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10th July 2022: All about The Boy from Space from Look and Read!
In the making since I wrote an article for the Boy from Space DVD booklet 8 years ago, and using original production paperwork and scripts from the BBC Written Archives, a full episode-by-episode guide to the classic science-fiction serial is now going up here.
In fact it's two guides at the same time:
- the original, black & white version of the story from the early 1970s includes details of all the teaching sections (which no longer exist) such as presenter Charles Collingwood's battles with an annoying space-bug, and how the story was actually about 15 minutes longer in the 1970s than the version we know today.
- and the revised version first shown in 1980 presented by Wordy, with new music and new cliffhangers (which is available on DVD!). Read about what was changed and why, and listen to reversed clips from the soundtrack where you can actually make out what the alien characters are saying to each other!
Did you know that the evil thin space-man had an actual, alien name in the original scripts which was never learnt by the human characters or given in any of the books about the series. All will be revealed when the guide gets as far as episode 4! (It is going up episode by episode and at the time of writing has got as far as episode 2)
Meanwhile in New York, Jamal, Lenni and the Ghostwriter team pick up clues and solve 1990s crime mysteries that involve reading and writing, to the delight of UK children but the general bemusement of their teachers!
The site now has a guide to the Ghostwriter TV series and the less well-known Ghostwriter radio series, all from a UK perspective and with extra behind-the-scenes pictures!
18th May 2022: I'm updating various different programmes without a common theme, just selected for fun or using the site's random programme chooser. Details in the list of updates down below.
Some highlights include the BBC radio series of English for immigrant children in the early 70s, Hello! Hello!, the miscellany series of the 1960s, 70s and 80s, Springboard, and Granada TV's 1970s geography series The Land.
Where have I been for the last few months? I've been writing a big and detailed guide to the Look and Read story The Boy from Space. Both the 1980s version (which is available on DVD!) and the original 1970s version (which isn't!).
There's some really interesting production details - but I need the BBC to approve it before it appears here, and that is going to take a few more weeks. Watch this space!
Latest updates
The Boy from Space (1980) - Episode 3: The Man in the Sand-pit  (from Look and Read)
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| 19 Jul 2022 Detailed episode guide to part 3 of the 1980 version of The Boy from Space | |
| The Boy from Space (1971) - Episode 2: The Spinning Compass (from Look and Read) | |
| 19 Jul 2022 A guide to part 2 of the 1971 version of The Boy from Space, including the lost teaching sections and differences from the 1980 version. Extra picture added for the teaching section. | |
| The Boy from Space (1971) - Episode 3: The Man in the Sand-pit (from Look and Read) | |
| 19 Jul 2022 A detailed episode guide to part 3 of the 1971 version of The Boy from Space | |
| Now and Then
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TV |
| 14 Jul 2022 Full guide with episode list, broadcasts, resources and more background info. | |
| Near and Far
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TV |
| 14 Jul 2022 A guide to the BBC geography series from the 1970s & 80s, including the development, teacher's notes, episode list, broadcast details & credits. | |
| Ghostwriter (TV) | TV |
| 11 Jul 2022 A full guide to the 1990s American mystery adventure series Ghostwriter, from a British schools TV perspective! | |
| The Boy from Space (1980) - Episode 2: The Spinning Compass (from Look and Read) | |
| 10 Jul 2022 Detailed episode guide to part 2 of the 1980 version with production notes and space-speech translation | |
| The Boy from Space (1971) - Episode 1: The Meteorite (from Look and Read) | |
| 11 Jun 2022 A detailed episode guide to part 1 of the 1971 version of The Boy from Space, including quotes from the lost teaching sections and differences from the 1980 version | |
| The Boy from Space (1980) - Episode 1: The Meteorite (from Look and Read) | |
| 11 Jun 2022 Detailed episode guide to part 1 of the 1980 version with production notes | |
| The Boy from Space (1980) - Episode Guide (from Look and Read) | |
| 6 Jun 2022 An introduction the episode guide to the well-known 1980 version of The Boy from Space, in progress over the next few weeks! Including studio recording details, and how I have attempted to translate all of the space-speech. | |