That's Entertainment! A Survey of American and British Television Dewhurst / Jung Week 12: Science Fiction and Fantasy

Transcription

1 That's Entertainment! A Survey of American and British Television Dewhurst / Jung Week 12: Science Fiction and Fantasy

2 Speculative Fiction an overarching term that is sometimes used to link all of the genres dealing with the question "What if?" and the suspension of reality types of speculative fiction science-fiction fantasy horror usually attracts the same audience provides a way to deal with controversial issues in society by putting them into the context of alternative worlds (e.g., racism)

3 Fantasy a genre that utilizes magic and other supernatural forces for the plot, characters, or setting (or all three) characteristics suspension of reality setting: an alternate form of reality on Earth (past or present) OR a world other than Earth fantastical elements & features magic, transformations, divination, mind-reading, fabulous beasts, new civilizations characters often have magical or supernatural abilities

4 Sci-Fi or S.F. Imaginative fiction based on postulated scientific discoveries or spectacular environmental changes, freq. set in the future or on other planets and involving space or time travel. (OED online) Science Fiction is nowadays often used to refer to any programme that deals with the fantastical or even the merely horrific (cf. telefantasy.

5 Characteristics of Sci-Fi developed alongside the improvements in science and technology society can be present-day, past or imagined/future society realistic OR imaginative with aliens and other worlds technology can be based on real or imagined science plot how science and technology affects individuals or society space travel, the future, new or imagined technology, mental/biological changes in humans, time travel, aliens instead of magic & supernatural forces, you have technological gadgets, mutations, aliens & their civilizations some argue that sci-fi is a modern form of fantasy

6 Main Producers United Kingdom: Quatermass ( ), Doctor Who ( , 2005-), Blake s 7 ( ) United States: Star Trek (1966-9), Twilight Zone/Outer Limits ( ), Babylon 5 (1993-8), The X-Files ( ), Firefly (2002), Stargate (1997-) Japan: Cowboy Bebop, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex

7 Types of Fantasy Storyline Aliens on Earth ALF, Mork and Mindy Alien invasion War of the Worlds, The X-Files Anthologies The Twilight Zone/Outer Limits Children's series Chocky, Power Rangers Crime fighting The Avengers, Alien Nation Disaster and destruction Doomwatch, Thunderbirds Earthlings in alien world(s) Stargate Atlantis Life in the future The Jetsons, Futurama Parallel (utopian/dystopian) universes Land of the Giants, Otherworld

8 Types of Fantasy Storyline Paranormal investigations The X-Files, Millennium Satire/comedy ALF, Futurama, Red Dwarf Spaceship based Blake s 7, Firefly, Red Dwarf, Star Trek Space station based Babylon 5, Star Cops Superhumans Captain Scarlet, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Incredible Hulk Time travel based Doctor Who, Quantum Leap, Time Trax Vehicle based Knight Rider, Stingray, Thunderbirds Miscellaneous Quatermass, The Prisoner

9 British Science Fiction and Fantasy

10 Early Television Science Fiction Literary adaptation: R.U.R. Broadcast on minute adaptation of play by Czech playwright Karel Capek Future world in which robots rebel against human masters Second live production in 1946 Further literary adaptations: The Time Machine (1949) Stranger from Space (1951-2)

11 The Quatermass Experiment Written by Nigel Neale, directed by Rudolph Cartier Six-part science fiction serial Transmitted live and telerecorded Plays on anxieties about Cold War, atomic bomb

12 Other Science Fiction Series Quatermass II (BBC, 1955) Quatermass and the Pit (BBC, ) Pathfinders in Space (ABC, 1960) Pathfinders to Venus (ABC, 1961) Out of This World (ATV, 1962) A for Andromeda (BBC, 1961) The Andromeda Breakthrough (BBC, 1962)

13 Landmark Series

14 The Avengers (ITV, , ) Created by Sydney Newman for ABC Set in fantasy Britain Starred Patrick Macnee and Honor Blackman / Diana Rigg as John Steed, Cathy Gale and Emma Peel Futurism, science fiction, espionage Sold to US in 1965

15 Thunderbirds (ITV, ) Science fiction puppet series (supermarionation) Created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson Preceded by Supercar, Fireball XL5, Stingray; followed by Captain Scarlet Set in 21st century; depicts adventures of Tracy family International Rescue: private and highly-advanced emergency response organization

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17 Thunderbird Vehicles Thunderbird 1 Thunderbird 4 Thunderbird 3 Thunderbird 2 Thunderbird 5

18 The Prisoner (1967-8) Created by and starring Patrick McGoohan (as Number 6 ) Former secret agent held prisoner in The Village ; bent on escape and on discovering the identity of Number 1 Dealt with themes such as hypnosis, hallucinogenic drugs, identity theft, mind control and dream manipulation. Powerful counterculture drama

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20 Opening Sequence Where am I? In The Village. What do you want? Information. Whose side are you on? That would be telling. We want information. Information. Information. You won't get it. By hook or by crook, we will. Who are you? The new Number 2. Who is Number 1? You are Number 6. I am not a number I am a free man! (Laughter from Number 2.)

