"Quatermass" (1979) TV series 1979-

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

24 October 1979 (UK)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Drama | Thriller

Plot:

After the mysterious destruction of the new space station, young people find themselves drawn to a stone circle in England...

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Future | England | Wembley Stadium | Dystopia

Cast

John Mills	...	Prof. Bernard Quatermass (4 episodes, 1979)
Simon MacCorkindale	...	Joe Kapp (4 episodes, 1979)
Ralph Arliss	...	Kickalong (4 episodes, 1979)
Paul Rosebury	...	Caraway (4 episodes, 1979)
Jane Bertish	...	Bee (4 episodes, 1979)
Rebecca Saire	...	Hettie Carlson (3 episodes, 1979)
Toyah Willcox	...	Sal (3 episodes, 1979)
Tony Sibbald	...	Chuck Marshall (3 episodes, 1979)
Barbara Kellerman	...	Clare Kapp (2 episodes, 1979)
Brewster Mason	...	Gurov (2 episodes, 1979)
Margaret Tyzack	...	Annie Morgan (2 episodes, 1979)
Bruce Purchase	...	Tommy Roach (2 episodes, 1979)
Annabelle Lanyon	...	Isabel (2 episodes, 1979)
David Yip	...	Frank Chen (2 episodes, 1979)
Neil Stacy	...	Toby Gough (2 episodes, 1979)
Brenda Fricker	...	Alison Thorpe (2 episodes, 1979)
Elsie Randolph	...	Woman Minister (2 episodes, 1979)
Larry Noble	...	Jack (2 episodes, 1979)
Gretchen Franklin	...	Edna (2 episodes, 1979)
James Ottaway	...	Arthur (2 episodes, 1979)
Clare Ruane	...	Jane (2 episodes, 1979)
Donald Eccles	...	Chisholm (2 episodes, 1979)
Sophie Kind	...	Kapp Child / ... (2 episodes, 1979)
Joanna Joseph	...	Debbie, Kapp Child / ... (2 episodes, 1979)

Series Directed by
Piers Haggard		(4 episodes, 1979)

Series Writing credits
Nigel Kneale		(4 episodes, 1979)

Series Produced by
Ted Childs	....	producer (4 episodes, 1979)
Norton Knatchbull	....	associate producer (4 episodes, 1979)
Verity Lambert	....	executive producer (4 episodes, 1979)

Series Original Music by
Nic Rowley		(4 episodes, 1979)
Marc Wilkinson		(4 episodes, 1979)

Series Cinematography by
Ian Wilson		(4 episodes, 1979)

Series Film Editing by
Keith Palmer		(4 episodes, 1979)

Series Casting by
Michael Barnes		(4 episodes, 1979)

Series Production Design by
Arnold Chapkis		(4 episodes, 1979)

Series Art Direction by
Terry Parr		(4 episodes, 1979)
Stuart Rose		(unknown episodes)

Series Costume Design by
Michael Baldwin		(4 episodes, 1979)

Series Makeup Department
Eddie Knight	....	makeup artist (4 episodes, 1979)
Mary Sturgess	....	hair stylist (4 episodes, 1979)

Series Production Management
Johnny Goodman	....	executive in charge of production (4 episodes, 1979)
Laurie Greenwood	....	production manager (4 episodes, 1979)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Steve Lanning	....	second assistant director (4 episodes, 1979)
Bill Westley	....	assistant director (4 episodes, 1979)
Christopher Newman	....	third assistant director (unknown episodes)

Series Art Department
Bert Gardner	....	property buyer (4 episodes, 1979)
Rex Hobbs	....	property master (4 episodes, 1979)
Charlie Simmons	....	construction coordinator (4 episodes, 1979)
Paul Purdy	....	props (unknown episodes)

Series Sound Department
Chris Gurney	....	boom operator (4 episodes, 1979)
Dudley Plummer	....	sound mixer (4 episodes, 1979)
Ian Toynton	....	sound editor (4 episodes, 1979)
Roger Wilson	....	sound editor (4 episodes, 1979)
Hugh Strain	....	sound mixer (3 episodes, 1979)

Series Visual Effects by
Martin Denning	....	video playback (1 episode, 1979)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Neil Binney	....	camera operator (4 episodes, 1979)
Ray Hearne	....	still photographer (4 episodes, 1979)
Alan Martin	....	gaffer (4 episodes, 1979)
Tim Ross	....	follow focus cameramen (4 episodes, 1979)

Series Costume and Wardrobe Department
David Murphy	....	wardrobe (4 episodes, 1979)

Series Editorial Department
Chris Blunden	....	first assistant editor (4 episodes, 1979)

Series Other crew
Linda Agran	....	story editor (4 episodes, 1979)
Richard Clarke	....	technical advisor (4 episodes, 1979)
Sally Croft	....	publicist (4 episodes, 1979)
Tudor Davies	....	choreographer (4 episodes, 1979)
Peter Harvey	....	production accountant (4 episodes, 1979)
Sally Pardo	....	production assistant (4 episodes, 1979)
Stephen Pushkin	....	location manager (4 episodes, 1979)
Pat Rambaut	....	continuity (4 episodes, 1979)

Production Companies

• Euston Films
• Thames Television

Distributors

• Thorn EMI/HBO Video (USA) (VHS)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2005) (Australia) (DVD)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

60 min (4 episodes) | USA:204 min (4 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono | Mono

Certification:

UK:15 | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

England, UK

Company:

Euston Films

Trivia:

Started life in 1973 as a BBC serial called Quatermass IV. It had been commissioned by Ronnie Marsh and according to Nigel Kneale, the intended producer was Joe Waters. Some model test sequences of the space station were shot, but eventually the project was abandoned by the BBC. ITV then picked it up a few years later and produced it in association with Euston Films.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Screenwipe: Episode #1.3" (2006)

See the 4-hour miniseries instead of the edited movie.

I recently watched the complete four-hour version of Nigel Kneale's British miniseries "Quatermass." I had seen an edited movie version called "The Quatermass Conclusion" some years earlier. The verdict: The miniseries is superior. It expands on several subplots (of course) and offers richer characterizations. John Mills makes an excellent Quatermass--somewhat befuddled at the outset, but strong and clear of mind when the survival of the world is at stake. Granted, the production is not as polished as the movie version of "Quatermass and the Pit" (the music, in particular, sounds like it costs a couple of hundred bucks). But the ideas are intriguing and that darn nursery rhyme about Ringstone Round is still running around my brain. Kneale wrote a novelization of the miniseries that clarifies a few vague points.