In 1992 in an effort to create a daily news program with a greater sense of awe and disbelief about recent events Channel 54 began a long term plan to create news readers with the appropriate level of astonishment.
Volunteers agreed to be placed in isolation. Some were situated on remote islands, other in bunkers deep beneath the frozen waste lands of the Antarctic. Ten years later a volunteer would be removed and read the latest headlines for that day before placed back into isolation.
The results were news reports that removed them from any sense of context and made each event a startling revelation. The news readers were all amateurs, their delivery hampered by their lack of rehearsal and shock at what was occurring in a world they didn’t recognise. Still nothing can match watching a news reader yell “We’re at war with who now?!!”
The show continues to gain good ratings and it is rumoured that the channel is experimenting with memory removal to create a faster turn around of presenters.
SELECTED EPISODES:
NOVEMBER 12th, 1995
News reader Gary Shaw reads that his home town has finally been rebuilt after a plane crashed into it two years ago, killing his friends and family. His report on the latest dance craze is almost unintelligible through his sobs.
JUNE 6th, 1997
Sylvia Montana bluffs her way through an interview with flamboyant singer Reggie Red unaware either of him or any of his number 1 songs.
DECEMBER 31th, 1999
A combination of future shock and rising Millennium Bug fears cause News Reader Daniel Potter to suffer a nervous break down. The resulting hostage siege gains the channel its highest viewing figures and Daniel tries to defend himself against ‘the invading cyborg hordes’.
TRIVIA:
Traditionally news reader on April 1st were given reports that included fake stories that the viewer would know were false but that the news reader wouldn’t. This resulted in many stories where dead celebrities visited newly formed countries or welcomed alien visitors to Earth.
In the heart of the Nevada desert is Lock Down One where volunteers are placed in cryogenic suspension to be defrosted and read the news in the far future or when ever the shows ratings get really low.
Due to a computer error the location of group of ten volunteers was lost. Provided with enough supplies to keep them going for twenty years the news channel is confident they will find them in time. Others are not so confident.
Wednesday, 25 June 2008
Tuesday, 24 June 2008
UFO AGO GO!
This early sixties action series combined the best elements of spy drama and science fiction. It posited that in the 1950s the nations of the world waged a secret war against invading alien races. Earth won the conflict but now a cold war raged, each nation using salvaged alien technology.
Cornelius Jones (played by Edgar Columbus) was the top secret agent working for The Agency, protecting America. Unlike most government agents Cornelius wore his hair long, wore bell bottom jeans and paisley print shirts. If there was a wild party you'd sure to find Cornelius there.
Each week Cornelius would fly around the world in his own private flying saucer to stop threats to the US in many exotic locations. Whether it was destroying a brain washing ray in Cuba, recovering shrunken cities in Japan or capturing a giant Gila monster in Spain Cornelius did it all with impeccable style.
Cornelius didn't just fight against alien technology, he used to complete his missions. Aside from his flying saucer, nicknamed the Falcon, Cornelius had a belt that could turn him invisible for short periods, boots that allowed him to stick to the sides of buildings and a computer that was no bigger than the size of a match box.
The most powerful piece of technology available to Cornelius was the Cloneitor. Should he die in the line of duty a clone body was grown and his memories downloaded from his computer using technology pioneered by the British. These clones would occasionally look slightly different from Cornelius allowing other actors to play the role until the cloning error was fixed and Edgar Columbus returned.
The agency headquarters were located all over the world. Using shrink rays the bases were reduced to size of pennies and thus could be concealed anywhere with no one the wiser.
Central Command was the Eye, a space station orbiting a wormhole above Earth. It was through this wormhole that the aliens launched their initial invasion and now the Eye kept watch, waiting for their return.
There were a number of organisations threatening the world including SIN (Scientific Initiations Now) and DEMONEX. In addition the aliens had brainwashed many humans to believe they were aliens themselves and preprogrammed to carry out their campaign of terror..
The show was created by Jade Lamp film studios who had produced many B-movies during the
1950s. The show was designed to use this footage in a new way, allowing the show to produced cheaply despite the abundance of special effects.
The show was very popular, selling thousands of dollars in merchandise. Every child wanted their own Falcon flying saucer and Cornelius's ray gun 'Zappy'. A pungent cologne called 'Scent of UFO' was sold, promising men they'd smell just like Cornelius. For the women calenders filled with photos of Cornelius were sold.
With the spread of colour television the show could no longer use the vast archive of black and white film material. Attempts were made to film new scenes but this necessitated an increase in budget. Eventually the show ended after four seasons.
Cornelius will always remembered as one of the super cool spies of the 1960s.
SELECTED EPISODES:
THE DEAD MAN GROOVE
Cornelius is sent to New Orleans to investigate reports of zombies. He discovers a SIN operation, using music to re-animate the dead. Worse still this is only part one of their plan, they plan to release the music as an LP and sweep the nation with their undead horde.
ISLAND GETAWAY
People are returning from an island resort with violent impulses. To stem the violence Cornelius goes undercover. Deep within the island he discovers a giant brain that brings out the worst in people, including Cornelius.
With their best agent out of control the Agency must find away to neutralise him before he uses the alien arsenal at his disposal to wreck havoc.
VERY COLD WAR
Corenlius is summoned to the Agency's Antarctic base where they imprison the aliens they capture. He is there to discover information about an alien ship emerging from the wormhole.
With only a few hours to learn what he can Cornelius begins to suspect that some of the staff at the facility have been replaced by shape changing aliens. Can he get the information he needs and discover the impostor in time?
