WHILE YOU WERE AWAY

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.

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'.

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'.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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

“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.

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.

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

“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.

THE MORTS

A cheap animation show produced in 2001 by the LION Network. The brief was to produce an irrelevant cartoon sitcom satirising the traditional American family but the budget was virtual non-existent.

The solution was to produce a show set in the town of Deadville, where everyone was dead and thus didn’t need to be animated. The Mort’s were a typical family in Deadville, lying around the house, slowly decaying.

The head of the house hold was Doug and worked at the local cemetery. He would often bring his work home with him. He was married to Corpsella, a proud housewife constantly embarrassed by her husband and children. The twins Grub and Worm were always getting in trouble and raising all kinds of hell.

The plots mostly followed the standard sitcom format such as forgetting an anniversary, the kids trying to deal with a school bully or the boss visiting the house. Each plot was made that much more funny due to the presence of motionless corpses.

The Morts became well known for its celebrity guest voices. The most unusual aspect of this was that the celebrities would record their lines well in advance and only be integrated into the show once they had died. Some found this distasteful, the majority found it hilarious.

SELECTED EPISODES:

BONE FOR THE DOG:
Grub brings home a stray dog. Can he keep the pet hidden from the family when the unruly animal is determined to bury them in the garden?

I ONLY HAVE EYES FOR YOU:
Doug’s eyes fall out preventing him from driving. Can he find replacements before his 10th wedding anniversary when Corpsella is expecting him to drive them to a local resort? Meanwhile Grub and Worm hide the answers to their exams inside their bodies. Will they get caught?

NEW NEIGHBOURS:
The Morts are distressed when undesirable neighbours move in. The new family are alive! Soon the whole town is in an uproar but powerless to act, being as they’re all dead. Will the Morts be able to get their neighbours to fit in?

GRAVE MATTERS
Necromancers are running amok in Deadville, reanimating the town’s peoples corpses and making them do their biddings. The Morts find their family split apart when they are each claimed by rival necromancers. Soon a war starts and family member is pitted against family member.

TRIVIA:

Roughly five minutes of animation is filmed for each thirty minute episode. In the tenth season fans worried that the Morts was coming to an end when the animation studio closed. In fact the program makers simply had enough footage that they could recycle animation from previous episodes.

Fans can pay to have their likenesses used in episodes of the Morts. You simply have a photo of your body taken once you die and send it to the studio with a cheque for $1000 dollars. You never know, you might be a guest at the Mort’s house. We mean that. You’ll never know.

The voice artists went on strike during season 12 due to disputes over pay. The studio refused to back down and simply had a message displayed at the start of each episode explaining that the family had a fight and were no longer speaking to each other. The cast returned to work during season 14.

The distinctive colour of the family is official called ‘Putrid Puce’.

MONKEY WRENCH

In the 1950s there was a spate of comedies starring animals with special talents. This series centred around hapless mechanic Oily Joe and his pet monkey Spanner.

In the first episode Oily Joe is facing financial ruin after botching a number of jobs. Distraught he fails to properly close Spanner's cage door. While Oily Joe sleeps the monkey slips out and repairs everything in the garage, even improving a few of them.

Taking the credit Oily Joe soon becomes the talk of the town and over the course of series he had to maintain the illusion that he was the talented one and keep Spanner a secret.

Oily Joe was played Cleatus Foborn and had spent many years as a clown before moving to television. His slapstick comedy timing stood him in good stead for his roll of Oily Joe, often required to get knocked over by various pieces of machinary.

Spanner was played by Chip, a Rhesus monkey who showed a real talent for giving a convincing performance on screen. Although Spanner didn't talk you always knew what he was thinking from his expressions and body language.

The comedy derived from the battle of wits between man and monkey. Oily Joe thought he was the smart one, taking advantage of a dumb animal. As the episode progressed Spanner would grow jealous of the attention his owner was getting and set out to sabotage his plans.

When not running through the standard sitcom plots (double dates, replacing damaged property before anyone finds out, visiting relations, etc) a fantastical element was introduced with the inventions that Spanner would create.

Chaos would often erupt as Oily Joe tried out such inventions as hover cars, teleportation booths, time travel machines, psychotic robot servants and many more.

The program ended after three seasons, the final episode leaving Oily Joe and Spanner trapped on an asteroid after testing out a spaceship made by the monkey.

“You planned this Spanner. You meant for us to die up here,”

Oily Joe yelled while his simian companion smiled and laughed.

Another series was planned by Chip passed away at the age of thirty two and a heart broken Cleatus refused to film with another monkey.

SELECTED EPISODES:

THE GREAT BANANA THEFT
All over town banana's are going missing while Spanner gets fatter and fatter. Suspicious Oily Joe keeps watch on his pet and learns the monkey has built a robot to scour the town for the yellow fruit and bring them to their owner.
When Oily Joe tries to stop it he is caught by the police holding a bag of stolen bananas. Spanner must rescue his owner from prison without revealing his presence.

MONKEY FIGHT
Oily Joe's twin brother Jimmy is in town. In order to pay off gambling debts he kidnaps Spanner to take part in an illegal monkey fight. Oily Joe must locate his brother before his beloved pet can come to harm.

BURNING UP THE TOWN
Spanner is shaken after he witnesses a fire within the garage. He creates equipment for the fireman to put out fires more effectively. This annoys the local pyromaniac who seeks revenge on Oily Joe.

TRIVIA:

In the scenes where Cleatus and Chip were together Cleatus was covered in banana oil which the monkey found irresistible. Cleatus was never able to get rid of the smell and even when he died at the age of eighty he still smelled like a big banana.

Chip was chosen to portray Spanner due to his natural skill at operating machinery. He would often steal Cleatus's car much to the annoyance of his co-star.

Cleatus was reknowned as a practical joker often leaving tiny, handwritten notes in Chip's cage. The notes would say things like 'let me out!', 'I'm not a monkey!', 'Why won't anyone take my notes seriously?'. Cleatus always denied leaving these messages.

EXTINCTION

A spin off from the show 'Karma' this gripping drama from 2006 presented a world in which animals gain human intelligence and take over society. Humanity now finds itself fighting for survival.

