Out there in space, shall we find 20 discoveries about The Boy From Space? Best take a Peep-Peep at the classic Look And Read tale which was first broadcast on this day 55 years ago…
Science Fiction
After two down-to-earth tales, Bob And Carol Look For Treasure and Len And The River Mob, The Boy From Space took on a more fantastical approach with this science fiction fantasy.
Look And Read was moving with the times. The Boy From Space came in the wake of the Apollo 11 moon landings of July 1969, the NASA rocket launches of March 1970, and also the popularity of science fiction TV such as the imported Star Trek and Britain’s very own Doctor Who.
I can remember being fascinated by trips to the Science Museum as a kid, and with its observatory and giant telescopes, The Boy From Space taps into that childhood fascination. Space travel is something that’s taken for granted these days as time and technology marched on when I wasn’t looking, but back in the early ’70s, it was still something of a novelty which Look And Read cleverly capitalised on.
If I Were A Carpenter
The first of two Look And Reads to be penned by acclaimed writer Richard Carpenter.
Originally an actor in the ’50s and ’60s, Carpenter was best known on TV as Peter Parker in Knight Errant Limited, Mr Victor in Emergency Ward 10 and Eddie Healy in Compact. Other guest spots included Z-Cars, Dixon Of Dock Green and No Hiding Place.
By the early 1970s, Carpenter had turned his hand to writing, in the process coming up with a string of small screen classics. Catweazle… Dick Turpin… Robin Of Sherwood… All from the mind of Richard Carpenter, who provided 50-somethings with a lot of fond TV memories.
Running Out Of Space
If you’re looking for the original 1971 version of The Boy From Space, chances are you won’t find it.
It was common practice for master videotapes to be wiped in the ’60s and early ’70s. Partly because the tapes took up too much room – great big clunky spools worth of video – and partly because back then, there wasn’t any interest in the potential of archive material. If a series was lucky, it would get one, two, maybe even repeats on a good day. No one thought that there would be any future interest in archive TV, so the masters were subsequently junked.
In the case of The Boy From Space, it got two consecutive Autumn repeats over the next two years – before Cloud Burst launched in 1974. But because the film footage was retained in the archives, the story itself was saved. All of the film inserts were preserved, giving the go-ahead for a rebooted version eight and a bit years later.
Helen Reels
Playing the lead part of Helen, actress Sylvestra Le Touzel went on to have a long and varied acting career, still winning roles in 2026.
Sylvestra’s regular parts include Briony in Beast, Harriet Waterhouse in Bonkers, and Lady Duff Gordon in Titanic. Other memorable parts include bitter shrink Linda Marquis in the Midsomer Murders Beyond The Grave episode, Mary Drake in The Thick Of It and Leah in Utopia.
Into Thin Scare
Out of all the Look And Reads, The Boy From Space and Dark Towers provided ample nightmare fuel for quaking kids in those musty old school assembly halls.
The most disquieting aspect of The Boy From Space is The Thin Man. John Woodnutt plays the alien as if it’s second nature to him. With his slowly shuffling gait and wide-eyed grimace, Woodnutt gave many kids the screaming ab-dabs in the ’70s and ’80s.
In fact, the story is drenched in a surreal, other-worldy atmosphere. Details such as the unusual, high-pitched warble to represent the aliens’ language, guns that can make cars vanish into thin air, and spooky cliffhangers with distorted shadows coming up stairs all stuck in the mind long after those hazy school days.
Break Out The Bunting
Anthony Woodruff (Mr Bunting) is probably best known as put-upon Dr Smedley in Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em. He assembled an impressive acting CV, featuring in everything from drama (Upstairs, Downstairs, Crown Court) to comedy (Rings On Their Fingers, The Dawson Watch) to soap (attaining no less than four different roles in Crossroads – the most famous of these was Percy Dobson in the early ’80s).
It’s Your Learn
As well as providing a thrilling adventure for kids, The Boy From Space comes up with a few life lessons to know and learn.
So remember, folks. Don’t look directly at the sun through a telescope or your eyeballs will be melted to fondue. And don’t put a plastic bag over your head! Instead, use it as a handy explanation for why these aliens communicate through mirror writing!
Cry Woolf
Ironically, actor Gabriel Woolf was connected with another BBC schools’ learning programme, Words And Pictures. Before the likes of Henry Woolf, Vicky Ireland and Sophie Aldred instructed kids on how to form words with a blue CSO cartoon called Charlie, Gabriel Woolf was an early presenter in 1970.
Another Emergency Ward 10-er, Woolf appeared as Robert Emery in 20 episodes, also gracing TV fare such as Bognor, Paul Temple and Market In Honey Lane.
Is There A Place Where The Universe Ends?
Look And Read tales had some cracking theme tunes, and one of the best was the ambient Derek Griffiths-sung scene-setter. I can still remember those haunting keyboards as the alien space wheel moves into view and the Boy From Space title card flips the mirror image from the wrong to the right way round.
Space does go on forever.
Sci-fi High Concepts
Plenty of these for sci-fi nut kids. Ray guns which can dematerialise cars. Invisible barriers. Spaceships that can hide in lakes. Alien languages. Out of control compasses. All there in 10 mind-blowing episodes!
