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''Quatermass'' (also known as ''Quatermass IV'', or ''The Quatermass Conclusion'' for its intended international theatrical release) is a 1979 British television science fiction serial. Produced by
Euston Films Euston Films is a British film and television production company. It was originally a subsidiary company of Thames Television, and operated from 1971 to 1994, producing various series for Thames, which were screened nationally on the ITV network ...
for
Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. Thames Television broa ...
, it was broadcast on the
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
network in October and November 1979. Like its three predecessors, ''Quatermass'' was 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 ...
. It is the fourth and final television serial to feature the character of Professor
Bernard 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 ...
. In this story, the character is played by
John Mills Sir John Mills (born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills; 22 February 190823 April 2005) was an English actor who appeared in more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades. He excelled on camera as an appealing British everyman who often portra ...
. Influenced by the social and
geopolitical Geopolitics (from Greek γῆ ''gê'' "earth, land" and πολιτική ''politikḗ'' "politics") is the study of the effects of Earth's geography (human and physical) on politics and international relations. While geopolitics usually refers to ...
situation of the early 1970s and the hippie youth movement of the late 1960s, ''Quatermass'' is set in a near future in which large numbers of young people are joining a cult known as the Planet People who gather at prehistoric sites, believing they will be transported to a better life on another planet. The series begins with Professor Quatermass arriving in London to look for his granddaughter, Hettie Carlson, and witnessing the destruction of two spacecraft and the disappearance of a group of Planet People at a stone circle by an unknown force. He investigates this force, believing that Hettie may be in danger. As the series progresses, it becomes apparent that the Planet People are being harvested by an alien force rather than transported. ''Quatermass'' was originally conceived as a
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. ...
...
production, but after the corporation lost faith in the project because of spiralling costs, work was halted. The scripts were taken by Euston Films and Kneale, then working for ITV, was commissioned to rewrite the scripts into two versions: a four-part television serial and ''The Quatermass Conclusion'', a 100-minute film, intended for international theatrical release.