Following a plucky band of rebels they had to contend with flocks of birds who reported on their every move, packs of dogs who patrolled the streets and even insect could give away their position.

The series was often criticised for its depiction of animal violence. The episode 'Cat out of the bag' in particular came under fire for the scene in which the rebels stamp on several kittens who had carried out a series of bombings against human survivors.

The rebels made several attacks against the animals including polluting the sea to kill the sharks and giant squid who had been disrupting shipping and smashing the eggs of the birds in the city.

At the end of the second series humanity realised it was fighting a losing battle and so used time travel to go back and stop the animals ever gaining power. It would never be discovered whether their plan worked at the series was not renewed for another series.

SELECTED EPISODES:

BURN THE SKY
The rebels take to the sky in a recovered helicopter. Flocks of birds immediately attack but that was exactly what the rebels planned. Unleashing flame throwers the sky is soon filled with burning seagulls, pigeons and crows.

BURIED
The rebels hideout collapses after its foundations are dug out by worms. The rebels must dig their way to the surface before larger, more savage burrowing animals find them.

MAN'S BEST FRIEND
Katie's loyalty is tested when a dog resembling her childhood pet leads a hunting party intent of sniffing out the rebels. Can she kill an animal that brings back so many memories are will she allow it kill her friends?

TRIVIA:

The show was created when the producer of Karma expressed annoyance with working with the animals on that show. He claimed in Extinction he could give them what they deserved.

Although the show was investigated several times no evidence of animal cruelty were ever discovered. Ironically each inspector did sustain some form of injury from one of the animal actors every time they arrived on set.

Having run out of money by the final episode the time machine the rebels create was simply a silver clock which they turned the hands back on.

IMPOSSIBLE

Produced for the Exploration channel in early 2000 this series showed dramatised numerous nightmare scenarios and then spoke to experts about why such a situation would be impossible. The series was narrated by former ‘Ant in Love’ actor Donald Tun. His gravely voice adding gravitas to the ludicrous scenarios enacted.

The program was very popular but gained complaints that the dramatic section of the program made up the majority of the show, leaving only five minutes for the experts to assure the viewer they weren’t in danger of being torn apart by sparrows or spontaneously changing to jello.

SELECTED EPISODES:

ARMED GANGS OF CATS
Brutally graphic footage shows what it would look like if cats formed packs of gun totting gangs, terrorising a neighbourhood just like yours. Feline expert Dr Quin then explains how it would be quite impossible for a cat to fire a gun, let alone steal your car.

WATER DISSOLVES HUMANS
What if humans melted when they came in contact with water? Rain clouds would spell disaster and flooding would kill thousands. Even washing would be impossible. Just such a scenario is played out in this episode. Dr Milo stares dumbfounded that he is being asked to explain why this couldn’t happen.

THEFT OF EMOTIONS
Could sophisticated criminals sneak into your brain and steal your ability to love? To feel anger at such a loss? To experience any kind of emotion? Sergeant Sweedy of Scotland Yard would have you believe the answer is no.

TRIVIA:
The popularity of the show led to a spin off, ‘Possible’ where mundane situations were enacted and experts explained why they were possible. The show was cancelled after four episodes for being extremely dull.

The makers of the show had to make an apology following the episode ‘Attacked by knife wielding tortoise’ after a viewer was killed by his pet tortoise Shelley after a freak series of events. The show was rebroadcast as part of the ‘Improbable’ mini-series on the Exploration Channel.

For the episode ‘ALL THE OXYGEN ON EARTH VANISHES’ the award winning scene of actor Justin Gurik suffocating were achieved by pumping the air out of an airtight house. This was done after Justin insisted he was a method actor and he wanted the scene to feel ‘real’.

FOREBODING

Each episode of this anthology series from the 1980s centred around seemly trivial events that eventually lead to the death of one the characters. Ominous music plays to inform the viewer is well aware that these events will end in tragedy.

For example the episode 'SAND AND BLOOD' shows a glass bottle lying on a beach. Out of context the long shots of the glass glinting in the sun would seem dull or even pointless. However brooding music informs the viewer that this is significant and indeed it is as a runner, training for the Olympics, steps on it, ruining his career. He then commits suicide.

Using this narrative device the viewer was instilled with a strong sense of dread. They knew what would cause disaster, the trick would be to work out how. The most mundane of items was therefore instilled with a sense of menace.

Emily Potter, television critic for the Union Standard at the time, wrote “Foreboding has made me terrified of everything I own. Whenever I see a hairbrush I hear that terrible music and envision the brush piercing my brain with its sharp bristols (as occurred in the episode 'HAIR TODAY, DEAD TOMORROW'). I similarly panic upon putting my shoes recalling 'LEATHER SOUL' where a man was gruesomely kicked to death by his own shoes after an accident with a bike pedal. While I applaud the program I have been forced to dispose of everything I own and still I hear that ominous music.”

While the series initially did well in its first two seasons it was soon discovered that once the ending was revealed there was little interest in repeat viewings. Unable to syndicate the program it ended after four seasons.

SELECTED EPISODES:

A BIRD IN THE HAND
The Hanson family prepare for their trip abroad. Meanwhile a bird flies through the air ominously. Closer and closer they get to the airport when the bird suddenly has a heart attack, crashes into the windscreen. Blinded the driver crashes the car off a cliff.

WORTH WEIGHTING FOR
A body builder engages in a rigorous training regime, unaware of the ominous music played whenever his weights are on screen. A fortune teller warns him that the weights will be the death of him so he places them in storage.
Years later the floorboards beneath the weights gives way and they plunge down on to the retired weight lifter, killing him instantly.

BLOOD RED LETTER DAY
An elderly woman sends a letter to her daughter. The letter is innocent enough, detailing her recent purchase of a border collie. Despite this the familiar ominous music plays as it makes its way through the postal system.
Arriving at the daughters house its arrival distracts the woman, allowing an escaped mental patient to burst out of her cupboard and knife her to death.

