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 "He's
only nine years old - but he is the world's most audacious special agent! There
has never before been a special agent like JOE 90 - and television has never
before presented such an original, imaginative and intriguing series."
"For nine-year-old Joe can do anything, thanks to a fabulous electronic
device which can transfer the brain patterns of those who are the greatest
experts in their field. When he receives these brain patterns, Joe, with the aid
of a special pair of glasses which have built-in electrodes, becomes a man in
thought and deed... can become the greatest of all astronauts, a dare-devil
pilot, an ace motorist, a brilliant brain surgeon or whatever else may be
necessary for him as the most daring of all agents attached to the World
Intelligence Network... yet he still looks what he really is - a normal, healthy
schoolboy. Every assignment brings new excitement, new hazards and unexpected
situations - for JOE 90 and viewers alike!"
This was how the series was promoted in the original ITC publicity
brochure.
Professor Ian "Mac" McClaine, a brilliant computer expert, has
invented an incredible device called BIG RAT - Brain Impulse Galvanoscope Record
And Transfer. It enables the knowledge and experience of one person to be
transferred to another. He demonstrates the machine to his friend Sam
Loover, by
transferring his own brain patterns to his adopted son Joe. Amazed, and
recognising the machine's true potential, Sam temporarily dissuades Mac from
selling the machine to Convex Computers. Professor McClaine meets with Sam's
superior Shane Weston, head of the World Intelligence Network in London. Shane
eventually persuades Mac to keep the BIG RAT a secret, and to enable W.I.N. to
use it for missions - with Joe as a secret agent! After all, who could possibly
suspect that a nine year old boy could be The Most Special Agent of W.I.N.?
But why was the series called Joe 90? Well you can choose from two
theories. According to publicity
information, when Joe joined W.I.N.
there were 89 London based agents in operation. Joe became the 90th - hence JOE
90. But according to the episode Project 90,
Joe's codename is due to the BIG RAT's designation as W.I.N.'s "Project 90".
Take your pick.
Last modified 14 July 2003
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