21 Doctor Who ( , 2004-) Created in 1963 by Sydney Newman (BBC Head of Drama from 1962) Britain s first long-running science fiction series The Doctor : anti-authoritarian, eccentric loner Travels through time in the TARDIS (Time And Relative Dimension In Space) Adversaries: Daleks, Autons, the Cybermen, the Sontarans, the Ice Warriors, the Yeti, the Silurians, and the Master Unrivalled place in popular consciousness

22 Doctor Who The Tardis Tom Baker as the Doctor Daleks! Patrick Mccoy as the Doctor

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24 Other Fantasy/Science Fiction Series Randal and Hopkirk (deceased) (ITV, ) The Champions (ITV, ) UFO, created by Gerry Anderson (ITV, ) Space: 1999, created by Gerry Anderson (ITV, )

25 Golden Age of Science Fiction Doomwatch (BBC, ) Set in the present day Dealt with a group of scientists led by Doctor Spencer Quist who worked for the government in investigating and combating new ecological and technological dangers to mankind Survivors (BBC, ) Created by Terry Nation (Dr Who) Concerned the plight of a group of people who had survived an accidentally released plague that had killed nearly the entire population of the planet (apolcalyptic fiction)

26 Blake s 7 (BBC, ) Created by Terry Nation (Dr Who) Space opera pitched as The Dirty Dozen in space Roj Blake s battle with a corrupt Galactic Federation Aided by group of pirates and criminals who are forced to work with him after escaping from a prison ship Diverse influences (theatre, coldwar, Spaghetti Western) Each season ended with a cliffhangers

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28 Youth Oriented Science Fiction Timeslip (ITV, 1970) The Tomorrow People (ITV, ; ) Devised by Roger Price Features homo superior, teenagers capable of various powers, e.g. telepathy, teleportation (jaunting), psychokinesis, etc. Recently criticised as gay rights programme

29 Sapphire & Steel (ATV, ) Created by Peter Hammond; starring David McCullum and Joanna Lumley Two superhuman Operators, engaged in maintaining the integrity of Time Cryptic, eerie storylines Opening sequence:- All irregularities will be handled by the forces controlling each dimension. Transuranic, heavy elements may not be used where there is life. Medium atomic weights are available: Gold, Lead, Copper, Jet, Diamond, Radium, Sapphire, Silver and Steel. Sapphire and Steel have been assigned.

30 The Tripods (BBC, ) Based on John Christopher s series of novels, The White Mountains Post-apocalyptic storyline: Human population lives in a society reminiscent of the Middle Ages, in naïve adoration of the Tripods Thought control from the age of 14 by brain implants called "caps Cancelled due to cost when only two series produced (covering two of the three books)

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32 The Hitchhiker s Guide to the Galaxy Based on novel by Douglas Adams Directed and produced by Alan Bell Broadcast on BBC2 in 1981 following success of radio series Used graphics for certain sequences Costume effects now look rather unconvincing...

33 Red Dwarf (BBC, ) Created by Rob Grant and Doug Naylor Science fiction sitcom featuring 'odd couple' Rimmer (the last human) and Lister (a hologram) Set 3 million years in the future in deep space, revolves around crew of the Jupiter Mining Corporation's ore transport vessel Red Dwarf Primarily character-driven comedy; science fiction elements used as plot devices

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35 Dark Season (BBC1, 1991) Created by Russell T. Davies; starred the young Kate Winslet. Secondary school girl Marcie defeats threat represented by sinister Mr Eldritch Plot based on mind control through computers distributed free to school pupils Other children s science fiction programmes: Century Falls, Mike & Angelo, Watt on Earth

36 Bugs (BBC, ) Devised by independent company Carnival Glossy, high budget adventure series Featured team of specialist independent crime-fighting technology experts, combating threats arising from computers and other modern technology Filmed around London Docklands area

37 The Return of Dr Who Doctor Who returned to television screens on March 26,

38 Other New Series Invasion: Earth: produced by Carnival with the US Sci-Fi Channel ITV produced serials such as The Uninvited (1997) and The Last Train (1999) Live" remake of The Quatermass Experiment was broadcast on BBC Four on April 2 Dr Who spin-off entitled Torchwood, new time travel drama Life on Mars produced for BBC; Eleventh Hour and Primeval in preparation for ITV