TRIVIA:
The music was composed by Devon Dafidolph who also wrote the score to the movies 'The Knifer: The story of a serial stabber', 'Something Lurks', and the box office bomb 'Fluffy Bunnies: The Movie'.

Sales of staplers dropped dramatically after the episode 'A STATIONARY DEATH'. So much so that a public apology was made and the episode destroyed.

Many of episodes were based on actual accidents. Notably the episode 'THERE IS NO COD' dramatised the death of a priest caused by a rain of fish.

MAGIC FOR BEGINNERS

In 1993 television audiences were introduced to young New York resident Jimmy Ward (played by Tom Legman, son of 'More Than Mortal' star Vincent Legman). In the pilot episode Jimmy suspects there is something odd about Wilson Sigil, an eccentric old man, living in a large Gothic house.

Spying on Wilson he witnesses the old man fighting a demon using magic. Jimmy persuades Wilson to let him be his apprentice and teach him his magical arts. Reluctantly the wizard agrees, realising he will need someone to carry on his crusade against the forces of evil after he dies.

This happens sooner than he thinks as after teaching Jimmy how to access the vault of magical items within his mansion Wilson is killed by a rival wizard. With his dying breath he passes on his magical powers to Jimmy but not the knowledge of how to use them.

In the following episodes Jimmy and his circle of friends attempted to work out what each of the magical items in the mansion did and help Jimmy use his new magical ability to combat the supernatural in the city.

Together they faced vampires, werewolves, demons, ghosts, goblins and creatures out of nightmares. A reoccurring threat was the wizard who had killed Wilson, Zandor the Terrible (played by Edgar Jones) who desired the power that Jimmy now possessed.

Jimmy was quite capable of getting himself into trouble due to his inexperience in casting spells. For example in the episode 'THE BIG SLEEP' he manages to send everyone in New York into a coma and in the episode 'SIGHT UNSEEN' renders himself invisible without knowing how to make himself visible again.

Occasionally episodes would be set outside of New York, especially after season four when Jimmy finally learnt how to teleport himself over great distances. Wilson had left extensive notes on where more magical items and Jimmy and his friends would set out on quests to retrieve them.

These episodes saw Jimmy facing the Minotaur in Greece in the episode 'BULL BY THE HORN', solving the Sphinx's riddles in Egypt in the episode 'THE SUN ALSO SETS' and even wresting with giant squid in Atlantis in the episode 'FAR BENEATH THE SEA'.

The show had strong themes of learning to grow up and take responsibility in the world. It was usually the good advice of his school teachers and his parents that gave him the knowledge he needed to defeat the dangers he faced and it was his friends who gave him the support he needed.

Not that his friends always gave him good advice. Mike Stronk, always seen wearing his trademark shades, was obsessed with money and was always trying to convince Jimmy to use the magic devices to make big bucks.

Jimmy's childhood sweetheart was Susie Darton and saw his magic abilities as a way to make the two of them very popular. Her vanity was always getting her in trouble, especially in the episode 'WHAT EVERY MAN WANTS' where a spell cast by Jimmy makes Susie so popular that she is repeatedly kidnapped until Jimmy can find a way to undo the effect.

Andrew Valve was the brightest kid in Jimmy's class but was frustrated at the existence of magic and would spend much of his time trying to discover the scientific basis for how Jimmy's spells worked. His need to rationalise everything almost led to disaster in the episode 'ORDINARY WORLD' where Andrew convinces Jimmy to eradicate all magic in the world, little knowing that magic is the only thing preventing a world eating snake from escaping its prison.

Tom Legman brought a youthful energy to the role of Jimmy and found himself on the cover of many teen magazines for the three years he starred on the show. Eventually he wanted to move on and the show producers were left with a quandary, how to continue the show without the main character.

In the end they opted for one of Jimmy's spells to misfire and change his appearance allowing actor Derek Lury to take over the role of Jimmy. While he couldn't change himself back Jimmy did find a spell to make everyone he knew unable to perceive the change.

Derek stayed with the show for three more years before he to left the show. Again Jimmy's spell misfired, this time with Veronica Cable taking over the role. Now a girl Jimmy changed his name to Jenny and the program was able to explore issues facing young women such as sexism and Jenny experiencing her first kiss.

This would be the final year of Magic For Beginners as its audience found the gender reversal too hard to take and the string of handsome young men that were brought in as love interests for Jenny did little to win those viewers back.

In the final episode Jenny faces Zandor in an epic magic duel, the fate of the world in the balance. At the battles climax Zandor is de-aged, becoming a teenager again.

Taken with how good looking Zandor is as a young man Jenny falls in love. Putting aside their differences the two begin dating and a closing caption reveals that the two were later married, the parents of two identical twins with magic powers.

SELECTED EPISODES:

NEW BLOOD
A new boy named Vincent arrives at Jimmy's school and instantly becomes very popular. Veronica wants Jimmy to befriend him so they can join the 'in' crowd but Jimmy has other things on his mind. He is hunting a new vampire leaving a path of bodies in his wake, drained of all blood.
Little does he know Vincent is that very same vampire, using magic to allow him to go out during the day. Will Jimmy find out before Vincent makes Veronica his next victim?
In the shadows the council of wizards watch Jimmy and decide whether he is worthy of the power bestowed on him by Wilson. If he fails to meet their standards they plan to revoke his magic.

A PERFECT DAY
Travelling to Ireland Jimmy searches for a watch that can reverse time. His quest takes him to the town of Brigmoora where he finds time hasn't moved on since the 1960s.
An elderly man replays the same day over and over again, determined to stave of the fatal heart attack that he knows will strike at midnight. Can Jimmy persuade him to let go?

DOUBLE DATE, DOUBLE DANGER
Jenny Ward agrees to go out on a date with his best friend Mike Stronk. Veronica comes along with them with her own date, Andrew. Their night out is ruined as Zandor sends an animated stone gargoyle after them.
Can the friends survive and get home in time before they are grounded?

TRIVIA:

The show was criticised by Christians for teaching children black magic. This claim is hard to refute as many of the spells Jimmy cast did begin with the incarnation “Oh mighty Satan, lend me your unholy power,” and ended with the sacrifice of a live puppy.

