Doomwatch
[2] The series was set in the then present day, and dealt with a scientific government agency led by Doctor Spencer Quist (played by John Paul), responsible for investigating and combating various environmental and technological dangers.Similar interests led them to create Doomwatch, which explored new and unusual threats to the human race, many bred out of the fear of real scientific concepts,[5] with a "this could happen to us" angle.Together they took science into people's living rooms, explaining about embryo research, subliminal messages, wonder drugs, dumping of toxic waste, noise pollution, nuclear weaponry, animal exploitation, etc.Storylines included a genetic mutation that created a particularly large and vicious race of rats, and a virus that ate away at all types of plastics, causing aeroplanes to fall out of the sky.It has been suggested that this was because of objections to either its use of stock news footage of a public execution in Lagos, or its presentation of characters designed to be satirical analogues of Mary Whitehouse, Cliff Richard and Lord Longford.[8] The ministerial antagonist to the Doomwatch team, determined to keep the department following the government line, was played by John Barron, better known as 'CJ' from the comedy series The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin.[9] Aside from Davis, Pedler and Dudley, several other writers wrote episodes for the programme, including well-known veterans of several other British television science-fiction productions such as Robert Holmes, Dennis Spooner and Louis Marks.In 1999, Channel 5 bought the rights to revive Doomwatch from the BBC, and on 7 December that year screened a 100-minute TV movie produced by the independent production company Working Title Television.Quist is killed off during the course of the TV movie, and the main character was Neil Tannahill, played by Trevor Eve, who at the conclusion of the story sets up a new Doomwatch group to pursue the same aims as that of the original series.BBC Enterprises released two separate VHS tapes in March 1991, the first containing "The Plastic Eaters" and "Tomorrow, the Rat", and the second "The Red Sky" and "You Killed Toby Wren".Cast: John Paul as Dr Spencer Quist, Simon Oates as Dr John Ridge, Robert Powell as Tobias Wren, Joby Blanshard as Colin Bradley, Wendy Hall as Pat Hunnisett, William Lucas as Fielding, Richard Hurndall as Whitehead, Bruno Barnabe as Head Waiter, Oscar Quitak as Bau, George Pravda as Egri, David Morrell as Royston, Karen Ford as Mrs. Bonenti, Helen Dowling as Laura Lindsay, Roy Stewart as Negro.Cast: John Paul as Dr Spencer Quist, Simon Oates as Dr John Ridge, Robert Powell as Tobias Wren, Joby Blanshard as Colin Bradley, Wendy Hall as Pat Hunnisett, George Baker as Mitchell, David Markham as Ellis, Mark Sinclair as Boy, Peter Whitaker as Ministry Inspector, Ron Gregory as Guard, Bill Wilde as Branston, Patricia Maynard as Miss Sephton, Rosemary Turner as Miss Jones, Brian Badcoe as Stephens Cast: John Paul as Dr Spencer Quist, Simon Oates as Dr John Ridge, Robert Powell as Tobias Wren, Joby Blanshard as Colin Bradley, Emrys Jones as Colonel Smithson, Jeremy Young as Vincent Llewellyn, Ray Mort as Jones, Edward Evans as Dai, Michael Newport as Bryn, David Davies as Davies, Eliza Ward as Elizabeth Llewellyn, Mary Hignett as Mrs. Adams, Jay Neill as Laing.Cast: John Paul as Dr Spencer Quist, Simon Oates as Dr John Ridge, Robert Powell as Tobias Wren, Joby Blanshard as Colin Bradley, Wendy Hall as Pat Hunnisett, Griffith Jones as Falkner, Michael Ripper as Reid, Brian Cox as Owen, Derrick O'Connor as Operator, Peter Miles as Cook, Tessa Shaw as Mrs. Reid, Sheila Sands as Stripper.Cast: John Paul as Dr Spencer Quist, Simon Oates as Dr John Ridge, John Nolan as Geoff Hardcastle, Simon Cain as Soldier, Barrie Cookson as Wilson, Leslie Meadows as Reggie, David Lincoln as Dave, Victor Platt as Joe Bates, Arthur Brough as Sandy Larch, Anthony Sagar as Sergeant Harris, Peter Welch as Tom Hedley, Sheila Raynor as Mrs. Smith, Joyce Windsor as Mrs. Hunter, Kim Butcher as Child, Geoffrey Palmer as Major Sims, Bill Stratton as Sergeant, Michael Elwyn as Duncan, the BBC thanks the 7 Field Squadron, Royal Engineers for their co-operation.Cast: John Paul as Dr Spencer Quist, Simon Oates as Dr John Ridge, Joby Blanshard as Colin Bradley, David Buck as Isaac, George A. Cooper as Thomas, Charles Rea as Inspector, Shelagh Fraser as Joan, Geraldine Sherman as Alice, Geoffrey Chater as Mullery, Rachel Treadgold as Miss Marshall, George Waring as Busby, Robert Sansom as Doctor Somerville, Geoffrey Davion, Ian MacKenzie and Guy Graham as Islanders.Cast: John Paul as Dr Spencer Quist, John Nolan as Geoff Hardcastle, Joby Blanshard as Colin Bradley, Frederick Treves as Dr Fane, Laurie Webb as Dog Owner, David Spurling as Philips, Judith Furse as Mary Lincoln, Frederick Hall as Pritchard, Jean Marlow as Marge, Robert Cawdron as McAlister, Garry Smith as Harry, Edward Evans as Coroner, George Giles as Policeman.Garrison, Chris Chittell as Dick Burns, Queenie Watts as Demonstrator, Sebastian Graham Jones as Young Man, Richard Vanstone, John Hood and Paul Nemeer as Stewards.