DOOMWATCH.org

JOHN PAUL PHOTOGRAPH (taken between Probation officer and Doomwatch)

snhbuk@gmail.com — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 03:43:18 PST

This picture was taken between the time John Paul featured in Probation Officer and Doomwatch. With thanks to James Paul.

JOHN PAUL PHOTOGRAPH

snhbuk@gmail.com — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 03:41:24 PST

This picture was taken around the time John Paul featured in Emergency Ward 10. With thanks to James Paul.

PRAISE FOR JOHN PAUL FROM DIRECTOR DARROL BLAKE

snhbuk@gmail.com — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 03:32:22 PST

JOHN PAUL'S HAUNTED COTTAGE

snhbuk@gmail.com — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 03:34:40 PST

GHOST AT THE OLD DUKE'S HEAD
THE Old Duke’s Head, Buckland, used to be two cottages with loose boxes on the left and licensed premises on the right, standing beside the lane where gipsies came to fashion pegs from branches taken from the willow trees around the village pond near Manor Farm.
The lane is no longer named Pegs Lane. The pond has been filled in, and the delicensed Old Duke's Head is a well-maintained picturesque Bucks thatched cottage.
But the atmosphere of its history is still in the building, as I was told by actor John Paul who has lived there for 15 years.
“Only one person has come back who remembered drinking a pint here. He was a thatcher and died a few years ago, but the house is meant to be haunted by a Chinaman.
STRANGE
“It was a pub for a very long time, and it does have an atmosphere of something strange. When we were doing up our bedroom we slept in the haunted room on the other side of the house. “In the early hours of the morning someone started climbing the stairs leading straight into the room. I sat up and listened, and the steps faded away," he said.
It was only in the morning he learnt his wife Jean also sat up in bed and listened intently to the sound of footsteps at the same moment.
“Even when I was alone here for the first time I woke up and found myself talking to someone. I was cursing him as though he must be unfriendly.
“But as I came more awake I asked myself ‘Why am I calling him this way?’ Ever since, I have tried to think he must be friendly, and there’s no reason to be frightened,” said John Paul, who glayed a major part in the TV series “Doomwatch”.
He has just completed a film warning about the dangers of being careless with building site equipment, emphasising the proper use of a builder’s hoist.
Even in one scene during the filming there was nearly a tragedy due to carelessness, he said.
“A man was up to his neck in mud in a trench as a result of not taking the right precautions. Yet people were standing close to the edge of the trench watching him, and it could have caved’ in at any moment."
John Paul has a feel for the part of a safety officer. In the past he has been cast as a probation officer, and a doctor in “Emergency Wand 10" with Richard Chamberlain.

With thanks to James Paul for the newspaper article from the Bucks Herald.

DR QUIST OF DOOMWATCH

snhbuk@gmail.com — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 03:05:12 PST

NEWSPAPER ARTICLE FROM THE BUCKS HERALD, DATED THURSDAY, 6th JULY 1972 - Page 4.

Dr Quist of Doomwatch
POLLUTION in all its forms is causing concern in many quarters — not least of all in a secluded cottage at Buckland, the home of “Mr. Doomwatch” himself, actor John Paul.
Mr. Paul who plays Dr. Quist in the Doomwatch series on television has found that learning the part
and acting out the drama of impending death has made him aware of the dangers of pollution.
He told the Bucks Herald at the weekend: “As a result of playing this part, I now feel very strongly about pollution.It has been brought home to me as a layman, and I can only hope it has the same effect on people who watch the series.”
And the message will be got over to an even wider audience through the film about Doomwatch which is to be screened at the Granada, Aylesbury, from Sunday for seven days.

SEA POLLUTION
In it Mr. Paul leads the Doomwatch team in investigating pollution of the sea and some of its dramatic effects. There is a special guest appearance of George Sanders -his last before his
death. Also appearing are Ian Bannen and Judy Geeson. Mr. Paul, who began acting in repertory at the end of World War II after leaving the Army, has been a familiar face on the TV screen since 1954, and has starred in Emergency Ward 10 and Probation Officer.

VISUAL HARM
Having finished recording all 12 episodes in the current Doomwatch series — his third — he has more leisure for thought about what could lie in store for his estimated seven million viewers.
It is not only threats to health that concern him, for, as he travels around the country, he is becoming in-
creasingly aware of visual pollution. ' .
“The countryside is beautiful, but I have noticed several places which have little regard for beauty, and
stand out like sore thumbs. A little camouflage would make all the difference.” he added.

With thanks to James Paul for the Newspaper article

Survival Code Fan produced Reconstruction Test

snhbuk@gmail.com — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 08:29:55 PST

Here is a snippet of the fan produced total reconstruction of DOOMWATCH - Survival Code. There is no full sound effects or music track yet but I hope you like the enthusiastic performances.

DOOMWATCH IN JAMAICA?

snhbuk@gmail.com — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 00:17:04 PST

We previously reported that DOOMWATCH was broadcast in Jamaica. It now looks like this may not be true despite the newspaper clipping promoting the series that exists in the Jamaican Daily Gleaner.