The episode 'JIMMY X3' received the highest viewing figures for the series, featuring all three actors to play Jimmy, pulled out of time by Zanor.

The actress who played Veronica was actually 43 but due to a genetic disorder appeared much younger. This was only discovered after she had engaged in several romantic encounters with the other members of the under-age cast.

BUYER BEWARE

This horror anthology from the late 1960s centred around a curio shop and the customers who make the fatal mistake of buying items there. Each episode either showed the fate of someone buying an item or the shop keeper (played by former Shakespearean actor Rod Stansford) would explain the sordid history of his wares (this rarely resulted in a sale).

After two seasons viewers soon tired of the format of the show. An item would be brought by a character and something nasty would happen to them (dying, breaking their legs, going mad, losing all their body hair etc). At the end the shop owner would be seen buying the item back from the victims relations in order to resell the object.

Initially the curses would be ironic. For example a miser who refuses to give money to help treat his dying brother buys a wallet that forces him to give all his money away until he is destitute or a gangster buying glasses that subject him to endless visions of everyone he has wronged.

Eventually the curses had little to do with what the buyer had actually done. For example the woman who returns a library book late and is impale on the horns of the bull statue she purchased in the episode ‘HORNS OF A DILEMA’.

Interviews with the writers on the show revealed that the producer of the show purchased the contents of a real curio shop and simply had the writers create a story around each item. This explains later stories centred around demonic hair clips and supernatural book ends.

At the end of the show Rod Stansford purchased the props used in the show and set up his own curio shop, hoping to use the shows reputation to promote business. Instead he found that no one wanted to buy cursed objects from the creepy guy of the television. He was ruined.

SELECTED EPISODES:

A CUTTING REMARK
A shy young man buys a book of witticism to impress the women in his office. To his horror he finds that each page is razor sharp and he bleeds to death after receiving numerous paper cuts.

TIME TO DIE
A young woman named Clarice is always late so she buys a silver pocket watch that allows her to travel in time. She soon finds that the watch comes with its own responsibilities. Only she can stop holes in time, a job that takes so much attention that she loses her job, her family and her home, becoming homeless.

WAR ON A SMALL SCALE
A civil war enthusiast buys a large collection of miniature soldiers. After spending most of the day setting them up on his model battlefield he awakens at night to find they have come to life. Faced with the true horrors of war he decides to put his passion for war behind him, moments before a tiny cannon ball pierces his heart.

TRIVIA:
Many of the objects in the show were actually ‘Exploration’ artefacts (see the entry for the show ‘Exploration’). These would be notoriously hard to film, causing interference on the camera.

The deadly stapler in ‘PIECED TOGETHER’ was originally about a radio that picked up the thoughts of insects but following a series of horrific accidents involving a prop stapler on the set massive rewrites were made to make use of the footage already filmed.

The LION network attempted a 1990s revival of the show, moving the action to an department shop. The cursed items included walk-man that deafened their wearer, home computers that sucked their user into the internet and shades that plunged the world into darkness.

BY HOOK OR BI-PLANE

In the 1950s viewers tuned in to follow the adventures of Bi-plane Billy (played by Peter Dobson), a first world war veteran living in an idealised 1930s farming community. Billy described himself as an odd job man but would attempt to complete every job using his beloved plane Myrtle.

The townsfolk of Pottersville were always dismayed at the hilarious consequences this caused but continued to employee him each episode. Billy was eccentric but loveable, willing to try anything once.

Town mayor Bob Hackett (played by Ian McFallon) had lost a brother during the war and so was willing to forgive Bill for the chaos he caused. Sally Lane (played by Shelia Worshel) ran the general store and had a soft spot for Billy. She made him her personal project, attempting to improve his appearance and turn him into a gentleman.

The gentle comedy of the series won many fans. The format may have been predictable (Billy is hired to complete a task and causes disaster by trying to use his bi-plane) but it was always funny and heart warming.

In the third season Billy adopted a stray Labrador which he nicknamed Sky Dog. His new pet acted as his co-pilot and was even taught to fly Myrtle when Bill felt the need to go wing walking.
The series made much use of an actual vintage bi-plane which was also mounted with a camera to provide aerial shots. The plane was piloted by an experienced pilot who won several awards for the stunts performed during the episodes.

The show ended in 1963 with Sally and Billy getting married. The final shot was the happy couple flying into the sunset in Myrtle. The upbeat ending was cut short when the screen faded to black and text revealed that Billy subsequently died during the second world war.

Due to the outcry this caused when the final episode is repeated this final coda is usually edited out. However true fans of show treasure their copies of the unedited episode.

SELECTED EPISODES:

A FRESH LICK OF PAINT
Mayor Hackett hires Billy to paint the roofs of the town. Billy attempts to achieve this by attaching paint brushes to the underside of Myrtle and flying low over the roofs.
When this doesn't work he resorts to dropping balloons filled with paint over the town. Proving less than accurate with his aim he manages to ruin Sally's new dress and ruins a church picnic.
Can Billy make it up to them?

A CHRISTMAS FLIGHT
Heavy snow closes the roads surrounding Pottersville and the toy store won't be able to get its supplies in time for Christmas. That is unless Billy can make it to the big city and bring back a sack of gifts in time within twenty four hours.
Braving harsh weather Billy finds the magic of Christmas.

A GENTLEMEN DOESN'T FLY
Sally agrees to go on a date with Billy if he can go a week without flying his plane. Temptation proves too much for him and it isn't long before he is taking night flights over the town. Can he prevent Sally from finding out?

TRIVIA:
Even after the show ended Mytrle the plane toured county fairs where people paid twenty dollars to take a trip in the famous bi-plane.

Peter Dobson was terrified of flying so all the footage of him flying the plane was filmed on the ground. To give the impression he was in the air a powerful wind machine was employed.

A revival of the show was produced in 2002. Billy was a Gulf War veteran and used a jet fighter to carry out his odd jobs. It lasted only five episodes.

EDGE OF BEYOND

In the far future the edge of the universe is found. Past that point is the 'Beyond' which no one had returned from. It was the last, great unknown. With immortality common among the population of the universe many chose to travel to the Beyond when they were finally bored of life. Some thought it would bring death while others felt that a new life of adventure waited for them on the other side.

