A rocket to the Moon is hijacked and diverted to Mars by a writer obsessed with proving that there is intelligent life on the Red Planet. Much of the 'Pathfinders in Space' cast returns including Gerald Flood as journalist Conway Henderson (who is now commanding the lunar mission), Stewart Guidotti as young Geoffrey Wedgwood (sans sister and brother, who serves as radio expert), Pamela Barney as Canadian lunar-expert Prof. Mary Meadows, and Hamlet the guinea pig. Newcomers include Hester Cameron as Henderson's young niece Margaret (replacing Geoff's kid-sister and -brother) and George Coulouris as the slightly unhinged, possibly villainous, Harcourt Brown (by far the most interesting character and the one on whom the 'hijacking' plot hangs). The six episode series was intended to teach science while it entertained, so there are discussions of 'departure windows' based on the relative movements of Mars and Earth, of the possibility of life on Mars (an on-going debate in the early 1960s), of the famous 'channels: canals' mistranslation that inspired many fictional depictions of dying Martian civilizations, of the time delay of radio signals travelling from Earth to Mars and back, and of using the Sun's gravitational field to accelerate a spaceship that otherwise had insufficient fuel to reach its destination (a particularly sophisticated concept for a kid's show). Realism in the plot was less of a priority: journalist Henderson is chosen to replace the mission commander with essentially no training, Brown easily sneaks into a military base and passes himself off as a member of a rocket crew, and (most egregiously) stranded astronauts can essentially decipher a completely alien language and master completely alien technologies in a matter of hours. Margaret serves little purpose beyond being someone with whom the youthful target audience can relate but ironically, as a study done in 'Pathfinders to Venus' (the 1962 follow-up to this adventure) demonstrated, even young children are skeptical that kids would be on-board the first rockets into space. The budget was increased compared to its predecessor and the props (other than the ridiculous 'lichen'), miniatures and special effect are better (although still rudimentary compared to contemporaneous American kid sci-fi shows such as 'Rocky Jones'). A great show to watch through the lens of nostalgia but first timers (like me) should enjoy it as well (as long as they keep in mind that this is a 60 year-old, low-budget, ostensibly educational, children's space opera made for the BBC). As of this writing, all episodes can be found on-line (but #6 may be misidentified as a non-existent #7).
4 Reviews
Nostalgia
keith-moyes-656-48149110 January 2012
Warning: Spoilers
This follow up to Pathfinders in Space appeared only a few weeks later. Although it was recorded in a similar way at nearly the same time, the image quality on the DVD is noticeably better (although Episode 2 suffers from some broadcast problems).
The story is again fairly economical in terms of plot. A spaceship sets off to establish an observatory on the Moon. On board are two children and an intruder, Harcourt Brown, who has sneaked on board with a view to proving the existence of intelligent life on other planets. He takes control of the ship and forces it to go on to Mars. When they finally arrive, they have to land to replenish their water supply. They encounter a super-fast-growing lichen that threatens their lives in some way. This delays their take off, making it impossible to return to Earth the normal way. After some agonising, they undertake a risky manoeuvre that will take them close to the Sun, whose gravity they can then use to slingshot their ship on to Earth.
This occupies 6 episodes of 25 minutes each.
The whole show looks slightly more expensive than its predecessor. The sets have been redesigned on a more lavish scale and the space suits are also an improvement. Again, there is a plethora of special effects of varying quality. The overused table top model of Buchan Island, that was so conspicuously inadequate in Pathfinders in Space, has been replaced by a more elaborate new model. Unfortunately, the new version is no real improvement. However, the most noticeably inadequate effect is the lichen, which seems to be made of plastic tubing.
Again, the real problem with the show is that it was recorded more or less in real time as if it was a live broadcast. This must have been a tough on the cast – especially the two children. There are the expected fluffs, missed cues and intrusive microphones, but in addition there is one episode in which two of the actors find themselves struggling with a prop that refuses to work properly. For a few seconds I had a vision of them vainly wrestling with it until the final credits rolled.
