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MISSING EPISODES CLIPS GUIDE by Lee Rose With thanks to Colin Cutler IntroductionOut of the Unknown was a BBC TV series that was broadcast, primarily on the then-new channel BBC2, between October 1965 and June 1971. The format was that of a science-fiction anthology series, similar in idea to the preceding US series, The Twilight Zone, and featured teleplays adapted from classic stories by authors Isaac Asimov, John Wyndham and J. G. Ballard, amongst others. Other teleplays were original scripts commissioned for the series, written by some popular names in television such as Nigel Kneale (Quatermass, The Stone Tape), Terry Nation (creator of the Daleks and Blake's 7) and Troy Kennedy Martin (Z Cars, Edge of Darkness). The first two seasons were made and transmitted in black and white. Season 1 episodes were around an hour in length, while from season two the episodes were cut down to approximately fifty minutes. Produced by Irene Shubik, the main style was that of differing looks at our future through science fiction concepts. The majority of stories were adapted from famous and popular tales by science fiction writers of the times and earlier and centred on humanity’s future. Season one was dominated by stories of space travel, and visits to alien planets were common (in episodes like No Place Like Earth, The Counterfeit Man and Sucker Bait, to name but a few) and some stories of time travel. With season two, the emphasis was still futuristic, but this time anchored in machinery and robotics, and more were set on Earth. These are, of course, broad generalisations. After a two year hiatus, Shubik had departed, and the move was made to colour. Alan Bromly took over the reigns of producer, and made his own mark on the series. In the third season, the type of stories remained broadly the same, but most were now set on Earth, and the emphasis was beginning to be placed on the psychological rather than the plain futuristic (for example, Last Lonely Man and Get Off My Cloud). Another two years passed before Bromly's changes were well and truly established, with the series’ fourth season. All episodes were set on Earth and almost always in a more contemporary setting. Most episodes featured a strong psychological horror element in the plot and could sometimes be controversial (for example, schoolgirl rape scenes in To Lay a Ghost). Science fiction elements were minimal. To top it all off, a new title sequence was created, accompanied by new theme music, from a stock library. The fourth series of Out of the Unknown was the last, but the BBC's quest to create some horror continued. They destroyed many of the film prints and videotapes of the series, often leaving episodes totally unrepresented in their film and videotape library... Thirty out of the forty-nine episodes of Out of the Unknown are missing from the BBC’s archives: a shocking 61% of episodes simply do not exist anymore. The Missing Episodes
Season 1:
Season 2:
Season 3:
Season 4: However... In a wonderful twist of fate, clips from some lost episodes have survived to this day. Sequences from episodes may have been used in other shows of the time, such as editions of Towards Tomorrow which have survived while the episodes in question have gone. Film inserts discarded by the BBC Graphics department have been kept in private collections, and many other clips and a full episode exist as audio only (they were recorded off-air onto open-reel audiotape recorders by fans before the age of home VCRs). In fact, a number of recent audio finds have meant many missing episodes are represented in at least some small way. As with similarly-representative clips from missing 60s episodes of Doctor Who, other Out of the Unknown clips have been recovered from the Australian Censors, who edited the prints the BBC supplied them before transmission to remove any material they deemed unsuitable. The strangest partly-missing episode, however, is represented by extracts that comprise a large chunk of the episode The Little Black Bag. Running just over twenty-eight minutes, this represents approximately 57% of the episode. This clip, featuring most of the last thirty minutes of the episode, was discovered on it's original 2" videotape in January 1999. The tape had been reused for a news program but had not been wiped previously. This gives us a spectacular insight into the episode, and, if it existed fully, it would surely rate as one of the best in the series. It should also be noted that scripts exist for every missing episode in BBC Written Records. ‘Tele-snaps’ images (off-monitor photo’s, taken as the episodes were transmitted, as a record for the show’s production office) also exist for many episodes, providing an invaluable resource for fans of the series and archive TV enthusiasts. Clips Listing
The
Fox and the Forest
Andover and the Android
The
Fastest Draw
The
Prophet 2. Donovan is gripped by two robots, shouting to his colleague, “Greg, this is insurrection!”. Entering the room, Greg Powell ineffectually tries to resume command, “QT-1, you’ll report to my office - get out! I’ll handle these animated gadgets in my own fashion”. QT-1 coolly retorts that the humans have misunderstood the nature of the new situation on the station… 3. QT-1 (preaching) passing along a line of kneeling robots, anointing their heads (according to the script) with a can of oil! 4. QT-1 ordering the two earthman back to the ‘officers’ room’ and to take their revolting food with them 5. Powell and Donovan decide to assemble a robot to prove to QT-1 they made him - the new robot (QT-13) rises from the table, and asks for directions to begin work…
Satisfaction Guaranteed A video clip of just over a minute sourced from a 16mm film print and used in a show on robotics. A sceptical Claire is introduced to the machine by her husband Harry.
