David Geldard on how a seminal season of science fiction showcased the many ways the genre could thrill, horrify and inspire…
“…it was in early 1983 that I was exposed to a much wider scope of science fiction, encountering its rich history and the many ways the genre could thrill, horrify and inspire – and it was all thanks to BBC-2.”
My love of science fiction began in the most terrifying of ways. I was a toddler in Edgeley, Stockport, living in a terraced house just beyond the shadow of the football ground, when I first encountered Doctor Who: Horror of Fang Rock (1977). I was absolutely petrified, the kind of fear that made me dive behind the sofa in true cliché fashion, peeking out at the screen with wide, desperate eyes. And yet, even in that fear, something clicked – I was mesmerised. The strange worlds, the unknown, the thrill of danger – it all called to me.
Not long after, my fascination deepened when my mum took me to see Star Wars at the ABC Ritz theatre in Stockport in 1978. I emerged from that cinema utterly enthralled. Light sabres, spaceships, alien worlds – it was intoxicating.
From there, my appetite for the genre only grew. I devoured shows like The Incredible Hulk, Buck Rogers, and even the black-and-white Flash Gordon serials on BBC-2, marvelling at their daring adventures and imaginative worlds. Every story, every episode, was a new door into the fantastic. In the days before our family even owned a VHS, my childhood was filled with collecting Doctor Who annuals and Target novelisations, Starburst magazine, Star Wars figures and constantly borrowing Robert Holdstock’s Encyclopaedia of Science Fiction from Stockport Library.
But it was in early 1983 that I was exposed to a much wider scope of science fiction, encountering its rich history and the many ways the genre could thrill, horrify and inspire – and it was all thanks to BBC-2, when the channel aired a carefully curated season of films that would become seminal in my love for science fiction: the 1983 Sci Fi Film Festival. It was a revelation. Suddenly, the scope of what science fiction could be – its capacity to intoxicate, terrify, and transport – opened before me in ways I had never imagined. That festival didn’t just widen my horizons; it cemented a lifelong love affair with the genre. BBC-2 had already earned a legendary reputation for its late-night Horror Double Bills, screenings that are still fondly remembered by fans today. I was far too young at the time to experience them myself, but their notoriety only added to the aura of excitement and fear that surrounded the shows I did watch.
The season kicked off on January 18th with the legendary Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1953), a chilling tale of paranoia and identity. In a small American town, ordinary people are slowly replaced by emotionless duplicates grown from alien pods, leaving their friends and family powerless to stop the terrifying transformation. Its blend of science fiction and psychological horror made it a perfect opening for the festival, highlighting how the genre could probe both outer space and the darkest corners of the human mind. In fact, even at the age of nine, it resonated with me on another level, beyond its socio-political commentary, that unsettling feeling that people you know, may not be the people you think they are.
On January 25th, the second film of the season was Universal’s The Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954), a film that perfectly combined horror and wonder. The story of a prehistoric, amphibious monster stalking a team of scientists in the remote Amazon captured imaginations with its eerie underwater scenes and the gill-man’s unforgettable, iconic design. It stood as a vivid reminder of how sci-fi could merge fear and fascination, showing that the genre’s reach extended far beyond spaceships and futuristic worlds. Watching this filled a gap left from my childhood, finally giving me the thrill and sense of creeping aquatic dread I had been craving having missed experiencing the terror of Doctor Who’s The Sea Devils (1972) by being born too late.
February’s first offering arrived on Tuesday 1st, with the 1953 version of Invaders from Mars , a gripping story of alien invasion seen through the eyes of a young boy, whose increasingly terrifying discoveries kept the tension high. A few years later, in 1986, I would also delight in its remake on a dodgy pirated VHS, which updated the classic tale with more vivid special effects and a darker, more suspenseful tone, bringing a new intensity to the story. Invaders from Mars left a lasting mark on science fiction, pioneering the idea of telling a tale of cosmic threat from a child’s perspective, where vulnerability and fear are magnified.
