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EUROPE'S MOST VISITED SF/F WEB SITE |
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The Tomorrow People 1:3: The Vanishing
Earth
If it’s anything like Taunton’s MVC shop, then they’re selling quite well as they’ve been restocking the earlier tapes as well and I didn’t see any around when I was in Bristol a month ago. My publisher might disagree regarding the fascination my generation has with seeing old 70s shows, but the figures are beginning to speak for themselves. People out there are collecting these videos. There’s definitely a nostalgia kick going on that should be encouraged into the adult market. Anyone remember ‘Spyder’s Web’? This isn’t to say ‘The Tomorrow People’ isn’t perfect nor dated compared to some of the shows of today, but it was still one of the first shows using humans with extra-powers in the children’s hour. It’s very much a history lesson of how things were done back then and how it had to deal with limited budgets. The way some of the dialogue is set, the script wasn’t entirely aimed at the younger audience. With this story, the Tomorrow People become involved when natural catastrophes are getting out of hand and discover it is caused by an alien called Spidron and his sometimes partner, Joy aka Sander (actress Llewellyn wearing the kind of clothes that could resurrect 70s fashions) who are mining a rare element that keeps the Earth together with the aid of some abducted mind-controlled humans, including Ginge Harding. Spidron (actor Woodnutt) is suitably villainous, rolling his S’s as all good villains should do. Even Ginge describes him as looking like a Ku Klux Klan member as we never see what he truly looks like. Into this mix, is an adult alien Tomorrow Person in the form of Harry Steen (actor Stoney), a galactic policeman powerless to interfere on a ‘closed world’ until he discovers the terrestrial Tomorrow People and whose developing powers means they can be considered for Federation protection. An indication from him about the size of the Federation also indicates there are far too few law enforcement officers around to keep tabs on the more villainous types. This is last story from Season One. The last episode feels especially cut up. We only infer the rescue of the kidnapped people and the replacement of the mineral in the Earth’s crust and the scene changes. I suspect creator/writer Roger Price was planning this story as a 5 parter and then had to cut back either because of budget over-runs or space allocation or whatever. Watching on TV when it was first shown in 25 minute chunks didn’t always make it apparent. Watching them all in a single sitting, it’s obvious that everything had to be shoe-horned together. In many respects, there are far too many cast members waiting around to do something at times. It isn’t too hard to see some changes were likely to happen in the second season as well as spreading the plot to accommodate everyone. Considering this is writer Roger Price getting his feet wet scriptwriting, we are seeing something of his development here. Get while it’s still available. GF Willmetts
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OTHER REVIEWS - July 2002
NEW NOVELS Redemption
Ark by Alastair Reynolds Perdido
Street Station by China Miéville Behind
The Mask Of Spider-Man: by Mark Cotta Vaz Swan
Songs by Brian Stableford Farscape:
The Illustrated Season 3 Companion UFO
DVD Collector’s Edition Volume 2 The
Science of Discworld by Terry Pratchett The
Tomorrow People 1:3: The Vanishing Earth
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Looks
to me like Revelation are keeping up their promise of a bi-monthly
Tomorrow People video or DVD - depending on which format you prefer.
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