Out of the Unknown

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''Out of the Unknown'' is a British

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

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 ...

anthology drama series, produced by the

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and broadcast on BBC2 in four series between 1965 and 1971. Most episodes of the first three series were a dramatisation of a science fiction

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 ...

. Some were written directly for the series, but most were adaptations of already-published stories. The first three years were exclusively science fiction, but that genre was mostly abandoned in the final year in favour of horror/fantasy stories, with only one story based around science-fiction. Many videotapes of episodes were

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 ...

in the early 1970s, as was standard procedure at the time. A large number of episodes are still missing, although some have resurfaced—for example, " Level Seven" from series two, originally broadcast on 27 October 1966, was returned to the BBC from the archives of a European broadcaster in January 2006.

Origins

Irene Shubik had been a science fiction fan since college. In 1961 suggested to her superior

Sydney Newman Sydney Cecil Newman (April 1, 1917 – October 30, 1997) was a Canadian film and television producer, who played a pioneering role in British television drama from the late 1950s to the late 1960s. After his return to Canada in 1970, Newman w ...

, then head of the drama department of ABC Television, an ITV franchise contractor, with a proposal to create a science fiction version of ''

Armchair Theatre ''Armchair Theatre'' is a British television drama anthology series of single plays that ran on the ITV network from 1956 to 1974. It was originally produced by ABC Weekend TV. Its successor Thames Television took over from mid-1968. The Canad ...

''. This became '' Out of this World'', a sixty-minute anthology series hosted by

Boris Karloff William Henry Pratt (23 November 1887 – 2 February 1969), better known by his stage name Boris Karloff (), was an English actor. His portrayal of Frankenstein's monster in the horror film '' Frankenstein'' (1931) (his 82nd film) established ...

that ran for thirteen episodes between June and September 1962. Many of the episodes were adaptations of stories by writers including

John Wyndham John Wyndham Parkes Lucas Beynon Harris (; 10 July 1903 – 11 March 1969) was an English science fiction writer best known for his works published under the pen name John Wyndham, although he also used other combinations of his names ...

, Isaac Asimov and Philip K. Dick.

Series one

Shubik began work, and soon found that finding science fiction stories suitable for adaptation was a difficult task. She later recalled "I had to read hundreds of stories to pick a dozen. You have no idea how difficult some of these authors are to deal with, and it seems a special thing among SF writers to hedge themselves behind almost impossible copyright barriers, even when they have got a story that is possible to do on television. So many you can't. Either the conception is so way out you would need a fantastic budget to produce it, or the story is too short, too tight to be padded out to make an hour's television". When working on ''Out of this World'' Shubik had made a valuable contact in

John Carnell Edward John Carnell (8 April 1912 – 23 March 1972) was a British science fiction editor known for editing '' New Worlds'' in 1946 then from 1949 to 1963. He also edited ''Science Fantasy'' from the 1950s. After the magazines were sold to anoth ...

, a key figure in British science fiction publishing. He was the founder of science fiction magazine '' New Worlds'', and agent for many of Britain's science fiction writers. Carnell was able to suggest stories and authors for her to consider. Shubik received copies of science fiction anthologies from British publishers, and also sought advice from many authors including Frederik Pohl,

Alfred Bester Alfred Bester (December 18, 1913 – September 30, 1987) was an American science fiction author, TV and radio scriptwriter, magazine editor and scripter for comic strips and comic books. He is best remembered for his science fiction, incl ...

and

Robert Silverberg Robert Silverberg (born January 15, 1935) is an American author and editor, best known for writing science fiction. He is a multiple winner of both Hugo and Nebula Awards, a member of the Science Fiction and Fantasy Hall of Fame, and a Gr ...

. The latter two admitted to her that they had run into similar difficulties in finding suitable material for television adaptation. She considered asking

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 ...

if he would write a new Quatermass story for the series, and contacted Arthur C. Clarke regarding the possibility of adapting his novel ''

The Deep Range ''The Deep Range'' is a 1957 science fiction novel by British writer Arthur C. Clarke, concerning a future sub-mariner who works in the field of mariculture, herding whales. The story includes the capture of a sea monster similar to a kra ...