Watching When Worlds Collide (1951) on February 8th as part of the festival was like stepping into a cosmic nightmare and a thrilling adventure at once. The sight of Earth threatened by a massive, rogue planet captured my imagination, blending awe-inspiring spectacle with the tense human struggle for survival – reminding me that science fiction could be as grand and urgent as any real-world drama. Ray Harryhausen’s special effects were nothing short of magical, bringing the impossible to life with his signature stop-motion animation. It’s very easy to see how this film had an influence on later classics, notably 1996 blockbuster Independence Day.
Of course, 1983 was at the peak of Cold War paranoia and the timely showing of Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970) on February 15th, perfectly tapped into those fears. It was a chilling glimpse into a near-future dominated by machines. The story of a supercomputer that gains sentience and seizes control over humanity captured my imagination with a fascinating, unsettling vision of artificial intelligence that felt both thrilling and eerily plausible. That same year, War Games starring Matthew Broderick explored similar themes and fears. Colossus is a film that is very fondly remembered in pub conversations with my friends, all these years later.
BBC-2’s Sci Fi Film Festival continued on February 22nd with a film that was to cement itself as one of my all-time favourites, Forbidden Planet (1953) .The story of the starship C-57D arriving on Altair IV, discovering the remnants of the advanced Krell civilization and confronting the mysterious, deadly force that lingered there captured my imagination completely. Its blend of thrilling science fiction, Shakespearean inspiration, and ground-breaking effects made it feel like a glimpse of the future, showing just how far the genre could push both spectacle and storytelling. The set design and colour palette were beautiful. Every frame seemed carefully composed, giving the film a modern, almost surreal elegance that set it apart from other sci-fi of its era. Surely every child watching was also mesmerised by the iconic and charming Robby the Robot?
Another colourful design tour de force was This Island Earth (1955), airing on March 8th. A film that whisked me away as a child, its story of scientists caught in an interstellar conflict instantly captivating my imagination. The glowing-eyed aliens, the ‘Metaluna Mutants’, the sleek flying saucers, and strange, distant world of Metaluna felt both thrilling and astonishingly real. Watching it, I was completely absorbed, convinced I had been pulled straight into an extraordinary cosmic adventure. It is worth remembering, I was at an age at the time where I thoroughly enjoyed watching these films but simultaneously found them strange and slightly unsettling. The appearance of the humanoid aliens in This Island Earth caused much mirth at school years later though, where they were christened ‘The Tefal Heads’.
Watching Silent Running (1972) that same evening was a quietly mesmerising experience. The sight of Earth’s last forests floating in the vast emptiness of space, tended by a lone botanist, had me spellbound and filled me with awe. Its themes of isolation, duty, and the fragile beauty of nature made it feel surprisingly profound for a sci-fi film, leaving a lasting impression on my young mind. Looking back at these films it’s easy to see that so many had an influence on my beloved Doctor Who. Just as Forbidden Planet was an acknowledged influence on the Tom Baker story Planet of Evil (1975), Silent Running clearly provided some inspiration for 2010 David Tennant story The Waters of Mars.
I have slightly disjointed memories of the next film in the series, Fantastic Voyage (1966) which aired on March 15th. I was somewhat conflicted, as I was sure that ITV aired a programme at the same time, looking back at the history of sci-fi with lots of film clips (genius bit of scheduling there, cheers lads!). I definitely saw most of Fantastic Voyage and again, it was another one that had an effect on my young mind. The idea of shrinking down and journeying through the human body felt utterly magical, and every pulse, vein, and microscopic obstacle pulled me completely into the adventure. It was a perfect mix of imagination and suspense, showing just how inventive and thrilling science fiction could be. A few years later, we had a school Christmas trip to see the Dennis Quaid film Inner Space (1987) at the cinema and I immediately clocked the influence.
On March 22, BBC-2 aired the only film in the season that I found rather underwhelming, 1964’s Robinson Crusoe on Mars. As a restless pre-teen, I couldn’t help but find the film a bit of a slow burn. The long stretches of survival and solitude felt tedious compared to the dazzling aliens, robots, and cosmic chaos I loved, and my impatient, wide-eyed excitement kept wandering elsewhere. Still, that’s just my memory, and it’s a film that is held in high esteem by many a sci-fi fan.