This program, first shown in 1995, centred on the forest world of Last Step, the closest planet to the Beyond. The small number of staff there looked after those preparing for their final trip and learnt something of themselves in the process.

The head of operations was Gregory Slane (played by Winston Dalin). Although appearing to be only in his 50s Gregory was several centuries old and considering journeying into the Beyond himself. Gregory was interested in each of the guest on Last Step and spent a lot of time trying to understand what had made them to travel to the Beyond.

Doctor Susan Hallard (played by Shirley Twist) was a trained psychiatrist, offering counselling. It was her job to make sure that the guests were mentally prepared for their trip. She helped them come to term with their past and ensure that they had resolved any issues they had.

Providing comedy relief were two scoundrels, Zack (played by teen heart throb Stephen Kast) and Dean (played by Leo Bono), exiled to Last Stop after a number of scams they were always looking for ways to make easy money instead of carrying out the menial jobs they were employed to do.

The series was filmed in the scenic back woods of Vancouver. The tranquillity of the environment was used effectively in the many long scenes were people stood in the wilderness, contemplating their lives and the great unknowns of the universe.

In fact, apart for the concept, there was very little science fiction in the series. Only the occasional shots of spaceships arriving and departing the planet reminded the viewer that the series was set in the future and not just filmed in Canada during the 90s.

Many found the series dull but others enjoyed its sedate pace. Addressing what was important in life and examining our own mortality the program attracted a number of high profile scripts that created several memorable episodes.

After three seasons the program eventually went to the great Beyond itself. It left a legacy of thoughtful science fiction and improved tourist trade to Canada.

SELECTED EPISODES:

WHAT YOU LEAVE BEHIND
An aging company director arrives at Last Step. He plans to leave on his thousandth birthday and in the days leading up to this Zack and Dean try everything they can to charm the old man in the hopes he will leave them his money.
Meanwhile Dr Hallard helps the man evaluate his life and determine if money has brought him happiness.

SALVATION
Gregory Slane goes mountaineering with visiting adventurer Balmar (played by former winter olympic gold medal list Dale Sniper). When an avalanche buries the two of them they have to hope that Zack and Dean will find them in time.
While they wait Balmar, a man who has stared death in the face many times, cracks, fearing he will die before he travels to the Beyond. It is up to Gregory to show him what true bravery is.

DADDY ISSUES
Dr Hallard is shocked when her own father arrives Last Step. The other staff members learn that he abandoned her when she was only a child and now intends to vanish forever in the Beyond.
Can the staff reconcile Dr Hallard and her father before he leaves?

TRIVIA:

The local wildlife were adapted by the special effects team, turning them into convincing alien life forms. Several of the crew lost their lives placing antenna on the forest's bear population.

The series was based on a number of 16th century poems including 'My Travels End', 'The Soul Doth Carry On' and 'Two Scoundrels Shall Maketh Much Mirth'.

Winston Dalin repeatedly pitched a spin off show called 'The Other Edge' where his characters twin brother would run a similar facility on the other side of the universe but this time on a tropical world. This was not picked up.

THE BRIGHT SIDE

1968 saw the start of this light hearted comedy staring former radio comedian Larry Shin. Rosy cheeked and red nosed Larry was known for his distinctive laugh that cause his amble stomach to wobble.

In 'The Bright Side' he played a character called Larry who suffered a never ending series of setbacks and disasters but never let it get him down. In fact each horrendous event was met with the same belly shaking chortle.

For a comedy the program had a very high death count as most people that befriended Larry met a terrible fate. This led to one of the most frequents scenes being Larry laughing at the funeral as their casket was lowered into the ground.

'The Bright Side' lasted three seasons but has been regularly repeated since then.

SELECTED EPISODES:

THE BEAUTY PAGEANT
Larry wins a prize to judge a Beauty pageant. Unfortunately the contestants are attacked by an escaped monkey with a razor blade. After several attacks that leave the contestants horribly disfigured for life the monkey is eventually killed. Larry laughs uncontrollably as the women receive medical attention.

THE LARRY TREATMENT
Larry volunteers to help out at a local hospital after a terrible natural disaster. He attempts to cheer up the wounded and dying and accidentally unleashes a deadly virus. As the infection spreads, leaving thousands dead in it's wake, Larry goes on the run, chortling about his change in fate.

MONEY ISN'T EVERYTHING
Larry helps a stranded millionaire who quickly befriends Larry and takes him home. Within hours the millionaires wife leaves him, his daughter drowns in the swimming pool, his house burns down and he is arrested for fraud. Larry visits the millionaire in prison which is the same day the millionaire is stabbed to death in the showers.

TRIVIA:
Larry Shin became hugely famous due to the show and became one of the most influential men of 1960s America. In 1971 he married Princess Quansella of the small European country of Paradisa.

Despite his success Larry Shin suffered from almost crippling depression.

A 60ft statue of Larry Shin was built in Paradisa. On the day it was unveiled it fell and crushed Larry. It is said that he died with a smile on his face.

KARMA

The concept of this 2003 show is that people are being reborn in the body of animals after they die. This growing community can communicate with each other but not with humans.
The group establish new roles in the world. Some try to reconnect with their old lives, others try to gain control of the group and others are more interested in discovering why this has happened.

The show became renowned for the number of animals used in the show. Everything from household pets to exotic animals could be regular cast members. Early CGI was used to make it appear as if they were speaking.

The animal forms that the characters were reborn into were often used to highlight the differences with their human lives. Pacificst Chloe, reborn in the body of cat, turning on her friends Billy and Dave the mice as hunger consumes her. Always wanting to fly Alex found he could when he was reborn as a pigeon. Even a perpetual loner finds acceptance as an ant.

Those who tried to return to their old lives included Jessica who was reborn as a guinea pig. A busy businesswoman in life she now found she wanted nothing more than to stay at home with her child. After several attempts she gain access to her house and her children kept her as a pet.

