Out Of The Unknown

This Sci-fi TV series ran for almost six years from 1965-71, and was originally shown on the third channel BBC2. This was the brainchild of the much-respected producer Irene Shubik who later went on to produce much more polished series.

I am informed that this was a ground-breaking series at the time – if this indeed was the case, then what about The Avengers or The Prisoner? During its long run, over fifty episodes were aired, though the box set contains only the twenty remaining ones including four reconstructions and half of another episode. The first fourteen in this set are complete and produced by Shubik, the rest, including the reconstructions, were produced by Alan Bromley.
Personally I am of the opinion that the episodes are very hit and miss. In particular the episodes set in the far future and on other planets or spaceships come across as sloppy and primitive in the costume and special effects department. Many of these ‘effects’ are bordering on the pedestrian. Shubik was actually a big fan of The Twilight Zone, though it isn’t obvious from watching these episodes.

There is a wealth of talent involved here: dramatizations and stories by such luminaries as Isaac Asimov, J.G. Ballard, John Brunner, Frederik Pohl, Cyril M. Kornbluth, Clifford Simak, John Wyndham etc etc. We even have a dramatization by J.B. Priestley (An Inspector Calls) of a story by E.M. Foster.

As well as a host of top writers, directors and technicians, the same can be said of the cast. For example, we have a rather funny performance by Milo O’Shea in a hilarious episode titled ‘Come Buttercup, Come Daisy, Come…?’ as a potty plant lover who talks to his flowers… and who talk back to him! Jack Wild (aka The Artful Dodger) can be spotted briefly as a naughty boy with a catapult.
It gets creepier with the episodes ‘The Tunnel Under The World’ (from a story by Frederik Pohl) in which a couples’ life seems to be stuck in the same day, and ‘Deathday’ in which a man kills his wife and suddenly receives visits from a man called Quilter… who seems to know more about him than he knows himself.

Particularly interesting is the episode ‘Stranger In The Family’ featuring a very penetrating performance from a young Richard O’Callaghan in the role of ‘Boy’ – the possessor of rather special powers a la The Midwich Cuckoos. This episode was re-made a few years later for the Hammer TV series Journey To The Unknown, this time with Anthony Corlan (later Higgins) in the role of ‘Boy’.

There are a number of familiar motives going on throughout the series, themes that Sci-fi aficionados will be familiar with: the colonising of other planets and Earthlings going on to make the same mistakes than they did on this planet.
Hardly ground-breaking stuff this, but for those interested Out Of The Unknown is certainly worth a look. It’s a slightly intriguing look into 60’s Sci-fi TV, though personally I prefer The Avengers episode ‘The Cybernauts’.

Special Features:

• All 20 surviving episodes from series one to four
• Return of the Unknown (2014, 42 mins): all-new documentary with cast and crew interviews, and clips from lost episodes
• 11 audio commentaries with cast and crew, and experts, moderated by actor-comedian Toby Hadoke
• Archival interview with director James Cellan Jones
• Episode reconstructions for Beach Head, The Naked Sun, The Yellow Pill, and The Uninvited
• Film insert from Deathday episode
• Seven extensive stills galleries
• Fully illustrated booklet with essays by Out of the Unknown expert Mark Ward