Science fiction has been a regular fixture on television since the early days of the medium itself. In the US, kid-orientated space shows like Captain Video and his Video Rangers (1949-1955) and Space Patrol (1950) swiftly amassed a cult following, while Britain was treated to the altogether more grown-up The Quatermass Experiment in 1953.By the 1960s, science fiction was big business. The shows varied both in tone and content, from The Twilight Zone to Star Trek and from Doctor Who to The Prisoner, but all dealt with our fascination with what lies beyond the limits of known human existence. It’s a trend that continues today, with genre television now an integral part of the schedules…
1) Doctor Who (1963-present)
It had to be, didn’t it? No other sci-fi show combines the breadth of storytelling with such consistency of tone and character. Like the best anthology shows it can take you to any time and any place from week to week, yet like the best continuing dramas it has at its heart a dependable, recognisable hero. The Doctor’s face may change but his archetypal qualities of bravery, decency and fair play remain. For nearly 50 years, we have seen his universe through the eyes of his everyday travelling companions, encountering alien races so enduring that the modern show does not shy away from them, but celebrates them anew. Silurians, Sontarans and Cybermen threaten and thrill children now as much as they did in the 1970s, while the Daleks and the TARDIS are such a part of our cultural landscape that they can be found in dictionaries around the world. The format is so flexible, yet always so distinctly Doctor Who, that it is sure to run for another 50 years.
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