Review Doomwatch

michaellevenson

Member: Rank 8
DOOMWATCH EPISODE GUIDE HERE, CLICK BELOW





This is an absolute must see show! Created by Cybermen writers Kit Pedlar and Gerry Davis. Doomwatch is a government funded team of investigators looking into scientific discoveries and their impact on society.
The plots for the show take the form of some new drug or new technique in science and Doomwatch probing into it deeper, usually with vested commercial interests against them. Or some phenomena is brought to Doomwatch attention and they launch an investigation themselves.
Examples; a certain town showing increased juvenile violence, Doomwatch discover local candy factory using prohibited process in making of candy. Or mortality rates at a hospital show increased occurrences , Doomwatch discover a dangerous malpractice instigated by head doctor. In the first episode a new plastic used in aircraft design shows severe flaws , resulting in the interior melting under flight conditions.
It's a great show that actually had a profound influence in real life. Several governments introduced real life Doomwatch agencies to monitor commercial / scientific crossover and conflicting interests that may result. The series is on DVD only, not on youtube but may be elsewhere I don't know.
However this documentary about the show is available.

 
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Carol

Member: Rank 5
I had a huge crush on Toby - OK so I hadn't quite reached peak political / eco sophistication...
Later (I think) was the original Survivors (I tried and failed to enjoy the remake).
 

Cloister56

Member: Rank 3
I cannot recommend Doomwatch highly enough.
The first episode available "Plastic Eaters" is a great introduction to what the team would deal with. The plane ride with everything turning into this horrible goop is terrifying.
There are a few really stand out episodes such as "Invasion" where 2 cavers go where they really shouldn't.
Or "No Room for Error" which does a really good job of showing the problems when politics and emotions get involved in drug research. (I also love that Stellamycin is so close to real drugs Clindamycin and Erythromycin, I might have to start suggesting it as a treatment at work and see what reaction I get :)
I would have loved to have seen the series 1 finale as the bits we see from the start of series 2 make it look really incredible. I would imagine the result of that episode was a really shocker at the time. As it stands it still works but nowhere near what it could have been.
 

Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
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SEASON ONE

The Plastic Eaters 9th February 1970 BBC1 TX
Friday's Child 16th February 1970 BBC1 TX
Burial at Sea 23rd February 1970 BBC1 TX
Tomorrow, the Rat 2nd March 1970 BBC1 TX
Project Sahara 9th March 1970 BBC1 TX
Re-Entry Forbidden 16th March 1970 BBC1 TX
The Devil's Sweets 23rd March 1970 BBC1 TX
The Red Sky 6th April 1970 BBC1 TX
Spectre at the Feast 13th April 1970 BBC1 TX
Train and De-Train 20th April 1970 BBC1 TX
The Battery People 27th April 1970 BBC1 TX
Hear No Evil 4th May 1970 BBC1 TX
Survival Code 11th May 1970 BBC1 TX


SEASON TW0

You Killed Toby Wren 14th December 1970 BBC1 TX
Invasion 21st December 1970 BBC1 TX
The Islanders 4th January 1971 BBC1 TX
No Room for Error 11th January 1971 BBC1 TX
By the Pricking of My Thumbs... 18th January 1971 BBC1 TX
The Iron Doctor 25th January 1971 BBC1 TX
Flight into Yesterday 1st February 1971 BBC1 TX
The Web of Fear 8th February 1971 BBC1 TX
In the Dark 15th February 1971 BBC1 TX
The Human Time Bomb 22nd February 1971 BBC1 TX
The Inquest 1st March 1971 BBC1 TX
The Logicians 15th March 1971 BBC1 TX
Public Enemy 22nd March 1971 BBC1 TX


SEASON THREE

Fire and Brimstone 5th June 1972 BBC1 TX
High Mountain 12th June 1972 BBC1 TX
Say Knife, Fat Man 19th June 1972 BBC1 TX
Waiting for a Knighthood 26th June 1972 BBC1 TX
Without the Bomb 3rd July 1972 BBC1 TX
Hair Trigger 10th July 1972 BBC1 TX
Deadly Dangerous Tomorrow 17th July 1972 BBC1 TX
Enquiry 24th July 1972 BBC1 TX
Flood 31st July 1972 BBC1 TX
Cause of Death 7th August 1972 BBC1 TX
The Killer Dolphins 15th August 1972 BBC1 TX
Sex and Violence Untransmitted BBC1 TX
The Devil's Demolition Not Produced BBC1 TX






As was common at the time, the BBC wiped the Doomwatch master tapes soon after transmission, regarding them as being of little further use. Although some episodes have been returned from Canada or exist as telerecordings, many are still missing and will likely remain so, although all are being sought by the BBC Archive Treasure Hunt as a whole. However, a copy of the unbroadcast episode survives in the archives, one of only three from the final series to do so. Series two is complete, thanks to the returns from Canada, but series one is missing five episodes. All of the existing episodes, except "Sex and Violence", were repeated on the satellite channel UK Gold during the 1990s, although that episode was erroneously published in broadcast schedules.
 
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Doctor Omega

Member: Rank 10
Thanks for the heads up Michael. I'll be having a bit of that! :emoji_alien:

A playlist below. Don't expect they will be on there for long?



 

ant-mac

Member: Rank 9
Thanks for the heads up Michael. I'll be having a bit of that! :emoji_alien:

A playlist below. Don't expect they will be on there for long?



Just finished THE PLASTIC EATERS...

It's early days, but it seems so much better than most of the crap on offer these days.

And it could easily fit into the DOCTOR WHO franchise. Why don't we get spin-offs like these instead of CLASS?
 
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