''. In March 1965, Shubik travelled to New York City to negotiate rights with authors whose works she was considering, to seek ideas from US television, and to obtain more science fiction anthologies from US publishers. During her visit she met with US science fiction editors and also with Isaac Asimov, who granted permission for two of his stories to be adapted on the condition that they could only be shown in the UK: sales to foreign territories were not allowed. The trip to New York would become an annual event for her during her time on ''Out of the Unknown''. On her return to London, Shubik learned that she had been appointed producer and story editor for the new anthology series. She obtained the services of George Spenton-Foster as her associate producer. Spenton-Foster was a science fiction fan and his wide experience of BBC television production proved invaluable to Shubik. By this stage, she had found the twelve scripts she needed for the series: ten episodes would be adaptations of stories by John Wyndham (" Time to Rest" and its sequel "

No Place Like Earth ''No Place Like Earth'' () is a collection of science fiction short stories by British writer John Wyndham, published in July 2003 by Darkside Press. Contents The collection contains the following short stories: *"Derelict of Space" (first publi ...

", dramatised together as "No Place Like Earth"); Alan Nourse (" The Counterfeit Man"); Isaac Asimov (" The Dead Past" and '' Sucker Bait'');

William Tenn William Tenn was the pseudonym of Philip Klass (May 9, 1920 – February 7, 2010), a British-born American science fiction author, notable for many stories with satirical elements. Biography Born to a Jewish family in London, Phillip Klass mo ...

Time in Advance ''Time in Advance'' (no ISBN) is a collection of four noveletes by American science fiction writer William Tenn (a pseudonym of Philip Klass). The stories all originally appeared in a number of different publications between 1952 and 1957. ''Time ...

");

Ray Bradbury Ray Douglas Bradbury (; August 22, 1920June 5, 2012) was an American author and screenwriter. One of the most celebrated 20th-century American writers, he worked in a variety of modes, including fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery fictio ...

("The Fox and the Forest");

Kate Wilhelm Kate Wilhelm (June 8, 1928 – March 8, 2018) was an American author. She wrote novels and stories in the science fiction, mystery, and suspense genres, including the Hugo Award–winning ''Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang''. Wilhelm established ...

("Andover and the Android"); John Brunner ("Some Lapse of Time");

J. G. Ballard James Graham Ballard (15 November 193019 April 2009) was an English novelist, short story writer, satirist, and essayist known for provocative works of fiction which explored the relations between human psychology, technology, sex, and mass med ...

("Thirteen to Centaurus") and Frederik Pohl ("The Midas Plague"). Two original stories—"Stranger in the Family" by David Campton and "Come Buttercup, Come Daisy, Come...?" by Mike Watts—were also commissioned. Among those commissioned to adapt the stories were a few notable names in television writing:

Terry Nation Terence Joseph Nation (8 August 19309 March 1997) was a British screenwriter and novelist. Especially known for his work in British television science fiction, he created the Daleks and Davros for ''Doctor Who'', as well as the series '' Surviv ...

, creator of the

Dalek The Daleks ( ) are a fictional extraterrestrials in fiction, extraterrestrial race of mutants principally portrayed in the British science fiction on television, science fiction television programme ''Doctor Who''. They were conceived by write ...

s for '' Doctor Who'' and later of '' Survivors'' and ''

Blake's 7 ''Blake's 7'' (sometimes styled ''Blakes7'') is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. Four 13-episode series were broadcast on BBC1 between 1978 and 1981. It was created by Terry Nation, who also wrote the first ...

'', adapted Bradbury's "The Fox and the Forest" while

Troy Kennedy Martin Troy Kennedy Martin (15 February 1932 – 15 September 2009) was a Scottish-born film and television screenwriter. He created the long-running BBC TV police series ''Z-Cars'' (1962–1978), and the award-winning 1985 anti-nuclear drama ''Edge of ...

