Earthsearch 1

Episode 1 Planetfall

1st Broadcast 6th January 1981 BBC Radio 4
Repeated January 2003 BBC7
August 2003 BBC7

Writer

James Follett

Directed by

Glyn Dearman


Synopsis

The crew find that the Alturn planetary system is another failure, incapable of supporting life, and so, as they are back in the same galactic region as Earth, they decide ( with prompting from the ANGEL'S ), that they will return home after 90 years of searching (unsuccessfully) for and Earth type planet. After 25 years of deceleration, the crew are awoken from suspended animation to find that the Moon is orbiting the Sun in the position that the Earth should have occupied, but the Earth itself has totally disappeared.

Cast

Haydn Wood, Kathryn Hurlbutt, Sean Arnold and Amanda Murray the main Actors

Episode 2 First Footprint City

1st Broadcast 13th January 1981 BBC Radio 4
Repeated January 2003 BBC7
August 2003 BBC7

Writer

James Follett

Directed by

Glyn Dearman


Synopsis

The Challenger orbits the moon, and Darv finds a space shuttle in an uncontrolled zone. They all decide to visit the moon, but when they get close to a city an automatic guidance system draws them towards a large dome. Sharna and Astra are picked to explore the city, and they find the shrine of the First Footprint, where the first ever moon landing craft is preserved. They learn from the Sentinel, their computer guide, that 1 million years have passed in the Solar System, in the 115 years that the Challenger has been away. This is due to the time dilation effect, an effect that the Angels had lost information on during the Great Meteoroid Strike. He also tells them that the people of Earth half a million years ago took their planet to a new solar system, but he could not tell them were as he thought that they were aliens. He starts to suck the air back into the reservoirs.

Cast

James Follett Comments

None so far.

Running Time

30 Minutes

Notes

First Footprint City, was the BBC's entry for the 1981 Prix Futura Festival,Berlin.

Episode 3 Sands of Kyros

1st Broadcast 20th January 1981 BBC Radio 4
Repeated January 2003 BBC7
August 2003 BBC7

Writer

James Follett

Directed by

Glyn Dearman


Synopsis

The crew escape. Darv tells the ANGELS about the time dilation effect and as he was rude to the ANGELS he gets sent by them to the Food Farm Galleries to help the androids. Telson agrees to go to Kyros the third (now the second) planet to search for clues on the where abouts of Earth. Astra goes to tell Darv, and at the same time notices that he has only been eating food directly from the galleries, and has started growing hair all over his body. When they reach Kyros, Darv and Astra are dispatched in the shuttle together with some farm gallery androids to excavate the ever moving sand on Kyros. The first night the two have a meal of unprepared food and agree it is much better than the normal food. Later that night they find the androids have stopped working. They go out to investigate and find some strange looking creatures coming towards them.

Cast

James Follett Comments

None so far.

Running Time

30 Minutes

Episode 4 The Solaric Empire

1st Broadcast 27th January 1981 BBC Radio 4
Repeated January 2003 BBC7
August 2003 BBC7

Writer

James Follett

Directed by

Glyn Dearman


Synopsis

On the Challenger the ANGELs decide that after the disappearance of Darv and Astra, they must withdraw the Statron (Sexual development suppressant) from Sharna and Telson's diet. Darv and Astra are on board a ship heading for Zelda 5. They find that the people that have captured them are human, and it was only their masks that made them look frightening. They arrive on Zelda 5 and are questioned about themselves and Helan (Imperial Prosecutor) believes them to be copied from human children, as they had little sexual development, yet they claimed that they were 25, the lie detector showed nothing. Helan suggests that the should be killed and Thorden eventually agrees.

Cast

James Follett Comments

None so far.

Running Time

30 Minutes

Episode 5 The Pools of Time

1st Broadcast 3rd February 1981 BBC Radio 4
Repeated January 2003 BBC7
August 2003 BBC7

Writer

James Follett

Directed by

Glyn Dearman


Synopsis

The Challenger arrives in orbit around Zelda 5. Telson demands that Darv and Astra are returned to them, or he will destroy Zelda 5. Because they are over awed by the ten-mile long space craft, and because Telson tricks them by using the meteoroid anylation shields to destroy their fighters Thorden lets the two captives go. He takes them up to the ship, and learns of the Angels (Freewill computers having been destroyed on Zelda 5) he is very wary of them. He persuades the crew to take him with them. On Zelda 5 , Thorden and Helan visit the almost forgotten Custodian, who tells them of a legend about the great planet Earth, a planet wrapped in mythology. Thorden returns to the ship in a secretly armed ferry, and smuggles aboard a warrior android. The five set off to the next star system, in search of Earth in suspended animation.

Cast

Episode 6 Across The Abyss

1st Broadcast 10th February 1981 BBC Radio 4
Repeated January 2003 BBC7
August 2003 BBC7

Writer

James Follett

Directed by

Glyn Dearman


Synopsis

The crew have been brought to full sexual maturity by the Angels They find a mysterious object in their path, which turns out to be Challenger's sister ship Challenger II. The Angels have killed Thorden while in suspended animation. Sharna and Telson board the craft, and find themselves in a market place, in a township that seems to be out of a history book. They explain that they are looking for Earth, and the religious sect (believing in Earth as we do in God) who control Holocaust city, as it is known, sentence them both to death. Meanwhile Thorden's warrior, Fagor, goes wild when he realises that his master is dead.

Cast

Episode 7 New Blood

1st Broadcast 17th February 1981 BBC Radio 4
Repeated January 2003 BBC7
August 2003 BBC7

Writer

James Follett

Directed by

Glyn Dearman


Synopsis

Darv and Astra rescue Telson and Sharna with the help of Lenart, a girl that meets them as they take Thorden's shuttle craft into the hulk. Lenart comes from the underworld, who have been fighting with the Holocaust city for many thousands of years. She takes them back, and presents them to Tandor. She is the ruler of the underworld. They throw a party in Darv and Telson's honor. At the party, there are only women. Darv persuades Lenart to tell him why. It is because, due to a bacterial/ chemical/radiation effect, no males are born in the underworld and so all the males are kept in concentrated fluid suspended animation tanks, until they are no longer of any use ( to old), when they are destroyed. Lenart helps Darv to escape with the others. But Tandor declares that they will soon be back.

Cast

James Follett Comments

None so far.

Running Time

30 Minutes

Episode 8 Marooned

1st Broadcast 24th February 1981 BBC Radio 4
Repeated January 2003 BBC7
August 2003 BBC7

Writer

James Follett

Directed by

Glyn Dearman


Synopsis

The Challenger, piloted by Fagor, is moving off to a sun, where Fagor plans to crash the ship. The crew cannot reach it with the present oxygen supply. Telson decides to try and take over the hulk. Darv drugs both him and Sharna and goes after the Challenger. Having stripped the ferry of all the luxuries and transferred the oxygen from the shuttle. Darv runs out of luck; there is not enough oxygen to last the journey. Astra insists that Telson and Sharna are awoken. ANGEL 2 contacts the craft to inform them that Fagor is heading towards them and will destroy them. Darv sends empty space-suits from the craft as a decoy. Fagor is fooled by the ruse and falls victim to the Ferry's cannon. Darv realises that the fire has slowed the Ferry down, reverses the craft's direction and uses the fire power to increase velocity towards the Challenger. The crew are put into suspended animation and the ANGELS discover that Astra is pregnant.

Cast

James Follett Comments

None so far.

Running Time

30 Minutes

Episode 9 Star Cluster - Tersus Nine

1st Broadcast 3rd March 1981 BBC Radio 4
Repeated January 2003 BBC7
August 2003 BBC7

Writer

James Follett

Directed by

Glyn Dearman


Synopsis

The ANGELS are forced to revive the crew to protect Astra's unborn child. Unfortunately, this solar system contains the 'Paradise Planet', a world first discovered by the second generation crew. Darv had found a record of the planet which the ANGELS had erased from his mind. The ANGELS stop the crew from viewing the planet by disabling the telescope and banning surveys on grounds of high radiation. The ANGELS discover Astra is expecting triplets and decide to allow the crew to expand to include 20 infants, then destroy the adults. This time they will make no mistakes. Darv and Astra hide in an uncontrolled zone. They fight off an array of androids and discover an unknown chamber containing 6 shuttles. It must be the Terraforming Control Centre. They find a replicator. Darv realises that this shows a direct link with the planet which must be within this solar system.

Cast

Episode 10 Earthfall

1st Broadcast 10th March 1981 BBC Radio 4
Repeated January 2003 BBC7
August 2003 BBC7

Writer

James Follett

Directed by

Glyn Dearman


Synopsis

Telson and Sharna are shown the shuttle-bay. Telson will not allow the exploration of the system as the ANGELS do not wish it. Darv decides to take a shuttle to visit the planet. Sharna is furious and invokes an ancient law allowing a 75% majority decision from the crew against their commander. Telson is forced to agree but the ANGELS will not allow the exploration stating that the planet is unsuitable. Darv and Astra commit themselves to their original plan (without the capability of returning to the Challenger). Telson and Sharna locate the ANGELS central switching room and penetrate the psychological defences. Astra and Darv crash into the sea and loose everything. The ANGELS persuade Telson not to destroy them but to permit them to continue the Earthsearch Mission. Telson and Sharna follow to the planet and rejoin Astra and Darv. "Paradise is our Earth now!"

Cast

James Follett Comments

None so far.

Running Time

30 Minutes

Other Links

You could look at the original Earthsearch book or Earthsearch Deathship

or even Mindwarp:Prelude to Earthsearch.

There is also the audio tapes Earthsearch I and Earthsearch II also Mindwarp

And finally the original radio series Earthsearch I and Earthsearch II

New Projects Latest Novel Very Short fiction Novels by Decade Novels by Cover Fiction Samples

Radio Plays Audio Bibliography: Radio Radio Play Directors

James Follett A-Z Radio Characters James Follett A-Z

James Follett Time-line Earthsearch Links

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