The Tomorrow People

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The Tomorrow People is a children's science fiction television series, devised by Roger Price and produced by Thames Television for Britain's ITV network between 1973 and 1979, and revived for a three-season series in the 1990s.

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

The premise of the show concerns the emergence of the next stage of human evolution, who are classified as Homo superior, the next stage after Homo sapiens, but prefer to call themselves "the Tomorrow People". Born to Homo sapiens parents, an apparently-normal child might at some point between childhood and late adolescence experience a physically and mentally stressful process calling "breaking out"; surviving this process means becoming a "Tomorrow Person", capable of various psi powers (especially telepathy, psychokinesis, and teleportation -- called jaunting in the show, after the novel The Stars My Destination) but unable to deliberately physically injure others (though capable of using non-lethal weaponry such as "stun guns".)

Possessing not only psi powers, but advanced technology such as the biological computer "TIM" built by John (which was explicitly capable of original thought, and which could augment their psychic powers), the Tomorrow People operate out of a secret laboratory built in an abandoned London Underground station, watching for new Tomorrow People "breaking out" to help them through the process, and sometimes dealing with attention from extraterrestrial species, especially from a "Galactic Federation" which oversees the development of telepathic species. While they reveal the existence of Tomorrow People to some (especially to parents of the Tomorrow People), they generally operate in secrecy for fear that normal people (whom they term "saps", an abbreviation for Homo sapiens) will either fear and victimise them because of their special powers or try to exploit their powers for military purposes.

Roger Price produced the revival for Tetra Films (a Thames Television subsidiary) and Nickelodeon between 1992 and 1995. However, this was markedly different from its predecessor and featured none of the original cast. Also missing were the computer TIM, the title sequences and music, the "Lab", and their distinctive belt buckles used for teleportation. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was not so well received as its forebearer. Nickelodeon broadcast the original 1970s version in the United States in the early 1980s, and broadcast all five stories (The Tomorrow People, The Culex Experiment, Monsoon Man, The Rameses Connection and The Living Stones ) from the revival in the '90s.

A comic strip version was also produced, written by Angus P. Allan and printed in TV comic Look-In.

In 2001, Big Finish Productions launched an audio series based on the original concept, produced by Nigel Fairs. Nicholas Young reprised his role as John and Philip Gilbert as TIM with Helen Goldwyn and Daniel Wilson appearing as the new Tomorrow People Elena and Paul. Some releases also feature other original cast members, such as Peter Vaughan-Clarke, Elizabeth Adare and Mike Holoway (notably Trigonometry). After Philip Gilbert's death, Trevor Littledale took over the role of TIM in the audio series, from The Warlock's Dance onwards.

[edit] Special effects

Even for the time, the special effects of the original show were considered sub-par and camp, largely attributable to the show's small budget. For instance, the planet Peeri (Worlds Away) was actually the countryside on the outskirts of London filmed through a yellow filter.

The visual effects improved considerably in the 1990s series, although the Tomorrow People initially tend to have some difficulty with their teleportations and seem to frequently teleport to just above a swimming pool, or just off the beach of their South Pacific island (actually a beach in Dorset, England), while the 1970s series often suffers from the somewhat primitive colour-separation overlay effects of the time (and a limited budget).

[edit] 1970s series

The Tomorrow People (1973)
Genre Fantasy / Drama / Sci-Fi
Running time 30 minutes
Creator(s) Roger Damon Price
Starring Nicholas Young, Elizabeth Adare, Peter Vaughan-Clarke, Philip Gilbert, Stephen Salmon, Sammie Winmill, Dean Lawrence, Mike Holoway , Misako Koba, Nigel Rhodes
Country of origin United Kingdom
Original channel ITV
Original run April 30, 1973–February 19, 1979
No. of episodes 68
IMDb profile
TV.com summary

NOTE: All 8 seasons of the original series have been released on DVD through Revelation Films in the UK. All discs are Region 0 and will be playable in most countries where PAL is the standard. In 2005, A&E TV released three boxsets for North America. Set 1 (green cover) contains series 1 and 2. Set 2 (blue cover) contains series 3, 4, and 5 (though the cover erroneously says series 3 & 4 only; the confusion seems to arise that series 3 has the same number of episodes as series 4 & 5 combined). Set three (yellow cover) contains seasons 6, 7, and 8, and the documentary Beyond Tomorrow.

