Only now am I discovering that there are three lost episodes of the original 1950's BBC serial The Quatermass Experiment. I really didn't know this. Reading up it would seem that owing to poor film stock the first two episodes were not very good quality themselves - an insect landing on the camera screen of one - and the remaining three episodes now missing completely.
You can read more about this on various platforms including Wiki:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Quatermass_Experiment
I know I have a BBC Quatermass series on a 1980's/90's BBC VHS video cassette. I assume it must only be episodes one and two.
Does anyone know anymore about these missing episodes?
The series was filmed in studio on very early video tape equipment and broadcast live. As the tape technology was so expensive, it was re-used and the original recordings lost. later series were transferred to film and stored for posterity, but the early show wasnt preserved, like some dr who episodes. The dvd set has a couple of the surviving episodes and a script run through and a few stills from the screening. The final monster scenes are unfortunately now gone. Luckily, Q and the Pit survives in its entirety and this is head and shoulders above all the others, even the film version, with Andre Morrell giving a performance as easily the best prof ever. Bill
ReplyDeleteI must have a look at the BBC VHS video I have. It must be the series Q and the Pit.
DeleteI originally encountered the Quatermass stories in the US via the theatrical films, The Creeping Unknown, Enemy From Space and Five Million Years to Earth. I later caught up with the original TV productions on DVD and loved them too. My favorite will always be Quatermass II - so grim and bleak! SFZ
ReplyDeleteWow, completely different titles in the States SFZ. I wonder why they changed them?
Deletethey were changed to reflect the B movie trend and catch american audiences attention. Quatermass doesnt exactly inspire fear as it is, but the British public were familiar with the name from the three smash hit tv series.
DeleteFascinating SFZ. B Movie always makes me think of The Killer Shrews poster With the red shoes. I thought it said the Killer shoes! Ha ha
DeleteMaybe someone in South Africa might have missing titles…I imagine things were flown there…moldering even now in some attics
ReplyDelete