Production

Professor
Bernard 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 ...
was created by Manx writer
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 ...
in 1953 for the serial ''
The Quatermass Experiment ''The Quatermass Experiment'' is a British science fiction serial broadcast by BBC Television during the summer of 1953 and re-staged by BBC Four in 2005. Set in the near future against the background of a British space programme, it tells th ...
''. Its success led to two sequels, ''
Quatermass II ''Quatermass II'' is a British science fiction serial, originally broadcast by BBC Television in the autumn of 1955. It is the second in the ''Quatermass'' series by writer Nigel Kneale, and the oldest of those serials to survive in its entire ...
'' (1955) and '' Quatermass and the Pit'' (1958). These three ''Quatermass'' serials are seen today as seminal 1950s television productions. Kneale, however, became disenchanted with the BBC and went freelance in the late 1950s, producing scripts for Hammer Films and
Associated Television Associated Television was the original name of the British broadcaster ATV, part of the Independent Television (ITV) network. It provided a service to London at weekends from 1955 to 1968, to the Midlands on weekdays from 1956 to 1968, and ...
.Murray, ''Into the Unknown'', ''passim''. The notion of bringing Professor Quatermass back for a fourth adventure dated back to at least 1965 when producer
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 ...
asked Kneale to contribute a new ''Quatermass'' story for the first season of the science fiction
anthology series An anthology series is a radio, television, video game or film series that spans different genres and presents a different story and a different set of characters in each different episode, season, segment, or short. These usually have a dif ...
, ''
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 ...
''.Pixley, ''The Quatermass Collection – Viewing Notes'', p. 39. Nothing came of this but the prospect of ''Quatermass'' making a reappearance arose again when, following the success of the
film version A film adaptation is the transfer of a work or story, in whole or in part, to a feature film. Although often considered a type of derivative work, film adaptation has been conceptualized recently by academic scholars such as Robert Stam as a dia ...
of ''Quatermass and the Pit'' in 1967, Hammer announced it was in discussions with Kneale for a new ''Quatermass'' adventure.Screen, ''Production Notes'', Disc 1. Again, this did not progress beyond the initial negotiation stage. In the meantime Kneale had been coaxed back to the BBC, writing plays such as ''
The Year of the Sex Olympics ''The Year of the Sex Olympics'' is a 1968 television play made by the BBC and first broadcast on BBC2 as part of ''Theatre 625''. It stars Leonard Rossiter, Tony Vogel, Suzanne Neve and Brian Cox, and was directed by Michael Elliott. The wr ...
'' (1968), ''Wine of India'' (1970) and ''
The Stone Tape ''The Stone Tape'' is a 1972 British television horror drama film written by Nigel Kneale and directed by Peter Sasdy and starring Michael Bryant, Jane Asher, Michael Bates and Iain Cuthbertson. It was broadcast on BBC Two as a Christmas ...
'' (1972). Following completion of ''The Stone Tape'', Kneale was commissioned on 21 November 1972 by BBC head of drama serials, Ronnie Marsh, to write a new four-part Quatermass serial. Kneale began writing the scripts, working to a delivery deadline of February 1973. Much of the setting for the story was influenced by contemporary political events such as
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 ...
s,
power cuts A power outage (also called a powercut, a power out, a power failure, a power blackout, a power loss, or a blackout) is the loss of the electrical power network supply to an end user. There are many causes of power failures in an electricit ...
, the oil crisis and developments in the
space race The Space Race was a 20th-century competition between two Cold War rivals, the United States and the Soviet Union, to achieve superior spaceflight capability. It had its origins in the ballistic missile-based nuclear arms race between the t ...
, especially the planned Apollo-Soyuz missions and
Skylab Skylab was the first United States space station, launched by NASA, occupied for about 24 weeks between May 1973 and February 1974. It was operated by three separate three-astronaut crews: Skylab 2, Skylab 3, and Skylab 4. Major operations ...
.Murray, ''Into the Unknown'', p. 119. Writing in the
listings magazine A listings magazine is a magazine which is largely dedicated to information about the upcoming week's events such as broadcast programming, music, clubs, theatre and film information. The BBC's '' Radio Times'' was the world's first listing ...
''
TV Times ''TV Times'' is a British television listings magazine published by Future plc. It was originally published by Independent Television Publications, owned by the participating ITV companies. The magazine was acquired by IPC Media in 1989, which ...
'' to promote the serial, Kneale said, "''Quatermass'' is a story of the future – but perhaps only a few years from now. There are some clues already in the most obvious places: the streets. Pavements littered with rubbish. Walls painted with angry graffiti.
Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdom ...
black with smoke and rage. Worst of all, the mindless violence."Screen, ''Production Notes'', Disc 2. Concerns about the state of society, especially the "dropout" culture of the youth movement, had been a theme of Kneale's writing for some time. This was seen in such works as ''The Big, Big Giggle'', an unmade play about a teenage suicide cult; ''The Year of the Sex Olympics'', about the consequences of a world with no censorship or inhibitions; and ''Bam! Pow! Zap!'' (1969), about teenage delinquents, all of which fed into the world depicted in the new ''Quatermass'' serial.Murray, ''Into the Unknown'', p. 137. Kneale said, "I looked at the alarming aspects of contemporary trends. Since then, we'd seen '
flower power Flower power was a slogan used during the late 1960s and early 1970s as a symbol of passive resistance and nonviolence. It is rooted in the opposition movement to the Vietnam War. The expression was coined by the American Beat poet Allen Ginsbe ...
' and hippies, so all I did was bring them into the story. It was written in 1972 and it was about the sixties really". Another theme that had crept into Kneale's writing at this time—as seen in ''Wine of India'', about compulsory euthanasia for the elderly, and later the ''
