The Secret Service (1969)

Action · Family · Sci-Fi

The Secret Service is a 1969 British children's espionage television series, produced by Century 21 / ITC Entertainment for Associated Television, Granada Television, and Southern Television. Created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, and produced by David Lane and Reg Hill, it was the eighth and final Century 21 production to feature Supermarionation. Under the direction of Gerry Anderson, who wanted to compensate for the inadequacies of Supermarionation and increase the realism of the format, The Secret Service incorporates footage of live actors for long-distance shots. Father Stanley Unwin, voiced by and resembling the real-life comedian of the same name, is the parish priest of a rural English village. But Unwin is in fact a secret agent for BISHOP, a covert British Intelligence branch that battles international criminal and terrorist threats. Aided by junior operative Matthew Harding, Unwin answers to his London-based superior 'The Bishop', as he would in his public profession.

IMDb rating: 6.6 (261 votes)
Episode average: 7.5 +0.9 vs IMDb
Seasons: 1
Language: EN
Type: TV series

Rating trend: this show's seasons do not settle into one shape. Rising Shows ranks whole shows by the shape of their rating trend rather than one average score, which is how you find a show that got better rather than a show that started well.

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Ratings refreshed Oct 3, 2026 · 1 season indexed

Cast

Seasons

Season 1 (1969)

7.49 avg 13 episodes 7.2 → 8.6 24 min avg

Season 1 episodes - IMDb ratings
#	Title	Rating	Votes
1	A Case for the Bishop	7.2	40
2	A Question of Miracles	7.3	34
3	To Catch a Spy	6.8	27
4	The Feathered Spies	7.5	27
5	Last Train to Bufflers Halt	7.9	26
6	Hole in One	7.7	23
7	Recall to Service	7.2	21
8	Errand of Mercy	7.2	22
9	The Deadly Whisper	7.4	18
10	The Cure	7.7	18
11	School for Spies	7.4	17
12	Mayday! Mayday!	7.5	19
13	More Haste, Less Speed	8.6	22