TRIVIA:
Various attempts were made to make the flying saucer, the Falcon, to actually fly. After a number of accidents it was instead decided to hang it from a crane.
Edgar Columbus often attended parties in character. He even paid the writers of the show to write dialogue for him.
A number of television movies were made in the 1970s including 'The Man From The UFO', 'One Of Our Planets Is Missing' and 'Never Say Xenomorph'.
Cornelius Jones (played by Edgar Columbus) was the top secret agent working for The Agency, protecting America. Unlike most government agents Cornelius wore his hair long, wore bell bottom jeans and paisley print shirts. If there was a wild party you'd sure to find Cornelius there.
Each week Cornelius would fly around the world in his own private flying saucer to stop threats to the US in many exotic locations. Whether it was destroying a brain washing ray in Cuba, recovering shrunken cities in Japan or capturing a giant Gila monster in Spain Cornelius did it all with impeccable style.
Cornelius didn't just fight against alien technology, he used to complete his missions. Aside from his flying saucer, nicknamed the Falcon, Cornelius had a belt that could turn him invisible for short periods, boots that allowed him to stick to the sides of buildings and a computer that was no bigger than the size of a match box.
The most powerful piece of technology available to Cornelius was the Cloneitor. Should he die in the line of duty a clone body was grown and his memories downloaded from his computer using technology pioneered by the British. These clones would occasionally look slightly different from Cornelius allowing other actors to play the role until the cloning error was fixed and Edgar Columbus returned.
The agency headquarters were located all over the world. Using shrink rays the bases were reduced to size of pennies and thus could be concealed anywhere with no one the wiser.
Central Command was the Eye, a space station orbiting a wormhole above Earth. It was through this wormhole that the aliens launched their initial invasion and now the Eye kept watch, waiting for their return.
There were a number of organisations threatening the world including SIN (Scientific Initiations Now) and DEMONEX. In addition the aliens had brainwashed many humans to believe they were aliens themselves and preprogrammed to carry out their campaign of terror..
The show was created by Jade Lamp film studios who had produced many B-movies during the
1950s. The show was designed to use this footage in a new way, allowing the show to produced cheaply despite the abundance of special effects.
The show was very popular, selling thousands of dollars in merchandise. Every child wanted their own Falcon flying saucer and Cornelius's ray gun 'Zappy'. A pungent cologne called 'Scent of UFO' was sold, promising men they'd smell just like Cornelius. For the women calenders filled with photos of Cornelius were sold.
With the spread of colour television the show could no longer use the vast archive of black and white film material. Attempts were made to film new scenes but this necessitated an increase in budget. Eventually the show ended after four seasons.
Cornelius will always remembered as one of the super cool spies of the 1960s.
SELECTED EPISODES:
THE DEAD MAN GROOVE
Cornelius is sent to New Orleans to investigate reports of zombies. He discovers a SIN operation, using music to re-animate the dead. Worse still this is only part one of their plan, they plan to release the music as an LP and sweep the nation with their undead horde.
ISLAND GETAWAY
People are returning from an island resort with violent impulses. To stem the violence Cornelius goes undercover. Deep within the island he discovers a giant brain that brings out the worst in people, including Cornelius.
With their best agent out of control the Agency must find away to neutralise him before he uses the alien arsenal at his disposal to wreck havoc.
VERY COLD WAR
Corenlius is summoned to the Agency's Antarctic base where they imprison the aliens they capture. He is there to discover information about an alien ship emerging from the wormhole.
With only a few hours to learn what he can Cornelius begins to suspect that some of the staff at the facility have been replaced by shape changing aliens. Can he get the information he needs and discover the impostor in time?
TRIVIA:
Various attempts were made to make the flying saucer, the Falcon, to actually fly. After a number of accidents it was instead decided to hang it from a crane.
Edgar Columbus often attended parties in character. He even paid the writers of the show to write dialogue for him.
A number of television movies were made in the 1970s including 'The Man From The UFO', 'One Of Our Planets Is Missing' and 'Never Say Xenomorph'.
Monday, 23 June 2008
THE COLD
In 1992 'The Cold' redefined the spy drama. Even as the Cold War came to an end in the real world this program depicted a vision of the world where spies never got to retire or even die.
Spending most of their time in the tropical paradise of Eden, a community of spies find peace at last, their every need attended to by unseen servants. When they slept they never knew if they would awake in Eden or in the Cold.
The Cold was the nickname the spies to the real world. The Cold was always filmed with a washed out blue filter, a stark contrast to the bright colours of Eden. It was here that the spies were given new missions, all for promise that they would return to Eden at the completion of their objectives.
The central character was Patrick Drake (played by Daniel Toonel), a spy that had grown tired of being a pawn in someone else's game. While his fellow spies were happy to carry out their tasks to return to Eden Patrick wanted answers.
In between performing assassinations, abductions, acts of sabotage and obtaining classified information using his considerable talents Patrick uncovered shocking secrets about the nature of the two worlds he inhabited.
There were many mysteries to solve. Patrick would often meet agents from Eden out in the Cold but they would have no memories of these events. He even killed a few in the line of duty only to encounter them alive and well in Eden. These events made Patrick question his own memory and existence.
In the Cold Patrick soon found that his orders were coming from different parties. In the episode 'Indigo Clearance' he learns his mission to destroy an oil refinery has been given to him by Russia, the country he had just stolen classified information from in 'Frozen Assets'. It appeared anyone could recall an agent from 'Eden'.
