Children's sci-fi TV from British Commonwealth countries
Fireball XL5 39 episodes (1962-63) 30m
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In 2062 the World Space Patrol protects the planet from all sorts of nasty aliens. Colonel Steve Zodiac and the crew of Fireball XL5 seems to get more than their fair share of the action. The second Gerry and Sylvia Anderson "SuperMarionation" series is pretty standard stuff, with enough on show to point to better things.
T-birds is the Andersons' ultimate SuperMarionation achievement and a genuine cult classic. The Tracy brothers philanthropically run around in all manner of high-tech craft, rescuing people and preventing disasters. Meanwhile their agent in London, Lady Penelope, provides sub-plots galore. Later made into a feature film parody.
Captain Scarlet & the Mysterons 32 episodes (1968) 30m
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The Andersons flog SuperMarionation one more time. The Martian 'Mysterons' misinterpret an Earth landing as an invasion. They scramble the brain cells of a couple of Earth agents in order to turn them into 'Fifth Columnists'. The one who resists (Capt Scarlet) becomes the hero of the series and the other (Capt Black) the villain.
Children's sci-fi came of age with this highly-regarded UK series. Four serials in which two children 'timeslip' to the near past and future while dealing with some fairly serious sci-fi themes. Planetary disaster, cloning, and even World War II all come under the microscope. Set the stage for shows like The Girl From Tomorrow.
The Tomorrow People 22 serial episodes (1973-79) 30m
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Superchildren with paranormal abilities and a talking computer use their powers to protect others of their kind and battle evil throughout time and space. Partly inspired by Alfred Bester's The Stars My Destination, this series never gained much of an audience outside the UK, where it still has a strong cult following.
The Tripods 25 serial episodes (1984-85) 30m
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The first two books in John Christopher's Tripods trilogy (1967-68) managed to make it to air before the bean-counters brought this fine series to a premature end. Upon reaching their teens, kids are 'capped' with skull implants by aliens who have taken over Earth. Three uncapped kids help the resistance movement.
Captain Power 22 episodes (1987-88) 30m
Best remembered for its groundbreaking use of computer-animated graphics - Canada's Captain Power & the Soldiers of the Future is essentially a live-action Saturday morning cartoon. By 2147 the machines had won the Metal Wars and 'biodreds' roam the planet digitising human survivors. Our heroes are humanity's last hope.
The Girl From Tomorrow 24 serial episodes (1990-92) 30m
Superb Australian serials in the Timeslip tradition. Alana, a girl from the ecotastrophic (see Eco-Echoes) 26th century, is brought back to the present day by her outlaw kidnapper. She has several dramatic adventures with her new friend Jenny, before both of them head back to the future for further adventures in the second serial.
