Joe 90
A boy spy with transferred expert brain patterns.
Joe 90 is a British science fiction television series from Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, produced by their company Century 21 for ITC Entertainment. It aired on ITV regional networks from 1968 to 1969, spanning 30 episodes. This was the last Anderson show made primarily with Supermarionation, a technique using electronic marionette puppets. Unlike the earlier *Thunderbirds* and its predecessors, the puppets here have natural body proportions, similar to those in *Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons*.
The story follows nine-year-old schoolboy Joe McClaine. His adoptive father, Professor Ian "Mac" McClaine, invents a machine called the Brain Impulse Galvanoscope Record And Transfer—or "BIG RAT"—which can record a person's knowledge and experience and transfer it into another brain. Using this device, Joe gains the skills of top experts and is recruited by the World Intelligence Network (WIN) as its "Most Special Agent". The series is generally thought to be set in 2012 and 2013, though the scriptwriters' guide gave the year as 1998, and other sources place it in the early 21st century. One episode, "The Unorthodox Shepherd," implies a 2013 setting.
Joe lives with his widowed father in a cottage on the Dorset coast, hiding a secret lab in the basement. The BIG RAT uses a spinning spherical cage called the "Rat Trap" to upload brain patterns. Sam Loover, a WIN agent and friend of Mac, sees the potential in Joe and the machine, convincing the McClaines to work for the organisation. By wearing special glasses that store transferred brain patterns, Joe can pilot fighter jets, perform neurosurgery, or play the piano. He reports to WIN commander Shane Weston in London and carries a school case with a hidden radio and handgun. The final episode is a clip show set on Joe's tenth birthday, where his missions are recalled as flashbacks during a surprise party.
Like earlier Supermarionation series, *Joe 90* features secret organisations, rescue missions, global threats, and advanced technology—such as Mac's "Jet Air Car," a land-sea-air vehicle. WIN is a global organisation, formed after the Cold War ended and a world government emerged. It succeeded MI6, the CIA, and the KGB, which merged into one network. The first episode shows Joe hijacking a Russian fighter jet, but this is later revealed to be a fiction created by Weston to explain espionage to the boy. This twist, wh
- field
- Television series
- genre
- Science fiction, spy-fi
- creator
- Gerry and Sylvia Anderson
- production company
- Century 21 for ITC Entertainment
- first broadcast
- 1968–1969
- number of episodes
- 30
- technique
- Supermarionation
Lore & Background
The series follows nine-year-old schoolboy Joe McClaine, adopted son of widowed computer expert Professor Ian 'Mac' McClaine. Mac invents the Brain Impulse Galvanoscope Record And Transfer (BIG RAT), a machine that records a person's knowledge and experience and transfers it to another human brain. Joe, wearing special glasses containing electrodes that store the transferred brain patterns, gains the skills of expert adults for missions. He is recruited by the World Intelligence Network (WIN) as its 'Most Special Agent', reporting to commander-in-chief Shane Weston in London. Joe carries a school case with a secret compartment containing a radio transceiver and high-capacity handgun. The series ends with a clip show episode set on Joe's 10th birthday.
Reader's Guide
Joe 90 is notable as the final Supermarionation series made primarily with puppetry; the following series, The Secret Service, included extensive live-action footage. Its puppets have natural body proportions, unlike the caricatured design of Thunderbirds. The series has been praised for characterisation of its main puppet cast and the quality of its scale model sets and special effects. Commentators have interpreted the spy-fi theme and boy protagonist as both a 'kids-play-Bond' concept and an enshrinement of children's imagination. It has drawn some criticism for its lack of female characters. The series was 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 but remains undeveloped.
Did You Know?
- The series is widely believed to be set in 2012 and 2013, though the scriptwriters' guide stated the year is 1998.
- The BIG RAT machine is centred around the 'Rat Trap', a spinning spherical cage that uploads brain patterns.
- Joe 90 features a land-sea-air vehicle called the 'Jet Air Car', invented by Mac.
- The Cold War has ended in the series' fictional world, and WIN is the successor to MI6, the CIA, and the KGB.
More in British spy television series 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record