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UFO watch (Episode 03 – Flight Path)

August 31, 2014September 10, 2014 archivetvmusings UFO flight path, george cole, gerry anderson, ufo

Written by Ian Scott Stewart
Directed by Ken Turner

Oh dear. This isn’t very good at all. Let’s look at some of the problem areas in a bit more detail.

Our old friend the day-for-night filter makes an appearance at the start of the episode. As mentioned in Identified this is rarely a convincing effect and the bright sunshine here makes it look even more false.

More problematic is that apart from one brief scene with Lt Ellis, the first ten minutes are devoted to guest star George Cole as Roper. Cole’s performance is curiously flat and although it becomes clear early on that he is being blackmailed it’s very difficult to care or feel any empathy for him. His silly haircut doesn’t help either.

The story would have probably worked better a little later in the run, where Roper’s part could have been taken by one of the numerous walk-ons that we see crop up in each episode. At least then there would be a little frisson to them betraying SHADO, as we would have seen them interacting with the likes of Straker and Freeman over several episodes. We’ve never seen Roper before so why should we care about his problems?

Why did the UFO target Roper’s car? Straker seems to believe it was because the information Roper passed on was inaccurate but how did the UFO know that the car was Roper’s? Nice modelwork though, although it does beggar belief that Roper could walk away from the crash with barely a scratch.

And how did the UFO that attacked Roper manage to land on Earth undetected? So far it’s seemed to be impossible for a UFO to land without SHADO picking it up. The idea that the aliens are recruiting human spies is interesting, but how does it work in practice? What can the aliens offer in payment?

The rather convoluted plan for the UFO to bypass Moonbase’s defences (thanks to Roper’s information) has been unraveled and Straker’s response is to put Roper on the Lunar surface with a rocket launcher to stop it. Why not put ten, or twenty people, on the surface, so that it wouldn’t be the suicide mission it turns out to be?

And since there’s only a single UFO approaching it’s hard to to understand exactly why there should be so much panic. Everybody does their best to ratchet up the tension, but it all falls somewhat flat. The final shot is quite nice though as it’s another example of how ruthless Straker can be.

With a more charismatic actor playing Roper this might have been a bit better but as it stands it’s something of a damp squib.

A whole empire held together by people just being terribly nice to each other. Doctor Who – The Keeper of Traken

August 31, 2014March 12, 2017 archivetvmusings Doctor Who BBC, doctor who, matthew waterhouse, sarah sutton, the keeper of traken, tom baker

You will find immobility endurable, Doctor. I speak from experience.”

Although some may view The Keeper of Traken as simply a prelude to Logopolis and the confrontation between the Doctor and the Master, there’s enough of interest in Johnny Byrne’s story to ensure it’s a good yarn in its own right.

Like the majority of S18, Traken was subject to a heavy re-write by Christopher H. Bidmead (and I do like the theory that later script editor Eric Saward was unaware of this and wondered why Byrne’s subsequent stories lacked the quality of this one).

One notable amendment was the revelation that Melkur was actually the Master, although this doesn’t really affect the story too much as it’s only discovered at the end of the story. Indeed, if you view Traken as a Master story then you could come away disastisifed, despite Geoffrey Beever’s brief but impressive turn.

But taking the story on its own merits and not worrying about how it fits into wider Doctor Who continuity, what we have is a tale that seems to hark back to the Hartnell era. The Doctor and Adric’s early encounter with the Keeper paints an idyllic picture of a whole series of planets free from war and hatred –

KEEPER: I fear that our beloved world of Traken faces disaster.
ADRIC: Universal harmony, you said.
DOCTOR: Shush.
KEEPER: The Doctor does not exaggerate. Since the time of the Keepers, our Union has been the most harmonious the universe has ever seen. Does the boy not know of this?
DOCTOR: Oh, he’s not local. E-space, wasn’t it?
KEEPER: How vain one can be. I thought the whole universe knew the history of our little empire.
DOCTOR: Yes. They say the atmosphere there was so full of goodness that evil just shriveled up and died. Maybe that’s why I never went there.
KEEPER: Rumour does not exaggerate, Doctor.

Don't look into his eyes! — Don’t look into his eyes!

We’ve been here before, as this seems like how the Conscience Machine operated in The Keys of Marinus. Presumably the Source Manipulator works in a similar way and it’s impossible not to conclude that it must somehow sap the will as a complete lack of anger or aggression doesn’t seem at all natural.

In Marinus the Doctor concluded that human beings weren’t meant to be controlled by machines but there’s no such statement here as by the end of the story Luvic (from an increasingly short-list of possibilities) steps into the breach to maintain the status quo.

If the story has a feel of the Hartnell era, then the Shakespearean-style production design could be another nod to this. We don’t quite have characters speaking in iambic pentameter, as in The Crusade, but it’s close.

Production-wise, Traken is a studio-bound world that looks somewhat artificial and theatrical although it’s possible to argue that this is intentional as maybe they were attempting to replicate the look of the then current BBC cycle of Shakespeare productions.

Margot Van der Burgh (from The Aztecs) is another link back to the Hartnell era and she, like the rest of the cast, plays it dead straight – there’s no S17 goofing around here. Sheila Ruskin as the doomed Kassia is very good as is Anthony Ainley as Tremas. His performances as the Master can best be described as variable, but he’s restrained and subtle as Tremas.

Sarah Sutton gives an acceptable performance as Nyssa, although you’d be hard pressed to predict that she’s automatic companion material, as plenty of one-off characters in the past have had much more potential. But there was clearly something in the scientific nature of Nyssa that caught the attention of both Bidmead and JNT. A pity, then, that incoming script editor Eric Saward would have much less interest in developing scientific themes, hence Nyssa would have a reduced role to play, particularly once Tegan was installed in the TARDIS.

As the Doctor and Adric leave Traken all seems well, but a final confrontation awaits the Doctor in a cold and lonely place …

UFO watch (Episode 02 – Computer Affair)

August 30, 2014September 6, 2014 archivetvmusings UFO computer affair, gerry anderson, ufo

Written by Tony Barwick
Directed by David Lane

After Interceptor 1 is destroyed in a collision with a UFO, Straker calls the relevant personnel back to Earth. Computer analysis decides that Lt Ellis diverted Interceptor 3 first because of her emotional attachment to its pilot Mark Bradley (Harry Baird) and both are reassigned to new duties.

Computer Affair juggles two plot threads – the investigation into the destruction of Interceptor 1 and the hunt for the UFO – quite deftly. In the quieter moments of the episode you can play count the cigarette, as it’s amazing how many scenes feature the characters either smoking or handling a cigarette. Nowadays of course they’d all have to go up to the surface and stand outside the building.

The relationship between Ellis and Bradley never really developed due to Baird leaving the series after filming just four episodes, although he does appear in a few other episodes courtesy of stock shots. The use of stock footage also occurs in this episode as a few brief shots of Shane Rimmer (who appeared in Identified) crop up.

Straker assigns Freeman to hunt down the UFO and bring the occupants back alive and he in turn includes Ellis and Bradley in the retrieval team. The scenes of the mobile units hunting the UFO through the Canadian forest, and indeed the whole episode, feature some stunning miniature work. This was always a feature of Gerry Anderson’s productions, and there’s plenty of fine examples here.

One of the aliens is brought back to SHADO HQ and Straker is desperate to get some answers from it. In order to do this he injects the alien with drugs to force a response but this only speeds the creature’s demise. This is an early sign of Straker’s ruthless streak and there will be many more to come.

The amended computer report that confirms Lt Ellis acted correctly in reassigning the Interceptors (had she followed standard procedure then all three would have been destroyed). This message of the story would therefore seem to be that for all their usefulness, computers are no match for human instinct.

A slower paced story than the opening episode, but not without interest.

UFO watch (Episode 01 – Identified)

August 30, 2014July 10, 2015 archivetvmusings UFO gerry anderson, identified, ufo

Written by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson with Tony Barwick
Directed by Gerry Anderson

The first notable thing about this episode is that it opens with a graphic murder – as we see a woman’s bullet-ridden body slump to the ground. The next is that, like all ITC shows, they would never shell out the extra money for night-time shooting, so we have the usual unconvincing day-for-night filter. It will happen again throughout the series so be prepared. The third is that when Peter Carlin and his sister are being pursued through the undergrowth, Barry Gray’s score certainly favours the drums. I don’t know who the drummer was, but he gave his all!

Our first shot of Alec Freeman (George Sewell) shows him attempting to use all of his masculine charm on Straker’s secretary, Miss Ealand (Norma Ronald), but with a notable lack of success. Never mind, as soon as he ventures into SHADO’s underground base there’s plenty of other women he can charm. And In case you missed Freeman’s subtle approach, Barry Gray drops some slinky saxophone onto the soundtrack to hammer the point home.

The episode has a lot of ground to cover in order to introduce all the key players, so after our first look at SHADO control it’s off to Moonbase. Gabrielle Drake’s performance in UFO continues to attract a certain amount of attention, and it’s not difficult to understand why.

A trip to Skydiver lets us know that Carlin (seen at the start of the episode ten years earlier, fleeing with his sister from the UFO attack) is now the pilot of Sky 1 although he remains unaware of his sister’s fate, Straker gets to berate one of his team, which handily allows a large info-dump about how SHADO works, and Freeman tangles with the cool Colonel Virginia Lake (Wanda Ventham)

After a tense tussle between Sky 1 and a UFO, SHADO are able to capture the alien occupant. They are unable to save the alien’s life, but an autopsy provides the chilling proof that they are harvesting human organs for their own ends. This strikes close to home when it’s discovered that the alien had the heart of Carlin’s sister, who vanished following the UFO attack seen at the start of the episode. A bleak ending to the episode then, which makes it clear that there’s a long battle ahead.