Beasts Beast most often refers to: * Non-human animal * Monster Beast or Beasts may also refer to: Bible * the Beast (Revelation), Beast (Revelation), two beasts described in the Book of Revelation Computing and gaming * Beast (card game), English n ...
'' episode "During Barty's Party", about an elderly couple terrorised by rats—was the consequences of growing old. Kneale later recalled, "The theme I was trying to get to was the old redressing the balance with the young, saving the young, which I thought a nice, paradoxical, ironic idea after the youth-oriented 60s." Assigned to produce the serial was ''
Dixon of Dock Green ''Dixon of Dock Green'' was a BBC police procedural television series about daily life at a fictional London police station, with the emphasis on petty crime, successfully controlled through common sense and human understanding. It ran from 19 ...
'' producer Joe Waters.Pixley, ''All the Rage of the World'', p. 50. Preliminary filming on ''Quatermass'' began in June 1973 at
Ealing Studios Ealing Studios is a television and film production company and facilities provider at Ealing Green in West London. Will Barker bought the White Lodge on Ealing Green in 1902 as a base for film making, and films have been made on the site ever s ...
where special effects designer Jack Wilkie and his assistant, Ian Scoones shot model footage for part one of the serial, of a space station with astronauts working on its hull.Garrard & Houldsworth, ''Fantasy Flashback: Quatermass'', p. 15. At this point the BBC got cold feet about the project; it had become concerned about the cost of mounting the production and had been refused permission to film at Stonehenge, one of the locations at which Kneale had envisaged the Planet People would gather to be reaped by the alien force. Kneale recalled that Stonehenge "had become Big Business and the place was like a factory with tourists there from dawn to dusk... they weren't going to let anyone go near it." Kneale also felt that the BBC was unhappy with the script believing it "didn't suit their image at that time; it was too gloomy."Murray, ''Into the Unknown'', p. 120. In the end, it was decided during summer 1973 that for financial reasons the BBC would not proceed with the production. However the BBC still had an option on the script until 1975, and retained this until it expired. At this stage Kneale was working primarily at
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
, having written the play ''Murrain'' (screened in the anthology series ''Against The Crowd'', 1975) and the anthology series ''Beasts'' (1976) for ATV. In May 1977,
Euston Films Euston Films is a British film and television production company. It was originally a subsidiary company of Thames Television, and operated from 1971 to 1994, producing various series for Thames, which were screened nationally on the ITV network ...
—a subsidiary of
Thames Television Thames Television, commonly simplified to just Thames, was a franchise holder for a region of the British ITV television network serving London and surrounding areas from 30 July 1968 until the night of 31 December 1992. Thames Television broa ...
best known for '' The Sweeney'' (1975–1978)—announced that it had picked up Kneale's unmade ''Quatermass'' scripts. This new production, known either as ''Quatermass'' or ''Quatermass IV'', would consist of a four-part serial to be broadcast by ITV which would be recut as a 100-minute film, titled ''The Quatermass Conclusion'', for release in North America and Europe.Murray, ''Into the Unknown'', p. 135. Kneale was dubious about having to craft both a television serial version and a film version of his tale, feeling that "in the end we had two versions, neither of which was the right length for the story".Pixley, ''All the Rage of the World'', p. 51. During the rewrites, Kneale transplanted the action at the conclusion of part three from Stonehenge to the more easily available
Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 2002 to 2003. The stadium ...
. When asked about what differences there were between the Euston Films version and the version originally envisaged for the BBC, Kneale remarked that "the BBC version would have been much more in the studio, whereas the Euston Films version was entirely shot on
35mm 35 mm may refer to: * 135 film, a type of still photography format commonly referred to as 35 mm film * 35 mm movie film, a type of motion picture film stock * 35MM 35 mm may refer to: * 135 film, a type of still photography format ...
film with a great deal of it outside. Much more lavish than either the BBC or I had contemplated."Pixley & Kneale, ''Beyond the Dark Door''. Filming took place between 26 August 1978 and 23 December 1978 at locations around
Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a historic county in southeast England. Its area is almost entirely within the wider urbanised area of London and mostly within the ceremonial county of Greater London, with small sections in neighbour ...
and Hertfordshire as well as London, including Wembley Stadium.Pixley, ''All the Rage of the World'', p. 52. The budget was £1.25 million (£ in ), making it one of the most expensive undertakings Euston had attempted at that time. Production designer Arnold Chapkis constructed several large and elaborate sets, including those for the megalithic standing stones at Ringstone Round, the Kapps' radio telescope and observatory, and the decaying urban landscape of London; Kneale quipped about the radio telescope set that "it probably would have worked if they'd just aimed it properly!" Associate producer Norton Knatchbull noted that the serial "was the first 'art department' picture Euston has ever been involved in, in the sense that major sets had to be built on location." This led Euston executive Johnny Goodman to joke, "Our biggest problem was finding someone who wanted the two giant telescope dishes after we finished filming. There's not much demand for such things." One aspect where the budget was less than generous was with the model sequences made by Clearwater Films; Johnny Goodman remarked that the cost was less than
James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...
producer
Cubby Broccoli Albert Romolo Broccoli ( ; April 5, 1909 – June 27, 1996), nicknamed "Cubby", was an American film producer who made more than 40 motion pictures throughout his career. Most of the films were made in the United Kingdom and often filmed at Pi ...
"would spend on cigars in a week". Post-production was completed in mid-February 1979.Pixley, ''All the Rage of the World'', p. 53. Unlike the original BBC ''Quatermass'' serials, which had used stock music tracks, the new serial had a specially composed soundtrack by Marc Wilkinson and Nic Rowley which made particular use of the nursery rhyme "Huffity, Puffity, Ringstone Round" devised by Kneale in his scripts.


