Out Of This World (UK TV Series)
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''Out of This World'' is a British
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...
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series made by the
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franchise
ABC Weekend TV ABC Weekend TV was the popular name of the British broadcaster ABC Television Limited, which provided the weekend service in the Midlands and Northern England regions of the Independent Television (ITV) network from 1956 to 1968. It was one ...
for ITV. It was broadcast on
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in 1962. A spin-off from the ''
Armchair Theatre ''Armchair Theatre'' is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by ABC Weekend TV. Its successor Thames Television took over from mid-1968. The Canadi ...
'' anthology series, each episode was introduced by the actor
Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film ''Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established h ...
. Many of the episodes were adaptations of stories by science fiction writers including
Isaac Asimov yi, יצחק אזימאװ , birth_date = , birth_place = Petrovichi, Russian SFSR , spouse = , relatives = , children = 2 , death_date = , death_place = Manhattan, New York City, U.S. , nationality = Russian (1920–1922)Soviet (192 ...
, Philip K. Dick and
Clifford D. Simak Clifford Donald Simak (; August 3, 1904 – April 25, 1988) was an American science fiction writer. He won three Hugo Awards and one Nebula Award. The Science Fiction Writers of America made him its third SFWA Grand Master, and the Horror W ...
. The series is described by the
British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
as a precursor to the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
science fiction anthology series ''
Out of the Unknown ''Out of the Unknown'' is a British television science fiction anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and broadcast on BBC2 in four series between 1965 and 1971. Most episodes of the first three series were a dramatisation of a science f ...
,'' which was produced by Out of This World creator Irene Shubik after she left ABC. (Only one episode exists today and is available on DVD.)


Origins

Series creator
Irene Shubik Irene Shubik (26 December 1929 – 26 September 2019) was a British television producer and story editor, known for her contribution to the development of the single play in British television drama. Beginning her career in television at AB ...
joined ABC Television as a
story editor Story editor is a job title in motion picture and television production, also sometimes called "supervising producer". In live action television, a story editor is a member of the screenwriting staff who edits scripts, pitches stories, and reports ...
on the anthology series ''Armchair Theatre'' under producer
Sydney Newman Sydney Cecil Newman (April 1, 1917 – October 30, 1997) was a Canadian film and television producer, who played a pioneering role in British television drama from the late 1950s to the late 1960s. After his return to Canada in 1970, Newman w ...
in 1960. A science fiction fan since her university days, Shubik approached Newman during the summer of 1961 with the notion of making a science fiction version of ''Armchair Theatre'', similar to the ''Armchair Mystery Theatre'' spin-off that specialised in crime and mystery stories. Shubik had already commissioned several science fiction tinged scripts for ''Armchair Theatre'' such as "The Omega Mystery" and "The Ship That Couldn't Stop". However, the production that acted as a template for what would become ''Out of This World'' was "Murder Club", an adaptation of
Robert Sheckley Robert Sheckley (July 16, 1928 – December 9, 2005) was an American writer. First published in the science-fiction magazines of the 1950s, his many quick-witted stories and novels were famously unpredictable, absurdist, and broadly comical. ...
’s short story ''The Seventh Victim'', starring
Richard Briers Richard David Briers (14 January 1934 – 17 February 2013) was an English actor whose five-decade career encompassed film, radio, stage and television. Briers first came to prominence as George Starling in ''Marriage Lines'' (1961–66), but ...
, that aired under the ''Armchair Theatre'' banner on 3 December 1961. Also around this time the BBC had scored a notable hit with the science fiction thriller '' A for Andromeda''.