Over the course of four seasons a complex mythology evolved. Theories were rife among the fan community. Was Eden actually heaven and the agents were being summoned by occult means? Were the agents clones, Eden representing artificially created memories? Some even speculated that it was the Cold which was illusionary, that Patrick was merely unable to cope with his retirement.
No firm answers were ever given. The episode 'Home Coming' seemed to show that Eden was film set created to fool brainwashed agents only for this to be revealed as a hoax in 'The Big Reveal'.
The gritty realism of the Cold and dream like wonder of Eden combined to create a mesmerising viewing experience. Few would claim to understand what occurred in The Cold but none would forget it once seen.
SELECTED EPISODES:
NO FEELING
Patrick is in France, assigned to abduct a leading scientist and transport them to Germany. He is distracted when, by chance, he encounters an old flame. His former love is stunned at his appearance, having witnessed his murder ten years before.
FRIEND AND FOE
In Eden Patrick is best friends with Ivan Talivisk, in the Cold they are deadly enemies. Patrick struggles to reconcile these two facts. Which is the real Ivan or or they both aspects of the same man.
This issue comes to a head when both men are assigned to capture an experimental weapon from a security station located in the Antarctic.
A NORMAL LIFE
Waking up in a suburban home Patrick is stunned to find himself not in Eden or even The Cold. As the weeks pass Patrick keeps expecting a mission to be given to him but when none come Patrick decides that he must be getting close to the truth, close enough for someone to try to remove him from the board.
More determined that ever Patrick sets out to return to his mission.
TRIVIA:
To create an even more confusing setting many dates given in The Cold were deliberately muddled. In the episode 'SIGNALS AND CHECKS' Patrick reads a newspaper dated '23rd of September, 1993' while a nearby calender shows the year to be 1989. Two episodes later in
'TARGET: EDEN' the date is given as the 2nd of May 1991.
The scenes of Eden were filmed in Hawaii. Many of the actors in the show signed on just so they could spend time there.
Actors who had portrayed spies on other shows would often cameo. These included Edgar Columbus from 'UFO AGO GO'.
Many of the writers later went on to work on 'ONE PERCENT'.
Spending most of their time in the tropical paradise of Eden, a community of spies find peace at last, their every need attended to by unseen servants. When they slept they never knew if they would awake in Eden or in the Cold.
The Cold was the nickname the spies to the real world. The Cold was always filmed with a washed out blue filter, a stark contrast to the bright colours of Eden. It was here that the spies were given new missions, all for promise that they would return to Eden at the completion of their objectives.
The central character was Patrick Drake (played by Daniel Toonel), a spy that had grown tired of being a pawn in someone else's game. While his fellow spies were happy to carry out their tasks to return to Eden Patrick wanted answers.
In between performing assassinations, abductions, acts of sabotage and obtaining classified information using his considerable talents Patrick uncovered shocking secrets about the nature of the two worlds he inhabited.
There were many mysteries to solve. Patrick would often meet agents from Eden out in the Cold but they would have no memories of these events. He even killed a few in the line of duty only to encounter them alive and well in Eden. These events made Patrick question his own memory and existence.
In the Cold Patrick soon found that his orders were coming from different parties. In the episode 'Indigo Clearance' he learns his mission to destroy an oil refinery has been given to him by Russia, the country he had just stolen classified information from in 'Frozen Assets'. It appeared anyone could recall an agent from 'Eden'.
Over the course of four seasons a complex mythology evolved. Theories were rife among the fan community. Was Eden actually heaven and the agents were being summoned by occult means? Were the agents clones, Eden representing artificially created memories? Some even speculated that it was the Cold which was illusionary, that Patrick was merely unable to cope with his retirement.
No firm answers were ever given. The episode 'Home Coming' seemed to show that Eden was film set created to fool brainwashed agents only for this to be revealed as a hoax in 'The Big Reveal'.
The gritty realism of the Cold and dream like wonder of Eden combined to create a mesmerising viewing experience. Few would claim to understand what occurred in The Cold but none would forget it once seen.
SELECTED EPISODES:
NO FEELING
Patrick is in France, assigned to abduct a leading scientist and transport them to Germany. He is distracted when, by chance, he encounters an old flame. His former love is stunned at his appearance, having witnessed his murder ten years before.
FRIEND AND FOE
In Eden Patrick is best friends with Ivan Talivisk, in the Cold they are deadly enemies. Patrick struggles to reconcile these two facts. Which is the real Ivan or or they both aspects of the same man.
This issue comes to a head when both men are assigned to capture an experimental weapon from a security station located in the Antarctic.
A NORMAL LIFE
Waking up in a suburban home Patrick is stunned to find himself not in Eden or even The Cold. As the weeks pass Patrick keeps expecting a mission to be given to him but when none come Patrick decides that he must be getting close to the truth, close enough for someone to try to remove him from the board.
More determined that ever Patrick sets out to return to his mission.
TRIVIA:
To create an even more confusing setting many dates given in The Cold were deliberately muddled. In the episode 'SIGNALS AND CHECKS' Patrick reads a newspaper dated '23rd of September, 1993' while a nearby calender shows the year to be 1989. Two episodes later in
'TARGET: EDEN' the date is given as the 2nd of May 1991.
The scenes of Eden were filmed in Hawaii. Many of the actors in the show signed on just so they could spend time there.
Actors who had portrayed spies on other shows would often cameo. These included Edgar Columbus from 'UFO AGO GO'.
Many of the writers later went on to work on 'ONE PERCENT'.