Identified had to do a lot within 49 minutes – introduce SHADO and the reason for the alien attacks – but it managed it successfully and produced a well-paced episode that never flagged. An impressive opening.

Gerry Anderson’s UFO (ITC 1969-1970). Series Introduction

August 30, 2014October 11, 2014 archivetvmusings UFO gerry anderson, ufo

Gerry Anderson’s first foray into television live action drama was this fondly remembered series, created by Gerry & Sylvia Anderson and Reg Hill.

UFO is set some ten years in the future and depicts a world coming under increasing attack from a mysterious race of aliens. In the opening episode we learn that they are harvesting organs from their human victims although their ultimate aims remain nebulous.

In order to combat this threat, a secret global organisation called SHADO (Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organisation) is established. SHADO has various bases but the key one is located underneath the Harlington-Straker film studios in the UK.

SHADO’s commander is Ed Straker (Ed Bishop) who juggles a public job as chief executive of the film studio whilst in private he leads SHADO’s continuing battle against the alien menace.

His second-in-command is Colonel Alec Freeman (George Sewell) whilst Colonel Paul Foster (Michael Billington) is a new recruit introduced in the fourth episode Exposed.

L-R Ed Straker (Ed Bishop), Paul Foster (Michael Billington) and Alec Freeman (George Sewell)

Incoming UFO’s are initially tracked by supercomputer SID (Space Intruder Detector). The forward line of defence is launched from Moonbase, which has three Interceptor spacecraft fitted with nuclear warheads. The Moonbase operations are co-ordinated by Lt Gay Ellis (Gabrielle Drake), Lt Joan Harrington (Antonia Ellis) and Lt Nina Barry (Dolores Mantez) amongst others.

moobase — L-R Nina Barry (Dolores Mantez), Joan Harrington (Antonia Ellis) and Gay Ellis (Gabrielle Drake)

If the UFOs manage to evade the Interceptors and penetrate the Earths atmosphere then SHADO calls upon various other forms of defence, including the submarine Skydiver which can launch the interceptor aircraft Sky One, whilst Mobile land vehicles can also be called upon if the UFO has made a successful landing.

Although Gerry Anderson had, until this time, been responsible for a series of successful children’s Supermarionation series (Stingray, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet) UFO was very much a move into a more adult form of storytelling, despite the fact that visually it had much in common with his Supermarionation series.

As with those series, special effects were supervised by Derek Meddings whilst the various vehicles were designed by Meddings along with his assistant Michael Trim. The model-work and effects were the clearest links to the previous Anderson shows, but the story content was much darker (although elements of Captain Scarlet had probably begun this process).

The concept of human beings being forcibly used as organ donors is a fairly horrifying concept whilst later episodes such as The Long Sleep and Timelash are notable examples of stories that delve a little deeper than many sci-fi series of the same period. Timelash, for example, sees Straker inject himself with a drug (X 50 stimulant) in order to stay awake during the mysterious time freeze with the result that it’s not clear what part of the story actually happened and what may be a result of his drug-induced dreams.

Elsewhere in the series there was more emphasis placed on human relationships than was often seen in science fiction programmes of the time. Although it may seem somewhat stilted and naive today, the interracial relationship in The Computer Affair was noteworthy at the time of its original broadcast whilst several episodes (Confetti Check A-OK and A Question of Priorities) show exactly how Straker is unable to juggle the demands of his secret job and his family life.

Whilst these, and other examples are laudable, it’s undeniable that UFO’s sexual politics were fairly underdeveloped as very often women are simply used as eye-candy, which can be either amusing (particularly Alec Freeman’s various toe-curling chat up lines) or irritating, depending on your point of view.

But while parts of the series have badly dated (and the mystery of the purple wigs was never explained) there is much to enjoy across the 26 episodes of UFO. So as I begin a rewatch of the series, I’ll blog a short review of every story which will hopefully capture some of the key points of each episode.

The weak enslave themselves. Doctor Who – Warriors’ Gate

August 29, 2014March 12, 2017 archivetvmusings Doctor Who BBC, doctor who, k9, lalla ward, matthew waterhouse, tom baker, warrior's gate

If the previous story, State of Decay, could be said to depict Doctor Who at its most traditional, then Warriors’ Gate is certainly a trip into the unknown.

The inexperience of key members of the creative team is definitely a reason for this – as they didn’t necessarily know the rules then they didn’t realise when they broke them. For some, particularly director Paul Joyce, it was a bruising experience as he came up against inflexible BBC bureaucracy.

Script editor Christopher H. Bidmead was keen to get new writers onto the show and Steve Gallagher seemed to fit the bill. Gallagher had plenty of ideas but had no experience in television script-writing, but he had previously written radio plays and also had just seen his first novel published.

Bidmead was later to comment that Gallagher’s draft scripts did read like a novel, as they included many unnecessary descriptive passages. Bidmead, with some input from Joyce, set about the task of distilling Gallagher’s scripts into something workable. Along the way he included some ideas and concepts of his own, such as the I Ching.

Whilst Steve Gallagher was initially aghast at the treatment of his scripts he was later to appreciate the reasons for Bidmead’s ruthless rewrites and he would be better prepared when he came to write Terminus a few years later.

Like Gallagher, Paul Joyce was also very inexperienced in television terms, with only a single Play for Today on his cv. Joyce had hoped to direct this story in a filmic style but the reality was that this simply wasn’t achievable at this point in Doctor Who’s history.

Joyce’s preferred way of working was to shoot scenes a couple of times and then assemble everything in post-production. But as the recording time for each story was strictly limited this caused numerous delays and was very unpopular with the BBC technical staff.

Each Doctor Who story was allocated a number of studio sessions and all the material for the story had to be completed within that timescale. At the end of the recording day the sets would be removed as the next day another production or programme would need the space.

Overruns were extremely costly – at 10pm the lights went out whether everything had been completed or not – and even worse was the prospect of a remount, where another studio would have to be booked and the sets reassembled.

After day one, the production was behind schedule and it began to slip further behind as each day progressed. Joyce was sacked briefly and then re-instated and whilst everything was eventually completed there’s no doubt that tensions ran high throughout all the studio days. It’s worth reproducing this excerpt from the BBC Technical Manager’s report for the studio session which ran from the 24th – 26th of September 1980 –

The director lacks a working understanding of the methods used to make programmes in BBC television studios. His shooting ratio must be near the 10:1 level of a feature film production. He expects a 360 degree panorama to be continually available to the ‘hand held’ camera and the lighting and sound problems are endless.

If the BBC is really interested in quality and economy, no Technical Operations crew should be subjected to such self-indulgent incompetence.

It’s therefore no surprise to learn that Paul Joyce was never asked to direct another Doctor Who and it could be that this experience was one of the reasons why producer John Nathan-Turner tended to favour the likes of Peter Moffatt and Ron Jones in the future. They could best be described as “journeymen” directors and he could guarantee that they’d get the show made on time and on budget. Indeed, there wouldn’t be another Doctor Who story directed with such flair as this one until Graeme Harper helmed The Caves of Androzani in 1984.

But for all the production problems we are left with a story that is visually very arresting and although Joyce still bemoans that the final product is comprised, enough remains to mark this out as something very different.

The opening tracking shot, which takes us through the spaceship and up to the bridge, is a clear statement of intent. The hand-held camera work gives the shots a fluidity of movement which would have been impossible with the traditional rostrum cameras.

Whilst not all of Steve Gallagher’s concept and story made it to the screen he was very clear that Cocteau’s Orphee and Testament d’Orphee would be key texts that needed to be understood in order to visualise the story. Joyce certainly took this on board and the production design reflects these influences, for example in the stylised black and white deception of the world on the other side of the Gateway.

Joyce was able to recruit some quality actors, including Clifford Rose as Rorvik (best known at this time for Secret Army) and Kenneth Cope as Packard (a familiar face from Randall & Hopkirk). Rose likened Rorvik to Captain Mainwaring in Dad’s Army since he was the leader of a group of men who are less than competent and are never quite able to follow his orders out. By the end of the story, Rorvik has lost his grip on reality completely as seen in his final moments as he prepares to blast the Gateway, killing himself and all his crew in the process.

Given the denseness of the original script, it’s possibly not surprising that it doesn’t all make sense. Some sections are particularly inexplicable – the cliff-hanger ending to episode three looks wonderful as a horde of Gundan Robots attack the Doctor and the Tharils in the banqueting hall, but how only the Doctor manages to move in time from the past to the present isn’t clear at all.

Elsewhere, the answers are there, just buried deep in the text as this excerpt from episode two demonstrates –

GUNDAN: There were always slaves from the beginning of time. The masters descended out of the air riding the winds and took men as their prize, growing powerful on their stolen labours and their looted skills.
DOCTOR: Yes, well, look, look, I’m sure this is frightfully interesting. Could you get back on to the bit about the gateway, please?
GUNDAN: The masters created an empire, drained the life of the ordinary world.
DOCTOR: Your ordinary world. I’m from N-space.
GUNDAN: They came from the gateway.
DOCTOR: Ah ha.
GUNDAN: There are three physical gateways and the three are one.
DOCTOR: Well
GUNDAN: The whole of this domain, the ancient arch, the mirrors.
DOCTOR: The thing is, it’s not actually a physical gateway that I’m looking for.
GUNDAN: All the gateways are one.
DOCTOR: Ah. So it is here. The way out.