The 16 June 1974 TV preview says it will be shown on Tuesdays, but all the Tuesday papers that are available to view just say "To be Scheduled" in that 8.15pm slot. It's unusual that JBC didn't know what they were playing in that slot for weeks on end, especially if it was a regular weekly series like DOOMWATCH.

From 6 August, "Colditz" is actually listed in that slot. From the dates, no more than 8 eps of DOOMWATCH could have aired. As it so happens 8 is how many episodes of Season 1 that currently exist! Read into that what you will...

It's a shame that no one appears to have access or records of the BBC's Retention Authorisation Sheets or access to overseas sales information that might shed some light on the worldwide distribution of the series. A summary of what is known appears here

If anyone can find actual listings for DOOMWATCH from 1974 onwards on JBC, of which there seems to be none please get in touch.

With thanks to Jon Preddle

DOOMWATCH FANZINE Issue 2 Back in print!

snhbuk@gmail.com — Sat, 10 Dec 2011 04:07:17 PST

Those of you that missed out on the very few correctly printed copies of DOOMWATCH Fanzine Issue 2 are in luck. I have arranged for a new printed version of it with a full Colour Cover and B/W insides, (to keep the costs to a minimum, please ignore the preview as it displays them in colour) to be available here Enjoy!

Prophets of Doom: The Unauthorised History of Doomwatch Book

snhbuk@gmail.com — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 09:49:58 PST

"Prophets of Doom" - An Unauthorised Guide to Doomwatch by Michael Seely

This is a NEW BOOK due in April 2012 from Miwk Publishing Ltd. A book on the classic series DOOMWATCH is way overdue and this is excellent news for fans of the series. Michael is also currently researching for another book for an authorised biography of the originator of Doomwatch, and author of The Quest For Gaia, Dr. Kit Pedler. So, yes, there are 2 NEW DOOMWATCH BOOKS IN THE PIPELINE!!!

Press release

In February 1970, one of the most important television drama programmes from the 1970s was broadcast on BBC1. Not only did it introduce a new word to the English language, it also brought to a mainstream audience of ten million viewers each week the new, emerging idea of the scientists' moral and ethical responsibility in society. This was Doomwatch, a visionary science fiction series which took scientific research and technological advances and imagined where they could go disastrously wrong if greed, politics or simple ambition won over caution. This was drama with a message. And it was heard. The fears of the Sixties: over-population, test-tube babies, super-sonic aircraft, DDT, the Bomb, all found expression in Doomwatch.
Launching the career of actor Robert Powell, Doomwatch entertained and thrilled its audience with concepts such as a plastic eating virus, animal hearts transplanted into children, toxic chemical dumps, cannibal rats, the surveillance state, noise that can kill, food poisoned by drugs and chemicals, and by the end of its first successful series, the ultimate horror: a nuclear bomb washed up underneath a seaside pier, its countdown ticking down to claim the life of one of the celebrated Doomwatch team.
It was conceived by a research scientist and a television dramatist, Dr. Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis, who had previously devised the Cybermen for Doctor Who. With Doomwatch, they soon became famous for creating seemingly prophetic storylines in which the media eagerly found parallels in real life. Were the writers of Doomwatch prophets of doom or simply scaremongering popularists?
The programme divided the scientific and political establishment into those who thought the programme was a much needed and timely warning and tried to do something about it, and those who thought it was a naive, reactionary piece of trivial, and ignorant television. Dr. Kit Pedler actively tried to create a real-life Doomwatch, and was at the beginnings of the alternative technology movement in Britain and did his own experiments on creating ecologically sound housing and develop a new way of living in a modern society without destroying the habitat or regressing back to the stone age.
With contributions from the family of Dr. Kit Pedler, Darrol Blake, Jean Trend, Glyn Edwards, Martin Worth, Adele Winston, Eric Hills, and others, this book will tell the proper story of Doomwatch both on and off the screen, how it was made, the true story behind the stories, the controversies, the back stage bust-ups, and how the programme inspired those who looked around the world in which they had been conditioned to accept, and begin to question.
Michael Seely's love affair with the Doomwatch series is over twenty years old and he is a regular contributor to www.doomwatch.org, the only Doomwatch appreciation site on the web. In his time he has worked as an English second language teacher in Asia, attempted a degree and has worked in a variety of jobs where a real-life Doomwatch investigation would not have gone amiss. He is married with two children.
Michael is currently researching an authorised biography of the originator of Doomwatch, and author of The Quest For Gaia, Dr. Kit Pedler.

PUBLISHED: APRIL 2012
ISBN: 9781908630117
Product Code: MIWK107

Join the official Facebook page here for updates and teasers and click here to pe-order your copy. Don't miss out on this book!

With thanks to Miwk Publishing Ltd

PHOTOPLAY FILM MONTHLY MAY 1972

snhbuk@gmail.com — Sat, 03 Dec 2011 02:05:26 PST

An expensive little treat for you this one! A very rare magazine that features a look at the then new, DOOMWATCH Feature Film with some eyebrow raising predictions of life in 1980 and the first time we've read anywhere about a planned sequel to the film...

