''The Red Grass'' was a British

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white in a continuous spectrum, producing a range of shades of grey. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, and as technology improved, altered to color. ...

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 uni ...

children's television series Children's television series (or children's television shows) are television show, television programs designed for children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run during ...

(6 Jan – 10 Feb 1959) made by

Associated-Rediffusion Associated-Rediffusion, later Rediffusion London, was the British ITV franchise holder for London and parts of the surrounding counties, on weekdays between 22 September 1955 and 29 July 1968. It was the first ITA franchisee to go on air, ...

for the ITV network, and transmitted on Tuesday afternoons at 5.25pm. The story concerned waving red grass that seeds itself all over the world and is fatal to the touch. A group of ordinary young people with no special expertise or knowledge struggle to understand the Red Grass, where it came from, what its purpose is on Earth, and how to combat its spread and wipe it out before it kills the last human beings to survive. "The Red Grass is an extraordinary herb discovered by an English archaeologist near Athens. Though it stings whoever touches it, it also gives them the ability to see into the future. Two crooks get hold of a specimen and rush off to England to use it for dishonest purposes. Unluckily for them, they are pursued by Donald and Janet Mason, two children aware of their secret" The series was written by Peter Hayes and directed by John Rhodes. It starred Jacqueline Hussey and Nicholas Light as the two youngsters whose holiday among the Aegean Islands is fraught with danger and excitement, and Nicholas Amer played the sinister Dr Kaliakos. Other cast members included Robert Sansom, Dinsdale Landen, John Lang, Derek Sydney, and Alec Bregonzi.

Reception

Nigel Planer Nigel George Planer (born 22 February 1953) is a British actor, comedian, musician, novelist and playwright. He played Neil in the BBC comedy '' The Young Ones'' and Ralph Filthy in ''Filthy Rich & Catflap''. He has appeared in many West End mu ...

, who watched the serial as a child, described it as "terrifying!", although no contemporary tabloid reviews appear to have survived.

Archive status

The series was transmitted live each week from Studio 4 at Associated-Rediffusion's Wembley Studios.Associated-Rediffusion Daily Programme Schedules, kept at BFI Library, London. No recordings of any of the six episodes are known to exist, presumably having been

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 ...

or misplaced if, indeed, episodes were recorded at the time of transmission. The serial is effectively

lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...

References

External links

The Red Grass
at For the Children: Children's Television in the UK {{DEFAULTSORT:Red Grass 1950s British children's television series 1950s British science fiction television series Black-and-white British television shows British children's science fiction television series ITV children's television shows