The Tomorrow People (1973)

Genres - Science Fiction, Children's/Family  |   Sub-Genres - Fantasy Adventure  |   Run Time - 30 min.  |   Countries - United Kingdom  |  
  • AllMovie Rating
  • User Ratings (0)
  • Your Rating

Share on

Synopsis by Hal Erickson

Intended as Thames Television's answer to the BBC's Doctor Who (with an even skimpier budget!), the weekly, half-hour The Tomorrow People was one of Britain's most popular sci-fi/fantasy series--and, though geared towards children, one of those rare projects that appealed equally to old and young alike. The basic premise involved a small band of "Homo Superiors": super-evolved humans, all under the age of 21, all blessed with such skills as ESP, telekinesis and teleportation (or, as they called it, "jaunting"). Because each of the Homo Superiors possessed an inherent "Prime Barrier", they were incapable of killing anyone. Operating from secret headquarters somewhere in London, the youthful protagonists were dedicated to defending mankind against domestic and extraterrestrial villainy, taking their marching orders from their talking computer TIM. They also sought out other Homo Superiors, endeavoring to convince them to join their exclusive "club." As the series progressed, the Tomorrow People found themselves functioning as the Earth's ambassadors to the Galactic Federation, a UN-type organization of ostensibly peaceful planets. Each of the series' eight seasons was comprised of anywhere from one to four separate serialized storylines, broken down into two, three, four or five individual episodes. In all, there were 27 such serials, totaling 68 episodes. Not surprisingly, there was a considerable amount of turnover in the cast. During Season One, the main characters were John (Nicholas Winmill), Carol (Sammie Winmill), Kenny (Stephen Salmon), and comparative newcomer Stephen Jameson (Peter Vaughn-Clarke). When actors Sammie Winmill) and Stephen Salmon decided to leave for Season Two, the number of principals was reduced to three, with Elizabeth Adaire as Elizabeth rounding out the trio. The following season, Dean Lawrence joined the cast as telekinetic Tyso Boswell. One year later, Stephen Jameson was written out, and new Homo Superior Mike Bell (Mike Holoway) was added to the fold. Season Six saw the departure of Tyso Boswell, and the addition of Hsui Tai (Misako Toba). And in the seventh season, the Homo Superior lineup was increased with the arrival of Andrew Forbes (Nigel Rhodes). Created by Roger Damon Price, The Tomorrow People was telecast in the United Kingdom from April 30, 1973 to January 29, 1979. The series' subsequent renewal of popularity in rerun form on America's Nickelodeon cable network prompted a revival of The Tomorrow People, with of course an all-new cast, in 1992. This version originated from Britain's ITV, and ran until 1995, toting up 5 serials comprised of 25 episodes.

Characteristics

Keywords

sleep, supernatural-powers, teenagers, telepathy, teleportation, time-travel