, co-creator of ''

Z-Cars ''Z-Cars'' or ''Z Cars'' (pronounced "zed cars") is a British television police procedural series centred on the work of mobile uniformed police in the fictional town of Newtown, based on Kirkby, near Liverpool. Produced by the BBC, it debut ...

'', adapted Pohl's "The Midas Plague". A title for the series had not been decided when production began. Names including ''Dimension 4'', ''The Edge of Tomorrow'' and ''From the Unknown'' were considered, before ''Out of the Unknown'' was settled upon. The title music was composed by Norman Kay and the title sequence was created by

Bernard Lodge Bernard Lodge (born 1933) is a British graphic designer. He worked for the BBC from 1959 to 1977 before launching a freelance career. He has been described by the Open University as a pioneer of graphic design in television. Lodge attended the ...

. It was intended from an early stage that, as with Boris Karloff on ''Out of this World'', each story would be introduced by a regular host. Christopher Lee and

Vincent Price Vincent Leonard Price Jr. (May 27, 1911 – October 25, 1993) was an American actor, art historian, art collector and gourmet cook. He appeared on stage, television, and radio, and in more than 100 films. Price has two stars on the Hollywood Wal ...

were approached but were not available and the idea was dropped. The episode "Some Lapse of Time" is notable for having Ridley Scott, future director of such films as '' Alien'' and ''

Blade Runner ''Blade Runner'' is a 1982 science fiction film directed by Ridley Scott, and written by Hampton Fancher and David Peoples. Starring Harrison Ford, Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos, it is an adaptation of Philip K. Dick' ...

'', as designer. The opening title sequence was designed by Bernard Lodge, utilising stock shots and specially created optical illusion patterns filmed on a rostrum camera, combined with a face frozen in a scream and a mannequin falling repeatedly through space contrived to create an eerie sense of suspense and intrigue. The forty-second sequence would win a Design & Art Direction Wood Pencil for Television Graphics in 1965. ''Out of the Unknown'' made its debut on Monday, 4 October 1965 at 8pm on BBC2, with Wyndham's "No Place Like Earth" selected as the opening story. Science fiction and fantasy was popular on television, with ''Doctor Who'', '' The Avengers'', '' Thunderbirds'', ''

The Man from UNCLE ''The Man from U.N.C.L.E.'' is an American spy fiction television series produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television and first broadcast on NBC. The series follows secret agents, played by Robert Vaughn and David McCallum, who work for a sec ...

'' and ''

Lost in Space ''Lost in Space'' is an American science fiction television series, created and produced by Irwin Allen, which originally aired between 1965 and 1968 on CBS. The series was inspired by the 1812 novel ''The Swiss Family Robinson.'' The series fo ...

'' all notable hits at the time. ''Out of the Unknown'', however, would offer more adult, cerebral fare. Initial audience and critical reaction was mixed, but improved as the series went on with "Andover and the Android" ("It's not until intelligence, humour and gaiety break into television that you notice what tasteless pap we've been living on" – '' Daily Mail'') and "Some Lapse of Time" ("It was not surprising to hear from ''

Late Night Line Up ''Late Night Line-Up'' was a pioneering British television discussion programme broadcast on BBC2 between 1964 and 1972. Background From its launch in April 1964, BBC2 began each evening's transmission with a programme called ''Line-Up'', a ten- ...

'' that there had been many complimentary telephone calls after the play ..it left the viewer with the disconcerting feeling that there was more than a grain of truth in its fantasy" – '' Birmingham Evening Mail and Dispatch'') proving particularly popular with audiences and critics alike. BBC2 Controller David Attenborough praised the "overall professionalism that has become a hallmark of the series". By the end of its first run, ''Out of the Unknown'' was the second-most popular drama on BBC2, after the imported

Western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

'' The Virginian''. Series one holds the distinction of being the only series to have its first and final broadcast episodes in existence. Series three and four are missing both, whilst series two is missing its final episode.

