''Wizards vs Aliens'' is a British science fantasy television programme produced by

BBC Cymru Wales BBC Cymru Wales is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Wales. It is one of the four BBC national regions, alongside the BBC English Regions, BBC Northern Ireland and BBC Scotland. Established in 1964, BBC Cymru Wales is b ...

and FremantleMedia Enterprises for CBBC and created by

Russell T Davies Stephen Russell Davies (born 27 April 1963), better known as Russell T Davies, is a Welsh screenwriter and television producer whose works include ''Queer as Folk'', '' The Second Coming'', ''Casanova'', the 2005 revival of the BBC One scien ...

and Phil Ford. The series focuses on the exploits of 16-year-old wizard Tom Clarke ( Scott Haran) and his scientifically gifted best friend Benny Sherwood (

Percelle Ascott Percelle Ascott (born 10 June 1993) is a Zimbabwean-English actor and writer. He is known for his roles in the CBBC (TV channel), CBBC series ''Wizards vs Aliens'' (2012–2014) and the Netflix series ''The Innocents (TV series), The Innocents'' ...

) in their fight against the Nekross, a magic-consuming alien race who have arrived on Earth with the intention of hunting down wizards and feasting on their magical energies. Production-wise, ''Wizards vs Aliens'' was created to fill the schedule gap left by the '' Doctor Who'' spin-off ''

The Sarah Jane Adventures ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'' is a British science fiction television programme that was produced by BBC Cymru Wales for CBBC, created by Russell T Davies, and starring Elisabeth Sladen. The programme is a spin-off of the long-running BBC ...

'' after its cancellation due to the death of the programme's lead

Elisabeth Sladen Elisabeth Clara Heath-Sladen (1 February 1946 – 19 April 2011) was an English actress. She became best known as Sarah Jane Smith in the British television series ''Doctor Who'', appearing as a regular cast member from 1973 to 1976, alongside ...

. Despite being produced by the same creative force behind ''The Sarah Jane Adventures'', ''Wizards vs Aliens'' has no relation to ''Doctor Who''. Two series were commissioned by the BBC in late 2011. The programme premiered on 29 October 2012 with a first series of 12 episodes (6 two-part serials). Series 2, made up of 14 episodes (7 serials) aired between 28 October to 10 December 2013, while a third and final series of 10 episodes (5 serials) was broadcast between 27 October to 25 November 2014. Co-creator and former executive producer Russell T Davies stated that the programme could "easily run for ten years", however, it was put on hiatus due to financial reasons in January 2015.

Premise

''Wizards vs Aliens'' is a science fantasy adventure series which sees the collision of two very different worlds. The first series focuses on Tom Clarke, a 16-year-old Wizard, and his adolescent best friend Benny Sherwood as they come across the forces of an alien race called the Nekross who have invaded Earth to consume anything or anyone connected to Magic. The second series continues the battle between the two sides and sheds more focus on magical creatures and locations and Jathro and Kooth's plan to overthrow the Nekross royals. In the third series, Tom and Benny part ways when Benny receives an opportunity to work with MIT in America. The Nekross return to Earth's galaxy, with Varg, now King Regent of the empire, intending to have vengeance on Tom for turning his sister Lexi into a human (which he did to save her life) and sending her to Earth. He is assisted by his wife Lady Lyzera, who is secretly a sorceress who wishes to take Earth's magic for herself and take over the universe.

Cast and characters

Wizards / Unenchanted

* Scott Haran as Thomas Robert "Tom" Clarke – A football-loving teenage wizard who defends wizardkind and Earth from the alien Nekross. He is Michael and Helen's son and Ursula and Simeon's grandson. *

as Benjamin Claude "Benny" Sherwood – Tom's nerdy "unenchanted" best friend whose vast knowledge of science finds its use with Tom's magic against the Nekross. *

Annette Badland Annette Badland (born 26 August 1950) is an English actress known for a wide range of roles on television, radio, stage, and film. She is best known for her roles as Margaret Blaine in the BBC science fiction series ''Doctor Who'', Mrs. Glen ...

as Ursula Crowe – Tom's happy-go-lucky grandmother and Michael's mother-in-law, a wizard descended from the Magical Line of Crowe. She is also Tom's tutor when training him in magic and spells. * Michael Higgs as Michael Clarke – Tom's widowed father and Ursula's son-in-law; an unenchanted who works as a veterinarian. His main concern is his son's safety and making sure he grows up without having to rely on magic all the time. * Dan Starkey as Randal Moon – A

hobgoblin A hobgoblin is a household spirit, typically appearing in folklore, once considered helpful, but which since the spread of Christianity has often been considered mischievous. Shakespeare identifies the character of Puck in his ''A Midsummer Nig ...

who lives in the Chamber of Crowe – the source of the Magical Line of Crowe's magic – and aids the Wizards and their unenchanted allies with his vast knowledge of potions and spells.

