Doomwatch 1970

1970 Close-Up: DOOMWATCH 1970 Measurement of Scientific Work (to give it its posh habit of helpfully explaining the name) had been set up as a sop towards ‘green’ plots to secretary Pat Hunnisett issues. But he gave Doomwatch its teeth, and when (Wendy Hall). not nipping off to Beeston, he was bullishly ‘Suppose science produced a interrogating the Irresponsible Boffin Of The plastic-eating agent to destroy Week, or going toe-to-toe with the ruling classes – plastic waste and stop it from represented by the decanter-owning Minister (a clogging our rivers,’ postulated pre-Reggie Perrin John Barron) Davis, by way of a preview to In contrast to Quist, colleague Dr John Ridge episode one. ‘And suppose (Simon Oates) was a loud, brash, mutton-chopped some of the stuff was evocation of the go-head ‘70s. Similarly intelligent, inadvertently carried onto an he was an unashamed drinker, dabbler in fashion aircraft. And suppose it got (Oates once wore a dog collar throughout an loose…’ episode simply to win a bet) and an enthusiastic Detailing the devastating exponent of the exclamation, ‘Stone me!’ effects of these suppositions, Plus, he had an eye for what he happily referred ‘The Plastic Eaters’ set out the show’s stocks Above: The series to as ‘the fairer sex’ … in trade: A frighteningly plausible scenario gone launched with this striking ‘I like ladies and I put myself about a bit,’ crackers, stonewalling government officials, Radio Times cover, showing a twisted model remembers Oates. ‘And why not? So [producer lengthy moral arguments played at full volume and ‘plane as if attacked by Terence Dudley] let me play with that in the series. some throwaway sexism to tickle the dads (‘[Pat] the plastic virus He’d put me and whoever the lady was together, would have introduced us,’ Ridge tells Wren, ‘but I and we’d get on a bit’. pinched her bum before lunch’). CLOSE-UP Completing the triumvirate was wet-behind- Doomwatch represented the first knockings of the-ears scientist Toby Wren (a breakthrough role cynicism in mainstream drama. Everyone in a tie for Robert Powell). A wide-eyed everyman – albeit was suspicious, everyone in a cravat a revolutionary. a predictably intellectual one – he developed a Whitehall meant whitewash, big business was bad. Doomwatch Heterosexual men referred to other heterosexual men as ‘darling’ in a fashion that seemed terribly DOOMWATCH ‘At least half the stories we did came true!’ provocative. It was all rather exciting, and Created by: Kit – Robert Powell newspaper critics were begrudgingly impressed. Pedler, Gerry Davis and Terence Dudley he environmental clock stands at one minute As Pedler gravely opined: ‘We’re living on a ‘It makes acceptable viewing, with an edge of to midnight – but fear not, there’s a new leasehold planet and we don’t ever pay the ground alarm’, declared The New Statesman. ‘It makes you Starring: John Paul qTuango in town and it’s staffed by fag-puffing rent’. think,’ reckoned the Morning Star. And in The (Dr Spencer Quist), Simon Oates (Dr intellects, as happy debating ethics as embarking In an interview for Radio Times, Davis set the Guardian, Nancy Banks-Smith opined: ‘There is no John Ridge), Robert on a little breaking and entering … before capping scene. ‘[Doomwatch is] the code-name of a longer any need for thriller writers to invent a Powell (Toby Wren), Joby Blanshard the evening off getting ‘stoned’ down the boozer, of government department set-up to keep a private menace from Mars. Horror is here and now and in (Colin Bradley), John course. eye on the forms of research which can produce newspaper clippings’. Barron (The Minister) Boasting TV’s most urgent theme ever (courtesy [environmental] hazards – and stop them from The blue touch paper was lit, and other subjects of Max ‘Mind Your Language’ Harris), Doomwatch getting out of hand. entered the programme’s purview – genetic Debuted: Monday 9 Above: Doomwatch was a shockingly prescient drama, created by Dr Kit ‘They’re a highly strung, highly independent engineering, chemical waste, subliminal advertising, February 1970, stalwarts; left to right, BBC1 scientific measurement’s Pedler and Gerry Davis. The duo had met on team, and this doesn’t go down well with the noise pollution, surveillance systems … and the use silver fox Dr Quist (John Doctor Who – where they’d created the Time Lord’s authorities.’ of hormones in fish farming (in short: men with Paul), white-coated lab boffin Colin Bradley (Joby second-best enemies, the Cybermen – and were Leading the charge was bluff, cardigan-wearing breasts). Blanshard) and ladies’ now bringing things down to Earth with a series Dr Spencer Quist (John Paul). A brilliant academic Along the way, the show developed a reputation Left: The Byronic pallor of man and wearer of rakish Doomwatch poster boy ties Dr Ridge (Simon drawing on their shared interest in environmental with a clubby, post-War sense of fair play, he was all for the prescience of its plots – several of which Toby Wren (Robert Oates) issues. too aware the Department for the Observation and were mirrored by real life news stories. Powell) 14 15 1970 Close-Up: DOOMWATCH Close-Up: DOOMWATCH 1970 missive in an effort to calm the readership. story, ‘The Killer Dolphins’, turned out to be a Left: Pipe Smoker of the Year 1970 (Scientific ‘The reaction to Toby’s death surprised me,’ he mundane treatise on mammals turned malicious. Action Hero Section) – Dr confessed. ‘I didn’t realise people took it that ‘Last night’s close-of-the-season episode … was John Ridge seriously – there really were tear-stained letters’. a fairly mediocre affair,’ wrote Richard Last the Further change was in the air for series two … following morning in the Daily Telegraph.‘If When a Mr Cloake wrote to the publication Doomwatch survives, and on the whole I hope it highlighting the show’s lacklustre female quotient, does, [it needs] to secure a tenable balance between Terence Dudley was next with the calming words. the elements of ecology, science fiction and ‘Let me hasten to assure Mr Cloake that I share melodrama’. his enthusiasm for the ladies,’ he declared, ‘and that Alas, it didn’t. Yes, there had been a 1972 feature in the next series, Doomwatch recruits an attractive film spin-off starring Ian Bannen, but that had only woman scientist to adjust the balance. Those poor sported walk-ons for the regular cast. And, yes, cloistered lads won’t know what’s hit ‘em’. Davis and Pedler made much talk of creating a The newcomer was Dr Fay Chantry (played by similar show for ITV, however nothing came of Jean Trend – a ‘real dish’ reckoned Gerry Davis), that. Doomwatch just ran out of puff. who’d join the line up from the fourth episode. recalls. ‘It got to a point where I thought enough’s It had been a series characterised by a searing, Above: The producers of Doomwatch before their Having notched up audiences of around 12 enough.’ self-conscious intelligence, which blazed a trail fall out; left to right – Dr million first time out, Doomwatch returned with all Fittingly, the ‘mad scientist’ in ‘Fire and through a slew of credible issues. Dramatically, at Kit Pedler, Terence Dudley due haste in December. ‘We intend to discomfort, Brimstone’ had been good old Ridge himself, who its peak, nothing could touch it. On other and (in Ridge-style neckerchief) Gerry Davis Above: Ridge discovers However, it was a botched contract negotiation shock and provoke,’ warned Davis. The first – having gone a tad potty (from paint fumes, if you occasions it all got a bit too much – how many his latest squeeze has that ensured series one ended on a headline- episode certainly had a fair pop at that. Entitled can believe that) – threatened to destroy humanity shows would feature a dad moaning his son had become rat food in the supper-spilling conclusion grabbing note … ‘You Killed Toby Wren’, it saw an embittered Ridge unless the world’s governments got behind his been expelled from school for ‘quasi-biological to classic episode ‘Amazingly,’ remembers Robert Powell, ‘[the laying full responsibility for his colleague’s death anti-pollution campaign. Understandably, he psycho-genetic reasons’? But even in the doldrums, ‘Tomorrow, The Rat’ producers] didn’t make me sign an option for on Quist, who – wracked with guilt – succumbed to didn’t show his face around Doomwatch much there was always something to enjoy – normally a Below Left: Doomwatch’s another series – so halfway through making a departmental investigation. However, when the after that. tart exchange between our heroes and some second Radio Times cover recounted the last sticky Doomwatch, when it was actually on air, Kit Pedler histrionics were out of the way, it was business as There were other problems too. An episode Rotarian from the cabinet. seconds of Toby Wren’s and Gerry Davis came and said, “Well, obviously (un)usual for the team … Except that, with Robert about censorship, ‘Sex and Violence’, was (with no ‘We’re very broadminded in Pall Mall these days, life as he attempted to defuse a bomb. The third now it’s a hit, you’ll stay”.And I said,“No, the bigger Powell gone, things just didn’t feel the same. sense of irony) banned. This was ostensibly because Ridge’, says another Whitehall weasel. ‘Well,’ says showed a desperate the hit, the more I want to go”. ‘[He was] a great loss to me,’ remembers Oates, it featured footage of a genuine military execution, the dashing doc, ready to go to war on this week’s Ridge poised to bring the world to ransom with a ‘They said, “Are you sure? How do you want to ‘to us – to the series.’ but was more probably thanks to its unsubtle and big issue,‘make mine a fistful of deadly anthrax go?”.“Irrevocably”’.

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