Series two

In parallel with preparing for the second series of ''Out of the Unknown'', Shubik was tasked with producing another anthology series: ''Thirteen Against Fate'', adaptations of short stories by

Maigret Jules Maigret (), or simply Maigret, is a fictional French police detective, a '' commissaire'' ("commissioner") of the Paris ''Brigade Criminelle'' ('' Direction Régionale de la Police Judiciaire de Paris:36, Quai des Orfèvres''), created b ...

creator

Georges Simenon Georges Joseph Christian Simenon (; 13 February 1903 – 4 September 1989) was a Belgian writer. He published nearly 500 novels and numerous short works, and was the creator of the fictional detective Jules Maigret. Early life and education ...

. To assist her, she was assigned a script editor—initially Rodney Gedye, and then when Gedye left following clashes with Shubik, Michael Imison. As with series one, finding suitable stories for adaptation remained a problem. On her annual visit to New York, Shubik placed an advertisement looking for stories in the Science Fiction Writers Association Bulletin. One author who answered the advertisement was

Larry Eisenberg Lawrence Eisenberg (December 21, 1919 – December 25, 2018) was an American biomedical engineer and science fiction writer. He is best known for his short story "What Happened to Auguste Clarot?", published in Harlan Ellison's anthology ' ...

, whose stories ''The Fastest Draw'' and ''Too Many Cooks'' were commissioned. Two further adaptations, of

E.M. Forster Edward Morgan Forster (1 January 1879 – 7 June 1970) was an English author, best known for his novels, particularly '' A Room with a View'' (1908), ''Howards End'' (1910), and ''A Passage to India'' (1924). He also wrote numerous short stor ...

's " The Machine Stops" and

Mordecai Roshwald Mordecai Marceli Roshwald (May 26, 1921 – March 19, 2015) was an American academic and writer. Born in Drohobycz, Ukraine to Jewish parents, Roshwald later emigrated to Israel. His most famous work is '' Level 7'' (1959), a post-apocalyptic s ...

's '' Level 7'' (dramatised as "Level Seven"), were scripts that had been offered, without success, to film studios for some years. Another script, adapting

Colin Kapp Derek Ivor Colin Kapp (3 April 1928"C Kapp birth record ...

's ''Lambda 1'', had been commissioned for series one but shelved, owing to technical considerations about how it could be realised. When special effects designer Jack Kine indicated that he had a solution to the technical challenges, the script was brought back into production for series two. Five further adaptations were commissioned:

John Rankine John Rankine (born Douglas Rankine Mason; 26 September 1918 – 8 August 2013) was a British science fiction author, who wrote books as John Rankine and Douglas R. Mason. Rankine was born in Hawarden, Flintshire, Wales and first attended Ch ...

's ''The World in Silence'', Henry Kuttner's ''The Eye'', Frederik Pohl's ''Tunnel Under the World'' and Isaac Asimov's " Satisfaction Guaranteed" and "

Reason Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, science, ...

" (dramatised as "The Prophet"). Three original stories—"Frankenstein Mark II" by

Hugh Whitemore Hugh John Whitemore (16 June 1936 – 17 July 2018) was an English playwright and screenwriter. Biography Whitemore studied for the stage at London's Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, where he was taught by Peter Barkworth, then on the staff at RADA ...

, "Second Childhood" by

Hugh Leonard Hugh Leonard (9 November 1926 – 12 February 2009) was an Irish dramatist, television writer, and essayist. In a career that spanned 50 years, Leonard wrote nearly 30 full-length plays, 10 one-act plays, three volumes of essay, two autobiograph ...

and "Walk's End" by

William Trevor William Trevor Cox (24 May 1928 – 20 November 2016), known by his pen name William Trevor, was an Irish novelist, playwright, and short story writer. One of the elder statesmen of the Irish literary world, he is widely regarded as one of th ...

—were also commissioned. In response to

Kenneth Tynan Kenneth Peacock Tynan (2 April 1927 – 26 July 1980) was an English theatre critic and writer. Making his initial impact as a critic at ''The Observer'', he praised Osborne's ''Look Back in Anger'' (1956), and encouraged the emerging wave of ...