Robert the raccoon was one the searches for truth. Through his quest the viewer learnt about karma and that something was disrupting its natural flow. People who were destined to been reborn as humans were instead being shunted back down the karmic ladder into the bodies of lower life.

Towards the end of the third season it was hinted that this disruption was being caused by time travellers, changing what should have been. Before Robert could act on this information he was run over by a car.

Sebastian the snake was determined to take advantage of the situation and was the villain of the series. By coordinating like-minded animals he gathered information, organised perfect assassinations and generally took control.

Over the course of three seasons the animals made their presence felt to the human world, eventually bringing down society. In the final episode wild animals roam the streets while the birds fill the skies, alerting the others to any sign of resistance. This set up lead into the spin off show 'Extinction'.

SELECTED EPISODES:

THE PRIMATATE
A gorilla in New York Zoo begins to communicate with people using sign language. The media sensation this causes raises the hopes of several of the animals that their situation might be discovered by the world.
Sebastian has other ideas, preferring to act in secret. He sets out to kill the gorilla before anyone can discover the truth.

BELOW THE SURFACE
When a submarine is trapped at the bottom of the seabed the local karmic sea life debate whether they should save the sailors and if so how. A rare episode uniting Roger the whale, Sally the squid and Howard the dolphin together for the first time.

TASTE OF HIS OWN MEDICINE
Chemist Zack is reborn in the body of a rabbit being used for animal testing. Suffering as his own medicine is tested on him he vows to escape. Little does he realise he takes with him a deadly virus that threatens to infect the human population.
In New York Robert makes contact with a tortoise who claims that he was reborn in the 1920s. The news makes Robert realise just how long this phenomenon has been occurring.

TRIVIA:

Wildlife footage was often used to portray large groups of karmic animals, dialogue being dubbed on afterwards.

The popularity of Sebastian led to many deadly vipers being brought. Subsequently the number of people being bitten by vipers rose sharply.

Robert the raccoon was not intended to be killed off but died as part of tragic accident during filming. Lucky his death was caught on camera so integrated into the plot.

SHIP OF FOOLS

In this light hearted comedy from the 1960s a cruise ship is changed into a floating mental asylum. The inmates are all highly dangerous and the authorities can’t take the risk that they will escape. To that end they are placed aboard the USS TRANQUILITY, permanently based at sea.

Overseeing the crazy passengers was the long suffering Captain Miligan (played by Patrick O’Marley). He had a strained relationship with Doctor Rose Watchman (played by Sharon Dennver) who always wanted to try out her new theories on the patients such as getting them to put on plays, letting them take turns steering the ship and other attempts to rehabilitate them.

Viewers tuned in each week to see what wacky thing the inmates would get up to in their attempt to escape. The ringleader of the patients was Nicky Metalhand who believed he was a robot who had a knack with machines. Many remember the episode ‘I TAKE THIS MACHINE’ where Nicky covers himself in silver foil and tries to marry Captain Miligan’s new tape player.

His right hand man was Spooky Dobson who maintained he was a ghost. Spooky would strive to look more ghostly each week including covering himself in white paint, flour, milk and similar substances. Viewers never saw his ghostly abilities although more than once he did knock himself out by running into walls.

Together they organised their fellow patients to carry out plans that very nearly allowed them to escape. They trained birds in an attempt to carry them to land, tried to dig a tunnel, disguised themselves as parcels and tried to post themselves home and skinned visiting dignitaries in an attempt to disguise themselves.

After more that eighty episodes Nicky finally came up with the perfect plan, swapping places with the crew on the ship. In order to maintain the illusion however the inmates had to keep sailing the ship while preventing the crew from escaping. They had changed their roles but they were still trapped.

SELECTED EPISODES:

THE PLAYS THE THING
Dr Watchman has the inmates put on a play of their choosing. Nicky has the inmates perform ‘The Great Escape’, playing the Steve McQueen role himself. Only when leaping over the side of the ship on a motorbike does he realise that his character doesn’t escape.

NO MAN IS AN ISLAND
The ship runs aground on an island that isn’t on Captain Miligan’s maps. Perplexed and unable to raise anyone on the radio he is at a loss what to do. Dr Watchman believes the deserted island is a good place for the inmates to get some fresh air she organises a beach party.
Nicky and Spooky discover the ruins of an ancient civilisation and declare themselves kings (they share the crown they discover). Their rule is cut short when they awaken an ancient evil and the island begins to sink beneath the sea.

REACH FOR THE MOON
Captain Miligan is hoping the inmates will be on their best behaviour when Admiral Coogan visits. This arrival coincides with Dr Watchman’s annual science fair for the inmates. Nicky personal project is a rocket which he plans to fly to the moon in. Spooky is distracted as he believes Admiral Coogan was the man who killed him and resolves to haunt him.

TRIVIA:

Between seasons the USS TRANQUILTY was available for fans of the show to book passage on. You could stay in the very same cells as the inmates on the show. This practice was discontinued after it was learnt that a number of cell doors had become permanently sealed and several passengers had been trapped for years.

Many of Dr Watchman’s techniques in the show came from discredited psychologist expert Wilfram Colins who was later arrested for brainwashing people into thinking they were mice.

Patrick O’Marley suffered from hydrophobia. He had only accepted the role as captain on the ship because his agent had told him it was a science fiction series and he was going to be the head of a spaceship.

THE LAST

Alice Zackria fears that she maybe the last person alive on the planet. Five years before the program begins people began to vanish. First just one or two a day, then tens and finally hundreds.

Scavenging for supplies in hauntingly empty city of New York wild packs of dogs hound her every step. When not being chased by wild animals Alice is menaced by flitters, strange flying creatures that stay at the peripheral of her vision but give their presence away by the sound of their immense moth-like wings. Alice soon decides that these creatures are responsible for people vanishing.

The Last was shown on the OPAL network and depicted one woman's struggle to survive on her own. At the same time it was also a depiction of a world without humans. Despite the drawback of wild animals posing a threat to Alice she found that the air was fresher, plant life grew quickly to reclaim parts of the city and at night, for the first time, she could see the stars.

