Over fifty years after the original Quatermass Experiment was broadcast, BBC Four has decided to take a bold risk, and remake the show - performed and broadcast live, just as in 1953. It airs at 8.20pm on 2 April.
The finale of Four's TV on Trial season, which aims to find TV's best decade ever, the remade Experiment has been abridged to one two-hour script. It's also been slightly updated from the fifties, but most of Nigel Kneale's original dialogue, and the plot itself, remain the same.
The (much younger than the original) cast are as follows:
- Professor Bernard Quatermass - Jason Flemyng
- Vincent Caroon - Andy Tiernan
- Doctor Briscoe - David Tennant
- John Paterson - Mark Gatis
- Minister Blaker - Isla Blair
- James Fullalove - Adrian Bower
- Judith Caroon - Indira Varma
Janice Hadlow, Controller of BBC Four described herself as "thrilled that we're bringing Quatermass back to life... It's wonderful to have one the first 'must-watch' TV experiences that inspired the water-cooler chat of its day."
"I hope fans of the original series, as well as a new generation, will be gripped as Professor Bernard Quatermass races to save the world. And for the channel to broadcast the first live television drama for over twenty years is an added treat."
The script was adapted by Richard Fell, who along with Bill Boyes is Executive Producer on the project. The Producer is Alison Willets, and it will be directed by Sam Miller.
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