The
lowdown: 'Doomwatch' was first broadcast on BBC1 between 9 February
1970 and 14 August 1972. Just 38 episodes
were made, starring John
Paul as Dr Spencer Quist, whos heads a secretive government agency called
the Department for
the Observation and Measurement
of Scientific Work, but informally known as Doomwatch. The organisation's
charter is to
investigate the moral, ethical
and environmental implications of the latest scientific and medical research.
Many of the issues
explored in the series have
become even more relevant today, such as environmental pollution, euthanasia,
and genetic
engineering. 'Doomwatch'
was created by Gerry Davis and Kit Pedler, who are best known to Doctor
Who fans as creators
of the Cybermen.
The
episode: 'In the Dark was the ninth episode of the second season,
and was first broadcast on 15 February 1971. It sees
the Doomwatch team investigate
when somebody dies after coming into contact with mustard gas off the coast
of England. It
turns out that the mustard
gas had leaked from a ship that was sunk during World War II. Quist discovers
the the captain of the
ship is an old friend, Alan
McArthur (played by Patrick Troughton), who agrees to help locate the sunken
vessel. However, Quist
and his team discover that
the McArthur who they had met was an imposter, and the real Alan McArthur
is on life support after
contracting a disease that
will eventually leave him without the ability to speak, see or move, essentially
becoming just a brain
in a dead body. McArthur,
his daughter and son-in-law have managed to keep him alive for two years
longer than he could have
hoped to live, and McArthur
is determined to stay alive, even after the disease robs him of the power
of speech. However, Quist
eventually convinces him
that the fate that awaits him is not living in any real sense, and McArthur
agrees that the time has
come for the machine keeping
him alive to be turned off. This is a thought-provoking episode that raises
many questions about
what it means to be alive
and the nature of existence. Troughton is excellent in this role, although
admittedly he has little to do
for most of the episode
except lie in a bed!
The
verdict: 'Doomwatch' was a seminal series
in its day, and despite its age the series is still entertaining today,
even though
the
fashions and technology look extremely dated. Some of the themes explored
in the show are still highly relevant and topical
today,
although it is widely acknowledged that the series lost some credibility
in the third and final season, although this season
featured
stories on bioterrorism and rising sea levels (sound familiar). Even the
episode about the military's use of trained dolphins
to
blow up ships sounds plausible today, although it must have seemed highly
unlikely at the time. Only four episodes have been
released
on DVD, and like many BBC shows of the era, many episodes no longer exist.
However, if you get the opportunity to
watch
the surviving episodes, it is well worth the time to do so..
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