Old Sci-fi
When I was little I absolutely loved a particular TV show. I don’t know why I did, whether it was the stories, the hardware, the fact there was a woman in a lead role, the man in charge or simply the concepts. It was the first TV show I actually noticed and my first experience with such a thing.
Sure, I knew kids shows like Mr. Benn, That one with the person coming out of the box (which was used to such great effect in Life on Mars)…
But nothing touched this show, and oddly enough still hasn’t. And I truly hope it’s re-imagined a’la Battlestar Galactica (which, incidentally, pinched an idea from this show for their opening credits), because, frankly, the ideas and concepts (and this is series one) were top-shelf.
After Star Trek, the Sci-Fi front was pretty bare, and this was the first show in a long time to come along that actually came close to its appeal. This, however was British sci-fi, with brooding, dark (in some cases horror-based) sci-fi stories. Which is what the British do best. And strange as it seems, there were no wobbly sets. Doctor who scared the pants off of me when I was this little (as did Star Trek, especially that Corbomite Maneuver alien). But this show I could watch and watch. There was an emotional element that I hadn’t seen or experienced anywhere; a decent and fair male role model, a female role model who was caring and stood up for herself when the chips were down, the merlin-like scientist. It was all very Arthurian, but with a twist of Homer’s Iliad thrown-in for good measure.
In future years, in the bleak time between the fall of the show into parody when a new producer came along (although as a child I didn’t mind the changes; as an adult I grew embarassed by the low, low quality of these episodes) and the advent of late-night TV, I caught only the odd episode here and there. I longed for a way to keep the episodes, but there was no way to do-so. Nobody had video recorders at this point (this dates me to be sure), and so I had to keep a sharp eye on the TV guides. The drought was long. So very long.
In the 90s I saw with amazement that they were back on. At 4am. And I videoed the lot, even editing the adverts as I watched episodes I had half rememembered, or even hadn’t seen at all. It was amazing! Self-taped videos turned into DVDs some years later, and now I occasionally eye-off the enhanced all-inclusive DVDs available to-date only in the UK for extortionate amounts. The exchange rate might have changed by this point though, so they may yet be affordable as my one and only christmas pressy to myself.
It’s odd though to wake up wanting to write about it; fankiddies the world over have done this time and again. It even rates conventions, but the new owners aren’t interested (or don’t have the cash) for a decent remake. It may yet rise in the public eye again, but more likely will remain the chosen vice of a few who appreciate those precious things: a childhood memory and oddly compelling stories.
Maybe you’ve guessed what it is by now. But here’s a doco for those that haven’t:
There are a few ways to describe one's self when effectively trying to mask the fact that you're a complete hermit and spend your entire existence behind a computer screen sipping hot tea and eating cakes. The first would be to suggest that you're somewhat introverted and avoid coffee. Another might be to suggest you're a fan of Apple Macs but are cutting-down from the 6 you used to have to an even two (Macbook and Mac Mini in turn). Finally you might choose to say that despite the massive pay-drop, this writing thing is quite a lark isn't it? Not to mention enjoying the creative life a lot more than mindless tedium in corporate jobs, working the 40 hour week to the drumming of endless meetings and political intrigue that would have made Machiavelli blush and hand his pen over to the corporate slugs that run companies these days. Enough said really.
