Gareth Preston's Blog

We’re getting political this week in the latest episode of Very British Futures as we examine little known near-future dystopian drama The Guardians.

The Guardians, a 13-episode political drama produced by London Weekend Television in 1971, stands as one of British television’s most thoughtful dystopian works. Created by Rex Firkin and Vincent Tilsley, with important contributions from John Bowen, the series imagines a near-future Britain that has slid quietly into authoritarianism, rul...

There’s a brand new episode of Very British Futures out there now, tackling another of British TV most famous SF series – Sapphire and Steel.

When Sapphire & Steel first aired on ITV in July 1979, it didn’t so much arrive as materialize—mysterious, minimalist, and utterly unlike anything else on television. Created by Peter J. Hammond, who had written for Ace of Wands and Shadows but had mostly worked on conventional fare like Z-Cars and Crossroads, the series was born from a desire to ...

This week sees the release by Zepo Publishing of a brand new book about Doctor Who and specifically its fanbase around the world – Fantastic! A Celebration of Fans Discovering Doctor Who. Editor Nicholas Seidler sent out a questionnaire earlier this year asking Doctor Who fans to contribute memories and thoughts prompted by four questions:

When did they first start watching?How did they become a fan?What is their favourite fan related memory?What story would they recommend to a n...

Watch out, the latest episode of Very British Futures is available now and this time we are delving into obscurity again to analyze Codename Icarus, what would now be called a techno-thriller, and aimed at teenagers. Joining me on the journey are my old friends, writer Kara Dennsion and Nicky Smalley.

Among the many children’s dramas produced by the BBC in the Eighties, Codename Icarus stands out as one of the more sophisticated. First broadcast in 1981 as a five-part serial, it was wri...

This week sees the launch of the latest episode of the Very British Futures podcast, an epic length appreciation of The Tomorrow People, one ITV’s most successful family science fiction programmes. I did consider splitting this into two parts but after editing I found it came to about the same length as the Out of this World episode from earlier this year. Not only that, but I am looking at the whole 8 year run of the show, in the company of my friends Tim Reid and Charles Auchterlonie. They’re ...

I wasn’t going to do a Blake’s 7 episode when I conceived my podcast Very British Futures. I felt that show already had several excellent podcasts covering it and my series was about the less celebrated UK shows. In time however, I found that listeners want to hear about the shows they had watched, as well as ones they’d never heard of, and besides which, Blake’s 7 has got so much in it to enjoy and discuss.

For such a significant episode I needed first rate guests and I was fortunate that my...

This week’s episode of Very British Futures features something brand new – a short history lesson. Because this week we look at a fairly unique meeting of Northern Ireland politics and science fiction in the Play for Tomorrow – Easter 2016 and I felt I needed to give listeners a bit of context for the significance of that date, since it was the centenary of the Irish Easter Uprising of 1916. The history of Northern Ireland is far too big a subject for a personal blog about science fiction. There...

Kids! Back in 1999 you couldn’t get them to take off their VR shades for love or money. Not to mention their shiny metallic jumpsuits and their all-night parties in their government provided luxury accomodation! Well Shades may seem amusingly off-target in its predictions but its themes about political protest, apathy and the line between peer pressure and being part of a friendship group are still relevant concerns for drama.

You listen to now on your favourite podcast app or following this ...

This week on the Very British Futures podcast, we’re turning back the clock to the shadow of the Cold War, as we examine the fourth Play for Tomorrow –The Nuclear Family – a blackly comic TV play that aired in 1982. A blend of domestic drama and speculation about the future of work in a seemingly post-industrial Scotland, it imagines a society not just living with the threat of nuclear war, but adjusting to life without manual labour and all the community which goes with it.

You can listen to...

My friend Rik Hoskin has told me about an intriguing new UK theatre event that might be of interest to readers:

Professional storyteller Jason Buck will deliver an official adaptation of 2000AD‘s Slaine: The Horned God, based on the story written by Pat Mills, as a theatrical performance at Oxford Playhouse on 19th September. Tickets are available to buy now.

The Oxford performance is a preview show for a tour later this year; a show adapting a tale of Celtic heroes, villains, monsters, ma...