Quatermass 

In the near future, civilisation has broken down to the barest fragment of recognisable life. Young people are forming gangs and dominating the wrecks of cities like London. But the ... See full summary »

Stars:

John Mills, Simon MacCorkindale, Ralph Arliss

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
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
Declan Mulholland	...	Security Guard 2 episodes, 1979

Storyline

In the near future, civilisation has broken down to the barest fragment of recognisable life. Young people are forming gangs and dominating the wrecks of cities like London. But the strangest Earth-children are the Planet people, following plumb-bobs to sacred sites, waiting to be "Taken Up". Professor Quatermass, seeking his granddaughter, teams up with Joe Kapp, who is trying to analyse strange signals from space using the last working pieces of electronic equipment. They find the Planet People at a nearby stone circle, a light appears, the signal appears, - and the hippy children are gone. Russian plot? Nirvana? Or something altogether more sinister?

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Plot Keywords:

alien | england | future | tv mini series | dystopia | 

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Genres:

Drama | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 October 1979 (UK)

Also Known As:

The Quatermass Conclusion

Filming Locations:

England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Euston Films,Thames Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min (4 episodes) 204 min (4 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This was the only "Quatermass" television production which was not broadcast live, as was the case with The Quatermass Experiment (1953), Quatermass II (1955), Quatermass and the Pit (1958) and The Quatermass Experiment (2005).

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Alternate Versions

An edited "movie" version of approx 90 minute has been shown in Britain.

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Connections

Followed by The Quatermass Experiment (2005)

User Reviews

Low Budget, Good Ideas

"The Quatermass Conclusion" is one of the few 'true' pieces of science fiction ever committed to film and Nigel Neale's script rates up there with "2001" and "Dark Star" for inventiveness. Unfortunately it suffered from an obviously low budget and there are lapses here and there into melodrama. The story, set in a dystopian Britain, concerns the arrival of an unknown alien force which is 'harvesting' the youth by leading them to ancient ritual sites. Professor Quatermass (John Mills) comes out of retirement to look for his missing granddaughter and is drawn into the fight to save the planet's population. There are some disturbing images such as Wembley Stadium reduced to a 'killing ground' and the pensioners forced to live underground for safety. Many of the predictions in the film have since come about, such as the upsurge in 'hippy travellers' and the general social decay of the inner cities.