British Invaders 451: Alice in Wonderland (Part 1)
May 26, 2024 Leave a Comment
Alice in Wonderland was a 1986 BBC adaptation of the classic book by Lewis Carroll.
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Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire was a sword-and-sorcery comedy from 2009. This co-production from BBC2 and Comedy Central brought us a team of mostly-bumbling adventurers who try to save Hessemeel from the tyrant Chancellor Dongalor! 
Stig of the Dump was a 2002 BBC adaptation of the classic children’s novel by Clive King. Young Barney has discovered a pre-human hominid living by a dump. Where will their friendship lead? Where did “Stig” come from? 
Noggin the Nog was a Smallfilms series that ran from 1959 to 1965 and briefly returned in 1982. Noggin, King of the Nogs befriends a talking bird and an ice dragon! He goes on all sorts of adventures, and tries to thwart his evil uncle Nogbad the Bad.
Skellig was a 2009 Sky TV production. The 100-minute TV movie was an adaptation of David Almond’s novel of the same title. Who is the strange man living in Michael’s shed? What unusual abilities does he have? 
The Watch was a 2021 series based on elements of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books. With a legalized assassins’ guild and thieves’ guild, there was little need for a police force in Ankh-Morpork. Can the languishing City Watch begin to fight crime once again? 
Mister Corbett’s Ghost was an ITV adaptation of Leon Garfield’s 1972 short story of the same name. The seasonal ghost story was broadcast on ITV in late December 1987. 
The New Avengers was the 1970s contiuation of the classic 1960s ITV spy-fi series The Avengers. Steed, Purdy and Gambit go up against spies, super-spies, robots and more! This show is not related to the Marvel Superhero franchise of the same name.
The first episode of Doctor Who was originally broadcast on November 23, 1963 — 60 years ago today! Doctor Who would become a classic, and it is still being produced today. Join us as we celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the quintessential British Science Fiction series!
The Green Man was a 1990 BBC adaptation of the novel by Kingsley Amis from 1969. Albert Finney stars as hotelier and heavy drinker Maurice Allington. What happens when a teller of ghost stories sees a ghost of his own?
Humans was a Channel 4 series about androids called “synths” that ran from 2015 to 2018. It brought up ideas of consciousness, rights, personhood and more.
Thunderbirds was a 1960s Supermarionation puppet series from Gerry Anderson. In one of our “spinoff to different medium” discussions, we’re now covering the three Thunderbirds movies. The original puppet-based format went into the cinema with Thunderbirds are Go (1966) and Thunderbird 6 (1968). Puppets were replaced by real live actors for Thunderbirds (2004)!
Nobody’s House was a 1976 ITV children’s series about a ghost only known as “Nobody”. A family buys an old house in the country and discovers that it’s haunted! The ghost of a Victorian workhouse boy teaches us about the past and introduces us to a few more ghosts.
Episode 1 of The Quatermass Experiment was first broadcast on July 18, 1953 — 70 years ago today! The Quatermass serials would become some of the most influential television programs from the UK. Join us as we celebrate the anniversary of this classic.
The Midwich Cuckoos was a 2022 SkyTV adaptation of John Wyndham’s 1957 novel. All of the women of childbearing age in the village of Midwich become pregnant at the same time. What will the children born of this event be like?
Space Patrol was a marionette puppet series from 1963. Larry Dart, Slim and Husky travel the solar system and beyond aboard Galasphere 347. This crew hails from Earth, Venus and Mars, and they encounter a variety of aliens.
Intruders was BBC 2 and BBC America co-production from 2014. The miniseries was based on the novel by Michael Marshall Smith. Why are people behaving strangely and going missing? What is the struggle for control that some characters seem to be going through?
Ivor the Engine was an animated children’s show that first ran on ITV in 1958 and 1959. It moved to the BBC for its return in the 1970s. This Smallfilms production was set in rural Wales, and it was about a steam engine with a mind of his own. It also featured donkeys, elephants and dragons!
Lost in Austen is a 2008 ITV drama where a modern-day woman finds herself inside the events of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Can she stand in for Elizabeth Bennett? What will Miss Bennet make of modern-day London?
The Curse of the Mummy is a 1970 episode of ITV’s Mystery and Imagination series of TV plays. This adaptation of Bram Stoker’s 1903 novel The Jewel of the Seven Stars features the daughter of an Egyptologist taking change when her father inexplicably falls ill….
Terry Pratchett’s Going Postal was a 2010 Sky Television adaptation of one of the Discworld novels (also called Going Postal). Former con artist Moist von Lipwig must pay for his crimes by attempting to revive the postal service. Can this public institution successfully compete against a commercial communications system called “The Clacks”?
Haunted brought two ghost stories by contemporary authors to ITV for Christmas 1974.