The White Dwarf 

A famous astronomer predicts that the entry into the solar system of a small star will result in the destruction of the Earth. Steed and Cathy try to discover the connection, if any, ... See full summary »

Director:

Richmond Harding

Writer:

Malcolm Hulke (teleplay)

Stars:

Patrick Macnee, Honor Blackman, George A. Cooper

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Patrick Macnee	...	John Steed
Honor Blackman	...	Catherine Gale
George A. Cooper	...	Maxwell Barker
Philip Latham	...	Professor Cartright
Peter Copley	...	Henry Barker
Bill Nagy	...	Johnson
Vivienne Drummond	...	Elizabeth Fuller
Daniel Thorndike	...	Minister
Constance Chapman	...	Miss Tregarth
George Roubicek	...	Luke
Keith Pyott	...	Professor Richter
Paul Anil	...	Rahim
John Falconer	...	Butler

Storyline

A famous astronomer predicts that the entry into the solar system of a small star will result in the destruction of the Earth. Steed and Cathy try to discover the connection, if any, between the astronomer's dire prediction and the threats on his life.

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Plot Keywords:

astronomer | star | vegetarian | professor | observatory | 

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Genres:

Action | Comedy | Crime | Mystery | Romance | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Did You Know?

Trivia

The name Voytek can be seen on the observatory timetable, though no such character appears. This is a clear in-joke to then-ABCtv staff designer Voytek Roman.

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Goofs

As Steed fetches Cathy's bag to her in his flat the boom is clearly visible between them.

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Quotes

John Steed: Do you know what a white dwarf is? It's some kind of astronomical body.
Catherine Gale: The core of a supernova.
John Steed: Ehm, what does, what does that mean then?
Catherine Gale: Well, stars explode sometimes.
John Steed: Ah, when you say star you don't mean a planet?
Catherine Gale: No no, no. The word star gets used very loosely. Stars are realy like our Sun, burning masses of gas, every now and then one of them explodes.
John Steed: Every now and then? Meaning every few million years, eh?
Catherine Gale: Well, not necessarily. There was one quite recently in, ah, 1054.
John Steed: Bang up-to-date!

User Reviews

The end of the world as we know it

"The White Dwarf" presented another potentially gripping story, bearing similarities to the 1961 feature "The Day the Earth Caught Fire." Professor Richter (Keith Pyott, "The House That Jack Built") is an astronomer who believes that a 'white dwarf' (not a black hole) is on a collision course with the sun, and will destroy all life in our solar system. Unfortunately, on a night when he's about to confirm his findings, he is murdered by an unseen assailant, who also disposes of another astronomer as well. On the business end, Maxwell Barker (George A. Cooper, "The Curious Case of the Countless Clues") receives the white dwarf news from his brother Henry (Peter Copley, "All Done with Mirrors"), who works for the Ministry, believing he can make a financial killing from a worldwide panic. Philip Latham ("Room Without a View"), like George A. Cooper a veteran of Hammer's Dracula series, plays Professor Cartright, alarmed by the high morality rate at the observatory, and George Roubicek ("Invasion of the Earthmen") plays the grieving son of Professor Richter. Cathy again dominates the proceedings, but the climax proves to be unsatisfactorily rushed (during one dialogue exchange between Steed and Cathy, a microphone can clearly be seen above them). Steed's dog Sheba makes the second of her five appearances, hopping onto his lap and getting her belly rubbed.

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 February 1991 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Associated British Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

52 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1