'Plant Man From Space' by Anthony Marriott

While Professor Matic gives a tour of Space City to his old friend Doctor Rootes, who has been away in space for the last year conducting experiments on plants, Space City’s power reactor is sabotaged. When power is eventually restored, a missile is detected on a collision course for Earth; only one of the Fireball spaceships is able to lift off and intercept it, but on takeoff the ship crashes, its crew only escaping due to experimental ejector equipment. However, when the missile lands near Venus' beach hut it fails to explode – Steve Zodiac and his friends are unaware that an intelligent plant has taken over Doctor Rootes, and has used the missile to bring the seed of an alien creeper plant to Earth to overrun the planet…

Paul Maxwell (Colonel Steve Zodiac / Doctor Howerd Rootes), Sylvia Anderson (Doctor Venus / Alarm Service), David Graham (Professor Matt Matic / Lieutenant 90 / Zoony the Lazoon / The Chlorophon), John Bluthal (Commander Zero / Jock Campbell / Ken Ross), Gerry Anderson (Robert the Robot)

Directed by John Kelly
Produced by Gerry Anderson
Associate Producer Reg Hill

TX (UK - ITV):
22nd April 1963

Notes:
*Featuring Colonel Steve Zodiac, Venus, Professor Matt Matic, Commander Zero, Lieutenant 90 and Robert the Robot