(dramatic music) - [Narrator] "Space Precinct,"
Gerry Anderson's fourth and final
live action television series
was launched in 1994.
- All right, people, settle down.
- [Narrator] Set in the not-too-distant future,
the show followed the cases of the offices
of the precinct 88 station house,
set in geostationary orbit over Demeter City
on the planet Altor.
- [Podly] You fellas are from New York.
You don't know really bad neighbourhoods.
- [Narrator] Two human police officers,
Lieutenant Patrick Brogan and Officer Jack Haldane,
have recently transferred to the force from the NYPD
and are now struggling to come to terms
with life on an alien planet.
- There's nothin' normal here.
- Least Zil's normal.
(chirping)
- [Narrator] Among their new colleagues
are human officer Jane Castle and her Tarn partner, Took.
- This is what I think you should do.
- I'm not listening.
(Took sighs)
- [Narrator] Sergeant Fredo.
- Hey.
- [Narrator] Bumbling Creon officers Orrin,
Romek, and, in early episodes, Beezle.
- Hey, Slomo, come to papa.
- [Narrator] And robotic secretarial assistant, Slomo.
- Who said office work was dull?
- [Narrator] While Captain Podly does his best
to keep the team running smoothly.
- You fellas are going to need a better story than that
if I'm gonna save your butts this time.
- [Narrator] Brogan and his colleagues must keep the streets
of Demeter City safe from such threats
as alien extortionists, murderous holograms,
extradimensional alien spores,
and unstoppable killer cyborgs.
- Oh man, I love this job.
- [Narrator] The show's origins actually
stretch back to 1986 and a pilot film,
starring Shane Rimmer and Catherine Chevalier,
titled "Space Police."
- I wanna see a lawyer!
- [Narrator] This was a hybrid of live action,
puppetry, model work, animatronics, and stop-motion.
And while the final film showed promise,
no further episodes would be made.
- How do ya' like them apples? (laughs)
- [Narrator] However, after a few more revisions,
the pilot film was able to help attract investors
to Anderson's new project, now retitled "Space Precinct."
- Okay.
Let's get on with it.
- [Narrator] Filming began at Pinewood Studios in May 1994,
but the series would only carry over
a handful of elements from the "Space Police" pilot.
- Cute.
- [Narrator] Among these were the characters
of Lieutenant Brogan and Slomo,
albeit with both looking very different
from their previous incarnations,
as "Knots Landing" star Ted Shackelford took over
the role of Brogan.
- Here I am! (laughs)
- [Narrator] And, while "Space Precinct"
would only occasionally employ
the "Terrahawks"-style puppetry seen in "Space Police,"
to mixed results.
(both laughing)
The animatronic alien head masks returned in a big way.
- With credit, though, to all the actors
and the technicians,
and especially the actors inside of them.
They make it so believable.
You really do, after a while,
forget that that's what you do.
- [Narrator] Demeter City would be populated by
some of the strangest aliens ever seen on television,
with many of the masks incorporating extremely sophisticated
radio controlled animatronics to give a full range
of facial expressions to the show's primary alien races,
the two-eyed Creons and the three-eyed, telekinetic Tarns.
- Show off.
- [Narrator] Once again, a Gerry Anderson production
would claim the title of the most expensive
British television series ever made,
with each episode costing upwards
of one million pounds to make.
- We lost over three million credits on that programme,
and we still haven't recovered.
- [Narrator] But a rushed production schedule
meant that "Space Precinct" would launch
without an introductory episode to establish the setting
or its characters.
Instead, viewers would be thrown in at the deep end
and left to work things out for themselves.
- Well, as one would say,
lovely.
- [Narrator] In order to keep things grounded,
and perhaps also as a response to critics
of his earlier live action shows,
Anderson made sure that Lieutenant Brogan's family life
would receive just as much focus as his work.
- Mom, he's calling me names, again!
- [Narrator] However, the Brogan family scenes and subplots
would, for many fans, be one of the least enjoyable aspects
of the show, with Brogan only solving the mystery
in several early episodes thanks to a random comment
from his daughter.
- A deceiver unmasked is still a deceiver.
- [Narrator] Far more successful in the character department
was the will they, won't they flirting
between Haldane and Castle.