It later becomes clear that the Tharils were the enslavers that the Gundans spoke of and now ironically they find themselves enslaved by the likes of Rorvik. With the help of a Time Lord then can travel through E-Space releasing the Tharils held captive on other planets.

Although as it’s often been assumed that Rorvik and his crew came from N-Space and only ended up at the Gateway (the dividing line between N-Space and E-Space) by accident, who are holding the Tharils in captivity in the rest of E-Space?

Although sidelined a little, Tom Baker does have some nice moments, particularly when he faces off against Rorvik. This story is, of course, notable for featuring the departures of Romana and K9 Mk 2. It’s quite a hurried farewell (not quite as bad as Leela maybe, but close) but had Baker or Ward wanted to add anything they probably could have, so they must have been happy with it at the time.

Rorvik’s suicidal attempt to break free has destroyed his ship (and inexplicably freed the imprisoned Tharils and also sent the Doctor and Adric back into N-Space). But back in the old home universe, this Doctors days are looking distinctly numbered ….

Obituary – Bill Kerr (1922 – 2014)

August 29, 2014January 29, 2017 archivetvmusings Obituaries bill kerr, galton and simpson, obituaries, tony hancock

Australian actor Bill Kerr has died at the age of 92.

Kerr was born in Cape Town in June 1922 and was raised in Australia. A radio star in his own country he moved to Britain in 1947 in search of new career opportunities. During the four decades or so he was resident in the UK he notched up numerous credits on film, television and radio.

He appeared in films such as The Dam Busters and The Wrong Arm of the Law and television series like Ghost Squad, No Hiding Place, Compact and Dixon of Dock Green. Another notable guest appearance on British television during the 1960’s was as Giles Kent in the Doctor Who story The Enemy of the World. Five episodes of this six part story were lost until 2013 and Kerr’s performance is one of the highlights of an impressive serial.

For many people though, he will always be best remembered as a comic foil for Tony Hancock across six radio series of Hancock’s Half Hour.

L-R - Sid James, Tony Hancock and Bill Kerr — L-R – Sid James, Tony Hancock and Bill Kerr

Although Kerr never crossed over to the television version of HHH, he did appear with Sid James in the first series of Citizen James. This series, like HHH, was written by Galton and Simpson and it’s quite possible to imagine that the Sid and Bill from this series are the same characters that appeared in HHH.

Kerr returned to Australia in the late 1970’s and continued to work, appearing in films such as Gallipoli and television series like Anzacs with his last recorded credit coming in Southern Cross in 2004.

You and Me (BBC Schools) – Studio tape and outtakes

August 28, 2014January 1, 2015 archivetvmusings YouTube BBC, bbc schools

One of the joys of YouTube is stumbling across things you weren’t expecting to find. Like this studio tape of outtakes from the BBC Schools programme You and Me (which I found whilst researching for my post on The Boy From Space).

I love studio stuff like this although it was surprising to learn that Dibs has such a foul mouth!

Look and Read – The Boy From Space. Series overview and BFI DVD review

August 28, 2014January 17, 2015 archivetvmusings BBC Children's Programmes - 1970's, BBC Children's Programmes - 1980's BBC, bbc schools, BFI, look and read, richard carpenter, The Boy From Space

Look and Read (1967 – 2004) was a long running BBC Schools programme that is fondly remembered by several generations of school-children.

Its aim was to help less developed readers gain confidence but the drama segments (each twenty minute episode would be a mix of studio based learning lessons and a continuing serial) ensured that the programmes appealed to most children.

The Boy From Space was the third in the Look and Read series, originally broadcast between September and November 1971 and was scripted by Richard Carpenter.

Carpenter had started his career as an actor and during the 1950’s and 1960’s he racked up an impressive list of credits on shows such as Z Cars, Softly Softly, Emergency Ward 10, No Hiding Place, Sherlock Holmes, Dixon of Dock Green and Strange Report. But by the late 1960’s he had decided to change course and become a writer.

His first series, Catweazle, was an instant success. Broadcast on LWT between 1970 and 1971, it starred Geoffrey Bayldon as a magician from Norman times who found himself adrift in the modern world and totally unable to understand many of the simplest things we take for granted.

Carpenter would continue to notch up an impressive list of writing credits over the next few decades (creating The Ghosts of Motley Hall, Dick Turpin and Robin of Sherwood, amongst others) and he also penned several further serials for Look and Read – Cloud Burst (1974) and The King’s Dragon (1977).

Turning back to the original 1971 broadcast of The Boy From Space, it comprised 10 episodes of 20 minutes duration. Although it was repeated several times up until 1973, sometime after that the tapes were wiped which meant that that only the drama inserts remained.

At this point in time the majority of BBC programmes were made and broadcast on videotape. Videotape was expensive and could be re-used, hence the reason why so many shows from this era are lost for ever – as periodically the tapes would be wiped so that new recordings could be made.

Film, however, could not be re-used, which explains why these sections of The Boy From Space remained in the archives.

In 1980 BBC Schools were looking around for a new Look and Read serial, so it was decided to use the material shot in 1971 along with newly created learning inserts. And as the original music was lost Paddy Kingsland from the Radiophonic Workshop was commissioned to write a new score.

The 1980 series was presented by Phil Cheney as Cosmo with Charles Collingwood providing the voice of Wordy whilst Katie Hebb was the puppeteer who brought him to life. Derek Griffiths led the team of singers who performed the educational songs. The cast list from the 1971 drama inserts was as follows –

Anthony Woodruff as Mr Bunting
Colin Mayes as Peep-peep
Gabriel Woolf as Peep-peep’s father
John Woodnutt as the thin space-man
Loftus Burton as Tom
Stephen Garlick as Dan
Sylvestra Le Touzel as Helen

As with the 1971 series, it was broadcast over 10 episodes –

01 The Meteorite (15 Jan 1980)
02 The Spinning Compass (22 Jan 1980)
03 The Man in the Sand-pit (29 Jan 1980)
04 In danger! (5 Feb 1980)
05 The Hold-up (12 Feb 1980)
06 Where is Tom? (26 Feb 1980)
07 The Hunt for the Car (4 Mar 1980)
08 The Lake (11 Mar 1980)
09 Captured! (18 Mar 1980)
10 In the Spaceship (25 Mar 1980)

It’s fair to say that The Boy From Space is an odd viewing experience. The drama sections concern two children, Dan (Stephen Garlick) and Helen (Sylvestra Le Touzel) who, whilst out stargazing, spy an object plummeting to the earth. They decide to explore and discover a crashed space-ship.

Amongst the ship’s inhabitants is a young alien boy christened “Peep-peep” by the children due to his backwards language. But there is danger from another alien who the children refer to as “the thin space-man”, played by John Woodnutt. He seems to have a hold over their new friend from space and this puts them all in danger.

Whilst this is obviously quite low budget, there’s plenty of merit here. The child actors are pretty good (Le Touzel would go on to have a lengthy career) whilst Gabriel Woolf and John Woodnutt are as solid as you would expect. Another plus point is the score by Paddy Kingsland. Anybody who loves early eighties Doctor Who music will find much to appreciate.

The educational inserts may be of less interest to some, but thanks to the comprehensive package prepared by the BFI, there are several different viewing options.

You can either watch the series as broadcast in 1980 or there’s an option to view just the drama sequences in a new 70 minute edit on the second disc.

There’s also two versions of the BBC Schools LP recording. The first is the original audio, with narration from Wordy himself and the other marries footage from the show along with the LP audio.

The original LP cover — The original LP sleeve

In addition to this, there’s Wordy’s Think-ups (animated lessons from the episodes), PDFs of the school brochures from both broadcasts and an interesting booklet which contains information about BBC Schools programmes in general as well as detail on the Look and Read series.

The DVD is part of the BFI’s Sci-Fi: Days of Fear and Wonder series of releases. Also available now is The Changes, with others such as Nineteen Eighty Four and Out Of The Unknown to follow later in the year.

The series by itself would have been a worthwhile purchase but the supplementary features mean that it’s an even more attractive package. It’s probably not to everyone’s tastes, but it’s nice to see the BFI releasing something slightly left-field like this. Hopefully there will be more to follow in the future.

A sociopathetic abscess? Doctor Who – State of Decay

August 26, 2014September 6, 2014 archivetvmusings Doctor Who BBC, doctor who, k9, lalla ward, matthew waterhouse, state of decay, tom baker

In retrospect, State of Decay by Terrance Dicks looks totally out of place in S18. As already touched upon in my article on Full Circle, new script editor Christopher H. Bidmead was a man who wanted the Doctor Who stories he commissioned to have a strong scientific basis. If there’s one thing he disliked it was scripts which paid homage to/ripped off other films, books or television programmes.

Therefore it’s no surprise to learn that Bidmead didn’t commission the story, instead it was new producer John Nathan-Turner, who whilst leafing through a pile of unmade stories found a submission entitled The Vampire Mutations from a few years earlier.

So Bidmead and Dicks couldn’t have been further apart in their understanding of what made good Doctor Who. Dicks always shared the opinion of his friend Malcolm Hulke who once said that in order to write good science fiction you need: “a good original idea. It doesn’t have to be your original idea.”

Doctor Who had been borrowing from other sources for a long time, for example other Tom Baker scripts by Terrance Dicks include Robot (King Kong) and The Brain of Morbius (Frankenstein). Indeed, the only surprising thing about State of Decay is that Doctor Who hadn’t tackled a vampire story before.

Despite Bidmead’s misgivings (and he did attempt to crowbar some of his ideas into the story, much to Dicks’ chagrin) the story went into production. And if it wasn’t clear from the script that this was Doctor Who meets Dracula then the design and costume should have made it explicit.