[edit] Series 1

Regular Cast
John - Nicholas Young
Stephen - Peter Vaughan-Clarke
Carol - Sammie Winmill
Kenny - Stephen Salmon
Voice of TIM - Philip Gilbert
Ginge - Michael Standing
  • Slaves of Jedikiah
Original UK transmission 30 April - 4 June 1973
Authors: Roger Price, Brian Finch.
Director: Paul Bernard
Guest Cast:
Lefty - Derek Crewe
Jedikiah - Francis de Wolff
Cyclops - Robert Bridges
Mrs. Jameson - Patricia Denys
Plot: Stephen, up until now an ordinary schoolboy, suddenly collapses on a London street as the mental ordeal of "breaking out" begins. The three existing Tomorrow People John, Carol and Kenny, aware of his ordeal, manage to make contact with him and guide him through the process, but are unable to keep him from being kidnapped by Ginge and Lefty, two Cockney thugs working for the mysterious Jedikiah, who wants the Tomorrow People for their psychic powers, and who serves in turn the even more mysterious Cyclops. Jedikiah turns out to be in reality the Cyclops' shape-changing robot; the Cyclops (implied to be of the same race as Polyphemus, the Cyclops of Homer's Odyssey) turns out to be an alien traveller stranded near Earth after an accident killed his crew of telepaths, whose powers are needed to operate his ship's engines. Jedikiah is damaged and goes berserk, damaging the ship and dooming it to explode; the Tomorrow People, however, are able to teleport the Cyclops off the ship to Earth, and contact other aliens who can provide the Cyclops with the atmosphere he needs to breathe and with transport back to his own star system. Jedikiah survives the explosion of the ship and is left drifting in space; Ginge and Lefty become the Tomorrow People's allies.
  • The Medusa Strain
Original UK transmission 11 June - 2 July 1973
Authors: Roger Price, Brian Finch.
Director: Roger Price.
Guest Cast:
Peter - Richard Speight
Jedikiah - Roger Bizley
Rabowski - Roger Booth
Coppin - Dave Prowse
Medusa - Norman McGlen
  • The Vanishing Earth
Original UK transmission 9 July - 30 July 1973
Authors: Roger Price, Brian Finch.
Director: Paul Bernard.
Guest Cast:
Lefty - Derek Crewe
Smithers - Kenneth Farrington
Steen - Kevin Stoney
Spidron - John Woodnutt

[edit] Series 2

Regular Cast
John - Nicholas Young
Stephen - Peter Vaughan-Clarke
Elizabeth - Elizabeth Adare
Chris - Christopher Chittell
Voice of TIM - Philip Gilbert
Professor Cawston - Brian Stanion
  • The Blue and The Green
Original UK transmission 4 February - 4 March 1974
Author: Roger Price.
Director: Roger Price.
Guest Cast:
Grandfather - Nigel Pegram
Robert - Jason Kemp
Police Inspector - Simon Merrick
Johnson - Ray Burdis
  • A Rift in Time
Original UK transmission 11 March - 1 April 1974
Author: Roger Price.
Director: Roger Price.
Guest Cast:
Peter - Richard Speight
Professor Sylvia Garner - Sylvia Coleridge
Gaius - Stanley Lebor
Lothar - Leonard Pieroni
  • The Doomsday Men
Original UK transmission 8 April - 6 May 1974
Author: Roger Price.
Director: Roger Price.
Guest Cast:
Douglas McLelland - William Relton
Lt General McLelland - Lindsay Campbell
Lee Wan - Eric Young
Doomsday Man - Bill Treacher

[edit] Series 3

Regular Cast
John - Nicholas Young
Stephen - Peter Vaughan-Clarke
Elizabeth - Elizabeth Adare
Tyso - Dean Lawrence
Chris - Christopher Chittell
Voice of TIM - Philip Gilbert
Professor Cawston - Brian Stanion
  • Secret Weapon
Original UK transmission 26 February - 19 March 1975
Author: Roger Price.
Director: Stan Woodward.
Guest Cast:
Patricia Conway - Anne Curthoys
Col. Masters - Trevor Bannister
Prime Minister - Hugh Morton
  • Worlds Away
Original UK transmission 26 March - 9 April 1975
Author: Roger Price.
Director: Vic Hughes.
Guest Cast:
Mrs Boswell - Joanna Tope
Evergreen Boswell - Denise Cook
Lenda - Lydia Lisle
Timus / Tikno - Philip Gilbert
Arkron - Keith Chegwin
  • A Man For Emily
Original UK transmission 16 April - 30 April 1975
Author: Roger Price.
Director: Stan Woodward.
Guest Cast:
Elmer - Peter Davison
Emily - Sandra Dickinson
The Momma - Margaret Burton
Publican - Robin Parkinson
Mr Greenhead - Bill Dean
See also: Tickling boots
  • Revenge of Jedikiah
Original UK transmission 7 May - 21 May 1975
Author: Roger Price.
Director: Vic Hughes.
Guest Cast:
Jedikiah - Francis de Wolff
Sergeant Evans - John Lyon
Evergreen Boswell - Denise Cook
Mustaf - Ali Bongo