After the slow grind of Robinson Crusoe on Mars, the season’s 29 March airing of the 1953 The War of the Worlds was a pure adrenaline rush. The terrifying Martian machines, relentless pace, and sense of unstoppable cosmic menace had me glued to the screen, reminding me just how thrilling science fiction could be. I had already heard and loved Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds when a childhood friend brought it round on cassette. Although this film was the Americanised version, it contained everything I loved about science fiction. The special effects were ground-breaking for its time and still look great today. It had a palpably menacing apocalyptic atmosphere to it that was both nerve-wracking and exciting. One of the very best examples of 1950s science fiction cinema.
The next film was a real Easter treat, Daleks: Invasion Earth 2150AD (1966). This was a pure delight. The sight of the Peter Cushing’s non-canon Earthling inventor ‘Dr Who’ and his companions battling the menacing Daleks on a futuristic, invaded Earth captured my imagination completely, blending thrilling action with the quirky charm of 1960s British sci-fi. It was exciting, slightly campy, and utterly unforgettable. This may be heresy to some, but I would rather watch this than the BBC version starring William Hartnell any day. It was a perfect Easter Holiday film to entertain you as you tucked into a Quality Street Easter egg. I have always, for some reason, preferred British sci-fi and this tapped into that ‘Post-apocalyptic England’ subgenre that I have always loved. It must be mentioned that the colour palette in this film is amazing. Seeing this as a kid during the Dalekmania of the 1960s, when the metal rascals were only on the small screen in monochrome, must have been quite the thrill.
The penultimate film of the season was Conquest of Space (1955), which aired on April 12th 1983. Watching this a nine-year-old was absolutely mind-blowing. I remember my eyes widening at the massive rockets and the astronauts floating in zero gravity, and I could hardly believe people were imagining travelling to Mars decades before it seemed remotely possible. The tension, the daring space mission, and the strange, futuristic technology had me completely hooked – I felt like I was on that journey with them, and it made me dream of space like never before. It seemed a very obvious influence on Stanley Kubrick’s epic 2001: A Space Odyssey.
BBC-2’s Sci Fi Film Season ended on April 19th 1983 and perhaps, saved the best for last with 1951’s The Day the Earth Stood Still. For my money at least, the greatest science fiction film of the 1950s and one I return to many times. Klaatu and the towering robot Gort were unlike anything I’d ever seen, and the idea that an alien could judge humanity filled me with a mix of fear and wonder. Even as a kid, I felt the weight of its message about peace and responsibility, and it made me think that science fiction could be more than monsters and spaceships – it could make you question the world around you. The calm, deliberate pace only added to the sense that something truly important was unfolding on the screen. As the decade progressed and I became more aware of the times we were living in and the real consequences if the Cold War ever became hot, this film meant more and more to me.
Of course, our family later got a VCR and sci-fi films became more accessible, by renting them or recording them off late night TV. It was a world away from the modern-day situation where virtually any film is available at the click of a button, and I will always be grateful for BBC-2 for the Sci Fi Film Festival of 1983. For a young science fiction nerd like me, it was an education as important as anything I learned in school. It exposed me to a variety of films that made you think ‘what if’ and question the world around you.
These days, younger people are watching television less and I suppose films in black and white don’t pull the viewing figures they once did, but wouldn’t it be wonderful if they did another season of sci-fi films of this quality?
Until next time…
“Klaatu… Barada… Nikto”
❉ The 1983 BBC-2 Sci-Fi Film Festival was a 15-week season of science fiction films that aired on Tuesday evenings, starting in January 1983.
❉ David Geldard is a regular contributor to We Are Cult and co-editor of In the Lap of the Gods: Queen & Freddie Mercury: Music and Memories, available to order in paperback from Amazon UK, £12.99: https://amzn.to/3XkP2bZ. David hosts the Classic Rock Hub on http://fabradiointernational.com
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