's use of the word " fuck" on the satirical programme '' BBC-3'', Sydney Newman issued directives to his producers regarding language and content. In the case of ''Out of the Unknown'', this led to particular attention being paid to the scripts for "Second Childhood" (about reawakening of

sexual desire Sexual desire is an emotion and motivational state characterized by an interest in sexual objects or activities, or by a drive to seek out sexual objects or to engage in sexual activities. It is an aspect of sexuality, which varies significantly f ...

when an elderly man undergoes a

rejuvenation Rejuvenation is a medical discipline focused on the practical reversal of the aging process. Rejuvenation is distinct from life extension. Life extension strategies often study the causes of aging and try to oppose those causes in order to slow ...

process) and "Satisfaction Guaranteed" (about a woman taking a

robot A robot is a machine—especially one programmable by a computer—capable of carrying out a complex series of actions automatically. A robot can be guided by an external control device, or the control may be embedded within. Robots may ...

as a lover). The theme music was changed to a less trippy, more theatrical version with a faster pace. Series two was broadcast on Thursday nights at 9:30pm, beginning with the episode "The Machine Stops" on 6 October 1966. The new series was promoted in

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 ...

'' Radio Times'' with a front cover of "The Machine Stops"’ star

Yvonne Mitchell Yvonne Mitchell (born Yvonne Frances Joseph; 7 July 1915 – 24 March 1979) was an English actress and author. After beginning her acting career in theatre, Mitchell progressed to films in the late 1940s. Her roles include Julia in the 1954 BBC ...

and an article previewing the upcoming episodes, written by Michael Imison. The two most notable productions of the series were "The Machine Stops" and "Level Seven". "The Machine Stops", directed by

Philip Saville Philip Saville (28 October 1927 – 22 December 2016) was a British director, screenwriter and former actor whose career lasted half a century. The British Film Institute's Screenonline website described Saville as "one of Britain's most prolifi ...

, was a particularly challenging production—later described by Shubik as "the most complex and technically demanding script I have ever had in my hand"—requiring large and complex sets, including construction of one with a working

monorail A monorail (from "mono", meaning "one", and " rail") is a railway in which the track consists of a single rail or a beam. Colloquially, the term "monorail" is often used to describe any form of elevated rail or people mover. More accurat ...

. The effort paid off, however, as the adaptation was met with good reviews ("A haunting film – and a deeply disturbing one" – ''

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 ...

'') and was awarded first prize at the Fifth ''Festival Internazionale del Film di Fantascienza'' (''International Science Fiction Film Festival'') in

Trieste Trieste ( , ; sl, Trst ; german: Triest ) is a city and seaport in northeastern Italy. It is the capital city, and largest city, of the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia, one of two autonomous regions which are not subdivided into prov ...

on 17 July 1967. Due to the expected complexities of editing, the episode was recorded onto 35mm film instead of videotape, and still exists as this original film negative. As such, it is the only episode produced during the show's black and white era to exist in its original broadcast format. "Level Seven" was adapted by

J. B. Priestley John Boynton Priestley (; 13 September 1894 – 14 August 1984) was an English novelist, playwright, screenwriter, broadcaster and social commentator. His Yorkshire background is reflected in much of his fiction, notably in ''The Good Compa ...

and directed by

Rudolph Cartier Rudolph Cartier (born Rudolph Kacser, renamed himself in Germany to Rudolph Katscher; 17 April 1904 – 7 June 1994) was an Austrian television director, filmmaker, screenwriter and producer who worked predominantly in British television, exc ...

. Priestley's script had begun life as a potential screenplay for a feature film, and condensing it down to ''Out of the Unknowns standard running time of fifty minutes proved impossible. In the end, Shubik convinced the management of the BBC to allow "Level Seven" to run to sixty minutes as a one-off exceptional measure. Reviewing "Level Seven" in ''The Listener'', J. C. Trewin said, "the tension was inescapable, the excitement incontestable, more so, undoubtedly, than other thrusts into the future". The robot costumes created for "The Prophet" were later reused in the ''Doctor Who'' serial "

The Mind Robber ''The Mind Robber'' is the second serial of the sixth season of the British science fiction television series ''Doctor Who'', which was first broadcast in five weekly parts from 14 September to 12 October 1968. The serial is set outside of time ...