Production

Shubik was appointed story editor and Leonard White, who had produced the first two seasons of '' The Avengers'', was assigned to produce. Leonard found ''Out of This World'' a welcome antidote to ''The Avengers'', which had proved a difficult production; he recalled, "It was a great pleasure to make, getting away from today and exploring the unrealities (or so we thought) of tomorrow. An opportunity for the suspension of disbelief even in the here and now ambiance of television".White, ''Armchair Theatre: The Lost Years'', p. 72. The budget for each episode averaged £5,000. Shubik soon ran into difficulties finding material suitable for adaptation, a problem that had plagued earlier aborted attempts to get a similar series off the ground. A useful contact Shubik made was with
John Carnell Edward John Carnell (8 April 1912 – 23 March 1972) was a British science fiction editor known for editing ''New Worlds'' in 1946 then from 1949 to 1963. He also edited ''Science Fantasy'' from the 1950s. After the magazines were sold to anothe ...
, a key figure in British science fiction, founder of the magazine ''
New Worlds New is an adjective referring to something recently made, discovered, or created. New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz (South Korean band), The Boyz Albums and EPs * New (album), ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartn ...
'' and agent for many British science fiction writers. Carnell assisted Shubik in selecting material and put her in contact with writers and publishers. Carnell also promoted the series heavily in ''New Worlds'', giving it the cover of the July 1962 edition. When a
strike Strike may refer to: People * Strike (surname) Physical confrontation or removal *Strike (attack), attack with an inanimate object or a part of the human body intended to cause harm *Airstrike, military strike by air forces on either a suspected ...
by actor's union
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hit production of ''Armchair Theatre'', it bought Shubik the extra time she needed to find sufficient scripts. All but two episodes were adaptations of short stories and novels. Shubik took the name ''Out of This World'' from a series of anthology collections published by
Blackie and Son Blackie & Son was a publishing house in Glasgow, Scotland, and London, England, from 1809 to 1991. History The firm was founded as a bookseller in 1809 by John Blackie (1782–1874) as a partnership with two others and was known as 'Black ...
, edited by Amabel Williams-Ellis. The actor Boris Karloff, well known for his association with the
horror film Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit fear or disgust in its audience for entertainment purposes. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements include monsters, apoca ...
genre, was chosen as host for the new series. This was an idea taken from such U.S. anthology series as ''
The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, su ...
'', ''
Alfred Hitchcock Presents ''Alfred Hitchcock Presents'' is an American television anthology series created, hosted and produced by Alfred Hitchcock, aired on CBS and NBC between 1955 and 1965. It features dramas, thrillers and mysteries. Between 1962 and 1965 it was ren ...
'' and '' Thriller'' (which Karloff himself had hosted) and was in line with what had been done for ''Armchair Mystery Theatre'', which was introduced by
Donald Pleasence Donald Henry Pleasence (; 5 October 1919 – 2 February 1995) was an English actor. He began his career on stage in the West End before transitioning into a screen career, where he played numerous supporting and character roles including RAF ...
. Three scripts for ''Out of This World'', adaptations of Philip K. Dick's "
Impostor An impostor (also spelled imposter) is a person who pretends to be somebody else, often through means of disguise. Their objective is usually to try to gain financial or social advantages through social engineering, but also often for purposes ...
" and Clifford D. Simak's "Immigrant" as well as an original story called "Botany Bay", were supplied by
Terry Nation Terence Joseph Nation (8 August 19309 March 1997) was a British screenwriter and novelist. Especially known for his work in British television science fiction, he created the Daleks and Davros for ''Doctor Who'', as well as the series '' Survivo ...
, who would, a short time after, create the
Dalek The Daleks ( ) are a fictional extraterrestrial race of mutants principally portrayed in the British science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. They were conceived by writer Terry Nation and first appeared in the 1963 ''Doctor Who'' ...
s for ''
Doctor Who ''Doctor Who'' is a British science fiction television series broadcast by the BBC since 1963. The series depicts the adventures of a Time Lord called the Doctor, an extraterrestrial being who appears to be human. The Doctor explores the u ...
''. Nation's scripts were his first professional foray into science fiction, the genre for which he would become best known. Apart from a number of scripts for ''Doctor Who'', Nation would go on to create the original science fiction series '' Survivors'' and ''
Blake's 7 ''Blake's 7'' (sometimes styled ''Blakes7'') is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. Four 13-episode series were broadcast on BBC1 between 1978 and 1981. It was created by Terry Nation, who also wrote the first ...
''.


