Science Fiction on British TV, Radio and Anywhere Else
Created | Updated Jun 16, 2009
The original makers of Doctor Who, said that they wanted to make a program that could not simply be categorized as something like Science Fiction. There is much to be commended in such a policy, because it loosens constraints that might otherwise be there, if writers felt they had to be locked into one, or another of the many science fiction genres that they might recognize.
Compared with the 1960s and 70s, the BBC produces less innovative stories broadcasting such programs as related to the Doctor Who Universe, occasionally Star Trek, in the recent past, bits of Farscape and a couple of other American series, and not much else. They did have remakes of Quatermass, A for Andromeda, and Random Quest, which hark back to this time; however I feel that there is a good reason for the BBC getting back to its roots, not necessarily calling it Science Fiction, but perhaps having a drama strand which could include new and innovative works, as well as some of the standards. The nice thing is that, it does not need to be grand space opera. It could be a story driven fiction which might stretch our imaginations a little.
Some of you might recognize this list of mostly BBC productions, from as far back as 1938, in the case of RUR:
Not included are Dr Who and Blakes 7 which I assume we all know about.
R.U.R - BBC 1938
One - Associated Rediffusion 1956
The Time Machine - BBC 1949
Time Slip - BBC 1953
1984 - BBC 1954
The Invisible Man - ATV 1958-1959
The Quatermass Experiment - BBC 1953
Quatermass II - BBC 1955
Quatermass and the Pit - BBC 1958
A For Andromeda - BBC 1961
The Andromeda Breakthrough - BBC 1962
The Big Pull - BBC 1962
The Caves Of Steel - BBC 1964
Counterstrike - BBC 1969
The Escape Of RD7 - BBC 1961
Legend Of Death - BBC 1965
Target Luna - ABC (UK) 1960
Pathfinders In Space - ABC (UK) 1960
Pathfinder to Venus - ABC (UK) 1961
R3 - BBC 1964 - 1965 (R3: Ministry Of Research Centre Number Three)
The Year Of The Sex Olympics - BBC 1968
1990 - BBC 1977 - 1978
The Changes - BBC 1975
Children Of The Stones - HTV 1977
The Guardians - LWT 1971
Survivors - BBC 1975 - 1977
Moonbase Three - BBC 1973
The Omega Factor - BBC 1979
The Stone Tape - BBC 1972
Chocky - Thames Television 1984
Day Of The Triffids - BBC/Australian Broadcasting Company 1981
Knights Of God - ITV 1987
Max Headroom: Twenty Minutes Into The Future - Channel 4 1985
The Nightmare Man - BBC 1981
Play For Tomorrow - BBC 1982
The Tripods - BBC 1984 - 1985
Neverwhere - BBC 1996
Luna - ITV 1983 - 1984
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Out Of This World - BBC 1962 including:
Dumb Martian
Script : Adapted from a story by John Wyndham
The Yellow Pill
Script : Leon Griffiths from a story by Roger Phillips
Little Lost Robot
Script : Leo Lehman from a story by Isaac Asimov
Cold Equations
Script : Clive Exton from a story by Tom Godwin
Impostor
Script : Terry Nation from a story by Philip K Dick
Botany Bay
Script : Terry Nation
Medicine Show
Script : Julian Bond from a story by Robert Moore Williams
Pictures Don't Lie
Script : Bruce Stewart from a story by Katherine Maclean
Vanishing Act
Script : Richard Waring
Divided We Fall
Script : Leon Griffiths from a story by Raymond F Jones
The Dark Star
Script : Denis Butler from the novel Ape of London by Frank Crisp
Immigrant
Script : Terry Nation from a short story by Clifford Simak
Target Gentlemen
Script : Clive Exton from a short story by Clifford Simak
The Tycoons
Script : Bruce Stewart from a short story by Arthur Sellings
Boris Karloff wrote a forward for the series himself: "Science Fiction is not only strange, it combines the aspects of terror and excitement with stories that set the spine tingling.
Many other stories have all these qualities, but with science fiction there is an added dimension - the fact this could happen. What can be more terrifying? As we read our daily newspapers we find science fiction rapidly becoming fact.
As little as ten years ago, science fiction writers had to rely mainly on their imagination. But now with projected journeys to other planets, satellites in space and astronauts circling the Earth, science fiction is in touch with reality and all the more frightening for it. That is why I think the stories in our series, which are admirably imaginative bit not too far-fetched, will be so successful."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Playhouse: The Mind Beyond - BBC 1976
Meriel, The Ghost Girl
Script : David Halliwell
Double Echo
Script : Brian Hayles
The Love Of A Good Woman
Script : William Trevor
Stones
Script : Malcolm Christopher
The Man With The Power
Script : Evan Jones
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To which I should add:
Aliens in the Mind BBC (1977)
Babylon Run BBC
Host Planet Earth BBC (1965)
Earth Search BBC (Early 1980s)
In terms of RADIO, there is, of course, the BBC 7 output, which often has gems. It would be nice, if we could have a similar strand on BBC television - even on BBC 4. The danger is that, with an over reliance on the likes of Doctor Who and its family - excellent as it is - television production in that area could be channeled in too narrow a way, which could result in the BBC losing out.
Of course, part of the problem is that the early stuff was mostly produced in house, now, the BBC has to rely for much of its programming on outside production companies.
And, yes, I have not forgotten about the BBC's comedy science fiction, like Red Dwarf, and which includes the notable Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, without whose creator, the current message board URLs would all be different.