Plot


Principal credits


Cast

Chosen to play Quatermass (the fourth different actor to play the role in four serials on television) was the distinguished actor
John Mills Sir John Mills (born Lewis Ernest Watts Mills; 22 February 190823 April 2005) was an English actor who appeared in more than 120 films in a career spanning seven decades. He excelled on camera as an appealing British everyman who often portra ...
, who had appeared in significant roles in many high-profile British films, including ''
The Way to the Stars ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
'' (1945), '' Great Expectations'' (1946) and ''
Ice Cold in Alex ''Ice Cold in Alex'' is a 1958 British war film set during the Western Desert campaign of World War II based on the novel of the same name by Christopher Landon. Directed by J. Lee Thompson and starring John Mills, the film was a prizewinner ...
'' (1958), and had won an
Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...
for his role in ''
Ryan's Daughter ''Ryan's Daughter'' is a 1970 British epic romantic drama film directed by David Lean and starring Robert Mitchum and Sarah Miles. The film, set between August 1917 and January 1918, tells the story of a married Irish woman who has an affair ...
'' (1970). Mills, whose only previous television credit at the time was ''
The Zoo Gang ''The Zoo Gang'' is a 1974 ITC Entertainment drama series that ran for six one-hour colour episodes, based on the 1971 book of the same name by Paul Gallico. Plot Five French Resistance fighters, known by their animal-based code names (the Wo ...
'' (1974), was reluctant to take the part but was persuaded by his wife, who liked the script. Following ''Quatermass'' he appeared in ''
Gandhi Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (; ; 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948), popularly known as Mahatma Gandhi, was an Indian lawyer, anti-colonial nationalist Quote: "... marks Gandhi as a hybrid cosmopolitan figure who transformed ... anti- ...
'' (1982), ''
Martin Chuzzlewit ''The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit'' (commonly known as ''Martin Chuzzlewit'') is a novel by Charles Dickens, considered the last of his picaresque novels. It was originally serialised between 1842 and 1844. While he was writing it ...
'' (1994) and ''
Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...
'' (1996), working right up to his death in 2005. Joe Kapp was played by
Simon MacCorkindale Simon Charles Pendered MacCorkindale (12 February 1952 – 14 October 2010) was a British actor, film director, writer and producer. He spent much of his childhood moving around owing to his father's career as an officer with the Royal Air Force ...
, who had previously appeared in "Baby", one of the episodes of Nigel Kneale's ''Beasts'' series. MacCorkindale was delighted with the part of Joe Kapp, finding it a break from the
typecast In film, television, and theatre, typecasting is the process by which a particular actor becomes strongly identified with a specific character, one or more particular roles, or characters having the same traits or coming from the same social or ...
romantic roles he was used to playing. Following ''Quatermass'', MacCorkindale appeared in ''
The Riddle of the Sands ''The Riddle of the Sands: A Record of Secret Service'' is a 1903 novel by Erskine Childers. The book, which enjoyed immense popularity in the years before World War I, is an early example of the espionage novel and was extremely influenti ...
'' (1979), and subsequently moved to the United States where, after playing a few guest roles on television, he secured a part in ''
Jaws 3 ''Jaws 3-D'' (titled ''Jaws III'' in its 2-D form) is a 1983 American thriller film directed by Joe Alves and starring Dennis Quaid, Bess Armstrong, Lea Thompson and Louis Gossett Jr. It is the second sequel to Steven Spielberg's ''Jaws'' and t ...
'' (1983) and the lead in the short-lived series ''
Manimal ''Manimal'' is an American superhero television series created by Glen A. Larson and Donald R. Boyle, it ran on NBC from September 30 to December 17, 1983. The show centers on the character Jonathan Chase ( Simon MacCorkindale), a shape-shiftin ...
'' (1983). He was then a series regular in '' Falcon Crest'' (1984–86), '' Counterstrike'' (1990–93) and '' Poltergeist: The Legacy'' (1999). He then returned to the United Kingdom, where he played the character of
Harry Harper Harry Clayton Harper (April 24, 1895 – April 23, 1963) was an American professional baseball pitcher, businessman, and politician. He played in Major League Baseball for the Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox, New York Yankees, and Brookly ...
in ''
Casualty Casualty may refer to: *Casualty (person), a person who is killed or rendered unfit for service in a war or natural disaster **Civilian casualty, a non-combatant killed or injured in warfare * The emergency department of a hospital, also known as ...
'' between 2002 and 2008. MacCorkindale died in 2010.
Barbara Kellerman Barbara Rose Kellerman (originally spelt Kellermann; born 30 December 1949) is an English actress, known for her film and television roles. She trained at Rose Bruford College. Kellerman was born in Manchester, Lancashire. Her Jewish fath ...
, who played Claire Kapp, had previously had a regular role in ''
1990 File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...
'' (1977–78) and would later portray the
White Witch Jadis is the main antagonist of ''The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe'' (1950) and ''The Magician's Nephew'' (1955) in C. S. Lewis's series, ''The Chronicles of Narnia''. She is commonly referred to as the White Witch in ''The Lion, the Witch and ...
in the BBC adaptation of '' The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe'' (1988). ''Quatermass'' also featured many familiar faces from British television and film in supporting roles, including
Margaret Tyzack Margaret Maud Tyzack (9 September 193125 June 2011) was an English actress. Her television roles included '' The Forsyte Saga'' (1967) and '' I, Claudius'' (1976). She won the 1970 BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for the BBC serial ''The First ...
,
Bruce Purchase Bruce Purchase (2 October 1938 – 5 June 2008) was a New Zealand actor known for his roles on stage and television. Born in Thames, New Zealand, he won a scholarship to study acting in England, training at RADA, and went on to become a foundin ...
,
James Ottaway William Cecil James Ottaway (25 July 1908 – 16 June 1999) was a British film, television and stage actor whose career spanned seven decades.Brenda Fricker Brenda Fricker (born 17 February 1945) is an Irish actress, whose career has spanned six decades on stage and screen. She has appeared in more than 30 films and television roles. In 1990, she became the first Irish actress to win an Academy Awar ...
,
David Yip David Nicholas Yip (; born 4 June 1951) is a British actor of Chinese and English descent. He gained prominence through his lead role in the BBC series ''The Chinese Detective''. Early life Yip was born in Liverpool to a Chinese father, a seama ...
,
Kevin Stoney Kevin Stoney (22 January 1921 – 22 January 2008) was an English actor. He was best known for his television roles, in which he became familiar for his "portrayal of establishment types". During the Second World War, Stoney served with the Ro ...
,
Gretchen Franklin Gretchen Franklin (7 July 1911 – 11 July 2005) was an English actress and dancer with a career in show business spanning over 70 years. She was born in Covent Garden, Central London. She played Ethel Skinner in the long-running BBC 1 soap ope ...
,
Brian Croucher Brian Croucher (born 23 January 1942) is an English actor and director best known for his role as Ted Hills, which he played from 1995 to 1997, in the soap opera '' EastEnders''. Croucher also had a regular role in the science fiction series ' ...
and Chris Quinten, as well as the singer (and later television presenter)
Toyah Willcox Toyah Ann Willcox (born 18 May 1958) is an English musician, actress, and TV presenter. In a career spanning more than 40 years, Willcox has had eight top 40 singles, released over 20 albums, written two books, appeared in over 40 stage plays an ...
.