DOOMWATCH
The hit TV series Doomwatch now comes to the big screen.
Photoplay previews this film which looks at the disturbing problem of pollution.

TWENTY-SIX per cent of the population of Great Britain watched "Doomwatch" on television. It is, perhaps, synonymous with the age we live in that a television series, a dramatic, fictional situation given credence by its documentary approach, should do more to ram home the immense problem and
danger of pollution than all the learned dissertations of experts. Pollution is a problem we have to face — and do something about — before it is too late. The success of the television series has now led, naturally enough, to the production of a full-length feature film. Unlike so many similar transitions, Doomwatch has mushroomed into a really exciting and adventurous film. Starring Ian Bannen, Judy Geeson, George Sanders, with John Paul, Simon Oates, Jean Trend and Joby Blanshard from the television series also featuring in the film, Doomwatch was written by Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis (the men responsible for the original television concept), with a final screenplay by Clive Exton. The film is directed by Peter Sasdy. Kit Pedler and co-writer Gerry Davis have a frightening knack of predicting the future; many times they have preceded an actual occurrence by a matter of weeks. I went to Kit Pedler's home in Clapham to talk about his work. A Doctor of Medicine, Kit found himself attracted to research shortly after qualifying and completed a second degree. One of his greatest dreams is the setting up of a real life team to keep an eye on pollution. He told me: "What we've got to elimihate is the dreadful apathy which people have about pollution. I'm sure they don't realise how serious it is. I feel that one of the best and most effective ways of making the public aware of the problem is dramatically. Talk a lot of dry, dusty facts and they couldn't care less, but absorb those facts into a dramatic, fictional work and they start to take notice. He and Gerry Davis spent an afternoon by a blackboard deciding on a name for their project; such ideas as ‘Monitor’ and ‘Protector’ were eliminated and finally they decided to join together ‘Doom’ and ‘Watch’, both of which had figured in their final list. It must be gratifying to them both that Doomwatch has been integrated into the English language. “If only," he joked, “we could collect 1p every time someone says Doomwatch!". Dr. Pedler is doing his bit to make the public more aware of environmental pollution; he gives lectures at universities and to the general public, he has appeared on television, talked on radio. But in spite of his deep concern he is basically optimistic: "I believe in people. I am sure that one day they will turn round and say ‘stop’ and do something before it's too late." The ironic and frightening thing about Doomwatch is that within weeks of the film being completed in Cornwall the ‘Cornwall Canisters’ scandal came to light. Even more coincidental is the fact that the plot of Doomwatch concerns what happens after canisters containing a hormone substance are illegally dumped in the sea by a large chemical company. The hormone escapes into the water, is consumed by fish and subsequently by people living on a small island off the west coast of England. The result is a very real disease known as acromegaly, which disfigures the face and body. Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis have just written another book, ‘Mutant 59', on which the film company, Tigon, have an option. It tells of the evacuation of the whole of London to save it from a bug that eats plastic and destroys the city. The director of the film is Peter Sasdy. Born in Budapest, Peter escaped to England during the Hungarian uprising of 1956 and after a determined struggle he worked his way into television. He finally broke into films two years ago and his work has been highly praised. His last two films were Countess Dracula and Hands Of The Ripper. With Doomwatch, Peter is particularly concerned that there should be a successful marriage between the entertainment value and the serious message. "I hope that in this film I have made a personal statement combined with entertainment. My main function, as a director, is to entertain. I feel I can look in the mirror in the morning and say ‘Pete, you tried’. I can't’ be my own critic and say I succeeded — I leave that to you. I have tried to make it in a documentary style — a ‘News At Ten‘ plus entertainment. But do stress that it's not just a serious subject; it's also an exciting story." Already there are plans for a sequel. One of the most commendable aspects of Doomwatch is the attention to detail, the insistence on scientific authenticity. Dr. Pedler could be found on the set many tirnes setting up equipment, overseeing the scientific ritual. He even demonstrated the correct way to dissect a fish, for the benefit of Ian Bannen! Peter Sasdy says he thinks that in one way it is exciting to be able to make a statement on pollution when it is still a relatively new subject for British concern. "The Americans and the Japanese are much more advanced in it than we are." Dr. Pedler told me that he felt Communist China was doing the most in actively protecting the environment. I asked Peter Sasdy whether his concern about pollution had happened since the film or whether he had been concerned even before Doomwatch became part of his way of life? "Yes, I was concerned. I hate going on a beach and finding it filthy with oil which you get on your feet and clothes." The personnel connected with the film both stars and technicians have all absorbed Dr. Pedler's feeling about pollution. Talk to any of them and they all express concern. Some are taking positive steps, particularly Jean Trend who starred in the television series as well. Jean has organised a housewives’ group who are all actively involved in antipollution activities. In the recent controversial report on the environment it was stated that by 1980 we won't have to worry about the population explosion: pollution will have overtaken the birth rate! This sort of frightening data cannot be ignored. We must do something before it is too late. Doomwatch will help to make the public aware of the problem; now it's up to us to realise that it isn't just a fictional situation.
Original article by Susan d’Arcy

DOOMWATCH BROADCASTS IN SINGAPORE

snhbuk@gmail.com — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 08:45:58 PST

Well, well... Who'd have thought that dear old DOOMWATCH Season 2 had been broadcasted in SINGAPORE? According to The Straits Times on the 8th October 1972, Doctor Quist was having to explain his actions in the Season 2 opener You Killed Toby Wren.
"Doomwatch" a new action-packed series, starts on Tuesday on Channel 5 at 9.55 p.m. Dr. Quist, director of Doomwatch, is blamed when a man gets killed while trying to disarm a bomb washed up on the coast.