To be honest, there’s no logical reason why the inhabitants of the Hydrax should have chosen to dress like they’ve just walked off the set of a Hammer film, just as there’s no logical reason why Morbius, one of the greatest scientists in the galaxy, should choose to live in a castle that looked just like Baron Frankenstein’s castle instead of working and living in a modern laboratory.

But it does work in a visual sense, so sometimes you have to accept that style has to win out over content.

If Terrance Dicks was unabashed about borrowing from other sources to create his story, then it’s fair to say that his other writing traits are also present and correct here.

For Dicks, the Doctor should always be central to the action. Other stories in S18, particularly the forthcoming Warrior’s Gate, depicted the Doctor as a passive figure, not much more than an observer who does little to resolve matters. This certainly isn’t the case in State of Decay where the Doctor has the lions share of the plot.

Terrance Dicks was also well-known for his opinion that the companion existed to get into trouble and be rescued by the Doctor. He has two here – Romana and Adric – to fulfill that function. Romana does seem a little underwritten by Dicks, for example when she’s held captive in the final episode there’s not much spark. It’s tempting to suppose that he wasn’t really writing for Romana – possibly more for a generic companion along the lines of Jo or Sarah.

The peasants aren’t particularly well drawn and they tend to conform to fairly common stereotypes – the weary head man of the village, the hotheaded rebel, etc.

The Three Who Rule are more fun though – particularly Aukon (Emrys James). James was an actor of some distinction, a former RSC player, and although he can’t resist laying on the ham it was probably difficult not to.

Zargo (William Lindsay) and Camilla (Rachel Davies) underplay a little more and are very effective. Particularly when Zargo confesses to Camilla that he is afraid. A small character beat, but quite a revealing one.

Although the Three Who Rule hold the majority of the villagers in a grip of fear, there are still a few who rebel. When the Doctor meets them in their base he is shocked to discover how far their society has regressed –

KALMAR: Some of us could still read. It’s forbidden, but the knowledge was passed on in secret.
DOCTOR: What? Reading forbidden?
KALMAR: All science, all knowledge is forbidden by the Lords. The penalty for knowledge is death.
ROMANA: No schools of any kind?
KALMAR: Children start in the fields as soon as they can walk, stay there till they grow up, grow old and die.

In 1979, John Pilger, David Munro and Eric Piper traveled to Cambodia in the immediate aftermath of the overthrow of Pol Pot. What they found there was shared with the world, first in a special issue of the Daily Mirror and later in an ITV documentary, Year Zero: The Silent Death of Cambodia. Their discoveries were pretty much the same as the events described by Kalmar and this would have been clearly understood by the audience at the time. Doctor Who rarely commented on real-world events, so this is an interesting reference.

As previously mentioned, Tom Baker is in his element here. He has some wonderful material to play with, such as this –

DOCTOR: Do you know, it just occurs to me. There are vampire legends on almost every inhabited planet.
ROMANA: Really?
DOCTOR: Yes. Creatures that stalk in the night and feast on the blood of the living. Creatures that fear sunlight and running water and certain herbs. Creatures that are so strong they can only be killed by beheading, or a stake through the heart.
ROMANA: Or? Please, say something.
DOCTOR: Whatever it is, we want to find it, don’t we?
ROMANA: No.
DOCTOR: Good. Come on then.

The only downside to the story is the reveal of the Great Vampire, which is something of a disappointment. It would have been better to leave him to the viewer’s imagination as the brief glimpse seen in the last episode fails to convince in every possible way.

This is only a minor niggle though and the Doctor’s solution to find a stake big enough to kill the Great Vampire is pretty ingenious.

With Tom Baker’s time on Doctor Who drawing to a close it was a nice touch to have a story that harked back to the Hammer Horror style of his early years. This probably wasn’t intentional though, as it seems that the script was pressed into service because stories were urgently needed.

But whatever the reason it was made, State of Decay is an effective tale from the pen of one of its longest-serving contributors. It’s not brimming over with originality, but sometimes you just need to borrow – and if you do so then borrow from the best.

A little patience goes a long way. But too much patience goes absolutely nowhere. Doctor Who – Full Circle

August 24, 2014March 12, 2017 archivetvmusings Doctor Who BBC, doctor who, full circle, k9, lalla ward, matthew waterhouse, tom baker

Change was most definitely in the air during the 18th season of Doctor Who. A new producer (John Nathan-Turner) and a new script-editor (Christopher H. Bidmead) were firmly in place, whilst an experienced old hand (Barry Letts) kept a watching brief as executive producer.

Those who have been around Doctor Who fandom for a long period will probably recall the time when S18 was highly rated. This was at exactly the same time that some of fandom intensely disliked S17.

The viewpoint at the time seemed to be –

Season 17 = Silly = Bad

Season 18 = Serious = Good

But as S17 came back into fashion this seemed to dent S18’s popularity a little. It was now seen by some as a little po-faced and science obsessed compared to the free-wheeling S17.

For me, both seasons have their merits and demerits and the dividing line between them can get a little blurred. Meglos, for example, could easily fit in to S17, whilst The Leisure Hive had originally been commissioned for S17.

By the time we get to Full Circle, the third transmitted story, we are seeing more of the pure vision of Bidmead though. Without a doubt this season, for good or bad, was created in his image. He once estimated that he wrote about 70% of S18 and Full Circle is a story that he had a great input into, as he considerably reworked Andrew Smith’s original scripts.

It doesn’t all work (there are some holes in the logic) but there’s a fine performance from Baker, particularly in episode three, and confident direction from Peter Grimwade which carries the story along.

Bidmead is quite a divisive figure. The DVDs have allowed him the space to clearly state his vision of what he believed Doctor Who should be – a series rooted in scientific fact and definitely not drawing on popular books or films to pastiche. One can only wonder how he would have got on with Robert Holmes, although we can probably guess by the somewhat strained relationship he had with Terrance Dicks, who didn’t care for his rewrites on State of Decay.

Bidmead’s extensive input across the season does mean that there’s a thematic unity unusual in Doctor Who at the time. The first six stories all portray civilisations that for one reason or another are stagnating.

The Argolins are sterile, Tigella is a planet held back by the superstitious nature of the Deons, the Three Who Rule have deliberately devolved the development of their planet, the Tharils once enslaved others but now they find themselves enslaved while the inhabitants of the Traken Union live in harmony for as long as the Keeper lives.

In the final story, the Logopolitans have been attempting to stave off the heat death of the universe by attempting to maintain stasis. But as the Doctor observes, entropy increases, and like the other stories of the season, change is inevitable.

In Full Circle, the Alzarians seek to deny the course of evolution by sealing themselves in the Starliner until the danger they believe exists has passed. Theirs is truly a stagnant society – with ineffectual leaders, the ironically named Deciders, who are unable to make any decisions except to maintain an existence based on continual procrastination.

The creatures from the Black Park lagoon

Production-wise, this is an impressive Doctor Who directing debut from Peter Grimwade. The early episodes benefit from a generous amount of location filming and the location, Black Park, looks gorgeous in the sunshine. It looks so good that it’s surprising it wasn’t used more often in Doctor Who.

The production was fortunate to shoot in sunshine, which enhanced the shots, but there was also clearly some thought given about how to depict an alien landscape. Grimwade used coloured lamps from just off-screen to bathe parts of the landscape in an unearthly glow. It’s a simple trick, but effective.

Full Circle was, of course, the first transmitted story featuring Adric. In production terms Matthew Waterhouse had already recorded State of Decay, but as can be seen he’s still somewhat uncertain in the role.

Given his lack of acting experience this isn’t a surprise – although a more actor-friendly director may have helped to refine his performance. But anecdotal evidence suggests that Grimwade wasn’t an actors director, so Waterhouse had to make his own way.

He’s not noticeably worse than the rest of the Outlers though, who all have a whiff of the stage school about them. They’re fairly unrewarding parts but Richard Willis (Varsh), Bernard Padden (Tylos) and June Page (Keara) do the best they can. Although maybe it’s indicative of one re-write too many when Keara becomes suddenly intensely curious about everything in the last episode – possibly her lines were originally intended for Romana or Adric.

We’re on much firmer ground with the Deciders – James Bree (Nefred), Alan Rowe (Garif) and George Baker (Login). Bree had previously given a strange performance in The War Games, where every line was drawn out to the nth degree, but he’s far, far, better here. Bree plays it like many a politician or manager promoted way above their ability – he is able to project a calm outward exterior whilst having no original or helpful ideas of his own.

Alan Rowe, a familiar face from his guest appearance in Horror of Fang Rock a few years earlier, is equally indecisive as Garif. As previously mentioned, the title of Deciders is obviously intentionally ironic, but both of them are lucky to have a new Decider who knows his own mind in the form of George Baker.

Episode one establishes the planet and the mystery of the negative co-ordinates before ending on the emergence of the Marshmen. As monsters incapable of speaking, for a large part of the story the Marshmen are simply used as figures to menace the Alzarians. But the Marshchild shows that they are intelligent, reasoning creatures who have a closer relationship to the inhabitants of the Starliner than at first thought.

Episode two is where the story begins to kick into gear as the Doctor meets the Deciders and can begin to understand exactly what is happening on the planet.

In episode three the Marshchild dies and enough groundwork has been laid to ensure that we don’t regard it as just another monsters death. The Doctor’s link with the creature means he reacts with a fury that hasn’t been seen for a few years (since the conclusion of The Pirate Planet). It’s a wonderfully acted scene from Tom Baker.

