"Moonbase 3" (1973) TV series

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

1 September 1973 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Sci-Fi

Plot:

The adventures of David Caulder and his crew stationed on Moonbase 3 on the moon's surface. In the 21st century...

Plot Keywords:

Moon | Futuristic

Cast

Ralph Bates	...	Michel Lebrun (6 episodes, 1973)
Fiona Gaunt	...	Helen Smith (6 episodes, 1973)
Donald Houston	...	David Caulder (6 episodes, 1973)
Barry Lowe	...	Tom Hill (6 episodes, 1973)
Christine Bradwell	...	Ingrid (4 episodes, 1973)
Peter Bathurst	...	Director General (3 episodes, 1973)
Garrick Hagon	...	Bruno Ponti (3 episodes, 1973)
John Hallam	...	Peter Conway (3 episodes, 1973)
Tom Kempinski	...	Stephen Partness (3 episodes, 1973)
Madhav Sharma	...	Rao (3 episodes, 1973)

Runtime:

50 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

The costly Moonbase spacesuits were reused in the "Doctor Who" (1963) stories "Invasion of the Dinosaurs" (1974) and "The Sontaran Experiment" (1975).

Quotes:

David Caulder: Out there is a remorseless, implacable enemy; the most hostile environment Man has ever met. Now we must fight it together.

A long forgotten classic

Very nearly lost forever as a result of the BBC's mass clear out of tapes in the 1970's, this gritty and claustrophobic sci fi series was only recently rediscovered in the vaults of a Canadian TV station.

This is a long forgotten example of how much more interesting sci fi used to be be pre George Lucas. The BBC never had the budget for whiz bang special effects and so concentrated on characters, story lines and heavyweight theatrical actors. Check out Blakes'7 or Star Cops for other more popular examples of this.

Moonbase 3 also contains that other classic BBC sci fi trait, realism, both in characters and settings.

The characters here are not Star Trek goody two shoes types who all get along and can be guaranteed to do whatever is morally right, their team includes a manic depressive, an egotist and many other fascinatingly real characters. Some are manipulative and many are suspicious and distrustful of each others motives.

The base itself is understaffed and under pressure to deliver value for money,as the base commander says "I can't produce the results without the funding but they won't give me the funding because I can't produce the results!"

This sort of bureaucratic nonsense is in stark contrast with the very real dangers and practical hardships faced with living on the moon.

In an enclosed society (of sometimes unstable personalities) living under the constant threats of a hostile environment, moonbase 3 is a powerfully written and tension filled sci fi series. Perhaps the most depressingly accurate glimpse into the future of space exploration