- Haldane, if you didn't exist, I'd have to invent you.
- [Narrator] And the comedy antics
of officers Orrin and Romek.
(groaning) - Oh man!
- [Narrator] Many of the writers
who worked on "Space Precinct" were American
and had previous experience of writing for sci-fi television
on such shows as "Babylon 5"
and the various 1990s "Star Trek" spinoffs.
- [Orrin] That's good to know.
- [Narrator] Steve Begg would return
to oversee the model effects sequences,
while composer Crispin Merrell would score
the first of three Gerry Anderson series.
The show also enjoyed a run of memorable guest stars,
including Steven Berkoff, Frances Barber,
David Burke, Maryam d'Abo, and, yes,
a dubbed Ray Winstone as a nameless prison inmate.
- Put your hands up.
- [Narrator] And an even more dubbed Idris Elba,
making an early TV appearance as a space pizza delivery guy.
- Hot delivery, anywhere on Altor, guaranteed.
- Get outta here.
- [Narrator] For the second half of its run,
"Space Precinct" seemed to become
an increasingly confident series,
most notably in the script department.
Rather than telling police stories
that just happened to take place in a sci-fi setting,
the show seemed to turn its attention
more to sci-fi stories in a police setting.
- You are losing me, Officer Haldane.
- All right, all right, stay with me.
- [Narrator] This subtle but important change in direction
dramatically broadened the show's storytelling potential
and allowed the series to establish its own identity.
- Oh, great timing.
- [Narrator] Which also coincided with the arrival
of a new character, technical, medical,
engineer, scientist, and whatever else
the plot needs him to be this week, Lionel Carson.
- What does the world of science have to say
about this, Officer Carson?
- Not a lot, sir.
- [Narrator] Despite the show's increasing focus
on science fiction ideas, it still found time
to explore such issues as racism,
the power of cults, and even a child buying a gun
to protect his family.
- He didn't buy that gun to break your precious house rules.
He bought it because there are people out there
who can come into our house, into our lives
and hurt us or kill us.
And he's not about to let that happen,
not when he can do something about it.
- [Narrator] With "Space Precinct,"
Gerry Anderson had once again produced a series
that schedulers found difficult to best position.
The appealing aliens, cute robot, and cool vehicles
suggested a family audience.
But some of the show's more horrific elements
were clearly unsuitable for younger viewers.
And it often swung from one extreme
to another quite dramatically.
- I'm gonna have to tell Fama that her daughter is dead.
And she'll never forgive me.
- You think this would be a good time
to ask him for a raise?
- [Narrator] For its U.K. broadcast,
many scenes were heavily edited,
with several having to be re-shot entirely
in order to eliminate violent images or dangerous behaviour.
- Didn't they used to make those things with less violence?
- [Narrator] Although reasonably well-received
in the U.K. and Europe,
"Space Precinct" would ultimately run
for just one season of 24 episodes,
with the show failing to make any impact in America,
due to being placed in late night
and early morning graveyard slots.
- Not good.
- [Narrator] Despite this, an impressive array
of merchandise accompanied the show.
And in the year 2000, "Space Precinct" took the honour
of being the very first Gerry Anderson series
to be released on DVD.
The show has recently been re-released once again,
along with a four-disc soundtrack set
and a brand new prequel comic.
(soothing music) - Well, thank you, sir.
That's very kind of you.
- Yes, it is.
(dramatic music) - Much like "Terrahawks,"
the earliest episodes of "Space Precinct"
are often a difficult watch
that aren't entirely representative
of what the show eventually became.
- I'm not quite sure how to respond to that.
- [Narrator] But even its weaker episodes
still have the benefit of an engaging cast of characters
and high production values.
- I've never seen anything like this on television.
It's really incredible stuff.
- [Narrator] Once the series found its feet,
midway through the run,
it consistently offered exciting action
and engaging stories.
And the show is quite rightly still enjoyed
by its many fans.
- Weird.
- With newcomers to the series also delighting
in its offbeat style and outlandish characters.
- [Both] Gotcha!
- [Narrator] 25 years on from its first broadcast,
"Space Precinct" remains a unique and highly enjoyable
addition to the Gerry Anderson universe.
(dramatic music)