Quatermass 

In the near future, civilization has broken down to the barest fragment of recognizable 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, civilization has broken down to the barest fragment of recognizable 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 (Sir John Mills), seeking his granddaughter, teams up with Joe Kapp (Simon MacCorkindale), who is trying to analyze 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

Started life in 1973 as a BBC series 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.

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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

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.