Nekross

* Jefferson Hall (Series 1–2), later Kristian Phillips (Series 3) as Varg –

King King is the title given to a male monarch in a variety of contexts. The female equivalent is queen, which title is also given to the consort of a king. *In the context of prehistory, antiquity and contemporary indigenous peoples, the tit ...

and former Prince of the Nekross; son of the Nekross King, Lexi's older brother and Lady Lyzera's husband, who fights the Wizards with brute strength. * Gwendoline Christie as Lexi (Series 1–2) – 17-year-old Princess of the Nekross; daughter of the Nekross King and Varg's younger sister, whose strategic skills and in-depth research into Earth's culture helps her kind in their battles against the Wizards. *

Tim Rose Timothy Alan Patrick Rose (September 23, 1940 – September 24, 2002) (unofficial website by long-term correspondent of Rose's) was an American singer and songwriter who spent much of his life in London, England, and had more success in E ...

and voice of

Brian Blessed Brian Blessed (; born 9 October 1936) is an English actor, presenter, writer and mountaineer. Blessed is known for portraying PC "Fancy" Smith in ''Z-Cars'', Augustus in the 1976 BBC television production of '' I, Claudius'', King Richard I ...

as The Nekross King (Series 1–2) – King of the Nekross and father to Varg and Lexi. Immobile on the starship ''Zarantulus'' due to his obese size, he is in charge of the Royal Family's mission to find and consume all magic on Earth. He is revealed to have retired to Nekron in the aftermath of Series 2. * Tom Bell as Technician Jathro 15 – A Nekross of the ''Zarantulus''

technician A technician is a worker in a field of technology who is proficient in the relevant skill and technique, with a relatively practical understanding of the theoretical principles. Specialisation The term technician covers many different speciali ...

class, who assists Varg and Lexi in their schemes against the Wizards while secretly working for his mother, Chancellor Kooth, as part of their plan to overthrow the Royal Family. * Alex Childs as Lady Lyzera (Series 3) – Queen of the Nekross and Varg's wife; secretly a Nekross Sorceress who schemes to harvest Earth's magic for herself and use it to conquer the universe.

Recurring

* Manpreet Bambra as Katie Lord – Tom and Benny's classmate and Tom's love interest, who is unaware that Tom is a Wizard. She briefly learns of Tom's nature as a wizard, but believing she couldn't handle the stress of worrying about him in his fight against the Nekross, asks him to perform a spell to wipe her memory. *

Connor Scarlett Connor Scarlett (born 1992) is an English actor from Crowborough, East Sussex. He is best known for his role in the teenage drama series ''The Cut'' from the BBC. He joined the series at the beginning of Series 2, alongside Lara Goodison, Matt ...

as Quinn Christopher – Tom and Benny's classmate who used to tease Benny but eventually befriends him. Like Katie, he has no idea of Tom's true nature. *

Victoria Wicks Victoria Wicks (born Beverly Victoria Anne Wicks; 18 April 1959) is a British actress. She is known for her role as Sally Smedley in Channel 4's comedy series ''Drop the Dead Donkey'' (1990–1998), Mrs. Gideon in ''The Mighty Boosh'' (2004), ...

as Chancellor Kooth (Series 2) – A rogue Nekross who temporarily ruled Nekron whilst the Royal Family travelled the universe seeking magic. She is secretly working with her son Jathro to overthrow the Royal Family and become Nekron's permanent ruler. * Voice of Brian Herring as Stickley (Series 2) – A Hobbledehoy, mischievous magical creature that speaks in rhyme. He resides in the Chamber of Crowe.

Episodes

Series 1 (2012)

Series 2 (2013)

Series 3 (2014)

International broadcasts and releases

''Wizards vs Aliens'' made its American debut on the cable channel Hub Network, where it ran from 27 May – 15 June 2013. The series was available on Netflix until December 2018. In Australia the show airs on ABC 3. In Poland, the show aired on teleTOON+ between 6 April 2013 – 1 January 2014. In Polish dub, the last episode was slightly censored – Benny's dialogue during his coming out was changed from "I’ll go on a date, one day. Just not with her. Not with a girl" to "I’ll go on a date, one day. Just not with her. Not yet". In Italy the show aired on Rai Gulp between 2014 and 2015.

References

External links

*
Weekly top 10 programmes on TV sets (July 1998 – Sept 2018) , BARB

'Wizards vs Aliens' Season 3 episode guide
* {{Media in Cardiff 2012 British television series debuts 2014 British television series endings 2010s British children's television series 2010s British science fiction television series BBC children's television shows BBC Cymru Wales television shows Television series by Fremantle (company) Television series by FremantleMedia Kids & Family English-language television shows Wizards in television Television about magic Television series created by Russell T Davies British children's science fiction television series British television shows featuring puppetry Television series about teenagers 2010s British LGBT-related television series