Joe 90

Forgotten TV & Film · 1968

Published 11 August 2026

Joe 90 was a British science-fiction series created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and produced by Century 21. Its young hero received recorded skills through the BIG RAT machine and special glasses, allowing him to undertake a different espionage assignment each week.

Why It Mattered

The series combined Supermarionation, miniature effects and spy fiction around an unusually young protagonist. Its fantasy of transferable knowledge reflected late-1960s fascination with computers, automation and accelerated learning.

BIG RAT and the Brainwave Glasses

- BIG RAT stood for Brain Impulse Galvanoscope Record And Transfer.
- The machine transferred recorded expert knowledge to nine-year-old Joe McClaine through special glasses.
- The premise allowed Joe to adopt a new specialist role for each mission.

Supermarionation Production

- Century 21 used puppets, miniature sets, model vehicles and practical effects.
- The programme followed Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet during the studio’s peak period.
- Thirty episodes were made for the 1968–1969 run.

End of Production and Preservation

- Production ended in 1969 as Century 21 moved to The Secret Service and later live-action work.
- Soundtrack issues and restored DVD and Blu-ray editions preserve the series.
- All thirty episodes survive.

Associated With

Gerry and Sylvia Anderson / Century 21 Productions - creator or production company

Defining Feature

Puppet spy series about a boy given transferred expert knowledge

Status

Discontinued - Original series ended in 1969; all thirty episodes survive through later releases

Primary Records

- **Gerry Anderson — Joe 90 Original Television Soundtrack**
- **BFI Sight and Sound — Gerry Anderson, 1929–2012**

Image Sources

- Image 1 source not verified — editorial review required.
- Image 2 source not verified — editorial review required.
- Image 3 source not verified — editorial review required.
- Image 4 source not verified — editorial review required.
- Image 5 source not verified — editorial review required.

Rights Notice

Images are included for historical and archival reference.

Rights holders may contact Forgotten Archive through the publishing account to request a credit correction or removal.

Gallery

Joe 90 complete-series cover with the title, flying car and portraits of three puppet characters. — Source
Credit
Joe 90 programme and DVD artwork; preserved in the supplied Amazon listing, individual artwork credit not established
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary and research. Fair dealing under the UK CDPA 1988 applies only where its conditions are met. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
A home-video release presents Joe 90 as a collectible television classic, bringing Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's child-spy adventure to a later home-video audience.

Joe 90 seated inside the spherical BIG RAT machine surrounded by control panels. — Source
Credit
Joe 90 programme still; reproduced by the m0vie blog
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary and research. Fair dealing under the UK CDPA 1988 applies only where its conditions are met. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
Joe sits inside the BIG RAT, the machine that supplied the series' central idea: an ordinary schoolboy could acquire the knowledge needed for extraordinary missions.

Museum display of Gerry Anderson puppets and a green creature, including a bespectacled Joe 90 figure. — Source
Credit
National Science and Media Museum; individual photographer not identified
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary and research. Fair dealing under the UK CDPA 1988 applies only where its conditions are met. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
Anderson puppets displayed at the National Science and Media Museum preserve the physical craft behind television's Supermarionation worlds.

Formal group portrait of Gerry Anderson puppet characters dressed in evening wear inside an ornate room. — Source
Credit
Thunderbirds cast photograph; photographer unknown. Reproduced in an eBay listing by seller Hokey Cokey Productions.
Licence
Historical Ephemera
Displayed for commentary and research. Fair dealing under the UK CDPA 1988 applies only where its conditions are met. No permission for reuse is granted.
Caption
Thunderbirds' cast assembled for a formal portrait, showing the elaborate costumes and miniature sets that helped define Gerry Anderson's puppet television productions.