Peep-Peep Show
The Boy From Space himself, Colin Mayes also took parts in the 1979 version of The Old Curiosity Shop (playing Tom Scott), the 1981 BBC adaptation of Great Expectations (as Trabb’s Boy), and even The Bill in the 1990s.
Garlick Bread And Butter
If Stephen Garlick went on to chalk up two shop assistant roles (one in Lovejoy, the other in our old friend, The Bill), he also provided the voice of Jen in cult favourite, The Dark Crystal.
Having begun his acting career with an uncredited part in Carry On Doctor, Stephen went on to be a familiar face in 1970s kids’ favourites, The Tomorrow People (as Kwaan in the Into The Unknown episodes – see my previous Sky Hunter blog post for more details about the dad) and The Adventures Of Black Beauty (as Ned Lewis). The grown-ups could later see Stephen in the likes of Butterflies and Minder.
Mirror Mirror
If Sky Hunter offered backwards writing in telegrams, The Boy From Space takes this notion to extremes by having the aliens communicate in mirror scrawl.
When Peep-Peep is taken to Mr Bunting, the boy writes “In Danger”, but in backwards mirror writing. It’s all lost on Helen and Dan until Helen reads the words reflected in reverse on Dan’s compass. It proves especially useful when Peep-Peep writes on the invisible prison wall in the spaceship, providing instructions for Dan to set them free.
Paddy Power
Originally, the incidental music score was handled by John Baker. For the redux, the producers chose to start from scratch with a brand new up-to-date score.
The composer in question was Paddy Kingsland, who lent his very distinctive style to The Boy From Space. Doctor Who geeks like me will instantly think of the music he played for the 1980 Season 18. It’s reminiscent of tales like Full Circle, State Of Decay and Logopolis, coming only months after the 1980 Boy From Space was broadcast. You half expect a horde of Marshmen to join The Thin Man for a conga line in the sandpit.
Those melancholy, whistling keyboards work a treat and add much to the atmosphere. And in true Kingsland style, he uses bongo-style percussion for the chase sequences to add a bit more zip.
Which The Thin Man could do with to be honest. A snail could outrun him!
Wearing A Bit Thin
These Look And Read notes are doing that Six Degrees Of Kevin Bacon thing again at my blog – and not for the last time either, what with Dark Towers on the way.
Having written about Knightmare, which featured John Woodnutt in the twin roles of Merlin and Mogdred, here he is again as The Thin Man. A veteran of the small screen, Woodnutt popped up in tons of classic telly from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, his plummy tones earning him regular authority/upper crust parts in the likes of Crown Court (as Judge Weightman), the 1975 BBC version of The Secret Garden (Archibald Craven) and Jeeves And Wooster (Sir Watkyn Bassett).
Remix Taped
The Boy From Space is the first serial to get an upgrade. I’d mentioned in my previous blog that Sky Hunter was remixed for the ’90s, but The Boy From Space did the same thing 12 years previous.
While Sylvestra Le Touzel and Stephen Garlick didn’t go to the lengths of filming the in-between learning portions of Look And Read, they did agree to come back to film the prologue as Helen and Dan return to the observatory to see Mr Bunting and Tom. Their visit triggers Helen to remember everything that happened all those years ago – complete with voiceover narration.
Out Into The Whoniverse
Appropriately, The Boy From Space features a plethora of Doctor Who guest stars. The two spacemen, John Woodnutt and Gabriel Woolf appeared as memorable nasties in the classic 13th season from 1975. Woodnutt appeared as Broton (as well as the Duke of Forgill) in Terror Of The Zygons, while Woolf guested as Sutekh two stories later in Pyramids Of Mars.
Both also guested in other stories, some better than others. Woodnutt also appeared as tormented factory boss Hibbert in Spearhead From Space, the Draconian Emperor in Frontier In Space and the plummy Seron in The Keeper Of Traken. Woolf was invited to the crappy 21st century pale imitation, where he voiced the Beast in The Impossible Planet/The Satan Pit and reprised Sutekh in the laughable wreckage of Empire Of Death.
Back to the classic series, quick. Sylvestra Le Touzel had been one of the Land Of Fiction kids in The Mind Robber, while Stephen Garlick appeared as public schoolboy Ibbotson in Mawdryn Undead.
Tom Turnaround
Having gained a taste of sci-fi action in The Boy From Space as Helen and Dan’s friend Tom, actor Loftus Burton went on to be Lee Oswald in Space: 1999. Loftus got a taste for the paranormal in an episode of The Omega Factor, and listed the likes of Budgie, ITV Playhouse and again, The Bill on his CV.
Cosmo-politan
The Wordy Helper Of The Season in the 1980 version was astronaut Cosmo, who joined the orange Word Watcher in his very own spaceship to bridge the learning gaps.
Cosmo was played by Phil Cheney, whose only other acting credit seems to be as Harry Hastings in Across The Killing Bay.
Disc-overy
The Boy From Space’s popularity was such that it was released on DVD and as a video download.
The DVD version offered two alternatives. One was the original, uncut 10-part version, complete with all the Wordy and Cosmo learning sections. If you are more pressed for time, the story has also been edited into a feature-length version.
Other goodies include the original audio from the 1971 broadcast and an accompanying illustrated booklet.
(Screengrabs credited to BBC/BFI)
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