Listings appear as follows:

8th October 1972 You Killed Toby Wren 9.55 p.m.

10th October 1972 Invasion at 9.55 p.m.

24th October 1972 at The Islanders 10.05 p.m. - 10.55 p.m

Tuesday 31st October 1972 No Room for Error 9.50 - 10.40 p.m.

7th November 1972 By the Pricking of my Thumbs 10.25 - 11.15 p.m.

14th November 1972 The Iron Doctor 10.20 - 11.15 p.m.

Tuesday 21st November 1972 Flight into Yesterday 9.25 - 10.15 p.m.

Tuesday 29th November 1972 The Web of Fear Times?????

Tuesday 12th December 1972 The Human Time Bomb Times????

Tuesday 19th December 1972 The Inquest 9.25 - 10.20 p.m.

Tuesday 26th December 1972 The Logicians Times ????

5th December 1972 In the Dark 9.25 - 10.20 p.m.

2nd January 1973 Public Enemy 9.25 - 10.15 p.m.

TV Highlights

29th October 1972

This week's dose of doom No Room for Error enables usto see what it would be like if we were on the verge of an epidemic and there was absolutely no effective drug to fight it with.
The Doomwatch episode comes on Channel 5 at 9.55 p.m. on Tuesday.

19th November 1972

The Physical and mental dislocation likely to be brought on by rapid long-distance flights across different time zones is the doom you will be made aware of in this week's Doomwatch episode, Flight into Yesterday. Over Channel 5 at 9.55 p.m. on Tuesday.

26th November 1972
A Virologist, who is seeking a substitute for dangerous pesticides in pest control, does not heed warnings as he sets out into an infected area to study the effects of his experiment on a local pest. He contacts the mysterious and deadly virus-an outcome of his own experiment-and is helpless in a mine shaft when Ridge attempts to rescue him under highly dangerous and difficult circumstances. Although Ridge succeeds in bringing him out, it's not soon enough to prevent his death. Doomwatch episode-The Web of Fear will be shown on Channel 5 at 10.25 on Tuesday.

10th December 1972

This week's Doomwatch drama unfolds the possible effects which living in a highly compressed urban living complex could have on man. Immense stress could be brought on by the continual petty irritations, frustrations, limitations and complications which accompany living in such an environment, where neighbourliness has vanished, and is replaced by aloofness, unfriendliness, truculence and violence. The Human Time Bomb will be shown on Channel 5 at 9.25 p.m. on Tuesday.

17th December 1972

A 10-year old child dies of rabies and an inquest is held - to find out how she could have got it. Doomwatch episode The Inquest comes over Channel 5 at 9.25 p.m. on Tuesday.

24th December 1972
A Pharmaceutical firm is robbed of a vital new formula, of great value to it's competitors, by its managin director's son and some of his school mates. The ransom money is to save their school - a progressive establishment which teaches implacable logic - from financial ruin. The Logicians, a Doomwatch feature, will be shown on Channel 5 at 9.55 on Tuesday.

With thanks to Alan Barnes for spotting all of this!

DOOMWATCH IN JAMAICA

snhbuk@gmail.com — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 12:24:49 PST

DOOMWATCH: NEW TV SERIES
When DOOMWATCH first went on air in Britain a few years ago, the terms "technological hazard" and environmental pollution" were little known. It can justly be claimed that the series, now showing on JBC Television, Tuesdays at 8.15p.m., has helped to draw attention to the ecological hazards that threaten the human race.
DOOMWATCH is entertaining and informative. The stories are very human. The team is headed by Dr. Quist, played by John Paul. Simon Oates is Dr. John Ridge and Joby Blanshard plays Dr. Colin Bradley. Barnara Mason, secretary to the Doomwatch team, is played by Vivien Sherrard, who has appeared on television in the "Armchair Theatre" series. John Barron, whose television work includes three series of "Softly Softly", "All Gas and Gaiters", Department S and "The Saint" makes appearances from time to time as the Government Minister responsible for Doomwatch.

