Radio 3, November 5, 2019 and on BBC Sounds

A wide-ranging discussion about Nigel Kneale’s most famous character…

Topped and tailed with very appropriate clips – and the two best remembered themes – this is a fascinating listen for any fan of British science fiction. Like some on the panel, I was regaled with tales of Quatermass by a parent – in my case, my mother – and was desperate to learn more about him. I can remember being warned by her about watching the first Brian Donlevy film when it was aired on the BBC late at night – not because of the quality of the acting, or the toupee-clutching, of the star, but because she genuinely was concerned that it might produce nightmares. Well over twenty years after broadcast, she still recalled the space flight that Quatermass made at the end of Quatermass II (an element lost in the big screen version), and we watched the John Mills version together when it aired in 1979.

The first three serials were the main topic of discussion in this conversation, chaired by Matthew Sweet and featuring Steven Moffat, Mark Gatiss, Una McCormack, Claire Langhamer and Matthew Kneale, son of the writer. We got different insights into the serials from each, and it almost felt odd not to have all the usual anecdotes trotted out (Kneale’s hands working the monster in the Abbey etc.). There was a strong discussion regarding the character of Quatermass himself (although, interestingly, no mention of Kneale’s novel based on the final serial which makes for grim reading in places with regard to the ‘hero’) and the way in which the serials reflect the changes in society, and the changes in Kneale’s own attitude towards elements of it.

Verdict: If you’re in any way interested in British screen SF, then you’re likely to get a great deal from this – recommended. 9/10

Paul Simpson

 

(The picture above is the one chosen by the BBC; it illustrates the 1955 movie, The Quatermass Xperiment)