BROADCAST

 

Monday, 14 January 1980: 7.15pm-8.10pm

 

GUEST CAST

 

Klegg - Michael Sheard

Harmon - Doyne Byrd

Lom - John Hollis

Mall - Michael Crane

Zee - Primi Townsend

Barr - Julia Vidler

Nurse - Catherine Chase

Receptionist - Helen Blatch 

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CREW
 

Writer - Terry Nation

Director - David Maloney (uncredited)

Producer - David Maloney

Script Editor - Chris Boucher

Fight Co-ordinator - Max Faulkner

Production Assistant - Edwina Craze

Production Unit Manager - Sheelagh Rees

Director's Assistant - Shuna Young

Assistant Floor Manager - Antony Root

Film Cameraman - Peter Chapman

Film Recordist - Ian Sansam 

Film Editor - Sheila S Tomlinson 

Series Videotape Editors - Sam Upton (Uncredited), Malcolm Banthorpe (Uncredited)

Visual Effects Designer - Steve Drewitt, Jim Francis 

Video Effects - A.J. Mitchell 

Graphic Designer - Doug Burd 

Studio Lighting - Brian Clemett 

Studio Sound - Malcolm Johnson 

Special Sound - Elizabeth Parker 

Costume Designer - Dee Robson 

Make Up Artist - Sheelagh J. Wells 

Music By - Dudley Simpson 

Series Created By - Terry Nation 

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FACT FILE

 

• Powerplay was commissioned from Terry Nation on Monday 30 April 1979.

 

• Nation’s script specified that the Chengans should all be of the same ethnic type, suggesting North American Indians.

 

• Actors considered for the part of Tarrant included Desmond Adams, Nick Tate, Paul Seed, Duncan Preston, Andrew Ray, Christian Roberts (who had appeared in Breakdown), Chris Brown and Jonathan David. 

 

• On-camera screen tests were conducted in the basement at Broadcasting House where David Maloney read the part of Vila and Paul Darrow was present to read the part of Avon.

 

• There was some concern that Pacey looked a little too much like a younger Gareth Thomas mainly because of his curly hair but he was eventually awarded the role.

 

• Filming for Series C commenced at How Steen Gorge, near Pateley Bridge in North Yorkshire on Monday 30 July 1979.

 

• Filming was covered by a film crew from the local news programme Look North who interviewed David Maloney and Michael Keating. 

 

• The scenes in the corridor and life capsule bay were filmed at Ealing Studios in late August 1979.

 

• Recording took place in TC6 from Tuesday 11 to Wednesday 12 September 1979. 

 

• The flight deck sequences were recorded on Thursday 20 September alongside sequences for Volcano.

 

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IN THEIR OWN WORDS

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“They contacted my agent. We met Chris Boucher at the BBC and after talking to me, he went to David Maloney – I think I’ve found the right guy to play Tarrant – and I went to the audition, read it and went for a screen test, doing the bit of butch acting that Tarrant tends to do. I read the blurb and I thought that I was wasting their time – Del Tarrant age 35. It was a month later that I actually heard I’d got it. I’d written it off by then.”

 

Steven Pacey, interviewed by Horizon in 1980.

 

“It was tremendously difficult, because Terry wanted a 35 year old leading man. David wanted a strong actor to hold the series together, because at that point they didn’t think Paul could do it. The trouble was where to find a 35-year-old leading actor who would come in and to some extent play second fiddle to somebody who was already established in the series. It was a replacement for Gareth, but you couldn’t cast somebody who looked like him, because it wasn’t Blake.” 

 

Production secretary, Judith Smith, interviewed by Terminal in 1990. 

 

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