The above news clipping is from the Jamaican 'Gleaner', (16th June 1974 page 53). The article mentions Vivien Sherrard & John Barron but nothing of Robert Powell which would seem to suggest that Season 2 and possibly Season 3 episodes aired as part of the Jamaican run.
With thanks to Alan Barnes

SHERLOCK HOLMES ON SCREEN -- Third Edition - is published on 21 October 2011
Now with a Foreword by Steven Moffat, co-creator of the BBC's 'Sherlock'

DOOMWATCH Fanzine Issue 3 - Free to View

snhbuk@gmail.com — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 05:27:40 PDT

Open publication - Free publishing - More doomwatch

I HAVE A QUISTION - THE PIER USED IN SURVIVAL CODE

snhbuk@gmail.com — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 05:44:22 PDT

On the 22nd October 2010, the "I've got a Quistion" - "Where is the real Pier used in the Season 1 finale Survival Code?" feature, set out to discover the real-life location of the Pier used in the Season 1 finale - Survival Code. We even had a response from the legendary Robert Powell, who was pretty sure it was Brighton Pier. However, this was not a complete answer to the question and we were left to wonder exactly which Pier, but we were initially satisfied the mystery was solved...

Well, that was until John Archbold wrote to us when he discovered a letter in the Radio Times from 22nd June 1972, where Terence Dudley is defending his Season 3 script "Fire and Brimstone". In his response to a viewer's letter he mentions the plots of two of Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis stories from Season 1. The latter being Survival Code. In it he states that the story was about an atomic bomb washed up on Hastings Pier and was a will-the bomb-go-off suspense plot. So, we thought we had the answer... Hastings Pier in East Sussex...

At the time, it was upsetting to discover that this Pier was subjected to an arson attack on October 5th 2010, shortly after the Quistion was asked and was unfortunately 95% destroyed and it appeared that Doomwatch had predicted it's real-life destruction. So we all had a bit of a sulk as we thought that the chance to have a holiday snap taken at a Doomwatch location was gone....

Eastbourne Pier

However, the mystery appears to now be finally resolved. Glyn Edwards, who was Terence Dudley's production assistant at the time has suggested it is actually Eastbourne Pier. On investigation, it really does appear to be the correct location! If you compare it to the behind the scenes, special effects shot's, the outer profile appears to match... So Hurrah! Time for a Holiday with my new Camera...

With thanks to John Archbold, Scott Burditt, Michael Seely, and Glyn Edwards for finally solving the mystery.

I HAVE A QUISTION! - THE FOURTH WALL

snhbuk@gmail.com — Sat, 22 Oct 2011 05:45:46 PDT

Today's I have a Quistion! is from Tony Darbyshire...

The Human Time Bomb

"Purely going off the evidence of what the BBC didn't decide to sling out, season two's The Human Time Bomb is the only episode in which we see the fourth wall of Dr Quist's office, discovering it's where he keeps his bin and frankly cheap-looking radio. It also showcases a framed artistic depiction of what can only be described as a fat horse (you can see it quite clearly ten minutes in). As the good doctor never displays any equine interest beyond hiring Barbara Mason, do we know the artist/title? Would it gain us a glimpse into Spencer's mindset - given that his taste in interior design normally leans more toward terrifying images of wartime atrocity than chunky nags - or at least what the early '70s BBC Props department had to hand?"

Well, in response to Tony's Quistion... Here is the very said painting!!! It is from a Paleolithic cave located in France (Niaux in Ariege) As for significance? Who knows? Maybe it's to lift Quit's mood? One wall for images of guilt and one wall for artistic pleasure? If anyone can shed any further light on the subject, please let us know!

DOOMCAR

snhbuk@gmail.com — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 04:33:07 PDT

In Doomwatch, Dr. Ridge was often seen driving what appears to be a White Lotus Elan Plus 2 with the registration plate VPM 300H. It's quite possible this car is still around today. If you are lucky enough to be the owner, (you should see Simon Oates in your log book)... please leave us a message in the Forum!

DOOMWATCH - RECONSTRUCTION UPDATE

snhbuk@gmail.com — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 00:57:00 PST

As mentioned on an earlier news item, the missing DOOMWATCH episode Survival Code, that closed Season 1 (ep.13) is currently being reconstructed into a new full cast audio production by DOOMWATCH fans by SMALL START PRODUCTIONS. This totally unofficial and free to air version of Survival Code will be made available on this site as soon as it is completed. The TV version may be lost forever but working from the surviving Camera Script (which in itself would have differed slightly from the transmitted version) a new version has been adapted by published author, Grant Foxon. The story is unusually low on scientific content but high on drama and tension, and is the last in which Robert Powell appears as Toby Wren.

The original actors who portrayed Sam,Toni and Geoff

The next season's story deals with the repercussions of the events in Survival Code and has a very brief re-cap of the last few minutes which is the only surviving material, presented in the Youtube clip below (not our upload).

***PLEASE DO NOT WATCH THE FOLLOWING IF YOU DON'T WANT THE END OF SURVIVAL CODE TO BE SPOILED****

The audio drama of Survival Code will feature a totally new cast, so I am looking for anyone who can help with the following roles:- (those marked in Red have been provisionally filled and may be subject to alteration)

Dr. Spencer Quist - played by Philip Fairweather

Dr. John Ridge - played by David Nagel

Tobias Wren - played by James Maton

Colin Bradley - played by Ian Williams

Pat Hunnisett played by Julie Norton

Air Commodore Parks - played by Ian Williams

A short clip of actor Colin Rix playing Parks from the following story "You Killed Toby Wren" - (which exists in full in the BBC archives) can be found on the Youtube clip above...