[edit] Series 4

Regular Cast
John - Nicholas Young
Stephen - Peter Vaughan-Clarke
Elizabeth - Elizabeth Adare
Tyso - Dean Lawrence
Mike Bell - Mike Holoway
Voice of TIM - Philip Gilbert
  • One Law
Original UK transmission 21 October - 5 November 1975
Author: Roger Price.
Director: Leon Thau.
Guest Cast:
Inspector - Tim Barrett
Lord Dunning - Harold Kasket
Mr O'Reilly - Patrick McAlinney
Thwaites - Arnold Diamond
  • Into The Unknown
Original UK transmission 13 January - 28 January 1976
Author: Roger Price.
Director: Roger Price.
Guest Cast:
Tirayaan - Geoffrey Bayldon
Kwaan - Stephen Garlick
Vaktaan - Brian Coburn
Ralaa - Raymond Boyd

[edit] Series 5

Regular Cast
John - Nicholas Young
Elizabeth - Elizabeth Adare
Mike - Mike Holoway
Voice of TIM - Philip Gilbert
  • The Dirtiest Business
Original UK transmission 28 February - 7 March 1977
Author: Roger Price.
Director: Vic Hughes.
Guest Cast:
Pavla - Anulka Dubynska
KGB Man - Jan Murzynowski
Senior KGB Man - Gabor Vernon
Major Ann Turner - Vivien Heilbron
  • A Much Needed Holiday
Original UK transmission 14 March - 21 March 1977
Author: Roger Price.
Director: Richard Mervyn.
Guest Cast:
Gremlon - Anthony Garner
Trig - Guy Humphries
Trog - David Corti
  • The Heart of Sogguth
Original UK transmission 28 March - 4 April 1977
Author: Roger Price.
Director: Vic Hughes.
Guest Cast:
Jake - Roddy Maude-Roxby
Mike Harding - James Smilie
Derek - Derek Pascoe
Bill - Bill Rice
The Fresh Hearts - Flintlock (Jamie Stone, John Summerton)

[edit] Series 6

Regular Cast
John - Nicholas Young
Elizabeth - Elizabeth Adare
Mike - Mike Holoway
Hsui Tai - Misako Koba
Voice of TIM - Philip Gilbert
  • The Lost Gods
Original UK transmission 15 May - 22 May 1978
Author: Roger Price.
Director: Peter Webb.
Guest Cast:
Matsu Tan - Burt Kwouk
Sage - Robert Lee
  • Hitler's Last Secret
Original UK transmission 5 June - 12 June 1978
Author: Roger Price.
Director: Leon Thau.
Guest Cast:
Hitler - Michael Sheard
Professor Friedl - Richard Warner
Major Hughes - Leon Eagles
Karl Brandt - Nicholas Lyndhurst
Willi Frisch - Earl Rhodes
  • The Thargon Menace
Original UK transmission 19 June - 26 June 1978
Author: Roger Price.
Director: Peter Yolland.
Guest Cast:
General Papa Minn - Olu Jacobs
Flynn - Michael Audreson
Sula - Jackie Cowper
Major Marcos - Eric Roberts

[edit] Series 7

Regular Cast
John - Nicholas Young
Elizabeth - Elizabeth Adare
Mike - Mike Holoway
Hsui Tai - Misako Koba
Andrew Forbes - Nigel Rhodes
Voice of TIM - Philip Gilbert
  • Castle of Fear
Original UK transmission 9 October - 16 October 1978
Author: Roger Price.
Director: Vic Hughes.
Guest Cast:
Bruce Forbes - Dominic Allen
Angus McDuff - Bill Gavin
Professor Gail Mayer - Jennifer Watts
Professor Young - Brian Jackson
  • Achilles Heel
Original UK transmission 23 October - 30 October 1978
Author: Roger Price.
Director: Gabrielle Beaumont.
Guest Cast:
Bruce Forbes - Dominic Allen
Yagon - Hilary Minster
Cantor - Christian Rodska
Glip - Stanley Bates
Timus - Philip Gilbert
Accompanist - Ted Taylor
  • Living Skins
Original UK transmission 6 November - 11 November 1978
Author: Roger Price.
Director: Stan Woodward.
Guest Cast:
Wilton - Ralph Lawford
Girl - Judith Fielding
Guard - Dave Carter