Monday, 16 June 2008
NIGHT
It began as a crime drama first broadcast in 2001. Over twenty four episodes viewers witnessed events occurring on the same night in New York. A bank heist goes terribly wrong, the police try to cope with this and another murder committed by a notorious serial killer, a fire station crew respond to an inferno at a skyscraper only to find it has connections to the bank and a local new reporter finds she has a personal link to each of the stories she covers. These were just a few of the stories that gradually painted a bleak, interlocking picture of modern life.
Then things got weird. The last episode of the first season ended with the main characters from each story meeting only to be killed in a devastating explosion. Then they all woke up, at the start of that same night.
Each season has followed the same pattern. The same night replays, their main protagonists struggling to find out why this occurring as events repeat themselves. They have less than five hours to learn the cause before everything restarts.
After five seasons the mystery is no closer to being solved although that hasn’t stopped the fans coming up with their own theories. Is Rinato the cook the Hook Handed killer? What did film maker Steve Colt see in the sewers and is it related to cult that the fireman stumble upon? Why does each character share the same birthday and own the same make of silver clock? Is it true that if you work out the route of Clarice the bag lady who meets each of the characters she seems to appear in two places at once?
With the show now in its sixth year it must come to an end soon as the actors are beginning to show their age, spoiling the illusion that this is all occurring on the same night. One thing is for sure, the writers have a lot of loose ends to tie up before the night gives up its secrets.
SELECTED EPISODES:
TOBY’S TALE
Toby is a pizza delivery boy but his night is about to become a lot more interesting. His first delivery takes him to the latest victim of the Hook Handed killer. Reeling from this he then learns his brother is one of the bank robbers holding hostages. As he attempts to make sense of this chaos he is pursued by a silver car that seems to be able to follow him anywhere in the city, a car that brings back terrible memories.
Toby is a pizza delivery boy but his night is about to become a lot more interesting. His first delivery takes him to the latest victim of the Hook Handed killer. Reeling from this he then learns his brother is one of the bank robbers holding hostages. As he attempts to make sense of this chaos he is pursued by a silver car that seems to be able to follow him anywhere in the city, a car that brings back terrible memories.
MAURICE’S SECOND TALE
Maurice finds himself reliving the same day. Under his guidance his fellow fire men manage to avoid the explosion that originally claimed the lives of two of their number. Overjoyed at this Maurice isn’t paying attention and accidentally drives the fire engine off a bridge. It seems death won’t be denied.
Maurice finds himself reliving the same day. Under his guidance his fellow fire men manage to avoid the explosion that originally claimed the lives of two of their number. Overjoyed at this Maurice isn’t paying attention and accidentally drives the fire engine off a bridge. It seems death won’t be denied.
MALCOLM’S FOURTH TALE
Private investigator Malcolm Iggle is finding his case easier to solve the third time round. As he closes in on the mysterious albino in a trench coat he finds himself on the set of the cancelled television show ‘The Silver Clock’, the very show that his own Father stared in before his suicide one year earlier. Is his family tragedy linked to his current case?
Private investigator Malcolm Iggle is finding his case easier to solve the third time round. As he closes in on the mysterious albino in a trench coat he finds himself on the set of the cancelled television show ‘The Silver Clock’, the very show that his own Father stared in before his suicide one year earlier. Is his family tragedy linked to his current case?
TRIVIA:
Over 100 hours were filmed of New York to use as stock footage of one specific night. This footage included Winston Clipper breaking into a hardware store. Using this evidence Winston was convicted of breaking and entering.
Over 100 hours were filmed of New York to use as stock footage of one specific night. This footage included Winston Clipper breaking into a hardware store. Using this evidence Winston was convicted of breaking and entering.
Between seasons repeat episodes are often shown out of order. Some fans believe this actually makes better viewing as the same night can be watched in different combinations with some characters experiencing events for the first time while the next episode they may be repeating it for the third or fourth time. Rumour has it that patterns begin to emerge.
The creator of the show, John Hibbert, suffers from insomnia. He says the creation of the series came from thinking what else was occurring that same night. By early morning he would have on average twenty stories.
Taxi driver Karl Stovanti is an actual taxi driver, playing himself on the show. When not filming he takes passengers on a tour of the city to see where events of the show occur.
Sunday, 15 June 2008
SEARCH ENGINE
Reflecting the increased popularity of the internet this show featured the worlds laziest paranormal investigators. Referred to only by their online names Ultimatelover65, Lord Prime and UFO Watcher responded to any mystery by typing names into their search engine and trawling the internet for information.
After the group helped the police solve several murders they were brought together as a consultant group named ‘Search Engine’. Their police contact was Officer Michael Petelie, a long suffering beat cop, unpopular within the force for exposing corruption. His assignment to the Search Engine group was meant as a punishment but over the course of the series he rose to the rank of detective.
The series was popular among the fringe groups as many crackpot theories would be discussed during each episode, irrespective of if the theory applied to the case they were investigating. Many pop culture references would be used to the delight of the fans, Lord Prime even wore a ‘Life Line’ T-shirt in several episodes.
Over the nine seasons of Search Engine the team investigated werewolves, aliens, zombie sharks, magic using cultists, time travelling serial killers, sentient moons and things that defied definition. During the entire series the Search Engine team never left their keyboards, leaving it to Officer Petelie to fight the menace on his own.
SELECTED EPISODES:
WHO WOULD WIN?
Actors of old films and television series are being kidnapped and forced to fight to the death. The Search Engine team realise that someone is enacting the frequent internet debates over which fictional character would win in a fight.