Crew

Director
Piers Haggard Piers Inigo Haggard, OBE (born 18 March 1939), is a British theatre, film and television director, although he has worked mostly in the latter. Haggard was born in London but grew up on a small farm in Clackmannanshire. He is the great-great- ...
, who was the great-grand-nephew of author H. Rider Haggard, had been directing since the 1960s. Prior to ''Quatermass'', he had directed the acclaimed
Dennis Potter Dennis Christopher George Potter (17 May 1935 – 7 June 1994) was an English television dramatist, screenwriter and journalist. He is best known for his BBC television serials '' Pennies from Heaven'' (1978), ''The Singing Detective'' (198 ...
drama serial '' Pennies from Heaven'' (1978). Commenting on the script, Haggard described it as "a tremendous re-assertion of the importance of people, ordinary people, and how necessary they are in fighting evil". Following ''Quatermass'', he directed ''
The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu ''The Fiendish Plot of Dr. Fu Manchu'' is a 1980 comedy film. It was the final film featuring star Peter Sellers and David Tomlinson. Based on characters created by Sax Rohmer, the film stars Sellers in the dual role of Fu Manchu, a megalomaniac ...
'' (1980) and the Disney Channel TV series '' Return to Treasure Island'' (1985). Executive producer
Verity Lambert Verity Ann Lambert (27 November 1935 – 22 November 2007) was an English television and film producer. Lambert began working in television in the 1950s. She began her career as a producer at the BBC by becoming the founding producer of ...
had first made her mark as producer of the first two years of '' Doctor Who'' (1963). Since then she had carved out an impressive career, first at the BBC with programmes such as ''
Adam Adamant Lives! ''Adam Adamant Lives!'' is a British adventure television series that ran from 1966 to 1967 on BBC 1, starring Gerald Harper in the title role. The series was created and produced by several alumni from ''Doctor Who''. Proposing that an adventur ...
'' (1966–67) and '' The Newcomers'' (1965–69), and then at Thames Television with productions such as '' The Naked Civil Servant'' (TV film; 1975) and the series ''
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, oft ...
'' (1978–92). She became Chief Executive of Euston Films in 1979; ''Quatermass'' was one of the first productions she oversaw in the role, seeing it as a project to make her mark on the company. She had clashed with Nigel Kneale in 1965 on the BBC arts programme '' Late Night Line-Up'', when he attacked her for making ''Doctor Who'' too frightening for children. Despite this she held Kneale in high esteem, describing him as "a fantastic writer... hugely imaginative... considering the impact his work has had, I think he's undervalued". Following ''Quatermass'' she produced such shows as ''
Danger UXB ''Danger UXB'' is a 1979 British ITV television series set during the Second World War. It was developed by John Hawkesworth and starred Anthony Andrews as Lieutenant Brian Ash, an officer in the Royal Engineers (RE). The series chronicles ...
'' (1979), ''
Minder A minder is the person assigned to guide or escort a visitor, or to provide protection to somebody, or to otherwise assist or take care of something, i.e. a person who " minds". Government-appointed persons to accompany foreign visitors are of ...
'' (1979–85; 1988–94) and ''
Widows A widow (female) or widower (male) is a person whose spouse has died. Terminology The state of having lost one's spouse to death is termed ''widowhood''. An archaic term for a widow is "relict," literally "someone left over". This word can so ...
'' (1983) for Euston before in 1985 forming her own production company, Cinema Verity, which oversaw programmes including '' G.B.H.'' (1991), ''
Eldorado El Dorado (, ; Spanish for "the golden"), originally ''El Hombre Dorado'' ("The Golden Man") or ''El Rey Dorado'' ("The Golden King"), was the term used by the Spanish in the 16th century to describe a mythical tribal chief (''zipa'') or king o ...
'' (1992–93) and ''
