Andy Evans sets the scene for Sky’s new SF drama, Intergalactic…

Intergalactic is the new, British, sci-fi drama being produced for Sky. It comes from the pen of Julie Geary and promises to take British science fiction to another. On a cold February day last year, not long before COVID-19 shut down the world, the press corps were welcomed to Space Studios in Manchester. The aptly named studio is the British home to Intergalactic and we were invited to tour the sets and to learn more about the production process on the show. Our guides for the day were Simon Maloney and Iona Vrolyk, from the production team.

Set 150 years in the future, this show tells the story of a rookie cop named Ash, played by Savannah Steyn, who is framed for the theft of a newly discovered and all-powerful element called New Aurum. Her punishment is incarceration on a prison ship named The Hemlock. However, a mutiny occurs and the prisoners take over the ship killing the crew, with the exception of the chronically bored guard Drew, played by Thomas Turgoose, and they begin their quest to seek sanctuary on a planet named Arcadia which is seen as the Promised Land. One familiar face for viewers will be Poldark’s Eleanor Tomlinson. She plays a genetically advanced human from the planet Skov, named Candy, but will look very different from her previous screen appearances.

As Simon pointed out to us, “In terms of Sky investing in British drama, they’re trying to bring an American sensibility in terms of scale, scope and size”. This was absolutely borne out once we began our tour of sets.

We began our tour by looking at some of the stages on the backlot outdoors. Unfortunately, owing to the quagmire than engulfed the set of “Old London”, we were unable to visit that in person though the production art looked impressive and their recreation of Soho Square, post-Apocalypse, looks as if it will prove a visual treat. Instead, we saw the cargo doors of The Hemlock open to the elements. It made for impressive viewing and instead of the shiny, futuristic looking spaceships we may be used to in other sci-fi shows, this one looks weather-beaten and battle-scarred. The patina looks very realistic and it is possible to envisage gun battles that have occurred or will occur around that entrance to the ship. The Hemlock looks unique in television terms and takes over a number of stages at Space Studios of which, more later.

Then we passed snow-capped pine trees awaiting disposal and a series of convincing fibre-glass cliff face which is ready to go back into storage as filming those scenes has now wrapped. We turned into an abandoned street market from Candy’s home planet, Skov. The fully constructed street will be further extended in height, in post-production but looks like something of a post-colonial throwback. A wall bore a menu written in French; a classical statue showed something of the cultured nature of its inhabitants. Earth-inspired, but not quite of this Earth. Finally, a row of market stalls the one element the set was lacking, was the snow which blankets Skov on a daily basis. An abandoned wreck of a lorry bore witness to a vehicular action sequence that we will see on screen in due course.

We were also shown sets under construction for the rooftop of a desolate hotel for later episodes. The world-building of designer Mark Geraghty is astonishing and promises a rich vista upon which the stories will play out in this episodic drama.

On to the studio sets and out of the cold, as we visited the Operations Room which provides the hub of the operations for the Common World back on Earth. It’s a space that makes it very easy to imagine the cast going about their duties and the exchange of messages on the wall-sized screens or via holograms. On the next stage we saw the Pod in its landing bay. This is a shuttlecraft that allows the crew of the Hemlock to move from their ship down to other planets, no transporters in this show travel is practical and difficult. It all looks and feels very real.

The piece de resistance, however, is the main ship itself. The Hemlock is an enormous creation. A circular ship with multiple levels we were able to walk through the crew quarters and onto the bridge of the ship. The bridge seats five, and on the day that we visited, seemed to be running updates for Windows 10 across various screens. I guess even in 150 years we have to wait for Windows to update! The crew’s quarters seem to nod in the direction of those we are used to seeing on genre shows, individual bunks with a kitchen and shared living space, centred round a space-age chess board but leading directly into the cockpit/bridge.

From there we exited the bridge and followed the corridor which surrounds the core of the set. A complete 360-degree corridor that allows access to all areas, including Engineering powered by a New Aurum drive. We passed a gym and saw a familiar set of free weights and running machine. A basketball hoop hung high on the wall and intriguingly, a set of stumps and a cricket bat indicating the very British nature of this show.

One noticeable feature is that the ship has a ceiling and the actors don’t have to imagine the roof over their heads whilst shooting on-board the Hemlock. It is an especially immersive set. At the centre of the ship are the prison cells used to transport prisoners across space, and therein we saw Eleanor Tomlinson’s Candy interact with Sharon Duncan-Brewster’s Tula as fellow members of the ensemble looked on disconsolate. Everything stopped, as we stood in silence and witnessed the scene being caught on camera for episode 8.

Eventually, we returned to the production offices to view much of the concept art for the series. The incredibly detailed, beautiful artwork was quite breath-taking and promises a rich and sumptuous look once realised upon screen. If all the hopes and aspirations of cast and production crew are truly realised, I suspect Intergalactic could redefine British sci-fi as we know it.

Intergalactic is released on Sky One and streaming service NOW 30 April 2021.