In the absence of other characters Lisa Simmons, who played Alice, had to carry the show on her own. As well as performing her own stunts Lisa narrated her diary entries, containing her musings on her situation and the legacy of humanity.

Early episodes centred on Alice's attempts at survival. She lacked any hunting experience, let alone even basic cooking skills. With no power it was a race against time to find food before it spoiled.

Later Alice joined across country, returning to her home town. Flashbacks showed the life that Alice had lost and put her current situation into stark contrast.

Eventually she returned to New York, the larger city offering more resources for her to draw upon and a greater chance of finding others.

The hope that Alice would find more people drove a lot of the drama of the Last. She would often find evidence that people had been around recently (such as finding still smoking camp fires), or pick up radio signals broadcast by other survivors.

Her hopes would always been dashed. The flitters would always seem to get there first and Alice would have to turn tail and run. At first it was thought that the flitters were killing people but as no bodies were found Alice came to the conclusion they were taking people somewhere.

The mystery deepened in season 2 in the episode 'NEVER ALONE'. Alice spotted figures wearing yellow Haz-mat suits. These strangers would always slip away before Alice could reach them.

When she subsequently found newly installed security cameras it became clear she was being observed. This raised the question of whether the whole situation had been engineered and to what end. After wanting to see someone else for so long the prospect became frightening and filled with potential danger.

Unfortunately the Last never found a large audience and it only dwindled to nothing by the end of the second season. Those who did stay witnessed Alice's final stand against her observers, destroying their cameras.

Just when it looks like she has defeated them a flitter blurs across the screen, causing Alice to vanish. The camera drifts through the empty cities of the world, not a single person in any of them.

SELECTED EPISODES:

THE NEW RIVERS OF NEW YORK
In the hopes of avoiding the dogs Alice attempts to navigate the flooded underground tube stations. Using dingy recovered from a sports shop she makes good progress until a submerged train capsizes her.
Cold and trapped underground in the dark Alice wonders if she'll ever see the light of day again.

HOPE AND FAITH
Alice discovers a chapel filled with mementos of peoples lives. Looking through these strangers affects Alice realises that they were preparing for their inevitable disappearance, leaving a record of their life.
Stunned that people could accept such a fate Alice examines her own faith and what steps she has taken to prepare for the worse.

THE UNEXAMINED LIFE
Exploring her home town Alice muses on the life she could have lead if she had decided to stay. Visiting the vacant homes of her family and childhood friends she discovers things about them and herself that make her re-evaluate her choices.

TRIVIA:

The shots of the empty city were achieved by a combination of filming very early in the morning and digitally removing the few people still on the streets.

Legal action was taken after it was discovered the production team were responsible for a number of bomb alerts as a means to clear areas for filming.

Lisa Simmons revealed in an interview that she took the role because she had grown up in a large family and longed for the peace and quiet that Alice enjoyed. This explains why in scenes where Alice is supposed to be upset she is clearly smiling.

In a baffling attempt to increase ratings Alice recovered a radio left by the men in Haz-mat suits in 'VOICE IN THE DARK'. The radio allowed Alice to speak to another reality, bringing in the concept of multiple realities and a possible clue to where the population were going to.

Alice attempted to use this means of communication to warn the other Earth of what had happened to her world but for some reason the communication she received in return insisted on asking her to solve their personal problems.

HELL TO PAY

Dante Burns seems to have the perfect life. A good job, a loving wife, two adorable children but Dante has a secret. He is actually a demon from the depths of hell.

In the first episode his fellow demons track him down and offer him a deal. If he claims a quota of souls he'll be allowed to stay on Earth. Hell can see advantages to having an inside man working for them. If he fails he'll be dragged back to where he belongs and he'll never see his family again.

While appearing as a mild mannered businessman Dante demonic origin made him invulnerable to harm and wield hell fire. Getting hurt wasn't the problem, getting discovered was.

Torn between duty and maintaining his humanity Dante found keeping the two balanced difficult. This dilemma was the source of the drama in this 1995 series.

Luke Quiet had the difficult job of playing Dante. He had to be convincing as the a loving husband and yet still hint at the darkness within his infernal soul. Alison Cooper added much romantic chemistry as Patricia Burns, his wife.

Much was made of Patricia's devoutly Christian family and her father was a minister. Whenever he was in their presence his skin would begin to turn red and horns would emerge from his scalp as his true form was revealed.

Each week Dante would collect a new soul, either by catching a dangerous criminal or tempting those around him. At the same time his family always kept him busy, whether it was remembering his wedding anniversary, attending a teacher conference or spending quality time with his children.

Season 2's cliffhanger ending feature Dante being ordered to claim the soul of his wife. Season 3 picked up with the family on the run, although they thought they were on an extended faction.
Protecting his family Dante had to use every demonic trick he knew to keep hell's forces at bay as they travelled from town to town. While an interesting change in format it wasn't a success and it would be the final season.

SELECTED EPISODES:

PREDATOR AND PREY
Dante is assigned to collect the soul of a serial killer who targets businessman. Setting himself up as a target Dante allows the killer to kidnap him. Once in the killers torture chamber Dante turns the tables on him.
Things become complicated when the police surround the building. Can Dante make it out without giving his identity away?

TWO HEARTS
Dante and Patricia spend a romantic weekend at hunting resort with their friends the Coopers. When Dante is ordered to corrupt two souls he realises the Coopers are the only ones close enough for him to meet his quota. Over two crazy days Dante leads them into temptation.
Meanwhile at home Patricia's Father is babysitting his grandchildren and become concerned at the demonic behaviour they exhibit. Will he stumble upon the truth of their heritage?

THE SUMMONING
A group of Satan worshipping teenagers stumble upon a ritual that summons Dante. He finds this increasingly frustrating as he is currently on the run from hell but is powerless to harm them directly.
Using the teenagers lust for power against them he turns the teenagers against each other. Soon Dante is freed from his servitude and can wreck his bloody revenge.

TRIVIA:

There were many Christian protests against the show despite the fact that many had never seen the show. Tellingly the protests continued for several years after the show ended.

It is rumoured that there is a curse upon everyone who appeared on the show. The so called 'Hell to Pay' curse means that the actors are never cold, always maintaining a comfortable room temperature.

