pub: DVD: Fremantle/Revelation PAR 61147. 140 minutes. Price: £15.99 (UK)) stars: Nicholas Young, Elizabeth Adare, Michael Holloway and Philip Gilbert with Vivien Helibron, Anulka Dubinska, Roddu Maude-Roxby and er...Flintlock.

check out website: www.revfilms.com

An interesting thing happened when they pared down the main cast, the production values went up and writer Roger Price took his creations seriously again and didn’t pad the episodes up to more than two a story. It was also a season which was marred by strikes and stretched deadlines behind the scenes.

Although it was a short season, it was also of high standard overall. Even with the voice-overs, actor Nick Young was impressed having not seen the stories for so long. It’s also interesting regarding his comments how some directors got what they needed to do seriously and others were purely jobbing.

Mike Holloway takes over from Peter Vaughn Clarke with the voice-overs and adds equally interesting insights about his band and their involvement at the time. Just wish he wouldn’t say, ‘Indeed’, so much when agreeing with something. Interestingly, PVC was a good MC with the first story even if the boys seem to be getting the hots over actress Anulka Dubinska. Anyone who knows which issue of ‘Playboy’ she appeared starkers in, let me know and I’ll pass the message onto them.

‘The Dirtiest Business’ concerns that of an escaping female Soviet telepath (actress Anulka Dubinska) and the Tomorrow People involved in trying to rescue her. This was an adult theme with a tragic results and quite adult for the time. One wonders if Price was a ‘Callan’ fan!?

This segued into ‘A Much Needed Holiday’ where the Tomorrow People end up rescuing the young boys of a primitive planet from slave labour by aliens who used them for mining.

The final story, ‘The Heart Of Sogguth’ highlights Mike’s band, ‘The Fresh Hearts’ (really Flintlock), as they get a manager who’s rather interested in using them to resurrect a demon trapped in the bowls of the Earth. Mind control all round. Again, a very adult theme that you might need to have a PG warning when letting your kids watch the shows you saw as a kid.

Compared to the slow ‘Into The Unknown’ last story of season 4, these stories give ‘The Tomorrow People’ one hell of a boost in the hand opening and is well worth shelling out to have a looksee and relive your memories of the 70s.

GF Willmetts