DOCTOR: You Deciders allowed this to happen.
GARIF: The marsh creatures are mindless brutes. Animals!
DOCTOR: Yes. Easy enough to destroy. Have you ever tried creating one?
NEFRED: We were within our rights.
GARIF: One might argue that Dexeter was overzealous.
DOCTOR: Not an alibi, Deciders! You three are supposed to be leaders.
GARIF: Certainly we are. Though, of course, Nefred is, er, is now First Decider.
DOCTOR: Then Nefred is responsible.
NEFRED: For the community, yes.
DOCTOR: No, no! Perhaps they haven’t let you in on the secret, Login. Shall I tell him, gentlemen?
GARIF: Secret?
DOCTOR: Yes! And the fraud of perpetual movement. The endless tasks going round and round. The same old components being removed and replaced.

We haven’t yet discussed the other regulars. Lalla Ward gets an episode or so where she’s possessed by the Marshman. Although Sarah-Jane Smith used to get taken over on a regular basis it’s not something that has happened before to Romana, so it has a little more impact. Poor K9 finds himself decapitated half way through, which is a clear sign that his days are numbered.

The eventual solution to the mystery in episode four is something that may have been clearer in early drafts. The notion that the Marshman boarded the Starliner when it first landed, killed the occupants and then gradually evolved into the Alzarians is possibly not too explicit in the dialogue – so anybody watching for the first time might have missed this important plot twist.

And if the Starliner has been on the planet for 40,000 generations, how many generations passed until the Marshmen evolved into the humanoids we see today? It surely couldn’t have taken all of that time, so why have the Marshmen not been able, until now, to board the Starliner again?

Minor quibbles apart, this is a solid story. Attractive location filming, a decent monster, a great performance from Tom and some solid actors for him to react to all help to lift this above the norm. It’s only ranked 143rd out of the 241 stories in DWM’s 2014 poll and deserves to be higher (but then what has poor Meglos done to be ranked 231 out of 241? It’s not perfect but anything with Bill Fraser and Freddie Treves can’t be all bad, can it?)

After a slightly shaky start with The Leisure Hive and Meglos, S18 really started to gain momentum with Full Circle. And there was even better to come.

Commentary participants for Out Of The Unknown (BFI DVD) announced

August 21, 2014September 14, 2014 archivetvmusings Out Of The Unknown BBC, BFI, out of the unknown

The commentary participants for the forthcoming BFI DVD of Out Of The Unknown (to be released in October 2014) have been announced by Toby Hadoke on his website.

All commentaries are moderated by Toby and they feature a comprehensive collection of guests –

No Place Like Earth with Mark Ward (Out Of The Unknown expert) and Dan Rebellato (playwright, lecturer and John Wyndham expert).

The Dead Past with John Gorrie (director) and Brian Hodgson (Special Sounds).

Time In Advance with Peter Sasdy (director), Wendy Gifford (Polly), Philip Voss (Police Officer) and Danvers Walker (Dan).

Sucker Bait with Clive Endersby (Mark), Roger Croucher (Fawkes).

Some Lapse Of Time with Roger Jenkins (director), John Glenister (PA), Jane Downs (Diana Harrow) and Delena Kidd (Dr Laura Denville).

The Midas Plague with Peter Sasdy.

The Machine Stops with Philip Saville (director), Kenneth Cavander (adaptor), Michael Imison (story editor).

Level 7 with Mordecai Roshwald (author), Michael Imison (story editor).

This Body Is Mine with John Carson (Allen).

Welcome Home with Moris Fahri (writer), Bernard Brown (Bowers Two).

The Man In My Head with Peter Cregeen (director), Tom Chadbon (Brinson), Jeremy Davies (designer).

Given the short time that was available to record these commentaries, the range of participants assembled Is extremely impressive. The 11 commentary tracks should shine plenty of new light on the making of these stories and they promise to be one of the highlights of an impressive sounding package.

The complete list of extras can be found here.

A brief history of Out Of The Unknown is here.

Hancock (BBC 1961)

August 20, 2014October 2, 2015 archivetvmusings BBC Comedy - 1960's BBC, galton and simpson, hancock, tony hancock

L-R - Alan Simpson, Tony Hancock, Ray Galton — L-R – Alan Simpson, Tony Hancock, Ray Galton

Introduction

Hancock, broadcast on the BBC between May and June 1961, was Tony Hancock’s last series for the BBC and was also the last one written for him by Ray Galton and Alan Simpson.

From 1954 onwards, Hancock had enjoyed great success with Galton & Simpson’s scripts, both on radio and on television. There had been six series of Hancock’s Half Hour on the radio – between 1954 and 1959 – as well as six television series, which ran from 1956 – 1960.

But by 1961 Hancock was restless and wanted changes. Sid James had been present in virtually every television and radio episode, but he was dropped from Hancock, at Tony’s request. And when this series had finished Tony Hancock dispensed with Galton & Simpson as well. For many people this marked the start of the long downward spiral in Hancock’s personal and professional life which ended with his suicide in Australia in 1968, at the age of 44.

Among those who insisted that the ties Hancock severed led directly to his untimely death was Spike Milligan, who said: “One by one he shut the door on all the people he knew; then he shut the door on himself.”

Harsh criticism of Tony Hancock can be found in the following cartoon from Private Eye in June 1962, drawn by Willie Rushton.

But whatever happened after Tony Hancock left the BBC in 1961, between 1954 and 1961 he, along with Ray Galton and Alan Simpson, created some of the finest episodes of situation comedy ever seen in any country. And their final series, thanks in part to Tony’s insistence on changing the character slightly, ensured that they ended their creative partnership on a high.

Hancock (Broadcast on BBC Television between 26th May – 30th June 1961)

Galton & Simpson like to tell the story that Hancock asked them to write an episode where he was the only character seen. They thought it wouldn’t work and decided to write something to prove to Tony that it was impossible. The result was The Bedsitter and it proved to be an excellent showcase for Hancock and one of the best things that G&S ever wrote.

When G&S started to write for Tony, they tended to craft elaborate plots which usually hinged on Sid trying to con Tony into doing something. Over the years they pared down the storylines so they became less fantastic and more mundane.

The most mundane episode of the radio series has to be Sunday Afternoon At Home. This isn’t a criticism – it’s a beautifully judged picture of a typical Sunday afternoon where there’s nothing to do except kill time. In that episode though, Hancock had Sid James, Bill Kerr, Hattie Jacques and Kenneth Williams to spar with, but in The Bedsitter there’s nobody but himself.

It shouldn’t work, but it does. Nothing much happens – Tony attempts to read some Bertrand Russell, loses interest and then attempts the more hard-boiled charms of Lady Don’t Fall Backwards. But even that proves to be a problem, as he concedes: “It’s a waste of time me reading, I can never remember anything. I’ve got too much on my mind, you see, nuclear warfare, the future of mankind, China, Spurs.”

Later on, a misdirected call offers the chance of a date, but in the end it comes to nothing. Hancock though maintains a brave face: “That was a lucky escape! I nearly got sucked into a social whirlpool there, diverted from my lofty ideals into a life of debauchery! The flesh-pots of West London have been cheated of another victim! Eve has proffered the apple and Adam has slung it straight back at her!”

One of the strange things about the G&S series is that unlike most sitcoms there was never any attempt to maintain even a basic level of continuity. Hancock’s status would change week by week – one week he could be penniless and unknown and the next – as we see in The Bowmans – he may be the popular star of a top-rated radio series.

A none too subtle swipe at a popular rural radio soap opera,The Bowmans certainly gives Hancock full reign to unleash his country accent, which is great fun. It’s also a rarity in that we see Hancock finish on top for once. His character is killed off from the soap, but public opinion forces the producers to bring him back as his own twin brother and then he takes great delight in ensuring the majority of the villagers fall to their deaths down a disused mine shaft!

The Radio Ham is not quite a solo performance likeThe Bedsitter, although Hancock does spend the majority of the episode alone in a room by himself. He does have company though, via the ham radio he’s built. Substitute the internet for the radio and it seems right up to date.

Re-recorded for LP release in 1961, The Radio Ham has quite rightly become one of the classics of British sitcom. Comedy rarely gets better than this, with so many quotable lines.

The Lift is an episode that it’s possible to imagine in any series of HHH. Like The Train Journey from series 5 it has a similar premise – take a group of disparate characters who are trapped together (in a train or a stuck lift) with Hancock at his most annoying and wait to see what happens.

Noel Howlett, Jack Watling, Hugh Lloyd, John Le Mesurier and Colin Gordon are among the unlucky people who have to share a lift with Tony. It’s not an episode that innovates, like The Bedsitter, but it does what it does very well. And it’s helped no end by the fine performers stuck in the lift with Hancock.

Doctor: I'm a doctor. Hancock: Yes, we all know you're a doctor. You've been talking about nothing else since we've been here. I don't understand you. I don't go around telling people what I am all the time. Doctor: I think we've all reached an opinion as to what you are. — Doctor: I’m a doctor.
Hancock: Yes, we all know you’re a doctor. You’ve been talking about nothing else since we’ve been here. I don’t understand you. I don’t go around telling people what I am all the time.
Doctor: I think we’ve all reached an opinion as to what you are.

Along with The Radio Ham, The Blood Donor is probably the most famous Hancock episode (helped by the excellent LP re-recording previously mentioned). With this one though, I do prefer the LP version – due to the circumstances of the television taping.

“To do one unselfish act with no thought of profit or gain is the duty of every human being. Something for the benefit of the country as a whole. What should it be I thought? Become a Blood Donor or join the Young Conservatives? But as I’m not looking for a wife and I can’t play table tennis here I am.”