Luke insisted on wearing sulphur to give him the correct demonic smell. When it was pointed out that the viewer wouldn't know this Luke simply retorted it was only important that the other actors smelt it.

The realistic hell sets were created by building elaborate sets which were then set alight during filming.

The show was filmed on Studio 666. This is odd because the studios either side of it were Studio 5 and Studio 7. No one knows why the extra two sixes were added.

THE FLAW

First broadcast in 1984 this show followed the exploits of an anarchist action hero, the Flaw. Played by James Miller the Flaw was a mystery. With access to unlimited resources and a master of disguise he waged a war against a secret conspiracy run.

The premise of the show was perfectly encapsulated in the opening titles. We see a glass globe, the continents of the world etched on its surface. As it turns before us we see a small flaw in its construction. Cracks quickly form around it until the glass shatters in a dazzling explosion of shards.

Then we hear James Miller rich toned voice say

“There is always a flaw.”

The Astrologers were the masterminds behind an elaborate conspiracy to control the world. They imposed order with their intricate plans but the Flaw was determined to stop them.

Working to his own to his own morality, his only over driving mission was to stop the Astrologers. If they wanted to put a mind controlling substance into a cities water supply he'd be there to stop them but if they built a hospital he'd blow that up as well.

Episodes took place all over the world and the Flaw's exploits included blowing up a petrol station to buying all cigarettes in a convenience store. To the outside world the Flaws acts of destruction made him appear to be a criminal so he was pursued by the law as well as the agents of the Astrologers.

Time and again the program showed that the Flaw was all to human. It wasn't uncommon for him to be injured and even killed on occasion. As we never saw the Flaws real face the viewer was unsure if he some how came back from the dead or if there was more than one Flaw.

The series ended on a high after four seasons. In a perplexing final episode the Astrologers plan to make a television series about the Flaw, exposing him to the world. As always the Flaw stops them and the final scene shows him shooting the camera and ending the show.
Many criticized the Flaw for his anarchistic actions but he appealed to the rebellious youth of the 1980s. In the end the world learnt that there is a flaw inside all of us.

SELECTED EPISODES:

HELL RAIN
A small town is beset by torrential rain and the rising water level threatens the citizens lives. When the Astrologer's send rescuer workers into help the Flaw sets out to sabotage their efforts. Its time for the towns people to sink or swim.

VOTE FOR FLAW
The Astrologers have a candidate in the running for President and the Flaw is determined to run against him. Disguising himself as a politician he enters the race for White House.
Over several months the Astrologers and Flaw try to ruin each others political campaign. It all culminates when the Flaw hires an assassin to kill him, implicating the Astrologers candidate in the act.

LOVE CRASH
A new dating service raises the Flaw suspicions when he discovers it is run by the Astrologers. Over a series of weeks the Flaw ruins the relationships of hundreds of couples.

TRIVIA:

The teaser before the opening titles would always work the word 'flaw' into the dialogue. As the series continued it became harder to contrive this and so soon characters needed only say 'floor' or 'door' before the titles arrived.

Flaw was such a master of disguise that in several episodes he disguised himself as a women. For example the actress Dorian Green played the Flaw in 'BEAUTY IN THE FLAW' and Emma Rehom played him in 'WIFE IN FLAW'. James Miller still provided the voice of the character.

The most popular piece of merchandise from the show was the Flaw glasses. Spectacles that had a number of cracks across the lense.

EXPLORATION

In 1953 this ground breaking television series took viewers around the world. The program producer and host Bruce Crillot wanted to show people locations that they might not know about. Already a renowned explorer Bruce had the ability to find places that weren’t on any known maps.

Viewers delighted in the episode where Bruce encountered a lost tribe within the amazon who drove automobiles made from wood. They thrilled at the mysterious uncovered in the great crystal cave of Brazil and gasped at the prehistoric creatures roaming the jungle nestled within the Antarctic mountain ranges.

Bruce was a charismatic man who Hollywood good looks. He could impart information without seeming condescending and few others could get people, such as the high chieftain of Atlantis, to allow a camera into their most sacred temples.

The popularity of the show slumped when viewers tried to visit the places they’d seen on the show and found that no one knew where they were. Accusations were made that Bruce Crillot had faked the show but his whole production team testified they had been to the locations but they too found it impossible to return.

The debate whether the episodes were faked have raged to the modern day. This fascination has kept the series in syndication and record sales in videos and dvds over the years. Bruce used this profit to setup the Exploration channel, dedicated to science and charting the world.

SELECTED EPISODES:

THE ENGINEERS OF PERU
High in the steppes of Peru Bruce and his team encounter the Divine Engineers who build devices to understand the universe. After saving the high priests daughter from an enraged ox they give him a device that can chart the path of a man’s life which he brings back to the United States.

THE DREAM WARRIORS OF AUSTRALLIA
Deep in the Australian outback Bruce explores the great Dream citadel. Here warriors train themselves to protect their world from great spirits who can shift lands to their home realms. Each warrior is trained to surpass the tests these spirits set for men and then defeat them.

ALBION
Bruce dares to venture into the mist shrouded island off the coast of the United Kingdom. Here an order of knights still carry on the traditions of King Arthur and his round table. Bruce joins them in hunting down a dragon when it attempts to fly to the mainland.

TRIVIA:

In 1974 Bruce Crillot boarded a plane announcing he planned to rediscover at least one of the places he had visited. Leaving from New York Bruce and his plane was never seen again.

A minor cult was developed in the 1960s based around the episode ‘TIME PRIESTS OF JAPAN’. The cult emulated the beliefs of the priests, that human will directs the flow of time and can even repair damage done to it by the ‘dark outer forces’. For ten years this cult would meet and project positive feelings to the great sky god. These meetings were overseen by twelve high priests, each named after a star sign.

Many of the artefacts collected during the show were sold during the lean years of the late fifties when the public lost interest in the show. When it became popular again in the 1960s Bruce attempted to buy them back but many could not be traced or their new owners would not sell them. Today the so called ‘Exploration’ artefacts can sell for millions.