". Series two of ''Out of the Unknown'' had built on the success of the first series. However, as Irene Shubik and Michael Imison began work on the third series, major changes were implemented.

Series three

Shubik was in the middle of her third trip to New York in early 1967 when she received a call from Sydney Newman offering her the opportunity to co-produce, with Graeme McDonald, BBC1's most prestigious drama slot, ''

The Wednesday Play ''The Wednesday Play'' is an anthology series of British television plays which ran on BBC1 for six seasons from October 1964 to May 1970. The plays were usually original works written for television, although dramatic adaptations of fiction ...

''. Shubik accepted the new post but insisted that she be given time to commission a full series of ''Out of the Unknown'' scripts before moving on to ''The Wednesday Play'' and handing ''Out of the Unknown'' over to a new production team. At the same time, Michael Imison also moved on to produce ''Thirty Minute Theatre''. For series three, Shubik commissioned dramatisations of stories by

Robert Sheckley Robert Sheckley (July 16, 1928 – December 9, 2005) was an American writer. First published in the science-fiction magazines of the 1950s, his many quick-witted stories and novels were famously unpredictable, absurdist, and broadly comical. ...

('' Immortality, Inc.''); Isaac Asimov ('' Liar!'' and ''

The Naked Sun ''The Naked Sun'' is a science fiction novel by American writer Isaac Asimov, the second in his ''Robot'' series. Like its predecessor, '' The Caves of Steel'', this is a whodunit story. It was first published in book form in 1957 after being ...

'' (the sequel to ''The Caves of Steel'' which Shubik had dramatised for ''Story Parade'' in 1963)); John Brunner (''The Last Lonely Man'');

Clifford D. Simak Clifford Donald Simak (; August 3, 1904 – April 25, 1988) was an American science fiction writer. He won three Hugo Awards and one Nebula Award. The Science Fiction Writers of America made him its third SFWA Grand Master, and the Horror W ...

(''Beach Head'' and ''Target Generation''); John Wyndham (''

Random Quest "Random Quest" is a science fiction short story, which is also a love story, by British writer John Wyndham. It was included in his 1961 collection '' Consider Her Ways and Others''. It has been dramatised three times, twice under its original na ...

''); Cyril M. Kornbluth (''

The Little Black Bag "The Little Black Bag" is a science fiction novelette by American Cyril M. Kornbluth, first published in the July 1950 edition of ''Astounding Science Fiction''. It is a predecessor of sorts to the story "The Marching Morons". It won the 2001 Ret ...

''); Rog Phillips (''The Yellow Pill'') and Peter Phillips (''Get Off My Cloud''). Original stories were provided by Donald Bull ("Something in the Cellar"),

Brian Hayles Brian Leonard Hayles (7 March 1931 – 30 October 1978) was an English television and film writer, most notably for the BBC science fiction series ''Doctor Who''. Doctor Who Hayles wrote six stories for ''Doctor Who'' and is best known for his ...

("1+1=1.5") and Michael Ashe ("The Fosters"). Two scripts, "The Yellow Pill" and "Target Generation", had previously been used in Shubik's earlier anthology series ''Out of this World''. In September 1967,

Alan Bromly Alan Bromly (1915–1995) was a British television director and producer. Bromly also directed two feature films ''The Angel Who Pawned Her Harp'' and '' Follow That Horse!''. Amongst the television series he worked on were '' Out of the Unknown' ...

and Roger Parkes were appointed as, respectively, the new producer and script editor. Bromly and Parkes both had a background in thriller series. With all the scripts already commissioned, Bromly and Parkes' role was mainly to shepherd them through production. A new opening title sequence was implemented, which was essentially a green and orange colourisation of the original. This was created when colourisation was a relatively uncommon process, particularly for television, so the results of each image vary. Series three – the first ''Out of the Unknown'' series to be made in colour – was broadcast on Wednesday nights beginning on 7 January 1969 with the episode "Immortality, Inc.". One viewer of "Immortality, Inc." was George Harrison of

the Beatles The Beatles were an English rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the most influential band of all time and were integral to the developmen ...

