Out of the Unknown (partially found BBC sci-fi series; 1967-1971)
The series title card from 1967.
Status: Partially Found
Out of the Unknown was a British sci-fi anthology series that aired from 1965-1971 that was produced by BBC and aired on BBC2 in four series. The stories were dramatizations of sci-fi short stories, and while most were of already published stories, some were written for the show
History[edit | edit source]
Like many other BBC shows of the time, during the early 1970s, a number of episodes were wiped so the tapes could be re-used. A total of 49 episodes were produced and aired on BBC2, however, only 20 of these episodes still exist in their entirety, mostly from series 1. There are a few episodes that have small video clips existing, complete audio recordings of episodes, and small audio clips without video of some lost episodes. Off-screen photographs, known as tele-snaps, were taken of many first and second series stories including some of the missing episodes.[1]
Availability[edit | edit source]
All of the surviving episodes were released on DVD in November of 2014 by the BFI.[2][3]
Episode List[edit | edit source]
Series 1[edit | edit source]
| Episode | Title | Airdate | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 101 | “No Place Like Earth” | 4 October 1965 | Found |
| 102 | “The Counterfeit Man” | 11 October 1965 | Found |
| 103 | “Stranger in the Family” | 18 October 1965 | Found |
| 104 | “The Dead Past” | 25 October 1965 | Found |
| 105 | “Time in Advance” | 1 November 1965 | Found |
| 106 | “Come Buttercup, Come Daisy, Come...?” | 8 November 1965 | Found |
| 107 | “Sucker Bait” | 15 November 1965 | Found |
| 108 | “The Fox and the Forest” | 22 November 1965 | Lost |
| 109 | “Andover and the Android” | 29 November 1965 | Lost |
| 110 | “Some Lapse of Time” | 6 December 1965 | Found |
| 111 | “Thirteen to Centaurus” | 13 December 1965 | Found |
| 112 | “The Midas Plague” | 20 December 1965 | Found |
Series 2[edit | edit source]
| Episode | Title | Airdate | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201 | “The Machine Stops” | 6 October 1966 | Found |
| 202 | “Frankenstein Mark 2” | 13 October 1966 | Lost |
| 203 | “Lambda 1” | 20 October 1966 | Found |
| 204 | “Level Seven” | 27 October 1966 | Found |
| 205 | “Second Childhood” | 10 November 1966 | Lost |
| 206 | “The World in Silence” | 17 November 1966 | Lost |
| 207 | “The Eye” | 24 November 1966 | Lost |
| 208 | “Tunnel Under the World” | 1 December 1966 | Found |
| 209 | “The Fastest Draw” | 8 December 1966 | Lost |
| 210 | “Too Many Cooks” | 15 December 1966 | Lost |
| 211 | “Walk's End” | 22 December 1966 | Lost |
| 212 | “Satisfaction Guaranteed” | 29 December 1966 | Lost |
| 213 | “The Prophet” | 1 January 1967 | Lost |
Series 3[edit | edit source]
| Episode | Title | Airdate | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 301 | “Immortality, Inc.” | 7 January 1969 | Lost |
| 302 | “Liar!” | 14 January 1969 | Lost |
| 303 | “The Last Lonely Man” | 21 January 1969 | Found |
| 304 | “Beach Head” | 28 January 1969 | Lost (reconstruction exists) |
| 305 | “Something in the Cellar” | 4 February 1969 | Lost |
| 306 | “Random Quest” | 11 February 1969 | Lost |
| 307 | “The Naked Sun” | 18 February 1969 | Lost (reconstruction exists) |
| 308 | “The Little Black Bag” | 25 February 1969 | Partially Found |
| 309 | “1+1=1.5” | 4 March 1969 | Lost |
| 310 | “The Fosters” | 11 March 1969 | Lost |
| 311 | “Target Generation” | 18 March 1969 | Lost |
| 312 | “The Yellow Pill” | 25 March 1969 | Lost (reconstruction exists) |
| 313 | “Get Off My Cloud” | 1 April 1969 | Lost |
Series 4[edit | edit source]
| Episode | Title | Airdate | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 401 | “Taste of Evil” | 21 April 1971 | Lost |
| 402 | “To Lay a Ghost” | 28 April 1971 | Found |
| 403 | “This Body Is Mine” | 5 May 1971 | Found |
| 404 | “Deathday” | 12 May 1971 | Found |
| 405 | “The Sons and Daughters of Tomorrow” | 19 May 1971 | Lost |
| 406 | “Welcome Home” | 26 May 1971 | Found |
| 407 | “The Last Witness” | 2 June 1971 | Lost |
| 408 | “The Man in My Head” | 9 June 1971 | Found |
| 409 | “The Chopper” | 16 June 1971 | Lost |
| 410 | “The Uninvited” | 23 June 1971 | Lost (reconstruction exists) |
| 411 | “The Shattered Eye” | 30 June 1971 | Lost |
Gallery[edit | edit source]
See Also (Other programs that may/not may wiped by BBC)[edit | edit source]
- 1953 British Grand Prix (partially found footage of Formula One race; 1953)
- Adam Adamant Lives! (partially lost BBC children's TV series; 1966)
- Anne of Green Gables (lost TV mini-series; 1972)
- Dad's Army (partially lost episodes and sketches; 1968-1970)
- Doctor Who (partially lost episodes of British science-fiction TV series; 1963-1974)
- Jazz Goes to College (partially found BBC jazz concert series; 1966-1967)
- Late Night Line-Up (partially found Beatles "Abbey Road" special; 1969)
- Madhouse on Castle Street (partially found BBC television play; 1963)
- Requiem for a Heavyweight (partially found BBC Sunday-Night Theatre TV play; 1957)
- The Complete and Utter History of Britain (partially found British sketch comedy TV series; 1969)
- The Quatermass Experiment (partially found BBC sci-fi serials; 1953)
- The Sad Story of Henry (lost live BBC broadcast adaptation of "The Railway Series" books; 1953)
- Top Of The Pops (partially lost British music series; 1964-2006)
- United! (lost British soap opera; 1965-1967)
- Zingalong (partially found British children's series; 2002-2004)