As with Pathfinders in Space, this story is a strange mixture of good, solid science and far-fetched fantasy. For example, using the Sun's gravity to accelerate their return to Earth is quite a sophisticated idea for any SF show at that time, let alone a children's programme, but this is at odds with the minimal recognition given to the fact that a flight to Mars is quantum leap beyond a flight to the Moon and a craft designed for one mission could not possibly undertake the other. Similarly, Harcourt Brown is a clumsy plot device rather than a believable character and the ease with which he inveigles his way onto the spaceship would test the patience of many children.
The acting is again variable, with generally solid performances from the adults and somewhat over-emphatic ones from the two children. Gerald Flood and Pamela Barney effortlessly reprise their roles but George Coulouris struggles with the impossible Harcourt Brown – clearly unsure as to whether he is supposed to be mildly deluded or completely insane. Stuart Guidotti returns as Geoffrey Wedgewood and is joined by a new child character (Henderson's niece) played by Hester Cameron. At times, her accent sounds like fingernails on a chalkboard and I am sure I would have hated her when I was a censorious twelve-year-old, but today I think she is sweet and I soon warmed to her spunky character.
Overall, Pathfinders to Mars was a good follow-up to Pathfinders in Space and was well-enough received to generate Pathfinders on Venus later that year. To enjoy it today, you have to make a lot of allowances for its tight budget and primitive technology. I can and I did, but undoubtedly nostalgia helped.
The story is again fairly economical in terms of plot. A spaceship sets off to establish an observatory on the Moon. On board are two children and an intruder, Harcourt Brown, who has sneaked on board with a view to proving the existence of intelligent life on other planets. He takes control of the ship and forces it to go on to Mars. When they finally arrive, they have to land to replenish their water supply. They encounter a super-fast-growing lichen that threatens their lives in some way. This delays their take off, making it impossible to return to Earth the normal way. After some agonising, they undertake a risky manoeuvre that will take them close to the Sun, whose gravity they can then use to slingshot their ship on to Earth.
This occupies 6 episodes of 25 minutes each.
The whole show looks slightly more expensive than its predecessor. The sets have been redesigned on a more lavish scale and the space suits are also an improvement. Again, there is a plethora of special effects of varying quality. The overused table top model of Buchan Island, that was so conspicuously inadequate in Pathfinders in Space, has been replaced by a more elaborate new model. Unfortunately, the new version is no real improvement. However, the most noticeably inadequate effect is the lichen, which seems to be made of plastic tubing.
Again, the real problem with the show is that it was recorded more or less in real time as if it was a live broadcast. This must have been a tough on the cast – especially the two children. There are the expected fluffs, missed cues and intrusive microphones, but in addition there is one episode in which two of the actors find themselves struggling with a prop that refuses to work properly. For a few seconds I had a vision of them vainly wrestling with it until the final credits rolled.
As with Pathfinders in Space, this story is a strange mixture of good, solid science and far-fetched fantasy. For example, using the Sun's gravity to accelerate their return to Earth is quite a sophisticated idea for any SF show at that time, let alone a children's programme, but this is at odds with the minimal recognition given to the fact that a flight to Mars is quantum leap beyond a flight to the Moon and a craft designed for one mission could not possibly undertake the other. Similarly, Harcourt Brown is a clumsy plot device rather than a believable character and the ease with which he inveigles his way onto the spaceship would test the patience of many children.
The acting is again variable, with generally solid performances from the adults and somewhat over-emphatic ones from the two children. Gerald Flood and Pamela Barney effortlessly reprise their roles but George Coulouris struggles with the impossible Harcourt Brown – clearly unsure as to whether he is supposed to be mildly deluded or completely insane. Stuart Guidotti returns as Geoffrey Wedgewood and is joined by a new child character (Henderson's niece) played by Hester Cameron. At times, her accent sounds like fingernails on a chalkboard and I am sure I would have hated her when I was a censorious twelve-year-old, but today I think she is sweet and I soon warmed to her spunky character.
Overall, Pathfinders to Mars was a good follow-up to Pathfinders in Space and was well-enough received to generate Pathfinders on Venus later that year. To enjoy it today, you have to make a lot of allowances for its tight budget and primitive technology. I can and I did, but undoubtedly nostalgia helped.
