |first2 = Dave |last3 = Drake |first3 = Chris |last4 = Bassett |first4 = Graeme |title = Supermarionation Classics: Stingray, Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons |year = 1993 |publisher = [[Macmillan Publishers|Boxtree]] |location = London, UK |isbn = 978-1-85283-900-0 |pages = 290, 300 }}
*{{Cite book |last1 = Peel |first1 = John |author-link1 = John Peel (writer) |title = Thunderbirds, Stingray, Captain Scarlet: The Authorised Programme Guide |year = 1993 |publisher = [[Virgin Books]] |location = London, UK |isbn = 978-0-86369-728-9 |pages = 223–4, 243, 247 }}

===Production locations===
{{Reflist|group="L"}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Science fiction|Television}}

*{{IMDb title|0062573}}
*[http://www.bigrat.co.uk BIG RAT]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100423214336/http://www.technodelic.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Upload01/Joe90TS01.htm The Gerry Anderson Complete Comic History: ''Joe 90'']

{{Gerry Anderson}}
{{ITC Distributions}}

[[Category:Joe 90| ]]
[[Category:1960s British children's television series]]
[[Category:1960s British science fiction television series]]
[[Category:1968 British television series debuts]]
[[Category:1969 British television series endings]]
[[Category:British children's action television series]]
[[Category:British children's science fiction television series]]
[[Category:British English-language television shows]]
[[Category:British spy television series]]
[[Category:British television shows featuring puppetry]]
[[Category:Fiction about brain–computer interface]]
[[Category:Fiction about flying cars]]
[[Category:Fictional British spies]]
[[Category:First-run syndicated television programs in the United States]]
[[Category:ITV children's television shows]]
[[Category:Marionette films]]
[[Category:Television series about intelligence agencies]]
[[Category:Television series about orphans]]
[[Category:Television series set in 2012]]
[[Category:Television series set in 2013]]
[[Category:Television series set in the future]]
[[Category:Television shows adapted into comics]]
[[Category:Television shows adapted into novels]]
[[Category:Television shows set in Dorset]]
[[Category:Television shows set in London]]