Next month Illusion is broadcasting the 2005 version of The Quatermass Experiment and we wanted to give a little background of who Quatermass is, what Quatermass is all about and who are the news faces of this bold experiment. Dr. Bernard Quatermass, the rocket scientist first seen in the 1953 serial “The Quatermass Experiment” is the head of the British Experimental Rocket Group and the mastermind behind the fictional first manned space flight. His plans go awry, however, when his rocket overshoots its mark and crashes in London. The plot thickens when Dr. Quatermass realizes that his astronauts have brought back an alien lifeform that threatens all of Earth’s inhabitants. The 2005 updated version of the serial is a feature-length film which was recorded live on some amazing sets. We’re especially amazed by the lighting used considering the nature of a live television broadcast. In the role of Bernard Quatermass is Jason Flemyng (StarDust, Transporter II and Layer Cake) with other great performances from Indira Varma (Torchwood, Rome) and fan-favorite David Tennant (Doctor Who, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) The Quatermass Experiment will be playing all of November on Illusion.
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October 10th, 2007 at 6:12 am
Shouldn’t you guys also air the original existing complete BBC Quatermass miniseries from the 1950’s like Quatermass 2 and Quatermass and the Pit because there’s been some negative reaction to the remake from the UK and I thought the original existing Quatermass miniseries might give US viewers a fair idea of what made the Quatermass miniseries classic British Scifi in case they don’t like the remake?
October 12th, 2007 at 1:36 pm
You know Kostas, we should. There are lots of programs out there that we’re trying to get on Illusion, but especially with the older series it’s hard to find the rights we need to air them. Actors, musicians, all of the different unions need to have certain criteria met in order to air a program and if the studio doesn’t have all of the paperwork in place we just can’t license it. So… since there’s been some interest in classic Quatermass we’ll keep looking in to it and we hope there will be some good news soon.
-Illusion
October 19th, 2007 at 10:02 am
Also, keep an eye out in future if you guys ever want to do a sort of block to pay tribute to the late Nigel Kneale with these other early acclaimed BBC works of Kneale’s:
George Orwell’s 1984 (1954) - This live BBC Nigel Kneale teleplay adaptation caused an uproar back in the 50’s when it aired and stars British horror actor legends Peter Cushing and Donald Pleasance in the leads in some of their earliest roles ever.
Year of the Sex Olympics (1968) - This Kneale teleplay is a frighteningly adult futuristic sci-fi satire on reality TV that ahead of its time and features a young Brian Cox (Manhunter, X-Men) as a TV exec and stars the late, great UK comic actor Leonard Rossiter (2001: A Space Odyssey).
The Stone Tape (1972) - Creepy ghost story BBC TV movie which like Quatermass and the Pit, mixes science and the supernatural, and involves the scientific investigation by a greedy company entrepeneur of an old mansion with ghostly apparitions leading to the discovery of a new recording medium with some terrible consequences. Also co-stars ex-Paul McCartney girlfriend Jane Asher.
October 19th, 2007 at 12:29 pm
Thanks for the head’s up Kostas. We’ll be on the lookout for these in ‘08. First, I want to track them down for my own colletion though.
October 21st, 2007 at 8:42 pm
Well, keep in mind, you’re gonna need a Multi-region player for some of those UK scifi shows as they never have been released on US DVD yet if that’s any help, Dekker.
I noticed you guys also got BBC sci-fi shows such as Day of the Triffids and Doctor Who. If you’re also looking for other classic UK sci-fi/horror shows from the BBC, here’s some good ones to look for too as well:
Adam Adamant Lives (1966)
Doomwatch(1970)
Moonbase 3 (1973)
Survivors (1975)
Blake’s 7 (1978)
Star Cops (1987)
The Invisible Man (1984)
The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy (1981)
The Nightmare Man (1981)
Gormenghast (2000)
Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) (2000 version BBC remake)
The Lost World (2001 version)
Here’s also a couple of great shows from ITV to look for:
Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased) (1968 version original)
Timeslip (1970)
Children of the Stones (1976)
Quatermass Conclusion(1978)
Look on http://www2.tv-ark.org.uk/cult/index.html for more info on the shows (Note: The TV-ark site is in midst of reconstruction, but it contains great clips on classic and rare UK TV shows.) Also look for youtube and google video for clips on those shows too.