[edit] Series 8

Regular Cast
John - Nicholas Young
Elizabeth - Elizabeth Adare
Mike - Mike Holoway
Hsui Tai - Misako Koba
Andrew Forbes - Nigel Rhodes
Voice of TIM - Philip Gilbert
  • War of the Empires
Original UK transmission 29 January - 19 February 1979
Author: Roger Price.
Director: Vic Hughes.
Guest Cast:
American President - John F. Parker
American General - Richard Bartlett
Morgan Evans - David Baxt
Thargon General - Oliver Maguire
Chaircreature - David Cann
Sorsen Captain - Terry Woodfield
Thargon Commander - Percy Herbert
Thargon Officer - Anthony Stafford

[edit] 1990s series

The Tomorrow People (1992)
Genre Fantasy / Drama / Sci-Fi
Running time 30 minutes
Creator(s) Roger Damon Price
Starring Kristian Schmid, Christian Tessier, Adam Pearce, Kristen Ariza, Naomie Harris, Alexandra Millman
Country of origin United Kingdom
Original channel ITV
Original run November 18, 1992–March 8, 1995
No. of episodes 25
IMDb profile
TV.com summary
Regular Tomorrow People:
Adam Newman - Kristian Schmid
Megabyte (Marmaduke Damon) - Christian Tessier
Kevin Wilson - Adam Pearce (only until The Culex Experiment)
Lisa Davies - Kristen Ariza (only in The Origin Story)
Ami Jackson - Naomie Harris (from The Culex Experiment)
Jade Weston - Alexandra Millman (The Living Stones with a brief appearance in The Culex Experiment)
  • The Origin Story
First UK transmission: November - December 1992
Guest Cast:
Colonel Masters - Manning Redwood
Professor John Galt - Hugh Quarshie
General Bill Damon - Jeff Harding
Lady Mulvaney - Gabrielle Hamilton
Gloria - Romilly Nolan
Jones - Lou Hirsch
Mrs. Davies - Shezwae Powell
Sammi - Linda Goens
Ray - Callum Dixon
Hulk - Tom Kerridge
  • The Culex Experiment
First UK transmission: January - February 1994
Guest Cast:
Dr. Culex (Dr. Eliza Jeffries) - Jean Marsh
Twin #1 - Tessa Vale
Twin #2 - Deborah Vale
Dr. Lucy Connor - Connie Booth
Commander Scott - Janet Amsden
Dr. Poole - Adam Blackwood
Dr. Leong - Richard Rees
  • Monsoon Man
First UK transmission: February 1994
Guest Cast:
Colonel Jeremiah J. Cobb - William Hootkins
Professor Lawrence Middlemass - Christopher Benjamin
Wilkie - Kerry Shale
  • The Rameses Connection
First UK transmission: January 1995
Guest Cast:
Rameses - Christopher Lee
  • The Living Stones
First UK transmission: February 1995
Guest Cast:
Byron Lucifer - Danny John-Jules

[edit] The audio series

  1. The New Gods by Rebecca Levene and Gareth Roberts
  2. The Deadliest Species by Gary Russell
  3. The Ghosts of Mendez by Austin Atkinson
  4. The Sign of Diolyx by Mike Tucker and Robert Perry (2 Discs)
  5. A New Atlantis by Nigel Fairs
  6. The Power of Fear by Steve Lyons
  7. The Curse of Kaavan by Nigel Fairs
  8. Alone by Nigel Fairs
  9. The Slarvian Menace by Mark Wright
  10. The Warlock's Dance by Cavan Scott
  11. A Living Hell by Nigel Fairs
  12. Trigonometry by Gary Russell
  13. Saying Goodbye by Nigel Fairs
  14. The Lords of Forever by Craig Hinton
  15. Queen of Slarvos by Nigel Fairs
  16. The Plague of Dreams by Jim Mortimore (2 Discs)
  17. A Broken Song by Nigel Fairs (Released June 2006)
  18. Aftermath by Joseph Lidster (Released August 2006)
  19. Spiritus Mundi by Craig Hinton (Released October 2006)
  20. Stemming the Tide by Helen Goldwyn (Released December 2006)
  21. End of Silence by Alex Crowe (Released February 2007)
  22. Rachel by Nigel Fairs (Released April 2007) (2 Discs)

[edit] Trivia

  • Parallels have been drawn between The Tomorrow People and the Marvel comic X-Men, which in its original 1963 incarnation featured a team of teenage mutants, some of who had telepathic abilities. The phrase Homo sapiens superior was used in the comic. This has lead to some claiming one drew inspiration from the other and vice versa. Although neither case, so far, can be supported. [citation needed]

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../t/h/e/The_Tomorrow_People_bb61.html"