Broadcast and critical reception

Originally, an adaptation of
John Wyndham John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris (; 10 July 1903 – 11 March 1969) was an English science fiction writer best known for his works published under the pen name John Wyndham, although he also used other combinations of his names ...
’s short story "Dumb Martian" was intended to launch the series. Sydney Newman elected, though, to broadcast the story as part of ''Armchair Theatre'' the week before ''Out of This World'' would make its debut. The play ended with an epilogue by Boris Karloff introducing and previewing the new series. The first episode, "The Yellow Pill", attracted 11 million viewers, placing ''Out of This World'' eleventh in the television ratings for that week and beating the popular police drama series ''
Z-Cars ''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by the BBC, it debuted ...
''. Critical reaction to ''Out of This World'' was, on the whole, positive. A ''
Kinematograph Weekly ''Kinematograph Weekly'', popularly known as ''Kine Weekly'', was a trade paper catering to the British film industry between 1889 and 1971. History ''Kinematograph Weekly'' was founded in 1889 as the monthly publication ''Optical Magic Lantern ...
'' review said that the series was "the most intelligent and best written of its genre since ''
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 ...
''" while ''
The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...
'' said, "in general the level of writing and direction has been encouragingly high ..''Out of This World'' may well help to banish forever the view of the summer as a time when just anything will do". H. F. Hall, writing in the ''
Yorkshire Evening Post The ''Yorkshire Evening Post'' is a daily evening publication (delivered to newsagents every morning) published by Yorkshire Post Newspapers in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. The paper provides a regional slant on the day's news, and traditio ...
'', described ''Out of This World'' as "the most accomplished thing of its kind that TV has yet produced... well schemed scripting and disciplined production". One viewer who enjoyed the series was
Goon Goon may refer to: Slang * Humans: ** People noted for brutality, or otherwise as targets of contempt: *** A guard in a prisoner of war camp (British World War II usage) *** An enforcer (ice hockey) *** A hired thug, in a goon squad ** Alter ...
Michael Bentine Michael Bentine, (born Michael James Bentin; 26 January 1922General Register Office for England and Wales – Birth Register for the March Quarter of 1922, Watford Registration District, Reference 3a 1478, listed as "Michael J. Bentin", mother ...
who sent a
telegram Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas p ...
to Leonard White conveying "joyous congratulations for wonderful entertainment".


Influence

Although the series was judged a success, the departure of both Sydney Newman and Irene Shubik to the BBC meant that a second season was not made. However, while at the BBC Shubik devised and produced ''
Out of the Unknown ''Out of the Unknown'' is a British television science fiction anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and broadcast on BBC2 in four series between 1965 and 1971. Most episodes of the first three series were a dramatisation of a science f ...
'', another science fiction anthology series that, like ''Out of This World'', concentrated mainly on adaptations of short stories and novels and ran for four seasons between 1965 and 1971. Two ''Out of This World'' scripts — "The Yellow Pill" and "Target Generation" — were remade by ''Out of the Unknown'' in its third season. Shubik went on to become a noted television producer of series such as ''
The Wednesday Play ''The Wednesday Play'' is an anthology series of United Kingdom, British television plays which ran on BBC One, BBC1 for six seasons from October 1964 to May 1970. The plays were usually original works written for television, although dramati ...
'', ''
Play for Today ''Play for Today'' is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage ...
'', '' Playhouse: The Mind Beyond'' and ''
Rumpole of the Bailey ''Rumpole of the Bailey'' is a British television series created and written by the British writer and barrister John Mortimer. It starred Leo McKern as Horace Rumpole, a middle-aged London barrister who defended a broad variety of clients, o ...
'' and instigated, but did not produce, the acclaimed adaptation of '' The Jewel in the Crown''.


Archive status

As was common practice among British broadcasters at the time, almost all of the episodes of ''Out of This World'' were
wiped Lost television broadcasts are mostly those early television programs which cannot be accounted for in studio archives (or in personal archives) usually because of deliberate destruction or neglect. Common reasons for loss A significant prop ...
after broadcast and only "
Little Lost Robot "Little Lost Robot" is a science fiction short story by American writer Isaac Asimov. It was first published in the March 1947 issue of ''Astounding Science Fiction'' and reprinted in the collections ''I, Robot'' (1950), ''The Complete Robot'' (1 ...
" is known to survive, which was released on DVD by the
British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...
in 2014.


List of episodes

Thirteen episodes of ''Out of This World'' were broadcast on Saturday nights at 10 p.m. from 30 June 1962. The ''Armchair Theatre'' presentation of "Dumb Martian" is also included in this list for completeness as it was originally intended to be part of ''Out of This World'', in line with most episode guides published for this series. Only one episode ("Little Lost Robot") is known to exist. Complete audio recordings of the episodes "Cold Equations" and "Imposter" exist.


Notes


References

* * * *


External links

* {{IMDb title, id=0163475, title=Out of This World 1960s British science fiction television series 1962 British television series debuts 1962 British television series endings 1960s British anthology television series Television shows produced by ABC Weekend TV British science fiction television shows ITV television dramas Black-and-white British television shows English-language television shows Science fiction anthology television series