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 the story of the first crewed flight into space, supervised by Professor Bernard Quatermass of the British Experimental Rocket Group.

When the spaceship that carries the first successful crew returns to Earth, two of the three astronauts are missing, and the third – Victor Carroon – is behaving strangely. It becomes apparent that an alien presence entered the rocket during its flight, and Quatermass and his associates must prevent the alien from destroying the world.

Originally comprising six half-hour episodes, it was the first science fiction production to be written especially for a British adult television audience. Previous written-for-television efforts such as ''Stranger from Space'' (1951–52) were aimed at children, whereas adult entries into the genre were adapted from literary sources, such as ''R.U.R.'' (1938 and again in 1948) and ''The Time Machine'' (1949). The serial was the first of four ''Quatermass'' productions to be screened on British television between 1953 and 1979. It was transmitted live from the BBC's original television studios at Alexandra Palace in London, one of the final productions before BBC television drama moved to west London.

Despite its success and influence, only two episodes have survived, the other four having never even been recorded on their live broadcast. As well as spawning various remakes and sequels, ''The Quatermass Experiment'' inspired much of the television science fiction that succeeded it, particularly in the United Kingdom, where it influenced successful series such as ''Doctor Who'' and ''Sapphire and Steel''. It also influenced successful Hollywood films such as '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'' and ''Alien''.

Plot

Along with his laboratory assistants, Professor Bernard Quatermass anxiously awaits the return to Earth of his new rocketship and its crew, who have become the first humans to travel into space. The rocket is at first thought to be lost, having dramatically overshot its planned orbit, but eventually it is detected by radar and returns to Earth, crash-landing in Wimbledon, London.

When Quatermass and his team reach the crash area and succeed in opening the rocket, they discover that only one of the three crewmen, Victor Carroon, remains inside. Quatermass and his chief assistant Paterson ( Hugh Kelly) investigate the rocket's interior and are baffled by what they find: the space suits of the others are present, and the instruments on board indicate that the door was never opened in flight, but there is no sign of the other two crewmen.

Carroon, gravely ill, is cared for by the Rocket Group's doctor, Briscoe ( John Glen), who has been having a secret affair with Carroon's wife, Judith (Isabel Dean). It is not just Quatermass who is interested in what happened to Carroon and his crewmates; journalists such as James Fullalove (Paul Whitsun-Jones) and Scotland Yard's Inspector Lomax (Ian Colin) are also keen to hear his story. Carroon is abducted by a group of foreign agents whose government wants the information they believe obtained while travelling in space. It is clear that there is something critically wrong: he appears to have absorbed the consciousness of the other two crew members, and is slowly mutating into a plant-like alien organism.

As the police chase the rapidly transforming Carroon across London, Quatermass analyses samples of the mutated creature in a laboratory, and realises that it has the ability to end all life on Earth should it spore. A television crew working on an architectural programme locates the creature in Westminster Abbey, and Quatermass and British Army troops rush in to destroy it in the hour just before it will bring about doomsday. Quatermass convinces the consciousness of the three crewmen buried deep inside the creature to turn against it and destroy it. This appeal to the remnants of their humanity succeeds in defeating the organism.

Cast and crew

Following the success of ''The Quatermass Experiment'', Nigel Kneale became one of the best-regarded screenwriters in the history of British television. In addition to the various ''Quatermass'' spin-offs and sequels, he wrote acclaimed productions such as ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' (1954) and ''The Stone Tape'' (1972). A tribute article by writer and admirer Mark Gatiss, published on the BBC News Online website shortly after Kneale's death in 2006, praised his contribution to British television history. "He is amongst the greats—he is absolutely as important as Dennis Potter, as David Mercer, as Alan Bleasdale, as Alan Bennett."

Kneale's actions were represented on screen in the final episode of ''The Quatermass Experiment''. He manipulated the monster seen in Westminster Abbey at the climax, with his hands stuck through a photographic blow-up of the interior of the Abbey. The monster actually consisted of gloves covered in various plant and other materials, prepared by Kneale and his girlfriend (and future wife) Judith Kerr. The couple kept the gloves as a memento, and still owned them fifty years later, when Kneale wore them again in a television documentary about his career.

Rudolph Cartier had emigrated from Germany in the 1930s to escape its Nazi regime, and joined the staff of the BBC the year before ''The Quatermass Experiment'' was made. He collaborated with Kneale on several further productions, and became a major figure in the British television industry. He directed important productions such as Kneale's ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'' adaptation, the two further BBC ''Quatermass'' serials, and one-off plays such as ''Cross of Iron'' (1961) and ''Lee Oswald: Assassin'' (1966). His 1994 obituary in ''The Times'' praised his contribution to 1950s television drama: "At a time when studio productions were usually as static as the conventional theatre, he was widely respected for a creative contribution to British television drama which gave it a new dimension." The same piece also named ''The Quatermass Experiment'' as a high point in his career, calling the serial "a landmark in British television drama as much for its visual imagination as for its ability to shock and disturb."

Quatermass was played by the experienced Reginald Tate, who had appeared in various films, including ''The Way Ahead'' (1944). He died two years later, while preparing to take the role of the Professor again in ''Quatermass II''. Tate was the second choice for the part; Cartier had previously offered it to André Morell, who declined the role. (Morell did later play Quatermass in the third instalment of the series, '' Quatermass and the Pit''.) Victor Carroon was played by Scottish actor Duncan Lamont, who later appeared in the film ''Mutiny on the Bounty'' (1962), and as a different character in the film adaptation of '' Quatermass and the Pit'' (1967). He enjoyed working on ''The Quatermass Experiment'' so much that, although he was not required for the final episode, he went to Alexandra Palace to lend moral support. While there, he helped Kneale and Kerr to prepare their 'monster' prop.

Appearing in a small role as a drunk was Wilfrid Brambell, who later appeared as a tramp in ''Quatermass II''. Brambell, who also appeared in Cartier and Kneale's production of ''Nineteen Eighty-Four'', later became widely known for his roles in the sitcom ''Steptoe and Son'' (1962–74) and the film '' A Hard Day's Night'' (1964). The 74-year-old actress Katie Johnson played a supporting part; she later became well known and won a British Film Award for her role as the landlady Mrs. Louisa Wilberforce in the film '' The Ladykillers'' (1955).

Episodes

Production

The serial was written by BBC
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