Jonathan Creek ''Jonathan Creek'' is a long-running British mystery crime drama series produced by the BBC and written by David Renwick. It stars Alan Davies as the titular character, who works as a creative consultant to a stage magician while also solvi ...
'' (1997–2004). She was awarded the OBE in 2002. She died in 2007. Producer
Ted Childs Ted Childs is a British television producer, screenwriter, and director. Career Childs commenced training as a programme director with ABC Weekend TV in 1962. He went on to produce and direct a wide variety of factual programmes and documenta ...
had begun his career with Euston on '' Special Branch'' (1969–74) and had produced episodes of ''The Sweeney'' and its film spin-offs '' Sweeney!'' (1977) and ''
Sweeney 2 ''Sweeney 2'' is a 1978 British action crime drama film. It was made as a sequel to the successful 1977 film ''Sweeney!.'' Both films are an extension of the popular British ITV television series ''The Sweeney'' (1975–78). Some of the action ...
'' (1978). Childs saw ''Quatermass'' as a big gamble for Euston, out of step with the company's usual fare. Childs later remarked that Verity Lambert "didn't want to come in and just do the same old routine – the kick bollock and scramble action adventure stuff that made the early name of the company". He continues to be one of British television's top producers, responsible for such shows as '' Chancer'' (1991), ''
Inspector Morse Detective Chief Inspector Endeavour Morse, GM, is the eponymous fictional character in the series of detective novels by British author Colin Dexter. On television, he appears in the 33-episode drama series '' Inspector Morse'' (1987–2000), ...
'' (1987–2000), '' Sharpe'' (1993–2006), '' Kavanagh QC'' (1995–2001) and ''
Lewis Lewis may refer to: Names * Lewis (given name), including a list of people with the given name * Lewis (surname), including a list of people with the surname Music * Lewis (musician), Canadian singer * "Lewis (Mistreated)", a song by Radiohead ...
'' (2006–2015). Script editor Linda Agran has since acted as producer of such series as ''Widows'', ''
Agatha Christie's Poirot ''Poirot'' (also known as ''Agatha Christie's Poirot'') is a British mystery drama television programme that aired on ITV from 8 January 1989 to 13 November 2013. David Suchet starred as the eponymous detective, Agatha Christie's fictional Her ...
'' (1989–2013) and ''
The Vanishing Man ''The Vanishing Man'' was a 1997 TV movie and subsequent 1998 series, starring Neil Morrissey as Nick Cameron, a man wrongly imprisoned from smuggling Plutonium, who used for medical research which turns him invisible when in contact with water ...
'' (1996). Following ''Quatermass'', writer Nigel Kneale developed the
sitcom 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 ...
''
Kinvig ''Kinvig'' is a 1981 sci-fi comedy television series made by London Weekend Television which ran for one series of seven episodes. It was the only sit-com written by Nigel Kneale who was more famous for creating serious science fiction dramas su ...
'' (1981) for
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 un ...
. During the 1980s he was courted for scripts by admiring Hollywood directors and producers such as
John Carpenter John Howard Carpenter (born January 16, 1948) is an American filmmaker, actor, and composer. Although he worked in various film genres, he is most commonly associated with horror, action, and science fiction films of the 1970s and 1980s. He ...
,
John Landis John David Landis (born August 3, 1950) is an American comedy and fantasy filmmaker and actor. He is best known for the comedy films that he has directed – such as ''The Kentucky Fried Movie'' (1977), ''National Lampoon's Animal House'' (1978 ...
and Joe Dante, but with limited success. Returning to television, he adapted
Susan Hill Dame Susan Hill, Lady Wells, (born 5 February 1942) is an English author of fiction and non-fiction works. Her novels include ''The Woman in Black'', '' The Mist in the Mirror'', and '' I'm the King of the Castle'', for which she received t ...
's novel ''
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'' (1989) and wrote episodes of ''Sharpe'' and ''Kavanagh QC''. He died in 2006.