In the week prior to the tv episode recording, Hancock was involved in a car crash. He wasn’t badly hurt – although more make-up than usual can be seen on his face to hide the superficial scars – but he didn’t have time to learn his lines, so he read them off boards held above the camera.

Once you know this, then it’s impossible not to be distracted by the fact that he obviously never looks at anyone else in the scene as he’s always looking to the side and his next line. There is the odd stumble, but overall his performance is brilliant – considering that when he speaks any line he’s just seen it for first time and he has to instantly decide on pacing and inflection.

However you experience it, it’s a classic. So many quotable lines and a collection of first rate performers for Hancock to bounce off (June Whitfield, Patrick Cargill, Frank Thornton, Hugh Lloyd).

If you view Hancock as an album, then the first five episodes are hit singles whilst the last, The Succession – Son and Heir, is resolutely an album track.

It’s not a bad episode, but compared to the other five it’s not quite in the same class. The premise is bright enough though, Tony decides the time has come to perpetuate the line and produce a heir, so a bride is sought. But thanks to his luck with the opposite sex in the end he decides to stay single.

There’s still plenty of quotable moments though, particularly when Tony’s thumbing through his little black book for suitable partners: “Elsie Biggs: 42-36- ….. oh no, that’s her phone number. Still, I don’t fancy her pounding about the house all day long. She’s a bit too hefty for me. She had me over a few times.”

Conclusion

Classic comedy that nobody should be without. There’s a boxset containing all the surviving BBC TV episodes or if you just want to sample this series, then The Best of Hancock is a single DVD with five of the six episodes (excluding The Succession). Either way, no collection of British television comedy can be complete without something from the Lad Himself.

Duty Free (YTV 1984)

August 19, 2014January 18, 2015 archivetvmusings ITV Comedy - 1980's duty free

L-R - Neil Stacey, Joanna Van Gyseghem, Keith Barron and Gwen Taylor — L-R – Neil Stacey, Joanna Van Gyseghem, Keith Barron and Gwen Taylor

Incredibly popular in its day, Duty Free is a series that has aged pretty well. Yes, it’s predictable stuff, but the regulars (particularly Keith Barron and Gwen Taylor) are so good that they can, and do, lift the sometimes thin material.

The first series is by far the best, particularly once Amy (Taylor) discovers her husband, David (Barron) has been involved with Linda (Joanna Van Gyseghem).

Rather endearingly, David and Linda’s affair never seemed to have progressed beyond holding hands and the odd clinch. Like the Carry On films, frustration is the name of the game.

But after Amy learns the truth, Taylor has some wonderful scenes that have a little more depth than might have been expected. Gwen Taylor is the star player throughout the run, and never more so than here.

The second and third series tend to stretch the love triangle to breaking point, but they still have their moments.

Not ground-breaking then, but certainly an enjoyable watch.

Out Of The Unknown (BBC2, 1965-1971)

August 17, 2014December 14, 2014 archivetvmusings Out Of The Unknown alan bromley, BBC, irene shubik, out of the unknown

Out Of The Unknown was an anthology programme that ran for four series between 1965 and 1971. Whilst the majority of the episodes were adaptations of already published stories, others (particularly those in the fourth series) were original works.

The first three series concentrated on science fiction stories, whilst the fourth and final series had a broader remit – covering psychological horror and supernatural themes.

Like most programmes of the era, many episodes were wiped following transmission. Of the 49 episodes, only 20 now remain complete in the archive. In addition to this, a thirty minute section of The Little Black Bag exists, whilst there are shorter clips from The Fox and the Forest, Andover and the Android, Satisfaction Guaranteed, Liar! and The Last Witness. Complete audio soundtracks also exist for The Naked Sun, Beach Head, The Yellow Pill and The Uninvited.

With a seven disc DVD due to be released shortly by the BFI, this would seem to be a good time to take a brief look at the production history of the series.

Background

Irene Shubik had joined ABC Television in 1960, working as a story editor on Armchair Theatre under producer Sydney Newman. Both were keen on producing a SF version of Armchair Theatre, so Out Of This World was born. It was transmitted on ABC in 1962 and was presented by Boris Karloff with Leonard White producing and Shubik acting as story editor.

Like the later Out Of The Unknown, the series was a mixture of adaptations and new stories. Short stories were adapted from writers including Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick and Clifford D. Simak. The series was also noteworthy for including the first original SF script from a young Welsh writer called Terry Nation. A year later he would contribute the second story to a new Saturday tea-time series for BBC1 called Doctor Who, and his creations – The Daleks – would remain iconic figures to this day.

Shortly after the transmission of Out Of This World, Sydney Newman moved to the BBC to take up the post as Head of Drama. He would take many colleagues from ABC with him, including Shubik. Shubik agreed to move provided she was promoted to producer within a year. Newman agreed, and Shubik joined the BBC in 1963.

Her first job was as story editor on Story Parade. This was designed to be the main drama strand on the new channel, BBC2, and was an anthology series that adapted some popular modern novels. One of the best received episodes was a dramatisation of Isaac Asimov’s The Caves of Steel starring Peter Cushing. The success of this led to Shubik’s opportunity to create a new SF series, Out Of The Unknown, for which she would be both story editor and producer. George Spenton-Foster would act as associate producer.

Series One

Shubik was quickly to find that sourcing acceptable material was something of a problem. She was later to say that in order to select a dozen stories she had to read hundreds more. And even when Shubik found a story that she considered worthy of adaptation, the problems were far from over. Sometimes it was impossible to agree terms with the author or the copyright holders or it could be that the concepts would be impossible to realise on the available budget.

John Carnell, founder of the SF magazine New Worlds was a valuable contact. He suggested many stories and authors for Shubik to investigate. She also had many thoughts of her own, one tantalising possibility – sadly never realised – was the idea to approach Nigel Kneale to request a new Quatermass story.

After all the sifting of material, Shubik had assembled a series of twelve stories. Ten were adaptations of existing material with two original scripts.

The first series was broadcast between October and December 1965. The episodes listed in bold are the ones that exist in the archives.

101 “No Place Like Earth” by John Wyndham, adapted by Stanley Miller
102 “The Counterfeit Man” by Alan Nourse, adapted by Philip Broadley
103 “Stranger in the Family” by David Campton
104 “The Dead Past” by Isaac Asimov, adapted by Jeremy Paul
105 “Time in Advance” by William Tenn, adapted by Paul Erickson
106 “Come Buttercup, Come Daisy, Come…?” by Mike Watts
107 “Sucker Bait” by Isaac Asimov, adapted by Meade Roberts
108 “The Fox and the Forest” by Ray Bradbury, adapted by Terry Nation
109 “Andover and the Android” by Kate Wilhelm, adapted by Bruce Stewart
110 “Some Lapse of Time” by John Brunner, adapted by Leon Griffiths
111 “Thirteen to Centaurus” by J. G. Ballard, adapted by Stanley Mille
112 “The Midas Plague” by Frederik Pohl, adapted by Troy Kennedy Martin

There was some debate as to which was the better story to open the series with. Whilst The Counterfeit Man by Alan Nourse was considered to be a strong episode, No Place Like Earth was adapted from a tale by the respected writer John Wyndham. Newman decided to lead with the Wyndham, which was essentially two individual Wyndham stories joined together to produce the final programme.

The critical response was poor, with The Times writing that although there was a clear social message, the story moved: “so extremely slowly and with heavily sententious dialogue underlining what is perfectly clear without its assistance.”

The second episode, The Counterfeit Man, gained more positive reviews, which seemed to confirm that it would have been sensible to debut with this story. The Guardian wrote that: “this space crew was one of the most original and well-executed ideas I have seen on television.”

After its fairly uncertain start, both the critical response and the ratings had picked up, so that by the time the final episode was transmitted, Out Of The Unknown was BBC2’s second most popular drama programme, after the US import The Virginian.

Series Two

As with the first series, Shubik made extensive research to locate suitable stories. Whilst in the US, she placed an advertisement in the Science Fiction Writers Association magazine requesting suitable stories. This yielded a response from Larry Eisenberg, who had two of his stories adapted. Another two Isaac Asimov stories were tackled and there were three original scripts – by Hugh Leonard, Hugh Whitmore and William Trevor.

Probably the most critically acclaimed script from series two was The Machine Stops, adapted from the story by E.M. Forster. Directed by Philip Saville, Shubik later called it “the most complex and technically demanding script I have ever had in my hands”.

The hard work paid off as the story garnered impressive reviews as well as first prize at the International Science Fiction Film Festival in 1967.

The second series was broadcast between October 1966 and January 1967. Surviving stories are highlighted in bold.

201 “The Machine Stops” by E. M. Forster, adapted by Kenneth Cavender & Clive Donner
202 “Frankenstein Mark II” by Hugh Whitmore
203 “Lambda 1” by Colin Kapp, adapted by Bruce Stewart
204 “Level Seven” by Mordecai Roshwald, adapted by J. B. Priestley
205 “Second Childhood” by Hugh Leonard
206 “The World in Silence” by John Rankine, adapted by Robert Gould
207 “The Eye” by Henry Kuttner, adapted by Stanley Miller
208 “Tunnel Under the World” by Frederik Pohl, adapted by David Campton
209 “The Fastest Draw” by Larry Eisenberg, adapted by Hugh Whitmore
210 “Too Many Cooks” by Larry Eisenberg, adapted by Hugh Whitmore
211 “Walk’s End” by William Trevor
212 “Satisfaction Guaranteed” by Isaac Asimov, adapted by Hugh Leonard
213 “The Prophet” by Isaac Asimov, adapted by Robert Muller

Series opener, The Machine Stops, is one of the highlights from across all four series of Out Of The Unknown. In the far future, all of humankind’s needs are catered for by “the machine”. Each individual leads a solitary life, although they are connected to each other via the machine. Some have begun to defy the machine, but would would happen if it stopped working?