Actor Colin Rix who originally played Wing Commander

Wing Commander - played by Grant Foxon

(The image above taken from Follyfoot)

Geoff Harker - played by Matt Charlton

The Son in law of Sam Billings

Toni Harker (Female) - played by Milly Corbett

Wife of Geoff Harker - (Age 22) and Sam's daughter in law

Stephanie Turner originally played Toni Harker. Her appearance in The Hello Girls can be found on Youtube here

Sam Billings - played by Lee James Sands

- Owner of Sam's Arcades on the Byfield Regis Pier. To get an idea of what the original character was like, a clip featuring Sam Billings played by actor Tommy Godfrey from the following story "You Killed Toby Wren" can be found on Youtube here

Commander Sefton - played by Scott Burditt

The Minister - played by Tony Diana

A short clip of The Minister as played by Hamilton Dyce is above (taken from his appearance Tomorrow, the Rat) is above and available on Youtube here

Len White - played by Ian Williams

Chief Supt. Charles - played by Glenn Harrison

1st Man on the Pier (to deal with the bomb) - played by Ian Williams

Above, is a short Youtube clip of part of episode 1 of Doomwatch The Plastic Eaters (not our upload) that gives you an idea of what the main characters sound like. In the video are Doomwatch regulars Dr. Quist, John Ridge, Toby Wren, Colin Bradley and Pat Hunnisett. After the credits role, Air Commodore Parks features in this clip shortly after the scene with The Minister.

BEHIND THE SCENES - SURVIVAL CODE

***PLEASE DO NOT WATCH THE FOLLOWING IF YOU DON'T WANT THE END OF SURVIVAL CODE TO BE SPOILED****

It is not known if there was any incidental music for Survival Code but as this is a new production, a score will be composed by Tony Diana

RECORDING

Robert Powell in Sam's Arcade - Survival Code

If you are able to record any parts for this new play that was originally written by Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis, please get in touch. Hopefully, you already have a high quality PC microphone and a quiet room to record in but if you don't have any recording equipment there are three very basic micro cassette tape dictaphones that can be posted out to you which will just about do the job. If anything, it will probably add that authentic 1970s taped off the TV feel. Don't worry about tape hiss, as this can be removed in post production. Remember, that a SILENT room is required for this (NO TICKING CLOCKS ETC.) or it will be unusable. If you'd like to help out just email the producer here

Thank you!

Derren Brown The Experiments Trailer featuring Jean Trend

snhbuk@gmail.com — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 05:22:57 PDT

Pastoral Flute 02.10 Flute & Harp Intro, Serenely Melodic composed by Jack Trombey

snhbuk@gmail.com — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 03:16:07 PDT

The Season 3 missing episode - High Mountain contained many pieces of classic music. Here is another piece that has been uncovered for your listening pleasure...

Pastorale Flute (J. Trombey) Original reference - Orchestra - Hudson DW 3188 - 1 minute.

You can listen to it here and purchase it from here at dewolfemusic
Track 20 - CLASSICS 4 - DWCD 0139

With thanks to Michael Seely

R.I.P GEORGE BAKER - DOOMWATCH S1E10 TRAIN AND DE-TRAIN

snhbuk@gmail.com — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 01:33:01 PDT

DOOMWATCH PUBLICITY PHOTOS

snhbuk@gmail.com — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 03:01:59 PDT

A huge thanks to Adele Winston for these great pictures.

DOOMWATCH SFX ARTICLE 1996

snhbuk@gmail.com — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 06:21:09 PDT

With a big thanks to Combom for scanning these... There are some myth's still present within though... You can view the full size versions here, here and here

YESTERDAY'S HEROES
THE TEAM WHO BROUGHT CYNICISM INTO TELEFANTASY

DOOMWATCH
1970-72

ANTHONY BROWN REMEMBERS THE TEAM OF SCIENTISTS WHO INVESTIGATED UNEXPECTED THREATS TO HUMANITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT, DESPITE THEIR GOVERNMENT’S ATTEMPTS TO KEEP A LID ON THINGS.

To viewers growing up with the rose-tinted future visions of Star Trek and its ilk, Doomwatch came as a bit of a shock when it burst onto TV screens in the early ’70's. Set in the then present day, it followed the activities of an environmental watchdog at odds with both the government that set it up and the businesses, scientists and military who look to suffer most from its investigations. Needless to say, the government, in the guise of the Minister, wants to remove Doomwatch’s Nobel Prize-winning chief and replace him with someone more compliant at the ﬁrst excuse. He almost gets his chance too as, in the pilot episode, Doomwatch bend the rules to investigate a suspected germ warfare research station which is actually developing bacteria to recycle plastic. Unfortunately, the bacteria proves to be uncontrollable, and the carelessness of the Minister’s own secretary leads to the contamination of an airliner which crashes after the system’s plastic insulation dissolves.
Worse was to come over the next few weeks... A kidnapped toddler turns out to have a transplanted monkey heart; a researcher grows mindless human “body farms” in incubators for future transplants; the guests on a pop star’s luxury yacht die after being exposed to nerve gas canisters they recover from a sunken wreck... In one particularly controversial episode, “Tomorrow, the Rat,” genetically engineered rats that are meant to prey on their rodent brethren (thus eradicating the need for rat poison) turn on man instead.