Broadcast and critical reception

ITV intended ''Quatermass'' to air in September 1979 as the flagship of its autumn season; advertising posters announced, "Earth's dark ancestral forces awaken to a summons from beyond the stars. The legend returns on ITV – Wednesdays at 9 pm throughout September".Murray, ''Into the Unknown'', p. 140. However, industrial action began at ITV on 3 August 1979 and escalated into a full-scale blackout from 10 August 1979, leaving the channel—and ''Quatermass''—off the air for 75 days. Transmissions were finally restored on Wednesday, 24 October 1979, and the first episode of ''Quatermass'' was duly broadcast that night at 9 pm. Episode two was promoted in the ''TV Times'' with a full-page article by Kneale introducing the new series and looking back on the original 1950s serials, as well as a lifestyle piece with Barbara Kellerman moving house, while episode four was promoted with a full-page profile of John Mills. Ratings, averaging 11 million viewers over the four-week run, were below expectations; the serial failed to crack the top 20 programmes in the weeks it was broadcast. ''Quatermass'' met with a generally unenthusiastic critical response. Sean Day-Lewis wrote, "Although Piers Haggard's direction achieves much verisimilitude and the story is certainly enough to command some addiction; I did not feel exactly grabbed; the genre has moved some way since the 1950s and the Professor moves a little slowly for the 1970s". The reviewer in ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was f ...
'' found Professor Quatermass "far too unheroic and unresourceful to carry much interest" 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'' (f ...
'' found the serial to be "a so-so affair".
John Brosnan John Raymond Brosnan (7 October 1947 – 11 April 2005) was an Australian writer of both fiction and non-fiction works in the fantasy and science fiction genres. He was born in Perth, Western Australia, and died in South Harrow, London, fro ...
, writing in '' Starburst'' magazine, found the serial to be "a bitter reaction by a member of an older generation to the younger generation whose apparently irrational behaviour makes them appear to belong to a totally different species. Naturally in the traditions of sf, these failings are exaggerated to the nth degree. Thus muggers and juvenile delinquents become armed gangs and the
hippy A hippie, also spelled hippy, especially in British English, is someone associated with the counterculture of the 1960s, originally a youth movement that began in the United States during the mid-1960s and spread to different countries around ...
movement with its emphasis on mysticism, becomes the Planet Church. It's very much a story of Age versus Youth and significantly it's the older people who are impervious to the malign alien influence".Brosnan, ''The Primal Screen'', p. 278. This view is echoed by filmmaker John Carpenter who said, "Nigel was very embittered about the way of the world, as was shown, I think, in ''The Quatermass Conclusion''". Reflecting on the serial, Nigel Kneale said, "Frankly, I was never happy with the whole idea in the first place. The central idea was too ordinary". Although Kneale was pleased with the high production values, he was dissatisfied with the casting, believing that John Mills "didn't have the authority for Quatermass".Murray, ''Into the Unknown'', p. 139. He was similarly unimpressed with Simon MacCorkindale, noting that "We had him in ''Beasts'' playing an idiot and he was very good at that". Kneale disliked the depiction of the Planet People, as his inspiration had been angry
punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...
s rather than hippies (as evidenced by his portrayal of Kickalong as a gun-toting lunatic who commits multiple motiveless murders). Producer Ted Childs thinks that "the primary problems with it were (a) it was perhaps too depressing a story for a popular television audience and (b) the punters were used to a fairly high standard of technical presentation from American television... And we just couldn't afford that". Executive producer Verity Lambert's opinion is that it "didn't have the staying power of the originals, but then that's almost inevitable when you try to bring something back in a slightly different form".