Here you can discuss your favourite Science Fiction/Fantasy program; Science Fiction/Fantasy as it is handled by the various media; you can discuss Science Fiction/Fantasy as you have found them.
Compared with the 1960s and 70s, the BBC produces less innovative stories broadcasting such programs as related to the Doctor Who Universe, occasionally Star Trek, in the recent past, bits of Farscape and a couple of other American series, and not much else. They did have remakes of Quatermass, A for Andromeda, and Random Quest, which hark back to this time; however I feel that there is a good reason for the BBC getting back to its roots, not necessarily calling it Science Fiction, but perhaps having a drama strand which could include new and innovative works, as well as some of the standards. The nice thing is that, it does not need to be grand space opera. It could be a story driven fiction which might stretch our imaginations a little.
Some of you might recognize this list of mostly BBC productions, from as far back as 1938, in the case of RUR:
Not included are Dr Who and Blakes 7 which I assume we all know about.
R.U.R - BBC 1938
One - Associated Rediffusion 1956
The Time Machine - BBC 1949
Time Slip - BBC 1953
1984 - BBC 1954
The Invisible Man - ATV 1958-1959
The Quatermass Experiment - BBC 1953
Quatermass II - BBC 1955
Quatermass and the Pit - BBC 1958
A For Andromeda - BBC 1961
The Andromeda Breakthrough - BBC 1962
The Big Pull - BBC 1962
The Caves Of Steel - BBC 1964
Counterstrike - BBC 1969
The Escape Of RD7 - BBC 1961
Legend Of Death - BBC 1965
Target Luna - ABC (UK) 1960
Pathfinders In Space - ABC (UK) 1960
Pathfinder to Venus - ABC (UK) 1961
R3 - BBC 1964 - 1965 (R3: Ministry Of Research Centre Number Three)
The Year Of The Sex Olympics - BBC 1968
1990 - BBC 1977 - 1978
The Changes - BBC 1975
Children Of The Stones - HTV 1977
The Guardians - LWT 1971
Survivors - BBC 1975 - 1977
Moonbase Three - BBC 1973
The Omega Factor - BBC 1979
The Stone Tape - BBC 1972
Chocky - Thames Television 1984
Day Of The Triffids - BBC/Australian Broadcasting Company 1981
Knights Of God - ITV 1987
Max Headroom: Twenty Minutes Into The Future - Channel 4 1985
The Nightmare Man - BBC 1981
Play For Tomorrow - BBC 1982
The Tripods - BBC 1984 - 1985
Neverwhere - BBC 1996
Luna - ITV 1983 - 1984
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Out Of This World - BBC 1962 including:
Dumb Martian
Script : Adapted from a story by John Wyndham
The Yellow Pill
Script : Leon Griffiths from a story by Roger Phillips
Little Lost Robot
Script : Leo Lehman from a story by Isaac Asimov
Cold Equations
Script : Clive Exton from a story by Tom Godwin
Impostor
Script : Terry Nation from a story by Philip K Dick
Botany Bay
Script : Terry Nation
Medicine Show
Script : Julian Bond from a story by Robert Moore Williams
Pictures Don't Lie
Script : Bruce Stewart from a story by Katherine Maclean
Vanishing Act
Script : Richard Waring
Divided We Fall
Script : Leon Griffiths from a story by Raymond F Jones
The Dark Star
Script : Denis Butler from the novel Ape of London by Frank Crisp
Immigrant
Script : Terry Nation from a short story by Clifford Simak
Target Gentlemen
Script : Clive Exton from a short story by Clifford Simak
The Tycoons
Script : Bruce Stewart from a short story by Arthur Sellings
Boris Karloff wrote a forward for the series himself: "Science Fiction is not only strange, it combines the aspects of terror and excitement with stories that set the spine tingling.
Many other stories have all these qualities, but with science fiction there is an added dimension - the fact this could happen. What can be more terrifying? As we read our daily newspapers we find science fiction rapidly becoming fact.
As little as ten years ago, science fiction writers had to rely mainly on their imagination. But now with projected journeys to other planets, satellites in space and astronauts circling the Earth, science fiction is in touch with reality and all the more frightening for it. That is why I think the stories in our series, which are admirably imaginative bit not too far-fetched, will be so successful."
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Playhouse: The Mind Beyond - BBC 1976
Meriel, The Ghost Girl
Script : David Halliwell
Double Echo
Script : Brian Hayles
The Love Of A Good Woman
Script : William Trevor
Stones
Script : Malcolm Christopher
The Man With The Power
Script : Evan Jones
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
To which I should add:
Aliens in the Mind BBC (1977)
Babylon Run BBC
Host Planet Earth BBC (1965)
Earth Search BBC (Early 1980s)
In terms of RADIO, there is, of course, the BBC 7 output, which often has gems. It would be nice, if we could have a similar strand on BBC television - even on BBC 4. The danger is that, with an over reliance on the likes of Doctor Who and its family - excellent as it is - television production in that area could be channeled in too narrow a way, which could result in the BBC losing out.
Of course, part of the problem is that the early stuff was mostly produced in house, now, the BBC has to rely for much of its programming on outside production companies.
And, yes, I have not forgotten about the BBC's comedy science fiction, like Red Dwarf, and which includes the notable Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, without whose creator, the current message board URLs would all be different.
Here you can discuss your favourite Science Fiction/Fantasy program; Science Fiction/Fantasy as it is handled by the various media; you can discuss Science Fiction/Fantasy as you have found them.
