''Captain Zep – Space Detective'' is a British

television Television (TV) is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. Additionally, the term can refer to a physical television set rather than the medium of transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertising, ...

children's series produced by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

between 1983 and 1984. Constructed as part drama and part quiz game, ''Captain Zep'' featured mysteries that would be solved by the child audience in the studio, along with a write-in competition for viewers. The child audience were dressed in futuristic clothes and had gelled hair. The series was also notable for its combination of live action and animation, where the cast would interact with drawn alien characters amidst drawn backgrounds.

Paul Greenwood Paul Greenwood (born 2 August 1943) is a British film, television and theatre actor. He is best known for his role as PC Michael "Rosie" Penrose in the sitcom ''The Growing Pains of PC Penrose'' and its successor ''Rosie (TV series), Rosie'', ...

played the titular Captain Zep in the first series, to be replaced by Richard Morant for series two. Zep was assisted by Professor Spiro (Harriet Keevil) who was also replaced in series two by Professor Vana (

Tracey Childs Tracey Childs (born 30 May 1963) is an English actress known for playing Lynne Howard in the 1980s drama series ''Howards' Way''. Her other television roles include Marianne Dashwood in ''Sense and Sensibility (1981 TV series), Sense and Sensib ...

). The only cast member to appear in both series was Ben Ellison as Jason Brown. The theme tune "Captain Zep" was written by David Owen Smith and Paul Aitken and performed by The Spacewalkers.

References

External links

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article about the series
{{DEFAULTSORT:Captain Zep Space Detective 1983 British television series debuts 1984 British television series endings BBC children's television shows British children's science fiction television series 1980s British children's television series 1980s British science fiction television series 1980s British mystery television series Speculative crime and thriller fiction