Good Kids' SF
mwstone-702-79494015 January 2012
Warning: Spoilers
Returning to this after a lapse of fifty years, I was pleasantly surprised by how well it has stood the test of time.
My only major problem was how a ship designed for a lunar voyage came to have the supplies needed for the vastly longer trip to Mars. That aside, I had little to complain about. The visual effects are of course awful by modern standards, but that is the fault of the times rather than the programme.
Like the other two series, this one manages to pack in lots of scientific and other knowledge without holding up the plot, and Harcourt Brown makes an interesting "Zachary Smith" type of villain, making up for the dropping of the entertaining Jimmy Wedgewood from the last series. Stewart Guidotti's Geoff is convincing as the young teen playing an adult role as a crew member, and Margaret's engaging personality will appeal to those kids for whom Geoff is a bit too bland. No regrets at all about buying the dvds.
My only major problem was how a ship designed for a lunar voyage came to have the supplies needed for the vastly longer trip to Mars. That aside, I had little to complain about. The visual effects are of course awful by modern standards, but that is the fault of the times rather than the programme.
Like the other two series, this one manages to pack in lots of scientific and other knowledge without holding up the plot, and Harcourt Brown makes an interesting "Zachary Smith" type of villain, making up for the dropping of the entertaining Jimmy Wedgewood from the last series. Stewart Guidotti's Geoff is convincing as the young teen playing an adult role as a crew member, and Margaret's engaging personality will appeal to those kids for whom Geoff is a bit too bland. No regrets at all about buying the dvds.
An improvement
kmoh-16 October 2019
The story of the first humans on Mars appeared shortly after Pathfinders in Space took our heroes to the Moon. This series is a vast improvement on the first serial, largely by giving us a villain, in the shape of George Coulouris, probably wondering how he had progressed from Citizen Kane to this. The script and plot are tighter, and there is some genuine drama and conflict.
It was sensible to reduce the numbers of children, though Geoff remains as pompous a child as ever flew into space - in his actions and diction, remarkably like Burt Ward's Robin in the US Batman series (except that was played for laughs).
This was an utterly naïve series - especially when compared with the radio Journey Into Space, which appeared seven years before, and which it aspires to imitate. How seriously you take it depends on how you react to the situation in episode 1 - the captain of a rocket breaks his arm a few hours before take-off, and so it is proposed to replace him with a journalist who happens to be passing. Said journalist will only go if his niece comes with him, as he is babysitting, he promised to take her fishing and she would be disappointed. It's OK, as the captain was already taking his teenaged son. No-one seems to mind that, with only a few hours to go, the crew of the ship has increased from four to five. To cap it all, the final member of the crew is late, and only turns up ten minutes before launch, so he is rushed on board without anyone checking that he is not the tall, young Australian with a full head of hair that everyone expects, but in fact a short, fat, bald loony. If you think that is a plausible set of events, then perhaps it is lucky that the British never had a space programme of their own.
It was sensible to reduce the numbers of children, though Geoff remains as pompous a child as ever flew into space - in his actions and diction, remarkably like Burt Ward's Robin in the US Batman series (except that was played for laughs).
This was an utterly naïve series - especially when compared with the radio Journey Into Space, which appeared seven years before, and which it aspires to imitate. How seriously you take it depends on how you react to the situation in episode 1 - the captain of a rocket breaks his arm a few hours before take-off, and so it is proposed to replace him with a journalist who happens to be passing. Said journalist will only go if his niece comes with him, as he is babysitting, he promised to take her fishing and she would be disappointed. It's OK, as the captain was already taking his teenaged son. No-one seems to mind that, with only a few hours to go, the crew of the ship has increased from four to five. To cap it all, the final member of the crew is late, and only turns up ten minutes before launch, so he is rushed on board without anyone checking that he is not the tall, young Australian with a full head of hair that everyone expects, but in fact a short, fat, bald loony. If you think that is a plausible set of events, then perhaps it is lucky that the British never had a space programme of their own.
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