Capellan
Explorer
Excerpted from Science Fiction Collector, August 2003 edition:
In 1980, the BBC, encouraged by the success of such shows as Blake's 7, Doctor Who, and that one the Americans did (you know what), decided to add another science fiction series to their programming line-up. However, they lacked the time or resources to develop an entirely new show, and thus they turned to their radio show archives for inspiration.
Q-Ship, based on the 1950s radio serial of the same name, ran from 1981-83, establishing itself as a cult contemporary of the other science fiction series of the era.
Like most shows of the time, the episodes were presumed lost, fallen victim to the BBC's cost-cutting measures. It was long rumoured that the last surviving prints had ended their days as wall-filler, a charge that the BBC continues to deny.
Recently, however, a copy of the limited run home video version appeared on eBay. Like the show itself, these had long been believed lost - a casualty of the fact that they were only available in Betamax format.
Thus far, the only tape to surface is "Q-Ship: Blast Off!", which collects the first three episodes. Like many British programs, Q-Ship's seasons were each only six episodes in length, and this find therefore represents the recovery of half of the first season. Whether or not the remaining episodes will be recovered is not known, but in the mean time, the BBC has re-released "Blast-Off!" in a limited edition DVD edition, complete with director's commentary and biographical material on each of the stars.
Watch this space for more information!
Okay, so there's not really any show called Q-Ship ... but there is going to be a story hour. To begin with, let's fill you in on the particulars of the "Q-niverse" ...
Compiled Script Books
These are pdf versions of each 'episode' of Q-Ship, available for download to read off-line:
"Blast Off!" (Season 1, Episode 1)
"Space Tomb" (Season 1, Episode 2)
"The Targ Totality" (Season 1, Episode 3)
Last Episode: "Total Escape"
First post is on this page.
Current Episode: "Venusian Christmas Carol"
First post is on this page.
In 1980, the BBC, encouraged by the success of such shows as Blake's 7, Doctor Who, and that one the Americans did (you know what), decided to add another science fiction series to their programming line-up. However, they lacked the time or resources to develop an entirely new show, and thus they turned to their radio show archives for inspiration.
Q-Ship, based on the 1950s radio serial of the same name, ran from 1981-83, establishing itself as a cult contemporary of the other science fiction series of the era.
Like most shows of the time, the episodes were presumed lost, fallen victim to the BBC's cost-cutting measures. It was long rumoured that the last surviving prints had ended their days as wall-filler, a charge that the BBC continues to deny.
Recently, however, a copy of the limited run home video version appeared on eBay. Like the show itself, these had long been believed lost - a casualty of the fact that they were only available in Betamax format.
Thus far, the only tape to surface is "Q-Ship: Blast Off!", which collects the first three episodes. Like many British programs, Q-Ship's seasons were each only six episodes in length, and this find therefore represents the recovery of half of the first season. Whether or not the remaining episodes will be recovered is not known, but in the mean time, the BBC has re-released "Blast-Off!" in a limited edition DVD edition, complete with director's commentary and biographical material on each of the stars.
Watch this space for more information!
Okay, so there's not really any show called Q-Ship ... but there is going to be a story hour. To begin with, let's fill you in on the particulars of the "Q-niverse" ...
Compiled Script Books
These are pdf versions of each 'episode' of Q-Ship, available for download to read off-line:
"Blast Off!" (Season 1, Episode 1)
"Space Tomb" (Season 1, Episode 2)
"The Targ Totality" (Season 1, Episode 3)
Last Episode: "Total Escape"
First post is on this page.
Current Episode: "Venusian Christmas Carol"
First post is on this page.
Last edited: