Aug 10, 2019
Doomwatch: Re-Entry Forbidden (1.6, BBC, 1970)
"Look, I did everything by the book."
"Of course you did, sure."
"Apart from us on board, there's enough radioactive fuel to -"
"Sure, not to mention the cost of the flight."
"And us. How much are we worth?"
"In human terms, nil. As functional machinery - ten thousand a year?"
#Doomwatch#Reentry forbidden#1970#Bbc#Classic tv#John Paul#Simon oates#Robert Powell#Wendy hall#Joby blanshard#Joseph fürst#Michael mcgovern#Veronica strong#grant taylor#Kevin scott#Craig hunter#Noel sheldon#John kidd#John boxer#James burke#Don shaw#Paul Ciappessoni#Another brilliant opening as news footage of a rocket launch segues perfectly into the static effect of the opening titles#Blurring the line between fact and fiction almost (after all in 1970 rocket launches were a damn sight more common on tv than they have#Been in any decade since). Plus the use of actual news reporters like Michael Aspel. The episode that follows is a little drier and#Less sensational than the last three although the implications that human error could have such catastrophic consequences is#Interesting and well within the Doomwatch remit. The middle is a little slow and steady but the final act is brilliantly tense (even if#The actual ending is kind of signposted by the title). Powell Hall and Blanshard don't have much to do this week but appearances by old#Favourites of mine Fürst and Veronica Strong more than make up for that. Grant Taylor's eyebrows are as out of control as ever