After following several false leads (Ultimatelover65 is convinced it’s the work of a resurrected President Lincoln) Officer Petelie finds the culprit is the self titled ‘Flaw’. The criminal taunts the police officer when he tells him
CUTTING EDGE
UFO Watcher is seduced by the offer of cybernetic implants by mysterious company DEMONEX. This distraction forces Ultimatelover65 and Lord Prime to investigate the rain of cars that destroyed a town on their own.
DISCONNECT
Just as the team is about to solve a case where people are vanishing into thin air their internet connection is severed. The group go into shock, envisioning themselves in a fantasy world where they are top paid athletes.
Realising someone is targeting the group Officer Petelie races to save them. The problem is he has never met any of the group and doesn’t know where they live.
TRIVIA:
A pilot for the show was original made in the 1980s but due to the state of the internet at the time it obviously took much longer for the group to gather information. The exciting climax revolved around printing out a killers identity on a dot-matrix printer.
Kenny Quinn, who played Ultimatelover65, was illiterate, requiring people to read the script to him in order for him to memorise it and would just mash the keyboard to give the illusion that he was typing.
Nick Summer, who played Prime Lord, was a big fan of Alison Combe (formerly the lead actress of ‘Ant in Love’) and despite that fact she was in her 70s he asked her to marry him in the middle of filming a scene together. She turned him down resulting in Nick bursting into tears. This outtake is often shown as science fiction conventions, especially ones that Nick Summer is appearing at.
After the group helped the police solve several murders they were brought together as a consultant group named ‘Search Engine’. Their police contact was Officer Michael Petelie, a long suffering beat cop, unpopular within the force for exposing corruption. His assignment to the Search Engine group was meant as a punishment but over the course of the series he rose to the rank of detective.
The series was popular among the fringe groups as many crackpot theories would be discussed during each episode, irrespective of if the theory applied to the case they were investigating. Many pop culture references would be used to the delight of the fans, Lord Prime even wore a ‘Life Line’ T-shirt in several episodes.
Over the nine seasons of Search Engine the team investigated werewolves, aliens, zombie sharks, magic using cultists, time travelling serial killers, sentient moons and things that defied definition. During the entire series the Search Engine team never left their keyboards, leaving it to Officer Petelie to fight the menace on his own.
SELECTED EPISODES:
WHO WOULD WIN?
Actors of old films and television series are being kidnapped and forced to fight to the death. The Search Engine team realise that someone is enacting the frequent internet debates over which fictional character would win in a fight.
After following several false leads (Ultimatelover65 is convinced it’s the work of a resurrected President Lincoln) Officer Petelie finds the culprit is the self titled ‘Flaw’. The criminal taunts the police officer when he tells him
“It is all real. Every story, every program, every film. They tell you they’re
lies so you ignore the truth.”
CUTTING EDGE
UFO Watcher is seduced by the offer of cybernetic implants by mysterious company DEMONEX. This distraction forces Ultimatelover65 and Lord Prime to investigate the rain of cars that destroyed a town on their own.
DISCONNECT
Just as the team is about to solve a case where people are vanishing into thin air their internet connection is severed. The group go into shock, envisioning themselves in a fantasy world where they are top paid athletes.
Realising someone is targeting the group Officer Petelie races to save them. The problem is he has never met any of the group and doesn’t know where they live.
TRIVIA:
A pilot for the show was original made in the 1980s but due to the state of the internet at the time it obviously took much longer for the group to gather information. The exciting climax revolved around printing out a killers identity on a dot-matrix printer.
Kenny Quinn, who played Ultimatelover65, was illiterate, requiring people to read the script to him in order for him to memorise it and would just mash the keyboard to give the illusion that he was typing.
Nick Summer, who played Prime Lord, was a big fan of Alison Combe (formerly the lead actress of ‘Ant in Love’) and despite that fact she was in her 70s he asked her to marry him in the middle of filming a scene together. She turned him down resulting in Nick bursting into tears. This outtake is often shown as science fiction conventions, especially ones that Nick Summer is appearing at.
Saturday, 14 June 2008
SCOUT
In the far future the Earth Empire expands across the universe, its ships travelling great distances by leaping to hyperspace beacons. The only draw back is that someone needs to place these beacons in the first place.
This series followed Jeff Turnpike, the man responsible for placing these beacons so other ships could follow in his path. His small craft, Scout, would leap randomly to different parts of the universe and he would decide if he should place a beacon there.
Each week viewers would watch as Jeff landed on strange planets, encountered bizarre aliens and often find himself placed in great danger. The episodes would end with him making his decision about placing a beacon and then travelling on to a new world and a new adventure.
His reasons for placing the hyperspace beacons were varied. Some times it was because the planet had a valuable resource such as the crystals on the planet Xriox in the episode
'DIAMONDS ARE A MAN'S GREATEST ENEMY' or because the inhabitants would prove to be strong allies such as the Seers encountered in the episode 'THE PATHS YET TRAVELLED' and sometimes it was just because he wanted the inhabitants wiped out for the trials he had been put through such as the primitive tribe encountered in 'THE SPACE AGE STONE AGE'.
Jeff led a lonely life. The hyperspace beacons were charged when Scout leapt into hyperspace meaning his own people could only follow once he had left. While he was exploring Jeff was the only human in that region of space and he was very lucky if the aliens he encountered were even humanoid.
In an attempt to connect with people Jeff would often have romantic relationships with the aliens he encountered. This rarely ended well and even his own ship disapproved of these affairs, possessed as it was with the personality of his dead wife.
