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Tomorrow People, The

CREAKY BUT fondly remembered ITV kids sci-fi staple, tons better than TIMESLIP but still blessed with the inevitable posh kids/plot preposterousness double whammy. A clump of telepathic teens become Earth’s first “ambassadors” to the Galatic Empire, in the process helping to avoid alien attack, stellar warfare and the like, thanks mostly to their uber-minds and ability to “jaunt” – teleport – from place to place. Given ultra-70s brand name: homo superiors. Hampered by appalling fashion taste, dubious adolescent moralising and obligatory “super computer” aka a talking flashing box called TIM. Evil shape-changing robot Jedikiah made bother for a while. Among the jaunters were NICHOLAS YOUNG (John), PETER VAUGHAN-CLARKE (Stephen), SAMMIE WINMILL (Carol), STEVE SALMON (Kenny), ELIZABETH ADARE (er, Elizabeth) and MIKE BELL off of Flintlock, briefly-fashionably teen boppers (er, Mike). PETER DUNCAN showed up as a gladiator, NICHOLAS LYNDHURST as a stormtrooper, KEITH CHEGWIN as a rebel and PETER DAVIDSON as an alien whose idea of earth culture has been entirely shaped by old TV westerns. Got steadily worse over the years, ending up with plots involving Hitler being reincarnated as a slug and the world being saved from an attack of balloons by the common cold. 1990s remake found Todd off of NEIGHBOURS one of the new brood, and was actually quite good.

5 Comments

5 Comments

  1. Joanne Gray

    February 27, 2017 at 1:02 pm

    Despite the bargain basement sfx, this show was excellently gripping and had one of the best theme tunes ever.

  2. David Smith

    February 28, 2017 at 10:30 pm

    The ’90s remake featured one Naomie “Moneypenny”/”Moonlight” Harris…

  3. Richardpd

    December 18, 2021 at 3:05 pm

    Principal writer Roger Price wanted to end the show earlier but Thames kept asking for new series, which explains the drop off in quality.

    Theme by Dudley Simpson, who was the go-to guy writing music for sci-fi series in the 1970s. Also a good title sequence with zoomed in objects.

    Some of the main cast didn’t have much acting experience especially Stephen Salmon & Misako Koba, who played Hsui Tai.

    There was a further American reboot in the 2010s.

  4. Glenn Aylett

    December 18, 2021 at 3:48 pm

    Misako Koba had a poor command of English, which affected her acting ability. However, the use of a multi racial cast, two black and one Japanese actor, was ahead of its time as most children’s programmes in the pre Grange Hill era employed white, often Southern actors. Also The Tomorrow People was a fine sci fi show and the one where Peter Davidson is a space cowboy is a classic.

    • Richardpd

      December 18, 2021 at 10:49 pm

      The Tomorrow People was quite progressive for the time by having regulars of different ethnic backgrounds.

      I’ve seen a few clips of the story with Peter Davison in it, oddly Sandra Dickenson plays his sister in it.

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