The Changes (TV series)
| The Changes | |
|---|---|
 Title image from end credit sequence | |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Written by |
Peter Dickinson (novel) Anna Home (adapter) |
| Directed by | John Prowse |
| Starring |
Victoria Williams Keith Ashton |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 10 (list of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Anna Home |
| Location(s) | Bristol |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC1 |
| Original release | 6 January – 10 March 1975 |
The Changes is a British children's science fiction television serial filmed in 1973 and first broadcast in 1975 by the BBC. It was directed by John Prowse and is based on the trilogy written by Peter Dickinson: The Weathermonger (1968), Heartsease (1969), and The Devil's Children (1970) (the books were written in reverse order: the events of The Devil's Children happen first, Heartsease second, and The Weathermonger third).
Background
The Changes posits a Britain where a sudden enveloping noise emanating from all machinery and technology causes the population to destroy them. The resulting upheaval displaces many people and reverts society to a pre-industrial age where there is a deep suspicion of anyone who may be harbouring machinery. Even the words for technology are taboo. The remnants of modern technology that escape destruction (such as electricity pylons) produce a physical and sometimes violent repulsion among those left in Britain.
The Changes are seen through the eyes of teenage schoolgirl Nicky Gore (Victoria Williams), and the 10-part series, originally broadcast every Monday from 6 January to 10 March 1975, traces Nicky's quest to reunite with her parents and solve the mystery.
Regular cast
- Vicky Williams as Nicky Gore
- Keith Ashton as Jonathon
- David Garfield as Davy Gordon
- Rafiq Anwar as Chacha
- Zuleika Robson as Margaret
- Raghbir Brar as Gopal
Production notes
Despite its modest budget, The Changes was noted for its extensive location filming in Bristol, the Forest of Dean and Sharpness. Some of the village scenes were shot at Stanford Dingley in Berkshire. Its original premise, downbeat tone and Sikh characters make it an acclaimed example of 1970s British television.
The theme and incidental music, composed by Paddy Kingsland, combines the sound of an EMS Synthi 100 synthesiser with a small live band (horn, sitar and percussion).[1] Kingsland went on to score both the radio and TV adaptations of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and incidental music for a number of Doctor Who stories in the early 1980s.
Described by BBC continuity as "a serial for older children", the TV series was freely adapted by Anna Home from a trilogy of novels by Peter Dickinson. The series took most of its material from The Weathermonger which, together with Heartsease and The Devil's Children has recently been reissued in a single volume in the UK. In the original books, however, the lead character of Nicky Gore appears only in The Devil's Children — the books have entirely separate characters, and Nicky is introduced into scenarios in which she does not appear in the books, mixing with characters from the other two books. In addition, the timespan of The Changes is considerably reduced from that of the original trilogy.
The series was shown overseas, repeated by the BBC in 1976 and on UK Gold in 1994. It was released on DVD by the BFI in August 2014.[2]
Episode guide
Note: Episode titles were given in Radio Times, but were not shown on-screen.
| No. | Title | Guest cast | Airdate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Noise" | Sonia Graham (Mrs Gore), Bernard Horsfall (Mr Gore), Clyde Pollitt (Preacher), Bartlett Mullins (Old Man) | Monday 6 January 1975, 5.20–5.45pm |
| A strange noise fills people all over Britain with a violent rage against modern technology. | |||
| 2 | "The Bad Wires" | TBA | 13 January 1975 |
| Separated from her parents, Nicky joins a group of Sikhs. | |||
| 3 | "The Devil's Children" | Arthur Hewlett (Mr Tom) | 20 January 1975 |
| Nicky and the Sikhs settle at Brooker's Farm but are dubbed by villagers as "the Devil's Children". | |||
| 4 | "Hostages!" | Arthur Hewlett (Mr Tom), Edward Brayshaw (Chief Robber), Derek Ware (Second Robber) | 27 January 1975 |
| Bandits attack the village and take the children hostage. | |||
| 5 | "Witchcraft!" | Roy Evans (Carter) | 3 February 1975 |
| Nicky tries to track down her aunt, while the farm is visited by a witch finder. | |||
| 6 | "A Pile of Stones" | TBA | 10 February 1975 |
| Nicky is found guilty of witchcraft and sentenced to death by stoning. | |||
| 7 | "Heartsease" | Kenneth Gilbert (Innkeeper) | 17 February 1975 |
| Nicky and Jonathon escape, pursued by the witch-finder and enraged villagers. | |||
| 8 | "Lightning!" | Kenneth Gilbert (Innkeeper), Tom Chadbon (Michael) | 24 February 1975 |
| Nicky and Jonathon try to escape to sea but their boat is struck by lightning. | |||
| 9 | "The Quarry" | Tom Chadbon (Michael), Oscar Quitak (Mr Furbelow) | 3 March 1975 |
| Nicky and Jonathon set off to investigate a mysterious power source on the other side of the mountains. | |||
| 10 | "The Cavern" | Oscar Quitak (Mr Furbelow) | 10 March 1975 |
| The protagonists enter a cavern and uncover the cause of the unbalancing of the world. | |||
See also
- The Sparticle Mystery (2011)
- The Tribe (TV series) (1999)
- The Odyssey (TV series) (1992)
References
- ↑ BBC Radiophonic Workshop – A Retrospective, sleeve notes
- ↑ [BFI DVD releases announced for August/September 2014 http://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/announcements/bfi-dvd-releases-announced-augustseptember-2014]
External links
- The Changes at the Internet Movie Database
- Issue 22 of Skonnos, a TV fanzine special issue on the series from 1996, with interviews (via archive.org).
- Little Gems minisite with screencaps episode-by-episode
- Essay on the series by Robin Carmody