To keep him company his ship, Scout, was fitted with artificial intelligence based on the memories and personality of his dead wife, Sophia. It was her death that had led to him volunteering for his lonely mission. Scouts familiar voice was a comfort to Jeff in his dark times and her nagging that ensured he continued his mission.
Broadcast from 1996 to 1999 Scout won many fans who thrilled to the adventures of Jeff alone in uncharted space and were gripped by Nathan Queen's powerful performance as Jeff. The fact that Scout travelled randomly meant there was little overall plot development but this allowed new viewers to start watching at any point.
The special effects were good for their time, shunning location work in forests as many series do and instead insisted on creating truly bizarre alien worlds. Who can forget the tangerine skies and sea of fire of the planet Soralis in the episode 'IF YOU CAN'T STAND THE HEAT' or the pink candy floss like gas planet Adalua in the episode 'DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES'.
Even the aliens were rarely humanoid or even organic. Jeff interacted with the arachnid Lomos, swum with the aquatic Fishlosah and struggled to comprehend the sentient cloud of lights that made up the Cul race.
All of this pushed the budget of the series, especially as the only regular set used was that of Scout. Similarly the regular cast consisted of Nathan Queen as Jeff and Laura Breen as the voice of Scout.
After four seasons Jeff's journey finally came to an end. After crash landing on an alien planet Jeff knows there is no chance of rescue. Using the remains of Scout he builds a female robot for the AI to inhabit.
The final scene shows Scout cradling an ancient Jeff as he dies, just as he had held his wife as she died. Together they watch a red sun rise on an the alien world.
SELECTED EPISODES:
A HOUSE DIVIDED
Jeff discovers a world that has plentiful resources that would prove valuable to the Earth Empire. The drawback is that two factions are at war, dividing the planet and its people in two.
Before he places a beacon Jeff decides to help one of the factions in order to end the conflict but finds it difficult to decide which side to aid. A decision made more difficult by Scout's disapproval of his actions.
SAME TIME, SAME PLACE
After spending a week evaluating the beautiful tropical paradise world of Nomidar and its people Jeff leaves a beacon and leaps off to discover a new world. Instead he finds himself back at Nomidar.
After several attempts at leaping again, each time arriving in orbit of Nomidar Jeff lands and finds that people have no memory of him. When Scout confirms there is no hyperspace beacon above the planet they realise that there are several identical worlds, right down to the people that populate its surface. Jeff's investigation into why this is shakes him to his very core.
WAR AT HOME
The Earth Empire send a message to Jeff that they are war and that he should locate worlds that can provide weapons and soldiers. Jeff ponders his position and his new mission. Even Scout is affected as it possesses Sophia's memories of her father dying in a previous war.
WHERE GHOSTS LIVE
Jeff is exploring the fog bound planet of Gastiga when he encounters someone he never expected to see, his wife Sophia. As he tries to work out if she is real or not he flashes back to events of her death.
Meanwhile Scout is invaded by mysterious beings that begin dismantling her. Will Jeff return in time to save his ship?
TRIVIA:
Few details of the Earth Empire were provided during the series, mostly implied by the criteria Jeff used to decide whether to place a beacon and the occasional glimpses of Earth that we see in flashback. Fans slavishly put these references together to put together a picture of a totalitarian government geared for battle and conquest.
This idea of a strong and powerful empire was contrasted by their agent, Jeff, a lone man with a ship designed for exploration, lacking even basic weapons.
In the third and fourth season episodes set underwater were filmed using the same water tanks normally reserved by the science fiction show 'Unknown Oceans'.
While Laura Breen provided the voice of Scout she didn't play the role of Sophia in flashbacks. Instead this role was played by former Swedish model Helga Unkavich. The only time Laura appeared on screen was the final episode, as the robot that Jeff builds to keep him company.
This series followed Jeff Turnpike, the man responsible for placing these beacons so other ships could follow in his path. His small craft, Scout, would leap randomly to different parts of the universe and he would decide if he should place a beacon there.
Each week viewers would watch as Jeff landed on strange planets, encountered bizarre aliens and often find himself placed in great danger. The episodes would end with him making his decision about placing a beacon and then travelling on to a new world and a new adventure.
His reasons for placing the hyperspace beacons were varied. Some times it was because the planet had a valuable resource such as the crystals on the planet Xriox in the episode
'DIAMONDS ARE A MAN'S GREATEST ENEMY' or because the inhabitants would prove to be strong allies such as the Seers encountered in the episode 'THE PATHS YET TRAVELLED' and sometimes it was just because he wanted the inhabitants wiped out for the trials he had been put through such as the primitive tribe encountered in 'THE SPACE AGE STONE AGE'.
Jeff led a lonely life. The hyperspace beacons were charged when Scout leapt into hyperspace meaning his own people could only follow once he had left. While he was exploring Jeff was the only human in that region of space and he was very lucky if the aliens he encountered were even humanoid.
In an attempt to connect with people Jeff would often have romantic relationships with the aliens he encountered. This rarely ended well and even his own ship disapproved of these affairs, possessed as it was with the personality of his dead wife.
To keep him company his ship, Scout, was fitted with artificial intelligence based on the memories and personality of his dead wife, Sophia. It was her death that had led to him volunteering for his lonely mission. Scouts familiar voice was a comfort to Jeff in his dark times and her nagging that ensured he continued his mission.