Other media

From the outset, Euston intended to create two versions of the story; a four-part serial for broadcast on UK television and a 100-minute film, ''The Quatermass Conclusion'', for distribution abroad. While writing the scripts, Kneale was "careful not to pad, because I knew that was the obvious thing, but to write in material which can be removed". There is one major plot deviation between the two versions; in the TV serial, Quatermass is separated from Annie Morgan as they transport Isabel to a London hospital, after Quatermass is dragged from the passenger seat of the moving vehicle by a member of the Blue Brigade. This scene is slightly changed in the film version so that Quatermass manages to stay on board the vehicle with Annie and Isabel, despite the Blue Brigade attack, enabling Quatermass to stay with Annie and Isabel as they go into the hospital. This meant that two versions of the hospital scene where Isabel dies were shot, one with Quatermass present (the film version) and one without (the television version), as well as an earlier scene at the hospital unique to the film version where Quatermass talks on the telephone. As Quatermass is present at the hospital in the film version, it enabled all the footage from the TV serial featuring Quatermass with people at the junkyard, following his separation from Annie and Isabel, to be cut out of the film and thus greatly help in getting ''The Quatermass Conclusion'' down to around 100 minutes. There was little interest among film distributors in ''The Quatermass Conclusion'', and it received only a limited theatrical release.Pixley, ''All the Rage of the World'', p. 54. The story was novelised by Nigel Kneale, his first book since his
Somerset Maugham Award The Somerset Maugham Award is a British literary prize given each year by the Society of Authors. Set up by William Somerset Maugham in 1947 the awards enable young writers to enrich their work by gaining experience in foreign countries. The awa ...
-winning
short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...
collection ''Tomato Cain'' was published in 1949. The novelisation expanded on the backgrounds of many of the characters seen in the story, and added a deeper, more physical, relationship between Quatermass and Annie Morgan. It was this version of the story with which Kneale was most pleased. ''The Quatermass Conclusion'' was released on VHS
videotape Videotape is magnetic tape used for storing video and usually sound in addition. Information stored can be in the form of either an analog or digital signal. Videotape is used in both video tape recorders (VTRs) and, more commonly, videocasse ...
in 1985 while the complete four-part ''Quatermass'' serial was released in 1994. ''Quatermass'', along with ''The Quatermass Conclusion'' was released on region 2
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
in 2003 by Clearvision in a three disc boxset; extras included a
Sci-Fi Channel Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. ...
interview with Nigel Kneale and extensive production notes. A two disc region 1 DVD of the 1970’s British sci-fi cult TV classic, released by A&E Home Entertainment, under license from THAMES International,
talkbackTHAMES Talkback Thames (stylised as talkbackTHAMES) was a British television production company, a division of Fremantle (part of the RTL Group, which in turn is owned by Bertelsmann). It was formed by the merger of Talkback Productions and Thames Tel ...
and FremantleMedia Ltd in 2005, also contained both the television and film versions as well as a
History Channel History (formerly The History Channel from January 1, 1995 to February 15, 2008, stylized as HISTORY) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by A&E Networks, a joint venture between Hearst Communications and the Disney ...
documentary about Stonehenge. In July 2015, Network Distributing released the series on Blu-ray disc for the first time, and simultaneously released the series as a remastered DVD set. Both sets (Region B/Region 2 respectively) also contain ''The Quatermass Conclusion'' film, also remastered and presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio. In January 2015, BBC Radio 2 broadcast an interview with Hammer Films CEO Simon Oaks, which included news of the development of a new ''Quatermass'' series for television.


Notes


References

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External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Quatermass (Tv Serial) ITV television dramas Quatermass 1979 British television series debuts 1979 British television series endings 1970s British drama television series Television series by Fremantle (company) Television shows produced by Thames Television British science fiction television shows English-language television shows Television series by Euston Films 1970s British science fiction television series