The Jensen Code

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The Jensen Code is a British children’s science‑fiction thriller from 1973. Written by Carey Harrison and produced for ITV by ATV, it ran 13 colour episodes. The story follows 16‑year‑old Terry Connor on a potholing expedition. His senior instructor, Alex, disappears deep in the Wilmer Deep cave and returns claiming only ten minutes passed, though Terry knows more time has actually gone by. Back at the outward bound centre, Terry feels watched and learns there’s a nearby Ministry of Defence research site, which makes him even more uneasy.

On a solo trek to prove he’s not afraid, Terry heads back toward the cave. He’s joined unexpectedly by Alex and Kurtz, and he witnesses a kidnapping: Dr Jensen, the man who holds important codes for a military space satellite, is taken. Gordon, a centre instructor who works with security, suspects Alex’s plan to endanger the nearby research unit, and Terry is pulled into a dangerous game of espionage and mind control.

The kidnappers, including the sinister Mr. Richards, try to hypnotise Dr Jensen and Terry to force them to reveal the Jensen Code. Terry is captured and taken to Granny Powell’s farmhouse, then to a barn where Jensen explains that Alex seems to be hypnotised and that the Jensen Code is the reason for the kidnapping. The following morning Terry is subjected to Richards’ hypnosis and ends up at the police station with his memory erased. After a few days at home, Terry returns to the outward bound centre and reluctantly accepts a lift from a man calling himself Dr. Jensen, which pulls him deeper into danger and mystery.

The Jensen Code was written by Carey Harrison, directed by Alan Coleman and Jonathan Wright-Miller, and produced by Alan Coleman. The cave scenes were filmed at Clearwell Caves. The series was originally made in colour, but the original 625‑line colour tapes were later erased. Episode Six survives in colour but with sound and picture damage. All thirteen episodes were released on DVD as black‑and‑white 16mm telerecordings for overseas markets, making this the only available format in some regions. In Episode Six, Dr Jensen oddly refers to Terry by his real name, David.