''Kinvig'' is a 1981 sci-fi comedy television series made by

London Weekend Television London Weekend Television (LWT) (now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties at weekends, broadcasting from Fridays at 5.15 pm (7:00 pm from 1968 unt ...

which ran for one series of seven episodes. It was the only

sit-com A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

written by

Nigel Kneale Thomas Nigel Kneale (28 April 1922 – 29 October 2006) was a Manx screenwriter who wrote professionally for more than 50 years, was a winner of the Somerset Maugham Award, and was twice nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best British S ...

who was more famous for creating serious science fiction dramas such as ''

Quatermass Professor Bernard Quatermass is a fictional scientist, originally created by the writer Nigel Kneale for BBC Television. An intelligent and highly moral British scientist, Quatermass is a pioneer of the British space programme, heading the Brit ...

'' and its sequels, and it was directed and produced by Les Chatfield, with original music by

Nigel Hess Nigel John Hess (born 22 July 1953) is a British composer, best known for his television, theatre and film soundtracks, including the theme tunes to ''Campion (1989 TV series), Campion'', ''Maigret (1992 TV series), Maigret'', ''Wycliffe (TV se ...

Synopsis

Ineffectual dreamer Des Kinvig (

Tony Haygarth George Anthony Haygarth (4 February 1945 – 10 March 2017) was an English television, film and theatre actor. Life and career After leaving Marlborough College, Liverpool, Haygarth worked unsuccessfully in 1963 as a lifeguard in Torquay, and a ...

) runs a rundown little electrical repair shop in the small town of Bingleton where he lives with his mumsy, scatterbrained wife Netta (

Patsy Rowlands Patricia Amy Rowlands (19 January 1931 – 22 January 2005) was an English actress who is best remembered for her roles in the ''Carry On'' films series, as Betty Lewis in the ITV Thames sitcom '' Bless This House'', and as Alice Meredit ...

) and oversized pet dog Cuddly. One day his shop is visited by the beautiful, sharp-tongued Miss Griffin (

Prunella Gee Prunella Mary Gee (born 17 February 1950) is an English counsellor, therapist and former actress, best known for her work as an actress in the 1970s and 1980s, and for the role of Doreen Heavey in ''Coronation Street'', a part she first played in ...

) who seems at first just another dissatisfied customer. However, after encountering a

flying saucer A flying saucer (also referred to as "a flying disc") is a descriptive term for a type of flying craft having a disc or saucer-shaped body, commonly used generically to refer to an anomalous flying object. The term was coined in 1947 but has g ...

while walking the dog one night, Kinvig discovers she is actually a scantily-clad alien from the planet

Mercury Mercury commonly refers to: * Mercury (planet), the nearest planet to the Sun * Mercury (element), a metallic chemical element with the symbol Hg * Mercury (mythology), a Roman god Mercury or The Mercury may also refer to: Companies * Merc ...

who desperately needs the help of the scruffy, bearded Des' "exceptional brain" to stop an invasion of the evil ant-like Xux who are replacing people with robot duplicates. Kinvig's friend Jim Piper (

Colin Jeavons Colin Abel Jeavons (born 20 October 1929) is a retired British television actor. Career Jeavons' earliest television role was as Jules Neraud in an episode of the 1956 anthology series of teleplays ''Nom-de-Plume''. Broadcast live, it is unkno ...

) is a lifelong

UFO An unidentified flying object (UFO), more recently renamed by US officials as a UAP (unidentified aerial phenomenon), is any perceived aerial phenomenon that cannot be immediately identified or explained. On investigation, most UFOs are id ...

watcher and wild-eyed conspiracy buff who is consumed by jealousy when Des tells him about his extraterrestrial exploits. It is left intentionally ambiguous whether Kinvig's experiences with aliens are real or the product of an overactive imagination. In early 2004 it was reported that

Edgar Wright Edgar Howard Wright (born 18 April 1974) is an English filmmaker. He is known for his fast-paced and kinetic, satirical genre films, which feature extensive utilisation of expressive popular music, Steadicam tracking shots, dolly zooms and a ...

was working on a script for a big-screen adaptation of ''Kinvig''; however although initially green lit, the project was eventually dropped.

Reception

Around the time of original transmission, ''Kinvig'' was positively reviewed by ''The Times'', the preview stating that "Cast splendid, direction deft". However, to later TV historians, ''Kinvig'' is not considered to be one of Kneale's better productions. ''The Guinness Book of Classic British TV'' claims that apart from Jeavons' performance, ''Kinvig'' was "a huge disappointment". Peter Nicholls also criticised the programme, saying the scripts "lacked the precision required for decent farce". Nicholls also noted that some viewers objected to Kneale's depiction of science-fiction

fans Fan commonly refers to: * Fan (machine), a machine for producing airflow, often used for cooling ** Hand fan, an implement held and waved by hand to move air for cooling * Fan (person), short for fanatic; an enthusiast or supporter, especially wit ...

as being the same as

enthusiasts, and states ''Kinvig'' is notable for its "contemptuous treatment" of the leading characters. Science fiction historian

Brian Stableford Brian Michael Stableford (born 25 July 1948) is a British academic, critic and science fiction writer who has published more than 70 novels. His earlier books were published under the name Brian M. Stableford, but more recent ones have dropped ...

dismissed ''Kinvig'' as "very silly" and echoed Nicholls' criticism of the show, calling Kneale's script "ignorant" for implying that all science fiction fans are also obsessed with UFOs.''The Ultimate Encyclopedia of Science Fiction'' edited by

David Pringle David Pringle (born 1 March 1950) is a Scottish science fiction editor and critic. Pringle served as the editor of ''Foundation'', an academic journal, from 1980 to 1986, during which time he became one of the prime movers of the collective whic ...

. Carlton, 1996. (p.154)

Cast

as Des Kinvig *

as Netta Kinvig *

as Miss Griffin *

as Jim Piper *Danny Schiller as Sagga * Stephen Bent as Loon *Alan Bodenham as Bat * Simon Williams as Buddo *

Patrick Newell Patrick David Newell (27 March 1932 – 22 July 1988) was a British actor, known for his large size. Early life and education The second son of Eric Llewellyn Newell, of High Lodge, Hadleigh, Suffolk, an Oxford-educated physician who served ...

as Mr. Horsley *Betty Hardy as Mrs. Snell

References

External links

* {{Nigel Kneale 1980s British sitcoms 1981 British television series debuts 1981 British television series endings British science fiction television shows ITV sitcoms Fiction set on Mercury (planet) English-language television shows Television series by ITV Studios London Weekend Television shows 1980s British comic science fiction television series

Synopsis

Reception

Cast

See also

References

External links