Space Precinct
| Space Precinct | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | Drama, Police procedural, Science fiction |
| Created by | Gerry Anderson |
| Written by | Gerry Anderson, Hans Beimler, Michael Berlin, Steve Brown, David Bennett Carren, J. Larry Carroll, Paul Robert Coyle, Peter Dunne, Eric Estrin, Eric Gethers, Sam Graham, Mark Harris, James Hendrie, Chris Hubbell, Carl Jahnsen, Richard Manning, Paul Mayhew-Archer, Philip Morrow, Burt Prelutsky, Nick Sagan, Arthur Sellers, Marc Scott Zicree |
| Directed by | Alan Birkinshaw, Colin Bucksey, Peter Duffell, John Glen, Jim Goddard, Piers Haggard, Sidney Hayers, Silvio Narizzano |
| Starring | Simone Bendix, Lou Hirsch, Richard James, Nick Klein, Joseph Mydell, Megan Olive, Nancy Paul, David Quilter, Ted Shackelford, Jerome Willis, Mary Woodvine, Rob Youngblood |
| Voices of | Colette Hiller, Kieron Jecchinis, Gary Martin |
| Composer(s) | Crispin Merrell |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 24 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Gerry Anderson |
| Editor(s) | Brian Freemantle, Matthew Glen, Jason Krasucki, Sue Robinson |
| Cinematography | Alan Hume, Tony Spratling |
| Camera setup | Single |
| Running time | 45 mins. approx. |
| Production company(s) |
Gerry Anderson Productions Grove Television Enterprises Mentorn Films |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | Syndication |
| Audio format | Mono |
| First shown in | United States |
| Original run | 3 October 1994 – 24 July 1995 |
Space Precinct is a British television series that was broadcast from 1994 to 1995 on Sky One and later on BBC Two in the UK, and in first-run syndication in the United States. Many US stations scheduled the show in late night time slots, which resulted in low ratings and contributed to its cancellation.
The series was created by Gerry Anderson and was a mix of science fiction and police procedural that combined elements of many of Anderson's previous series such as Space: 1999, UFO and Thunderbirds, but with an added dash of Law & Order and Dragnet. Anderson was executive producer with Tom Gutteridge. One of the series' directors was John Glen, who had previously directed five James Bond films.
Premise
The series is set in the year 2040 and starred American actor Ted Shackelford as former NYPD detective Patrick Brogan, now a lieutenant with the Demeter City police force on the planet Altor in the Epsilon Eridani system. Brogan and his partner Jack Haldane (played by Rob Youngblood) must adjust to living in another solar system, and investigating crimes being committed by aliens as well as humans. Also co-starring was Danish actress Simone Bendix as Officer Jane Castle, Haldane's love interest (Brogan being happily married with a wife, daughter and son who made the move to Demeter City with him). All other major characters were played by actors wearing complex make-up that also included elements of puppetry in order to depict the different alien races.
Characters
Brogan Family
- Ted Shackelford as Lieutenant Patrick Brogan
- Nancy Paul as Sally Brogan
- Nick Klein as Matthew 'Matt' Brogan
- Megan Olive as Elizabeth 'Liz' Brogan
Demeter City Police Force
Humans
- Rob Youngblood as Officer Jack Haldane
- Simone Bendix as Officer Jane Castle
- Joseph Mydell as Officer Lionel Carson
Creons and Tarns
- Jerome Willis as Captain Rexton Podly
- Lou Hirsch as Officer Silas Romek
- Richard James as Officer Hubble Orrin
- Kieron Jecchinis as the voice of Orrin
- Tom Watt as Officer Beezle (four episodes)
- Gary Martin as the voice of Beezle (four episodes)
- Mary Woodvine as Officer Aurelia Took
- Colette Hiller as the voice of Took
- David Quilter as Sergeant Thorald Fredo
Others
- Gary Martin as the voice of Slomo
- Rob Thirtle as Zipload
Production
The series was one of the highest-budgeted shows Anderson produced, and was relatively popular in Europe. However, in a repeat of the situation that UFO encountered 25 years earlier, American broadcasters were uncertain what to make of the series that looked on the surface to be aimed at children, yet featured adult-oriented storylines and was usually played straight despite the bizarre storylines and make-up. As a result, Space Precinct was often scheduled in late-night/early morning time slots. It failed to generate sufficient American ratings for a second season to be authorised.
Pilot
The idea for Space Precinct predated the series by nearly a decade. In 1986 Anderson produced Space Police, a 55-minute pilot film that featured Anderson regular Shane Rimmer as Brogan. The series failed to sell at that time and the pilot was never broadcast.
The pilot, which has since circulated on video and online, features many differences. Brogan is a much older character than that played by Shackleford, and is a bachelor. His partner - and the only other apparently human character in the pilot - is Sgt. Cathy Costello, who is revealed to be an android capable of shifting between human appearance and a more robotic look for dangerous missions. The aliens featured in the pilot are catlike rather than the more exotic aliens in Space Precinct. The only character other than Brogan to transfer from the pilot to the series is the robot Slo-Mo. The pilot, which is more comedic in nature than the somewhat-serious series that followed, combined live action, full-size prosthetics, puppetry, and Supermacromation techniques.
Home media
Space Precinct was released on DVD in the UK but, as of mid-2008, is out of print. It was released to DVD in North America on 23 November 2010.[1]
References
External links
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