The Andromeda Breakthrough
Encyclopedia
The Andromeda Breakthrough was a 1962 sequel to the popular BBC TV science fiction serial A for Andromeda
, again written by Fred Hoyle
and John Elliot
.
Kidnapped by Intel, John Fleming (Peter Halliday) the hero of the first serial, and Andromeda the artificially constructed human (this time played by Susan Hampshire
as Julie Christie
was unavailable) are brought to Azaran, a small Middle Eastern country, where a duplicate of the machine he designed has been built by Intel. After many dangers he finds both the reason for the original message having been sent and the means to bring the machine under human control.
The complete TV serial survives in the BBC archives and was released, alongside the surviving material from A for Andromeda and various extra features, as part of The Andromeda Anthology DVD
set in 2006.
Hoyle and Elliot's novelisation was published by Harper and Row in 1964, as Andromeda Breakthrough by arrangement with the BBC, and paperback editions followed from Fawcett World Library (1965) in USA and Corgi (1966) in Britain. Judith Merril
reported that although the novelisation suffered from "routine writing, stereotyped characters, and an apparent belief in the Ian Fleming school of international intrigue," the scientists-protagonists were "anything but stereotyped," and "a fair cross-section of the kinds of people who are attracted to scientific work." Merril concluded that the cliched elements "provide a reasonably amusing background to a genuinely intriguing scientific puzzle."
A for Andromeda
A for Andromeda is a British television science fiction drama serial first made and broadcast by the BBC in seven parts in 1961. Written by the noted cosmologist Fred Hoyle, in conjunction with author and television producer John Elliot, it concerns a group of scientists who detect a radio signal...
, again written by Fred Hoyle
Fred Hoyle
Sir Fred Hoyle FRS was an English astronomer and mathematician noted primarily for his contribution to the theory of stellar nucleosynthesis and his often controversial stance on other cosmological and scientific matters—in particular his rejection of the "Big Bang" theory, a term originally...
and John Elliot
John Elliot (author)
John Herbert Elliot was a British novelist, screenwriter and television producer. Between 1954 and 1960 he scripted a succession of one-off television plays including War in the Air and A Man from the Sun...
.
Kidnapped by Intel, John Fleming (Peter Halliday) the hero of the first serial, and Andromeda the artificially constructed human (this time played by Susan Hampshire
Susan Hampshire
Susan Hampshire, Lady Kulukundis, OBE is an English actress, best-known for her many television and film roles.-Early life:Susan Hampshire was born in Kensington, London, the youngest of four children. She had two sisters and one brother...
as Julie Christie
Julie Christie
Julie Frances Christie is a British actress. Born in British India to English parents, at the age of six Christie moved to England, where she attended boarding school....
was unavailable) are brought to Azaran, a small Middle Eastern country, where a duplicate of the machine he designed has been built by Intel. After many dangers he finds both the reason for the original message having been sent and the means to bring the machine under human control.
The complete TV serial survives in the BBC archives and was released, alongside the surviving material from A for Andromeda and various extra features, as part of The Andromeda Anthology DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
set in 2006.
Hoyle and Elliot's novelisation was published by Harper and Row in 1964, as Andromeda Breakthrough by arrangement with the BBC, and paperback editions followed from Fawcett World Library (1965) in USA and Corgi (1966) in Britain. Judith Merril
Judith Merril
Judith Josephine Grossman , who took the pen-name Judith Merril about 1945, was an American and then Canadian science fiction writer, editor and political activist....
reported that although the novelisation suffered from "routine writing, stereotyped characters, and an apparent belief in the Ian Fleming school of international intrigue," the scientists-protagonists were "anything but stereotyped," and "a fair cross-section of the kinds of people who are attracted to scientific work." Merril concluded that the cliched elements "provide a reasonably amusing background to a genuinely intriguing scientific puzzle."
External links
- The Andromeda Breakthrough on Action TV