Another surviving episode, Level Seven, has impeccable credentials. It was adapted by the celebrated playwright, J.B. Priestley, from the novel by Mordecai Roshwald. It was also the first of two episodes to be directed by Rudolph Cartier and ran for an extra ten minutes. The Level Seven of the title is the lowest level of an underground nuclear bunker, where following an atomic attack the inhabitants of the bunker have no other option but to wait for the radiation to seep down to them. The Listener wrote that: “the tension was inescapable, the excitement incontestable.”

It’s a pity that so much of the second series is missing, including the two Asimov adaptations. The Prophet, starring Beatrix Lehman as Dr Susan Calvin sounds particularly intriguing – but we should be thankful The Machine Stops and Level Seven escaped the archive purges.

Series Three

In 1967 Shubik was offered the co-producership of BBC1’s prestigious Wednesday Play. Alan Bromley was appointed producer for the third series of Out Of The Unknown, with Roger Parkes as script editor. The majority of the stories had already been commissioned by Shubik (back in 1966) so that when production began in earnest in early 1968, Bromley and Parkes largely confined themselves to polishing the stories that were already in place. It wouldn’t be until the fourth and final series that they would make their creative mark.

Notable adaptations from the third series included several more stories from Isaac Asimov. One of them, The Naked Sun, was the sequel to The Caves of Steel, which had been dramatised for Story Parade back in 1963. Clifford B. Simak and John Wyndham were two other popular writers who had their stories adapted whilst there were three original scripts – from Donald Bull, Brian Hayles and Michael Ashe.

The third series was broadcast between January and April 1969. The sole existing story is highlighted in bold, whilst approximately half of The Little Black Bag also exists.

301 “Immortality, Inc.” by Robert Sheckley, adapted by Jack Pulman
302 “Liar!” by Isaac Asimov, adapted by David Campton
303 “The Last Lonely Man” by John Brunner, adapted by Jeremy Paul
304 “Beach Head” by Clifford D. Simak, adapted by Robert Muller
305 “Something in the Cellar” by Donald Bull
306 “Random Quest” by John Wyndham, adapted by Owen Holder
307 “The Naked Sun” by Isaac Asimov, adapted by Robert Muller
308 “The Little Black Bag” by C. M. Kornbluth, adapted by Julian Bond
309 “1+1=1.5” by Brian Hayles
310 “The Fosters” by Michael Ashe
311 “Target Generation” by Clifford D. Simak, adapted by Clive Exton
312 “The Yellow Pill” by Rog Phillips, adapted by Leon Griffiths
313 “Get Off My Cloud” by Peter Phillips, adapted by David Climie

Amongst the wiped stories are some interesting sounding tales, like Beach Head, which featured Ed Bishop and some impressive sets as well as Brian Hayles’ 1 + 1 = 1.5. This is set in the early 21st century where the population is strictly limited, so there is embarrassment when the wife of a population officer becomes pregnant for the second time, despite being licenced for only one child.

The only story that survives complete from this series is The Last Lonely Man by John Brunner, adapted by Jeremy Paul. In the future, those close to death can choose to transfer their memories to a relative or a friend. But Patrick (Peter Halliday) appears to be friendless and unloved, so what can he do?

The final story of series three sounds particularly intriguing. Get Off My Cloud tells the story of SF writer Marsham Craswell (Peter Jeffrey) who has had a nervous breakdown and is lying inert in a hospital bed. To bring him back to reality, the doctors use a new device that links Craswell’s mind with that of Peter Parnell (Donal Donnelly). Together they join forces to battle the demons in Craswell’s mind.

After a two year gap, Out Of The Unknown would return for a final series.

Series Four

In many ways the fourth and final series bore little resemblance to the previous three series. Alan Bromley was of the opinion that in the aftermath of the early Moon landings: “just setting a story somewhere in space is not the automatic thrill it once was.”

Rather than SF, series four would concentrate on stories of psychological suspense and only one episode, Deathday, was an adaptation of an existing work – the remainder were original stories.

The fourth series was broadcast between April and June 1971. Existing stories are highlighted in bold.

401 “Taste of Evil” by John Wiles
402 “To Lay A Ghost” by Michael J. Bird
403 “This Body Is Mine” by John Tully
404 “Deathday” by Angus Hall, adapted by Brian Hayles
405 “The Sons and Daughters of Tomorrow” by Edward Boyd
406 “Welcome Home” by Moris Farhi
407 “The Last Witness” by Martin Worth
408 “The Man in My Head” by John Wiles
409 “The Chopper” by Nigel Kneale
410 “The Uninvited” by Michael J. Bird
411 “The Shattered Eye” by David T. Chantler

Some viewers were dismayed by the move away from SF and there’s no denying that the results were pretty mixed. With 5 of the 11 episodes existing, we have a fairly good cross section of stories in which to judge the series overall.

Best of what remains is The Man In My Head by John Wiles. Set at some point in the future, a group of soldiers are carrying out a mission of sabotage. They don’t know exactly who they are fighting or why, because their instructions have been subliminally implanted and are triggered by radio impulses. As the debate of brainwashing soldiers in Vietnam was still very current, this was a story that is certainly in tune with the times.

Right at the other end of the scale is To Lay A Ghost by Michael J. Bird. This story has long been a topic of debate and it will be interesting to see how it is received once it is more widely available via the DVD. Newly-married Eric Carver (Iain Gregory) and Diana (Lesley-Anne Down) move into their dream-house, but there seems to be something wrong.

Diana has been traumatised after being raped as a schoolgirl, and whilst their relationship has never been physical, Eric is patient and loving. When strange things happen in their new house, Eric calls in para-psychologist Dr Phillimore (Peter Barkworth) who concludes that the house is haunted by the ghost of a murderer and rapist and that Diana’s own repressed sexual desires have summoned the ghost. Therefore we are left with the impression that Diana can only gain sexual gratification via rape, which is pretty distasteful.

It’s a shame that this story exists, but that Nigel Kneale’s “The Chopper” – starring Patrick Troughton – doesn’t. Garage owner Jimmy (Troughton) converts motorbikes into choppers and has just done so with one that was mangled after a nasty accident. The spirit of the dead owner is reluctant to leave the bike though, and is keen on wreaking as much destruction as possible.

Conclusion

With less than half the episodes from the four series existing, it sometimes can be difficult to assess exactly how good the series was. From what exists, there are certainly some quality productions as well as some more plodding ones.

The forthcoming DVD should allow a fuller reassessment of what remains, as the copies which have been in circulation for the last few decades are mostly fairly poor quality, with some of them being timecoded dubs from the original BBC master tapes.

The DVD copies will, of course, offer a substantial increase in picture quality. So when we can clearly see and hear the story, some editions may be more warmly received!

It is a shame that some of the more intriguing episodes are lost – such as Asimov’s The Naked Sun (along with virtually the rest of the third series) and Nigel Kneale’s original script for series four.

But what we do have is a pretty decent collection of stories, although heavily concentrated on the first series (ten episodes exist from series one with the remaining ten episodes drawn from series two – four).

With so many BBC programmes languishing in the archive, it’s wonderful to see the time and care taken by the BFI to release this and with a good collection of supplementary features to compliment the stories. Hopefully sales will be healthy which maybe will allow other treasures to be released in the future.

Weakling scum! Doctor Who and the Horns of Nimon

August 16, 2014May 31, 2016 archivetvmusings Doctor Who BBC, doctor who, graham crowden, horns of nimon, lalla ward, tom baker

With The Horns of Nimon, Graham Williams’ (televised) tenure as producer ended with something of a whimper rather than the bang he intended.

Williams had budgeted two cheaper stories (Nightmare of Eden & Nimon) in order to lavish a generous amount of location filming on the season finale, Shada. But Shada was never completed due to industrial action, which was the final piece of bad luck to befall Williams on Doctor Who.

Even before this though, Williams had more than his fair share of problems to deal with. The late 1970’s was a bad time to be a Doctor Who producer – hyper inflation meant that year on year the show’s budget was shrinking, industrial action was a constant threat and Tom Baker was proving to be more of a handful than ever.

Nimon is rated 223 of out 241 stories in DWM’s 2014 poll. So it’s very much down amongst the also-rans, rubbing shoulders with similarly unloved stories such as Arc of Infinity, Warriors of the Deep and The Time Monster. But whilst nobody in their right mind would call Nimon an overlooked classic, it does have some good points which go some way to balance out the numerous production mis-steps.

On the credit side, Tom Baker is still coming up with the goods. Six years in, there’s no doubt that he’s done all of this stuff hundreds of times before but he still manages to make it seem fresh. Whatever his thoughts about poor scripts and his off-screen spats with Williams, on-screen he’s focused and giving it 100%. And he does have the odd gem, such as –

Nimon: “Later, you will be questioned, tortured and killed”

The Doctor: “Well, I hope you get it in the right order”

Lalla Ward is equally good value as Romana. Separated from the Doctor for an episode or so she effectively becomes a surrogate Doctor and manages to effortlessly carry the narrative. Forget K9 & Company, a spin-off with Lalla and K9 was a huge missed opportunity.

As for the guest cast, a mixed bag is the kindest way to describe them. Simon Gipps-Kent and Janet Ellis are really just the Babes in the Wood – and their characters are so under-written that they aren’t called on to do much acting.