WAS IT ANY GOOD?
Absolutely. The transplant episode “Friday’s Child” sported a superbly chilling script and “Tomorrow, the Rat” managed to turn people’s stomachs despite the rubber rodents. Sometimes real-life caught up with events before the episodes were even shown — when Apollo 13’s real-life misfortunes pre-empted the disastrous spaceshot of “Re-Entry Forbidden,” for instance. Other episodes proved equally prescient. “The Islanders” carried eerie echoes of the Falklands War, and Doomwatchls attacks on lead in petrol and the fertility problems caused by hormones polluting water sources still ring true 20 years later. But there were duffers — notably the occasional panic about the “horrific” effects of jet-lag and the “crime-inducing” XYY chromosome (a trendy theory in the early ’70s). Still, who could have foreseen Doomwatch's most shocking moment at the close of the first series, as heart-throb Robert Powell found himself defusing an atomic bomb at the end of a South Coast pier... The explosive conclusion to the episode wasn’t quite what anyone had expected...
Sadly, things went downhill rather quickly after that. By the second season, the magic had gone, the show’s creators were in conflict with its producer, and the most popular characters were ready to move on — or already dead.

WHO'S WHO?
Heading the team was the brilliant, dedicated but guilt-ridden (he’d won the Nobel Prize for his work on the atomic bomb, and found the booby prize was his wife’s death from radiation- induced cancer) Spencer Quist, played by Probation Officer's star John Paul. His right- hand man was John Ridge, an ex-spy whose cynicism hid a complex nature. Sometimes, he was openly rebellious, frustrated by Quist’s caution and keen to take control of Doomwatch himself, at other times over-awed by Quist’s brilliance and well aware that it was the Quist’s reputation which kept Doomwatch aﬂoat.
Simon Oates came to the role after playing a similar character in the espionage thriller series The Mask of Janus, and had also been a stand-up comedian and a guest villain in several episodes of The Avengers. Completing the team was idealistic young Toby Wren, played by a not-yet-that-famous Robert Powell.
John Barron played the Minister, though only once or twice a season, with No Bananas’ Michael Elwyn as Richard Duncan, a junior minister who was unusually sympathetic towards Doomwatch — perhaps because Ridge saved his life during his first appearance. Filling out the cast were ]oby Blanshard as blunt-speaking Yorkshire boffin “Brad” Bradley, and Wendy Hall as the Doomwatch secretary Pat Hunnisett, who left the series to recover from a broken heart after Toby’s death. Vivien Sherrard replaced her in season two, alongside John Nolan as lacklustre Toby-substitute Geoff Hardcastle, and ]ean Trend as Dr Fay Chantry. Behind the scenes the series was the brainchild of doctor-turned-science fiction writer Kit Pedler and his partner Gerry Davis. Five years earlier, they’d created the Cybermen for Doctor Who, and Doomwatch merely took their concern over the abuse of technology to its logical conclusion.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
John Paul went on to a well-received role in I, Claudius, and continued acting through the ’80s with appearances in Richard Attenborough’s Cry Freedom prior to his death last year. Simon Oates played Steed in a stage version of The Avengers before spending several years in America, where he is now in semi-retirement. Recent roles have included parts in Remington Steel, Bergerac and The 10%ers, but one role which would tempt him out of his 13th century cottage is John Ridge, in an updated Doomwatch currently in the planning stages.
Robert Powell, of course, went on to become an international star, thanks to his performance in Jesus of Nazereth, and now plays a variety of roles, including Jasper Carrott’s partner in The Detectives. Joby Blanshard died in 1992, having made his final appearance in Jeffrey Archer’s First Among Equals before retiring six years earlier, while John Barron got to be where he is today by playing Reggie Perrin’s boss C].

On the production side, Kit Pedler died suddenly in 1981, having established himself as an environmental guru with his manifesto The Quest for Gaia and the TV series Mind over Matter He and Gerry Davis collaborated on three spin-off novels from the series, one of which almost became a film before Davis moved to America, where he contributed to such series as Vega$ and Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future. He died in 1991. Producer Terence Dudley went on to produce the post- holocaust drama Survivors (Whose creator Terry Nation also left after falling out with the producer), and contributed to Doctor Who as a writer and director in the early ’80s. He died on Christmas Day 1989.

