Object Z – Review

By Sarah Morgan

They say that necessity is the mother of invention. This is something makers of early TV shows (and often films too) had to embrace, finding inventive ways to create enthralling, must-see programmes on an often meagre budget.

That was certainly the case for Christopher McMaster, who was primarily a director (working most notably on early episodes of Coronation Street), but wrote Object Z, a six-part sci-fi series for Associated Rediffusion, Britain’s first commercial TV franchise.

“Uncovering the truth”

The programme hasn’t been seen on TV since it was first broadcast 60 years ago, so it’s well overdue another look. Thankfully, despite being from an era when many shows were wiped, every edition still exists in the archive, so the BFI has dusted them down, spruced them up via a 2K restoration and is releasing them in a rather swanky dual format Blu-ray and DVD edition.

The plot focuses on scientists and members of the world’s governments who must work together to find a way to avoid the Earth’s destruction as a mysterious extra-terrestrial body hurtles towards it from outer space.

Meanwhile, riots break out everywhere as chaos and panic hit the streets, allowing an extremist political faction, led by an unhinged fanatic, to make a bid for power; without naming any specific names, if this sounds oddly like current events, you wouldn’t be wrong.

At the centre of all this is TV producer Peter Barry and his assistant, Diana Winters, who, as time runs out, are dedicated to uncovering the truth amid the terror.

There are times when the production’s small budget are obvious – the special effects aren’t too special, the backgrounds are sometimes obviously paintings or blown-up photographs, and the cast occasionally glance into the camera for a split second, but there clearly wasn’t the time or money to pay for reshoots – but the story far outweighs any such issues.

“Insightful”

The acting is sometimes a little uneven too. Nevertheless, those who watch will be rewarded by a very effective melodrama featuring a smattering of famous faces, including future Are You Being Served? star Trevor Bannister and Jason Donovan’s dad Terence, who some will remember from his days as Doug Willis in Neighbours.

Special features are a little thin on the ground. Apart from audio commentaries for each episode, the only other additions are the shooting script for the opening instalment and clips from another, now sadly lost, Rediffusion sci-fi show, Sierra Nine. There is, however, an accompanying booklet containing insightful essays.

Object Z was followed by a sequel, also written by McMasters. Here’s hoping it too still exists, and will be included in more Rediffusion releases from the BFI as it celebrates 70 years of commercial TV in the UK.

Sarah Morgan( Writer )

Sarah Morgan studied film journalism at post-graduate level with the BFI and has been writing about TV and film for PA Media’s newspaper, magazine and new media customers since 1996. She’s also written for a wide range of other publications, both online and in print, including the book Offbeat and Intermission magazine, and is a regular contributor to the Talking Pictures TV podcast. When she isn’t watching movies, she’s collecting and reading vintage crime and horror paperback books or, for her sins, watching her beloved Sheffield Wednesday.

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