Malcolm Terris is pretty poor as the Co-Pilot which is summed up by his final scene as he faces the wrath of the Nimon and his trousers fail to take the strain. Elsewhere on Skonnos, Sorak (Michael Osborne) and Soldeed (Graham Crowden) are an odd couple, to put it mildly.

Sorak (Michael Osborne) models a typically understand costume from designer June Hudson. — Sorak (Michael Osborne) models a typically understated costume from designer June Hudson.

Osborne plays it dead straight, which is all the more impressive when you consider his costume. Crowden, on the other hand, gives a performance that is on another planet to everybody else – even managing the impressive feat of making Tom look like an actor of great restraint.

Much has been written about Crowden’s turn as Soldeed and it’s the sort of performance that you either love or hate. Frankly, I love it as Nimon is the wrong story for too much naturalistic acting. But as some people have never liked Doctor Who to be fun it’s no surprise that many either don’t get the joke or consider it to be out of place.

"My dreams of conquest ....." — “My dreams of conquest …..”

But amongst the under-acting, over-acting and no-acting, there is one perfectly pitched performance – John Bailey as Sezom. Bailey had previously appeared as the doomed Waterfield in The Evil of the Daleks (1967) and there’s a similar vibe to this character. It’s only a small part, but Bailey is excellent and it’s one of the highlights of the story.

As for the Nimon, oh dear. The Williams era is notable for a run of underwhelming monsters (immediately prior to this viewers would have been reeling from the glowing green bag that was Erato and the less-than-terrifying Mandrels) so the Nimon are pretty much business as usual. And as soon as the first one stumbles onto screen in his platform heels you know it isn’t going to end well.

The Horns of Nimon was the end of an era in many ways. When the series returned it would feel quite different with a much more serious tone to proceedings. But everything is cyclical and there would eventually be heirs to Crowdens throne (Paul Darrow in Timelash for example).

But for the moment, Nimon is the last gasp for this kind of goofy Doctor Who. Full of faults yes, but anything with Tom Baker, Lalla Ward and Graham Crowden can’t be all bad.

Obituary – Voytek (1925 – 2014)

August 16, 2014January 1, 2015 archivetvmusings Obituaries obituaries, Voytek

Wojciech Roman Pawel Jerzy Szendzikowski, more commonly known as Voytek, has died at the age of 89.

He worked as a production designer and director in television, theatre and the movies. His distinctive name would have become familiar to viewers after it appeared on the end credits of numerous British television programmes during the 1960’s and 1970’s.

He directed top-rated shows such as Callan, Man At The Top and Special Branch and was the designer of multiple episodes of programmes including Armchair Theatre.

Guardian Obituary –

http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/aug/15/voytek-obituary

Charles Sturridge discusses directing Lauren Bacall in A Foreign Field

August 16, 2014January 17, 2015 archivetvmusings Obituaries A Foreign Field, lauren bacall

Amongst the numerous tributes paid over the past week to screen legend Lauren Bacall was this one in the Guardian, written by Charles Sturridge who directed Bacall in the 1994 BBC Screen One production A Foreign Field.

Having recently watched and blogged about this drama here, it was a very interesting read.

http://www.theguardian.com/film/2014/aug/13/lauren-bacall-handbagged

Extras announced for the BFI DVD of Out Of The Unknown (due Oct 2014)

August 15, 2014August 18, 2014 archivetvmusings Out Of The Unknown BBC, BFI, out of the unknown

An impressive list of extras have been announced for the BFI DVD of Out Of The Unknown, due for release in October 2014. In addition to the twenty surviving episodes –

Return of the Unknown (2014, 42 mins). All-new documentary with cast and crew interviews, and clips from lost episodes.

11 audio commentaries with cast, crew and experts. Moderated by actor-comedian Toby Hadoke.

Archival interview with director James Cellan Jones.

Episode reconstructions for Beach Head, The Naked Sun, The Yellow Pill, and The Uninvited.

Film insert from Deathday episode.

Seven extensive stills galleries.

Fully illustrated booklet with essays by Out of the Unknown expert Mark Ward.

Out Of The Unknown was a ground-breaking BBC science fiction anthology series that ran between 1965 and 1971. OOTU adapted stories from the likes of Frederick Pohl, E.M. Forster, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury and John Wyndham with an impressive roll-call of talent both in front of and behind the camera.

Acting-wise, George Cole, Wendy Craig, Graham Stark, Rachel Roberts, David Hemmings, Warren Mitchell, Hannah Gordon and Burt Kwouk were amongst the featured players whilst Ridley Scott was one of a number of designers who brought the series’ future visions to life.

Initially this was going to be a fairly bare-bones release, but the BFI were amenable to consider various proposals regarding extras. For example, Toby Hadoke (an experienced commentary moderator on the Doctor Who DVDs) approached them on spec and the result is a series of commentaries that should be one of the highlights of the release.

This looks like it should be one of the best Archive TV releases of the year.

A brief history of OOTU is here with a full DVD review to follow in October.

Softly Softly: Task Force – Series 1 (BBC 1969-1970)

August 14, 2014January 17, 2015 archivetvmusings BBC Drama - 1960's, BBC Drama - 1970's BBC, frank windsor, softly softly:task force, stratford johns

Softly Softly:Task Force was a spin-off from Softly Softly (which in turn was a spin-off from Z Cars) and was launched on BBC1 in late 1969. Although branded as a new series, Task Force was, in production terms, a continuation of Softly Softly.

Stratford Johns (Barlow), Frank Windsor (Watt) and Norman Bowler (Hawkins) were the three characters from Softly Softly who crossed over into the new series. They were joined by a host of new faces, including Walter Gotell as Chief Constable Cullen, Terence Rigby as PC Snow, David Lloyd Meredith as Sgt Bob Evans and Susan Tebbs as DC Donald.

Walter Gotell as Chief Constable Cullen and Stratford Johns as DCS Barlow

The first series ran for sixteen episodes and generally the quality is very high. Quick capsule reviews –

Arrival sees Charlie Barlow take up his new position as DCS of the newly formed Task Force based in Thamesford. Whilst most of the running time is taken up with Barlow investigating his surroundings there is a secondary story about a missing child with a bleak conclusion.

Next up is Exercise which sees John Watt arrive to lead Task Force 1. Shortly after his arrival the squad are deployed to investigate a stabbing. There’s a nice guest turn from Barry Jackson in this one and some needle between Barlow and Watt.

There’s a good role for Susan Tebbs, as DC Donald, in Diversion. Brian Croucher guest stars.

The first few episodes are concerned with the Task Force team and the crimes are very much secondary. The Spoilt Ones is a change of pace as the miscreants are the focus (lovely, grimy, performance by John Bennett).

Stratford Johns is outstanding in To Protect the Innocent. Given the large cast, no one character dominates each episode, but each one where Barlow is centre-stage are highlights for me.

Any Other Night. The theft of a number of tyres from the police depot is an embarrassment. The fact it happens on New Years Eve is another irritation. A routine episode, but it has some good character moments.

The spectre of football hooliganism is tackled inThe Aggro Boy. A fascinating look at the run down state of British football in the late 60’s/early 70’s. Interesting time capsule.

Frank Windsor as Det Sup John Watt and Stratford Johns as DCS Barlow

Another hot topic of the time, union unrest, is tackled in the episode Standing Orders. Fairly routine stuff, enlivened by an early appearance from Katy Manning.

Another good turn from Stratford Johns in Private Mischief. A straightforward tale, but not without interest.

Open and Shut. It seems like a simple case, but first appearances can be deceptive. A station-based, procedural episode, this is a good character piece.

An undercover operation at the docks leads to the uncovering of an illegal immigrant ring in Sprats and Mackerels. Plenty of familiar faces in roles of varying sizes (Kenneth Cranham, Sally Geeson, Joe Gladwin, Christopher Benjamin).

Like Any Other Friday is one of the lesser episodes on this release. A blink-and-you’ll-miss-him appearance from Tom Baker is one of the few items of interest here.

Things immediately pick up with Power of the Press though. It’s another Barlow-centric episode with Stratford Johns once again on great form. And here he has an opponent of equal weight – Ronald Radd as the corrupt Councillor Whitaker. The original Hunter, opposite Edward Woodward in Callan, Radd was a quality actor and it’s a pleasure to see him in opposition to Johns. Probably the best episode of the first series.

Trust a Woman. Another good, but not spectacular, episode. A nice guest turn from Imogen Hassall is the highlight here.

The Hermit. A straightforward, but engaging, story about a gang of fraudsters preying on the elderly and vulnerable. Another very watchable episode.

The final episode of series 1 is Escort. Whilst it’s a bit of a runaround, it’s worth it for the last ten minutes or so.

Overall, this is a very good collection of episodes. There are a few lesser ones, but generally the hit rate is very high and the quality of the guest and regular casts make this a very enjoyable watch.

Sadly, the initial release from Simply was somewhat flawed as all the episodes had an unintentional “filmising” effect. There was a repress, but the “filmising” effect was still present on three episodes. There was then a second repress in February 2014 which finally sorted things out.

Whilst I would unreservedly recommend this series, there may still be uncorrected copies out there, so purchasers may wish to be wait until they have gone out of circulation. Simply did have an exchange program and if you do have a faulty release it might be worthwhile to contact them to see if it’s still running.

For the record, the address for returns was – Simply HE, FREEPOST RSYX-ERKC-CJJH, Ringwood, BH24 1HD.

Encoding issues apart, for anybody who enjoys British police drama from this era, SS:TF is well worth a look.