, who can be seen discussing the episode with bandmate Ringo Starr in the film '' Let It Be''. Scheduled opposite the very popular ITV drama series ''

The Power Game ''The Plane Makers'' is a British television series created by Wilfred Greatorex and produced by Rex Firkin. ATV made three series for ITV between 1963 and 1965. It was succeeded by ''The Power Game'', which ran for an additional three se ...

'', the series suffered in the ratings and met with mixed reviews; the '' Daily Express'' found the series "most erratic", sometimes "wonderfully inventive" but at other times "as silly as a comic strip in a child's magazine". The production of "Random Quest" led its author, John Wyndham, to write to director Christopher Barry praising "the hard work and ingenuity of a great number of people concerned ..excellent work by everybody – not forgetting the adapter. My thanks to everyone ..for weaving it all together so skillfully". "Beach Head" was entered into the Sixth ''Festival Internazionale del Film di Fantascienza'' in July 1968, in the hope of repeating the earlier success of "The Machine Stops", but did not win. ''Get off my Cloud'' included Doctor Who's prop of the TARDIS exterior and the scenes were recorded in August 1968. Series three is infamous for being the most incomplete season of the show. While several clips and audio recordings exist for the missing episodes, only one episode, "The Last Lonely Man", exists in its entirety as its original colour videotape master. "The Little Black Bag" only exists partially (roughly 20 minutes of footage, mainly from the first act, is missing).

Series four

The fourth series of ''Out of the Unknown'' began production in early 1970. Bromly and Parkes were now free to put their own creative mark on the series. Encouraged by Head of Plays

Gerald Savory Gerald Douglas Savory (17 November 1909 – 9 February 1996) was an English writer and television producer specialising in comedies. Biography The son of Kenneth Douglas Savory and actress Grace Lane (1877–1956), he was educated at Bradfield C ...

, they sought to recast ''Out of the Unknown'' as "not straight science fiction, but with a strong horror content, all starting out from a realistic basis".Ward, ''Out of the Unknown'', p. 394. The decision to move towards

psychological horror Psychological horror is a subgenre of horror and psychological fiction with a particular focus on mental, emotional, and psychological states to frighten, disturb, or unsettle its audience. The subgenre frequently overlaps with the related subge ...

came about partly because of the difficulties involved in finding suitable science fiction scripts, partly because the production team felt that their budget could not compete with the glossy fare offered by the likes of '' 2001: A Space Odyssey'' and '' Star Trek'' (the latter had just begun to be broadcast in the UK at this time), and partly because it was felt that science fiction could not compete with the real-life drama of the Apollo moon landings then occurring. Another major change for series four was a move away from adapting novels and short stories. Only one episode of series four – "Deathday", based on the novel by Angus Hall, dramatised by

– was an adaptation; the remaining ten episodes were original works. The opening title sequence was changed again, designed by Charles McGhie, employing a variety of techniques, from computer generated images to realtime visual effects and stop frame model animation. The outlines of a face appearing through a sheet of latex pre-empts his more extensive use of the same technique a decade later in his titles for

Jonathan Miller Sir Jonathan Wolfe Miller CBE (21 July 1934 – 27 November 2019) was an English theatre and opera director, actor, author, television presenter, humourist and physician. After training in medicine and specialising in neurology in the late 1 ...

's series '' The Body in Question''. The music used was "Lunar Landscape" by

Roger Roger ''Roger Roger'' is a BBC television comedy drama written by John Sullivan. The series was about a mini-cab firm called Cresta Cabs. The pilot aired in 1996 and there were three subsequent series on BBC1 in 1998–2003. Cast and characters Mai ...

