1 9 6 7 – 1 9 6 8 (USA)
43 x 60 minute episodes
Produced by Quinn Martin, (the man who brought us that other cult running man classic, The Fugitive), The Invaders is the tale of architect David Vincent, a man alone, battling aliens with human faces.
In the pilot episode, Vincent accidentally stumbles across a “regeneration centre” where the human forms used by the aliens are recharged every ten hours.
From then on the series revolves around his one-man crusade against the invaders and him trying to convince others of their existence. His quest proves difficult because it is not easy to spot whether someone is human or alien.
Tell-tale signs are stiff little fingers (yes, that is where the band got their name) due to a defect in the bone structure, a lack of a heartbeat, and no bones showing up on an x-ray.
Their most frightening accessory is a small disc which, when applied to the back of the human neck, produces death by apparent cardiac arrest.
One of the biggest signs that someone was an alien was if you hit them hard enough or killed them, they had a habit of evaporating leaving nothing but a few ashes. So why didn’t Vincent just carry around a big stick and whack everyone he met? If they evaporated they were aliens, if they just fell down they were okay and he could quickly apologise.
Throughout the series, the audience was treated to many a fiendish alien plot to control the Earth. These ranged from bribery and corruption, through to mind control due to sleep deprivation, and even carnivorous butterflies (I kid you not).
Even the introduction of allies for Vincent – ‘The Believers’ led by millionaire electronics businessman Edgar Scoville – did not help the ratings, and the show ran for a mere two seasons before its cancellation.
David Vincent
Roy Thinnes
Edgar Scoville
Kent Smith
