Yet another lost entertainment title (sci-fi)

April 30, 2005 6:23 AM

This is my first 'AskMetafilter' question, but browsing around here, I've noticed that several other people have posted similar queries, so here goes: Sometime in the late '70's, I recalll seeing at least one episode of some British ITV-produced show about a clutch of people who were floating around the galaxy in the British Museum. Yep, THE British Museum. However absurd, I remember that the Earth had somehow been destroyed, and this clutch of heroes was charged with preserving the remains of human civilization en route to a new, undetermined home. While this scenario bears many similarities to 'Space:1999', 'Journey to the Far Side of the Sun', 'Blake's 7', 'Battlestar Galactica' and 'Silent Running', I know it is none of those, and it was British. I distinctly remember aliens -actors in costumes, flowing robes, leather, that sort of thing - pursuing the human protagonists within the museum. It very much seemed an episode of a television show, in a hip, Quartermaas key, but with the better production values of the live Gerry Anderson/ITV shows. Any ideas? I really don't think it was Doctor Who...
posted by vhsiv to Media & Arts (10 answers total)

Best answer: vhsiv...I'm just going to paste in what I wrote in luneray's question, a little bit down the front page....

--- Hey vhsiv, if you write a succinct question on the front page and then put details as [more inside], you will likely have more relevant people coming in to finish reading and offer assistance. Many of us will just whizz on by when there's too much writing. That's just how we are. Also, it takes up too much of the finite space on the front page.
*swans off carrying soapbox* ---

[more inside] = "Extended explanation"


Oh.....you should also add tags so that the question can be easily found by others searching later; and if you choose a category from the menu, it lets people know if the question is in their area expertise (or is interesting).
posted by peacay at 6:44 AM on April 30, 2005

oops.....sorry.....tags/category go missing 'on preview'.
posted by peacay at 6:44 AM on April 30, 2005

This policing is why I literally had a nightmare last night that I posted something objectionable on Ask Metafilter.
posted by inksyndicate at 7:28 AM on April 30, 2005 [1 favorite]

Isn't this just an episode of "Doctor Who"?
posted by TimothyMason at 7:39 AM on April 30, 2005

I'm right there with you inksyndicate. I get nervous everytime I post something.


vhsiv, you don't happen to remember any of the characters names do you?
posted by jackofsaxons at 10:30 AM on April 30, 2005

was it an episode of that show where a group of people went from place to place in a post-apocalyptic england--i remember it, but not its name--early 70s? there were like 4 or 5 of them, and each week, would come across a different band of people in a different place? (it wasn't in space tho, but here on earth)
posted by amberglow at 12:56 PM on April 30, 2005

Isn't this just an episode of "Doctor Who"?

You're link is to an original Who novel, not one based on a televised story. Though a sequel to Pyramids of Mars could've been awesome.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 3:37 PM on April 30, 2005

Your. Christ.
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 3:38 PM on April 30, 2005

was it an episode of that show where a group of people went from place to place in a post-apocalyptic england--i remember it, but not its name--early 70s?

Survivors?
posted by PinkStainlessTail at 3:40 PM on April 30, 2005

Response by poster: jackofsaxons: OMG, no unfortunately. This recollection is at least 23 years old. I wish it were like that, but I can only remember the scenario. It's the same kind of memory that I eventually used to divine the title of Journey to the Far Side of the Sun about 2 years ago. A lost classic if there ever was one.

TimothyMason: The Doctor? Who? Close. The description is close but no cigar. BUT the credits ARE informative. I've watched some of Terry Nation's 'Blake's 7' and it definitely had some of that Nation-vibe. In fact, it the set looked A LOT like the Cygnus. I could be wrong, but we might have found the culprit. I might just have to hunker-down and go through my tapes and not get impatient about it.

amberglow: There was actually a Quatermass series from the '70's that was a LOT like Survivors. But it didn't have the panache of the latter. And none of the class of the 'Pit's remake. And the show was most definitely set in outer space.

And peckay, thanks for tolerating my ignorance and offering good pointers. I will use the 'additional info' dialogue henceforward.
posted by vhsiv at 6:02 PM on May 4, 2005