A forgotten failure or lost classic?
Picture this. The year is 1973, Doctor Who wizards Barry Letts & Terrance Dicks catch on the idea to create not so much a Science-fact show but Science Fiction based on what the space programme maybe like in the year 2003. The concept sounds genius. Get advice from scientific experts of what life would be like living & working on the Moon. No fancy star ships, no "beam me up Scotty", no laser battles, no aliens (boo!). The moonbase had to be "contemporary" 1973 décor, as though it were made yesterday.
So the series had to focus on the psychological stresses of living in claustrophobic metal boxes on a barren rock, with an airless void, surrounded by mostly strangers that you can barely avoid, 24/7! Think of the possibility's!
The main cast comprised of Donald Houston as Base Commander Dr David Caulder, a Hammer Horror regular Ralph Bates as Dr Michel Lebrun. Monsieur Lebrun constantly acts antagonistic
towards the Dr, in true Soap opera within Space Opera fashion, as he feels robbed of the position of Base Commander by our lead. It leads to some interesting, brilliant & yes, hilarious confrontations!
Barry Lowe is odd job man Tom Hill. If your washing machine breaks down, or you're a damsel in distress, stranded on a highway in a broken down banger, he's your man. He's pretty much a "salt of the Earth" type.
Dr Helen Smith played by Fiona Gaunt is the Psychiatrist whose mission it is to keep everyone sane in an isolated environment. Good luck! You can tell she's good at her job! Well we'd be deprived the few episodes we got if she were that good a shrink.
VIEW OF A DEAD PLANET
Of the six episodes that were only made of this show this one stands out. Not only does it stand out as a fan (& personal) favourite & stand's out from the rest, but it's practically a stand alone! It could easily be an episode of A Play For Today, Out Of The Unknown, or The Twilight Zone.
Oh, yes, love the décor! Where's the fondue set?
A "doom-monger" visits the Moonbase & his predictions of a project causing the end of the World appear to come true, eat your heart out Nostradamus (?) The psychological impact that follows is both shocking & helpless for the stranded crew. It is a reflection on Humanity on how we would respond if faced with the reality of ones own mortality in a situation where you could be among the last surviving of the entire race, phew!
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Anyway, their Moonbase suddenly becomes a tomb, with limited life-support & supplies, it's only a matter of time before the literal last of Humankind snuff it. So every bit of Human knowledge, art, & culture has to be preserved, for the bug-eyed monsters ( in just an eon or two ) that weren't even meant to be a part of this series to begin with! It's also an excuse for everyone to go nuts!
??
Any who, our "heroes" mild mannered Commander Caulder & run of the mill handyman, Tom think a nice old-fashioned mass suicide would be just the ticket for helping the moral of the base crew & thus saving the day, hurrah! So, a jolly nice, decent, lethal dose of poison gas is in
order, in the air filters, to boost the spirits & "help" our marooned survivors of an alleged doomed World.
In true Democratic fashion, this wonderful plan will be administered in secret from the rest of the crew. I mean, why ruin a fab surprise?! Though, not everyone is fooled. Our would be "doom-monger" Sir Benjamin Dyce (Micheal Gough). And, of course, Lebrun, which leads to a hilarious yet, paradoxically, brilliant confrontation between them. Lebrun wants to eat, drink, & be merry for tomorrow we die on his own terms.
Not your standard Eagle!
Poor Dr Smith (not Zachary, ninny's!) almost gets raped by a crewman with his own ideas on eat, drink, & be merry before our "caped", mass-murdering, base Commander comes to the rescue. How did the near rapist get a bottle of vodka through space customs? What happened to the powdered wine in the beginning to celebrate Bastille Day? Do ISS crew swig Duff beer, floating up there? If that weren't enough, she's like, 'ah, well, forgive & obviously, very much forget.' Did a moon rock or sky fall on her head? Face it the rest of them believe the sky's fallen on their heads!
Whilst we're on the subject of Dr Helen Smith she gives a great response to Sir Benjamin "doom-mongers" chauvinist rant. Sir Benjamin's supposed to be the dinosaur relic of a bygone age (1973?), though he's more gentleman than Gene Hunt. His reaction is akin to that of Tobius Vaughn in Dr Who-The Invasion (1968) after Zoe Heriot "exterminates" his idiot, brain-box, computer. This show was being progressive in more ways than one it would seem. Of course Sir Benjamin is supposed to be obstinate, stubborn, a product of Grampa Simpson style ageism, whatever. Lebrun's in the background resentment to the "doom-mongers" rant about his precious France is amusing to say the least. NOT IN STORES FOR CHRISTMAS!
This tragically short lived show was probably a bit too ambitious to come out with plotlines that did not feature true Sci-Fi elements, aliens, space battles, adventures in time & space, etc. Still it was less ambitious than the same eras Space:1999, which was too ambitious a space programme for a show set on a moon base, 4 years earlier! Of course there was the "Behemoth" episode. But any kiddo's whose imaginations could have been spell-bound were probably busy waiting for another Dicks & Letts production in December, that same year. The 10th & final season of the Pertwee era with a tv license guarantee of Daleks, Ice Warriors, new iconic monster, & a very iconic new assistant!
D'OH!
Well, okaaaay. Despite it's limited success you can't but admire the bold attempt making this show. I suspect Canadian candidate Starlost was refused by the BBC to make this show, conspiracy theorist that I be. This one-off might have opened the portal to other "bold" projects such as Star cops, &..y'know(?) that other one with the Ace Of Wands chick. Aussie Sci-Fi veteran Dudley Simpson gives a beautiful score that would make Rick Wakeman jealous. All 6 studio episodes were filmed on June 18th, 1973. Must have been a long day!
Moonbase 3 is one of a number of bases. American, Russkie, China, Brazil (yes, Brazil! I mean it! No typo this time!) our beloved base represents the European Union, no Brexit, okay? Love the "Skype" chess game between Tom & his Russian counterpart, in fact, in the aforementioned episode a wrong move confirms their apocalyptic situation! Micheal Gough gives a brilliant performance. We get a chance to see what the wonderful "Jetsons" future of Earth in 2003 will be like, :) a gameshow...
This show has nuggets of calibre. The confrontation between Caulder & Lebrun which is fab! A must see with a hint of blasphemy. But the final episode ends with a brilliant speech from Sir Dice about not learning from our mistakes & not getting a second chance.
Okay.. I'll come back when we can conduct this review in an orderly manner!
No copyright infringement. blah-blah-blah.. Sue me.
Borgduck,
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