Broadcast from 1996 to 1999 Scout won many fans who thrilled to the adventures of Jeff alone in uncharted space and were gripped by Nathan Queen's powerful performance as Jeff. The fact that Scout travelled randomly meant there was little overall plot development but this allowed new viewers to start watching at any point.
The special effects were good for their time, shunning location work in forests as many series do and instead insisted on creating truly bizarre alien worlds. Who can forget the tangerine skies and sea of fire of the planet Soralis in the episode 'IF YOU CAN'T STAND THE HEAT' or the pink candy floss like gas planet Adalua in the episode 'DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES'.
Even the aliens were rarely humanoid or even organic. Jeff interacted with the arachnid Lomos, swum with the aquatic Fishlosah and struggled to comprehend the sentient cloud of lights that made up the Cul race.
All of this pushed the budget of the series, especially as the only regular set used was that of Scout. Similarly the regular cast consisted of Nathan Queen as Jeff and Laura Breen as the voice of Scout.
After four seasons Jeff's journey finally came to an end. After crash landing on an alien planet Jeff knows there is no chance of rescue. Using the remains of Scout he builds a female robot for the AI to inhabit.
The final scene shows Scout cradling an ancient Jeff as he dies, just as he had held his wife as she died. Together they watch a red sun rise on an the alien world.
SELECTED EPISODES:
A HOUSE DIVIDED
Jeff discovers a world that has plentiful resources that would prove valuable to the Earth Empire. The drawback is that two factions are at war, dividing the planet and its people in two.
Before he places a beacon Jeff decides to help one of the factions in order to end the conflict but finds it difficult to decide which side to aid. A decision made more difficult by Scout's disapproval of his actions.
SAME TIME, SAME PLACE
After spending a week evaluating the beautiful tropical paradise world of Nomidar and its people Jeff leaves a beacon and leaps off to discover a new world. Instead he finds himself back at Nomidar.
After several attempts at leaping again, each time arriving in orbit of Nomidar Jeff lands and finds that people have no memory of him. When Scout confirms there is no hyperspace beacon above the planet they realise that there are several identical worlds, right down to the people that populate its surface. Jeff's investigation into why this is shakes him to his very core.
WAR AT HOME
The Earth Empire send a message to Jeff that they are war and that he should locate worlds that can provide weapons and soldiers. Jeff ponders his position and his new mission. Even Scout is affected as it possesses Sophia's memories of her father dying in a previous war.
WHERE GHOSTS LIVE
Jeff is exploring the fog bound planet of Gastiga when he encounters someone he never expected to see, his wife Sophia. As he tries to work out if she is real or not he flashes back to events of her death.
Meanwhile Scout is invaded by mysterious beings that begin dismantling her. Will Jeff return in time to save his ship?
TRIVIA:
Few details of the Earth Empire were provided during the series, mostly implied by the criteria Jeff used to decide whether to place a beacon and the occasional glimpses of Earth that we see in flashback. Fans slavishly put these references together to put together a picture of a totalitarian government geared for battle and conquest.
This idea of a strong and powerful empire was contrasted by their agent, Jeff, a lone man with a ship designed for exploration, lacking even basic weapons.
In the third and fourth season episodes set underwater were filmed using the same water tanks normally reserved by the science fiction show 'Unknown Oceans'.
While Laura Breen provided the voice of Scout she didn't play the role of Sophia in flashbacks. Instead this role was played by former Swedish model Helga Unkavich. The only time Laura appeared on screen was the final episode, as the robot that Jeff builds to keep him company.
Friday, 13 June 2008
REPLACEMENT
In 1969 struggling journalist Todd Lancerst (played by Harold Mercia) witnesses a tragic traffic accident in which a pedestrian is killed. While distressed he files the story with his editor only to be scolded when the supposed victim is discovered alive and well the next day with no recollection of being struck by a car.
Fired Todd investigates and discovers that the only other person to witness the death, the driver of the car, confirms that the pedestrian did die. Immediately he thinks that the pedestrian has been replaced by an alien but every test shows the person is human and acting no differently.
Each week Todd struggled to get to the heart of the mystery, following up every report of someone being killed only to turn up alive a short time later. He was constantly pursued by men in black who only referred to each other by the names of the Zodiac such as Mr Aries or Mr Taurus.
Harold Mercia's movie star looks made him an engaging central character. He gave many scenes an extra level of gravitas and many considered him an action hero despite the fact that most of the time he would just point and yell
Todd was a haunted man, struggling against insurmountable odds. For much of the first two seasons even the viewer questioned whether what Todd had discovered was real. Only his grim determination convinced us that eventually the truth would be revealed.
Over four seasons a disturbing picture emerged. Todd discovered that the world was in fact only fifty years old. A multidimensional agency had crafted the Earth from scratch and populated it with artificial people.
The planet was a copy of another world and the agency were trying to duplicate some end result. They were trying to ensure that history repeated itself and if a person died before their role was completed, no matter how minor, they were replaced with an exact duplicate with the same memories.
Todd was shocked that nothing was real. Everything was a sham on an unimaginable scale. Yet this only opened up greater questions. Who did the agency work for and why expend such great resources? What was the ultimate end result?
Many themes have been read into Replacement. It can be seen as the fear of communism or the worry of losing ones identity in an increasingly mechanised world. One popular theory was that the series questioned how unique an individual was. Couldn't someone be replaced by someone exactly the same?
Years later the opening titles are still memorable. The letters Replacement being whisked away while identical letters take their place while discordant music plays.
The program did have its share of critics. Many complained that the depiction of Todd killing innocent people only for them to be replaced gave the viewer the impression that murder would have no consequences.
