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On this day in 1991 (in the United Kingdom), home audiences were treated to the small screen launch of Dark Season, a single-season adventure involving the young-at-heart. The series starred Ben Chandler, Brigit Forsyth, Victoria Lambert, Kate Winslet, Grant Parsons, and others. According to our friends at IMDB.com, here's the series' premise:
"Three children investigate strange goings-on in their school and protect it from such threats as a computer scientist with dreams of world domination and a mysterious group of archaeologists hoping to bring about the end of the century."
-- EZ
From Google.com:
Dark Season is a 1991 British children's science-fiction television serial broadcast on BBC One.
Key Details
- Creator & Writer: Russell T Davies (in his first original television commission)
- Director: Colin Cant
- Original Run: November 14 to December 19, 1991 (6 episodes, 25 minutes each)
- Main Cast:
- Victoria Lambert as Marcie
- Ben Chandler as Thomas
- Kate Winslet as Reet (in her first major screen role)
- Jacqueline Pearce as the villain Miss Pendragon
- Brigit Forsyth and Grant Parsons
Plot Structure
The 6-episode serial is divided into two linked three-part stories:
- The Computer Threat (Episodes 1–3): A philanthropist named Mr. Eldritch (Grant Parsons) donates free computers from his company, Abyss Modems, to a local school. Marcie, Thomas, and Reet discover the computers contain a malignant program designed to hypnotize and enslave the students and community.
- The Behemoth & Neo-Nazi Plot (Episodes 4–6): A mysterious archaeological dig on school grounds is led by Miss Pendragon (Jacqueline Pearce) and a group attempting to unearth and revive the "Behemoth," an ancient sentient war computer/artificial intelligence to establish a new order.
Legacy & Connection to Doctor Who
- Whoniverse Precursor: Fans and critics view Dark Season as a direct thematic precursor to Russell T Davies' later work on Doctor Who (which he revived in 2005) as well as The Sarah Jane Adventures.
Audio Revival:
In 2023, Big Finish Productions released a 4-part audio sequel titled Dark Season: Legacy Rising, which successfully reunited the original surviving cast members, including Kate Winslet.