. Series four was broadcast on Wednesday nights beginning on 21 April 1971. Both ratings and critical reception were positive, although some viewers were disappointed by the move away from

hard science fiction Hard science fiction is a category of science fiction characterized by concern for scientific accuracy and logic. The term was first used in print in 1957 by P. Schuyler Miller in a review of John W. Campbell's ''Islands of Space'' in the Novemb ...

– a typical comment was that of Martin J. Pitt, who wrote to ''Radio Times'' that "it will be a pity if the opinions of people like Alan Bromly rob television of the opportunity to present intelligent and exciting science fiction". "To Lay a Ghost" was a particularly controversial production at the time due to its "somewhat questionable" depiction of rape and sexual repression. Its notoriety has continued to grow and its artistic value continues to be debated. Although the fourth series was judged to be a success, the BBC chose not to renew ''Out of the Unknown'' for a fifth series. With the exception of the ''Play for Today'' spin-off, ''Play for Tomorrow'', no regular lengthy science fiction anthology series has been made by a UK broadcaster since ''Out of the Unknown'' went off air. Of the eleven episodes produced during its final year, only five are known to exist, with the first and final episodes also missing.

Episode list

Archive status

Of the forty-nine episodes of ''Out of the Unknown'' that were made, only twenty survive in their entirety, mainly from series one. Almost thirty minutes of "The Little Black Bag" also survive, as do shorter clips from "The Fox and the Forest", "Andover and the Android", "Satisfaction Guaranteed", "Liar!" and "The Last Witness". Complete audio recordings exist of "Beach Head", "The Yellow Pill" and "The Uninvited" as well as an almost complete recording of "The Naked Sun" and audio clips of other lost episodes. Off-screen photographs, known as

tele-snaps Tele-snaps (often known as telesnaps) were off-screen photographs of British television broadcasts, taken and sold commercially by John Cura (born Alberto Giovanni Cura in Clapham, South London, England; 9 April 1902 – 21 April 1969). From 1947 ...

, were taken of many first- and second-series stories, including some of the missing episodes. These were published in Mark Ward's ''Out of the Unknown: A guide to the legendary BBC series'' in 2004. The fourth-series episodes "The Last Witness" and "The Uninvited", both of which are missing, were remade as episodes of '' Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense'' – respectively as "A Distant Scream" and "In Possession" – and broadcast in the UK in 1986. A new adaptation of John Wyndham's ''Random Quest'', which had been dramatised for series three and had also been adapted as the film ''Quest for Love'', was made for BBC Four and broadcast on 27 November 2006 as part of that channel's ''Science Fiction Britannia'' season. The episode " Level Seven" was returned to the archive as a film copy by a European broadcaster in 2006, shown at the

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery (United Kingdom), National Lot ...

South Bank in August 2009, while the episode "Thirteen to Centaurus" was repeated by BBC Four in 2003 as part of a J. G. Ballard retrospective. All surviving episodes of ''Out of the Unknown'', as well as reconstructions and clips of some of the missing episodes, were released on

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 ...

by the BFI on 24 November 2014 (delayed from 27 October), with audio commentaries and interviews with cast and crew, a new documentary called ''Return of the Unknown'', extensive stills galleries, and a fully illustrated booklet with essays by show expert Mark Ward with full episode credits. The BBC Archive Treasure Hunt, a public appeal campaign, continues to search for lost episodes.

Notes

Sources

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External links

''Out of the Unknown''
articles a
www.625.org.uk

at the

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Screen Online

at ttp://www.zetaminor.com/ Zeta Minor
''Out of the Unknown''
recalled at the BBC'
My Science Fiction Life

Missing ''Out of the Unknown'' episodes
at the BBC'
Treasure Hunt
* {{IMDb title, id=0058836, title=Out of the Unknown
''Out of the Unknown''
at OldFutures 1965 British television series debuts 1971 British television series endings 1960s British science fiction television series 1970s British science fiction television series 1960s British anthology television series 1970s British anthology television series BBC television dramas British fantasy television series British science fiction television shows British supernatural television shows Lost BBC episodes English-language television shows Black-and-white British television shows Science fiction anthology television series