EARLY EIGHTIES BOXY NUMBERS

-

This week I’m looking at some computer panels from the early eighties. Like my last post, it’s a group of props that share a common design but are all a little different. They are grey boxes that are divided into two or three sections. And each section features a seemly random arrangement of coloured lights and black knobs. Here is a typical example…

They are found in several stories from 1981 to 1984 and, apart from one instance, they all feature a unique pattern of lights and knobs.

WARRIORS GATE, 1981

A couple of examples of the two sectioned, smaller, panels. Plus a three sectioned unit peeking out from behind Romana.
THE KEEPER OF TRAKEN, 1981

A rare example where the panel is not mounted on a wall. We get a clear look at how these boxes are put together.
LOGOPOLIS, 1981

The last of three examples from Season 18.
SAND, 1981

In the same year as season 18, we get a couple of appearances in Blake’s 7. First in Sand and then in…
BLAKE, 1981
FOUR TO DOOMSDAY, 1982

The first of a couple of season 19 appearances.
KINDA, 1982

And here is the other. The box on the right of this image is the same as the one from the Sand screen grab above. This is the only exact match I’ve spotted between all these props.
TERMINUS, 1983

Just one appearance in season 20.
WARRIORS OF THE DEEP, 1984

And rounding the Davison years on Sea Base 4.
THE TWIN DILEMMA, 1984

This is the last example I’ve found. These props just sneak into Colin’s era. It’s possible I have missed more of these panels. There are actually some I’ve found which are mounted into larger units which I might look at next time. Until then, take it easy.




















Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

#totp

-
Image
This is not the post I had planned at all! I’ve been working on something else for a while. In fact I’m a bit late with that as the research has taken longer than normal. But in the meantime something popped up and I just had to share it. Friday evenings on our house are filled with the BBC4 repeats of Top of the Pops. One of the episodes this week, from May 1984, featured something that made me point at my telly like Leonardo DiCarprio. It was this trio of consoles. But what Doctor Who stories feature these props and why were they on Top of the Pops? First let’s look at their Doctor Who appearances. The unit with the circular screen can be seen in The Twin Dilemma. Designer Valerie Warrender made sure to give it a suitably glittery finish. THE TWIN DILEMMA, 1984 Here is a closer look at the console screen.  The consoles next appearance is the very next story, Attack of the Cybermen. This story features several variations on the same prop. Some featuring the circular screen and oth...
Read more

SEARCHING FOR SPIRALS

-
Image
Season Eight opener, Terror of the Autons, features a nifty new laboratory for the Doctor. And lurking in the back is a rather interesting spiral staircase. Interesting because it seems to turn up in all manner of other shows.  TERROR OF THE AUTONS, 1971 STEPTOE AND SON, 1962 The earliest I have been able to find the stairs is from the original run of Steptoe and Son, from 1962-65. They can be regularly spotted in the Steptoe’s junkyard, just next to their front door. READY STEADY GO!, 1965 Scottish pop pixie Lulu starts her performance of ‘Shout’ on a familiar set of stairs in a 1965 edition of Associated-Redifussions music show Ready Steady Go! In truth, I’m not 100% certain this is the same staircase. The shape of the steps and the balusters is correct but this staircase feels longer and sturdier than the other examples I have found. Lulu is actually able to walk down half of it and not kill herself. So the jury is out on this one. ADAM ADAMANT LIVES!, 1966 ‘So clever…but oh so ...
Read more

HEXAGONS! Part 2

-
Image
Last week I looked at the hexagon wall pattern that first appeared in The Mutants and all its subsequent classic Who appearances. This week I’m looking at some of the other shows that used this same set decoration. BLAKE’S 7, 1978-81 Probably the most obvious place to start is the show that is frequently viewed as a sort of Sister programme to Doctor Who - Blake’s7. The hexagons are featured throughout B7’s four seasons but perhaps the most visible use is in Servalan’s office as pictured above. THE ADVENTURE GAME, 1980-86 The hexagons proved to be popular on Children’s shows of the Eighties. As you can see it featured in the early seasons of the proto escape room sci-fi themed game show - The Adventure Game. CAPTAIN ZEP - SPACE DETECTIVE, 1983-84 Another BBC children’s sci-fi game show. And a firm favourite from when I was a nipper.  STAR COPS, 1987 The short lived galactic police procedural from Doctor Who and Blake’s 7 Writer, Chris Boucher. ASTRONAUTS, 1981 Another short lived ...
Read more