WHAT WENT WRONG?
To put it bluntly, producer Terence Dudley fell out with Pedler and Davis. Right from the start, they’d been pulling in different directions, with Wendy Hall remembering how one side saw her character as an Emma Peel-esque action girl, and the other as the perfect secretary. Late in the first season, a writer took his name off an episode after complaining that Dudley, Davis and the episode’s director were all asking him for contradictory rewrites. Though Pedler outlined 15 striking concepts before the series began, Doomwatch was never the easiest show to write for, with one idea going through the hands of three different writers before finally reaching the screen in the second season. While Dudley wanted to emphasise the political drama, Pedler and Davis were determined to keep the series on the cutting edge, and matters came to a head over the second season opener, “You Killed Toby Wren.” Shot late in the season, it concentrates on Quist’s guilt and Ridge’s rage over Toby’s death, though there’s also a horrific subplot about the production of human-animal hybrids. Pedler and Davis walked off, and, feeling the series had lost its edge without them, Simon Oates decided to leave as well. Pedler and Davis’ last connection to the series came with the film, which features most of the second season cast — though not without a battle. This Hammer- esque production (which pads out a passable plot with “We don’t like strangers ’ere”-style yokels) focuses on “star name” Ian Bannen as new team member Dr Shaw, and the established Doomwatch team only feature in a few scenes back at HQ. Fay and Brad only put in an appearance because Pedler and Davis insisted they be involved, though the producers were more determined to sign up Quist and Ridge. As Simon Oates puts it, “I turned them down, but they kept on offering so much money that eventually I gave in.” It’s not that bad, but it’s certainly not Doomwatch.

THE THIRD SEASON
With Pedler and Davis gone, Terence Dudley took the third season off in new directions — “more like Z-Cars than Doomwatch,” according to Kit Pedler. The second season newcomers were dropped in favour of Dr Anne Tarrant — the psychiatrist who’d treated Quist in a second season episode — and Commander Neil Stafford, a security specialist added to Doomwatch’s staff as the Minister’s in-house spy who rapidly joins the cause. John Barron’s appearances as the Minister became a regular feature, while Ridge was written out after beginning a terrorist campaign, only to reappear as a freelance activist and general irritant once he was found to have acted under diminished responsibility caused by inhaling the lead in petrol! Topics covered include the flooding of London, pesticide-resistant insects, euthanasia and the ease with which a terrorist group could steal a nuclear bomb. The greatest controversy surrounded an episode the BBC never broadcast - “Sex and Violence” — which was banned for including footage of a military execution. Ironically, the footage has since been seen many times in documentary programmes about capital punishment. To this day, the episode has not been aired...

A few things you probably didn't know about... DOOMWATCH

Doomwatch was actually entitled the Ministry of National Security's Department of Measurement of Scientitic Work.

Simon Oates received hate mail from viewers who accused him of letting Toby die. “lt’s not as if I wrote the bloody episode!" he commented.

A real-life Army unit provided the vehicles for the final scenes of “invasion” (in which a germ warfare-contaminated village is sealed off by the authorities) and made a real-life mess of the village used for filming.

Robert Powell insistedToby Wren be killed off after a year when he agreed to join the series.
Although John Barron made guest appearances as the Minister in the first two seasons before becoming a regular in the third, two other actors appeared in the role - Hamilton Dyce and John Savident.

Duncan only became a semi-regular character by accident.The script for his first episode originally featured a reappearance by one of the Minister's earlier henchmen.

Doomwatch didn't spawn many tie-ins: two videos of episodes, a young learners’ novelisation and three novels — none of which feature any of the Doomwatch team!

Regular cast

Dr Spencer Quist: John Paul
Dr John Ridge: Simon Oates
Dr Toby Wren: Robert Powell
Colin Bradley: Joby Blanshard
Pat Hunnisett: Wendy Hail
The Minister: John Barron
Richard Duncan: Michael Elwyn
Geoff Hardcastle: John Nolan
Barbara Mason:Vivien Sherrard
Dr Fay Chantry: JeanT rend
Dr Anne Tarrant: Elizabeth Weaver
Commander Neil Stafford: John Bown
Susan: Maria O’Brien
Created by Kit Pedler and Gerry Davis
Producer: Terence Dudley
Theme music: Max Harris
Number of episodes: 38 50-minute episodes (including "Sex and Violence")
First season: 9 January to 11 March 1970
Second season: 14 December 1970 -22 March 1971
Third season: 5 June -14 August 1972
TV precedents: R3
TV descendants: The lethal virus episode of every TV cop show, Edge of Darkness, The X-Files
Guest stars: PatrickTroughton, Nigel Stock, Maurice Roeves, Paul Eddington, Richard Hurndall, Ray Brooks, Stephanie Turner, Nicholas Courtney, Geoffrey Palmer, Anthony Ainley, John Wood, Bernard Hepton, Sally Thomsett, Barry Foster, Desmond Llewel|yn,Trevor Bannister, Elisabeth Sladen, Frederick Jaeger, Brian Wilde, Michael Keating.

www.John-Nolan.com

snhbuk@gmail.com — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 15:35:37 PDT

Season 2 actor John Nolan, (official showreel above) who played Doomwatch's new recruit Geoff Hardcastle, has his very own website here

One By One 1x05 Pastures New - featuring John Paul

snhbuk@gmail.com — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 00:00:33 PDT

THE HAMMICUS PODCAST

snhbuk@gmail.com — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 12:14:47 PDT

The Doomwatch 1972 Film has been reviewed by The Hammicus Podcast. Podcast Number 44. You can download a copy of it directly from here or listen to it online from here