Second Childhood 2. Section of the rejuvenation process (SFX sound only) 3. Charles waking up after his operation and looking in a mirror - Dr Odile Keppler by his bedside.
Immortality Inc. 2. At close of play - ‘The Reject’ - a disembodied spirit inhabiting a dying Host body - catches up with Blaine. It realises why Blaine is so significant - the reject’s body holds the mind of the other driver involved in the 1969 car crash - he knows that a part of Blaine had willed the crash to happen. The reject has come to claim for himself a ‘new body’: in this case that of Blaine…(to the distress of Blaine’s girlfriend Marie Thorne - one of the original technicians who brought Blaine into the future). 3. Other clips, content unknown. A video clip of a four seconds duration recovered from the Australian Censors.
Liar! 2. Scene cuts to Lanning’s room (head of the factory), where the sceptical and anxious journalist Brooke is waiting to be reassured of the safety of the new line of robots. Brooke is impatient… 3. A bemused Ashe returns to the assembled group, he bumbles an explanation, Brooke leaves. Ashe tells them that the new robot has just read his mind. Prof. Lanning decides they should all go see Herbie for themselves…. 4. Herbie is confronted by Robo-Psychologist Susan Clavin, who has discovered what the robot is up to; Herbie is then given an ‘impossible’ order, the carrying through of which implies the possibility of a human being hurt. Herbie suffers the robotic equivalent of a nervous breakdown - he crashes through the door, down a corridor and topples down a stairway. Two video clips of around over a minute in total sourced from a 16mm film print and used in a show on robotics. Herbie comes off the production line, and to Ashe's utter horror can read minds. A very short extract from one of these clips, of the two halves of Herbie's head being pushed together (see image, above) can be seen in the opening title sequence of the American sit-com Malcolm in the Middle.
Beach Head
1 +
1 = 1.5 2. Other clips, content unknown.
The
Fosters 2. Other clips, content unknown.
Get
Off My Cloud 2. Parnell materialising in Craswell’s dreamworld (“How do you do, Marsham Craswell I presume..?” ) - Craswell in hospital bed moaning at the mental intrusion. Scene follows on with Parnell remarking on Craswell’s dreamworld appearance (“The last time I saw you, you were as white as a bed sheet”) ; attempting to ‘write’ Parnell in as part of the fantasy, Craswell asks “You are an Earthman..?” 3. Parnell conjures up a Police Phone Booth (the TARDIS Police Box) - he phones his friend the Sergeant to come and help with a “disturbance of the peace” - outside, Craswell screams his battle cries as he prepares to fight against a hoard of alien creatures. 4. Parnell conjures up a group of Daleks from his childhood nightmare - Craswell is relunctant to admit anything which counters his own ‘reality’, and denies seeing them, “Daleks? I see no Daleks…”. Parnell replies, “Oh, don’t be such a sop Craswell, you’re not the only one with imagination.”
Something in the Cellar 2. Fred attempts to tamper with the Computer’s ‘D-circuit’ - the computer retaliates: a sudden electronic flash and the screwdriver Fred is using pierces his wrist: he screams in pain. 3. Monty realises the mind of his dead mother inhabits the computer - he hears his mothers voice coming through : he attempts to run from the cellar and gets as far as the bedroom upstairs, but the hypnotic call of ‘Come Back..’ from the Cellar induces him to return. He ends up in a foetal position on floor beside computer, his mother’s voice crooning ‘Just the two of us, for ever, and ever, and ever…” 4. A lengthy seven minute audio clip, content unknown.
Random Quest 2. Content unknown.
The
Naked Sun 2. In Baley’s Solarian apartment, Baley receives a radio transmission from the Earth under-Secretary Minnim (who assigned Baley to the case) calling for his return on to Earth. Baley is adamant that he wants to pursue his investigation, and orders a robot to switch of the transmission. His robot partner - R. Daneel Olivaw - warns him: “You cannot defy the Under-Secretary” The content of the three other clips is unknown.
The
Little Black Bag 2. One audio clip linking into recovered video footage. 3. Final audio clip featuring parts of the conclusion missing from recovered video footage.
Twenty-eight and half minutes of video footage
which represents most of the latter half of the play, with various short
segments in-between and the conclusion missing, plus reconstructed opening
and closing titles -
Target Generation
The
Yellow Pill
The
Last Witness
The
Uninvited
|
Four audio
extracts -