The fifth season ended on a chilling note. The agency had decided that Todd was too disruptive to their plans. He is struck by a car and killed instantly. The next day a new Todd arrives at his newspaper and asks for his job back, no longer pursuing his quest.
Yet in the final moments of the episode we see there was a witness to Todd's death and he sets out to reveal the truth.
SELECTED EPISODES:
GRAVE MATTERS
Todd does the unthinkable in his quest for the truth and digs up graves in a cemetery. His suspicions are confirmed when he discovers that there are no bodies in any grave supposedly dug over fifty years ago.
Memorable for the night time chase through the graveyard as Mr Cancer and Mr Leo close in on Todd. Our hero is forced to hide in a freshly dug grave in the hopes of hiding from his pursuers.
THE GOOD BOOK
Infiltrating a agency controlled building Todd discovers a book detailing local history including future events. Stealing it Todd is able to convince his former university lecturer. His hopes of having an ally are threated when the book reveals that the lecturer is due to die of a heart attack in two days.
THE PROMISE
A child genius is gaining a lot of attention in the media due to his visionary view of the future. Todd knows that many of his predictions will come true thanks to the book he has stolen.
When he investigates Todd discovers the child is being guarded by several agents. Is the child the end result of the project?
TRIVIA:
The themes of the show would resurface again in the shows such as 'The Land in the Mirror', 'Kill Me and I'll Be Back Tomorrow' and 'Invasion of the Identical People'.
The car used to kill Todd is the same car used in episode one, bring the series full circle. The car was recently sold for 50 million dollars. Since then Harold Mercia has complained that the buyer has been chasing him in the vehicle.
The memorable scene in which Todd discovers a chamber full of duplicates of himself was achieved by filming Harold in front of a number of mirrors. Unfortunately the camera can also be seen.
Fired Todd investigates and discovers that the only other person to witness the death, the driver of the car, confirms that the pedestrian did die. Immediately he thinks that the pedestrian has been replaced by an alien but every test shows the person is human and acting no differently.
Each week Todd struggled to get to the heart of the mystery, following up every report of someone being killed only to turn up alive a short time later. He was constantly pursued by men in black who only referred to each other by the names of the Zodiac such as Mr Aries or Mr Taurus.
Harold Mercia's movie star looks made him an engaging central character. He gave many scenes an extra level of gravitas and many considered him an action hero despite the fact that most of the time he would just point and yell
“You're dead. I saw your bloody corpse. You're dead.”
Todd was a haunted man, struggling against insurmountable odds. For much of the first two seasons even the viewer questioned whether what Todd had discovered was real. Only his grim determination convinced us that eventually the truth would be revealed.
Over four seasons a disturbing picture emerged. Todd discovered that the world was in fact only fifty years old. A multidimensional agency had crafted the Earth from scratch and populated it with artificial people.
The planet was a copy of another world and the agency were trying to duplicate some end result. They were trying to ensure that history repeated itself and if a person died before their role was completed, no matter how minor, they were replaced with an exact duplicate with the same memories.
Todd was shocked that nothing was real. Everything was a sham on an unimaginable scale. Yet this only opened up greater questions. Who did the agency work for and why expend such great resources? What was the ultimate end result?
Many themes have been read into Replacement. It can be seen as the fear of communism or the worry of losing ones identity in an increasingly mechanised world. One popular theory was that the series questioned how unique an individual was. Couldn't someone be replaced by someone exactly the same?
Years later the opening titles are still memorable. The letters Replacement being whisked away while identical letters take their place while discordant music plays.
The program did have its share of critics. Many complained that the depiction of Todd killing innocent people only for them to be replaced gave the viewer the impression that murder would have no consequences.
The fifth season ended on a chilling note. The agency had decided that Todd was too disruptive to their plans. He is struck by a car and killed instantly. The next day a new Todd arrives at his newspaper and asks for his job back, no longer pursuing his quest.
Yet in the final moments of the episode we see there was a witness to Todd's death and he sets out to reveal the truth.
SELECTED EPISODES:
GRAVE MATTERS
Todd does the unthinkable in his quest for the truth and digs up graves in a cemetery. His suspicions are confirmed when he discovers that there are no bodies in any grave supposedly dug over fifty years ago.
Memorable for the night time chase through the graveyard as Mr Cancer and Mr Leo close in on Todd. Our hero is forced to hide in a freshly dug grave in the hopes of hiding from his pursuers.
THE GOOD BOOK
Infiltrating a agency controlled building Todd discovers a book detailing local history including future events. Stealing it Todd is able to convince his former university lecturer. His hopes of having an ally are threated when the book reveals that the lecturer is due to die of a heart attack in two days.
THE PROMISE
A child genius is gaining a lot of attention in the media due to his visionary view of the future. Todd knows that many of his predictions will come true thanks to the book he has stolen.
When he investigates Todd discovers the child is being guarded by several agents. Is the child the end result of the project?
TRIVIA:
The themes of the show would resurface again in the shows such as 'The Land in the Mirror', 'Kill Me and I'll Be Back Tomorrow' and 'Invasion of the Identical People'.
The car used to kill Todd is the same car used in episode one, bring the series full circle. The car was recently sold for 50 million dollars. Since then Harold Mercia has complained that the buyer has been chasing him in the vehicle.
The memorable scene in which Todd discovers a chamber full of duplicates of himself was achieved by filming Harold in front of a number of mirrors. Unfortunately the camera can also be seen.
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