Tommy Westphall Universe
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Tommy Westphall Universe

The Quatermass Experiment was a British science fiction and horror miniseries produced in 1953 by Nigel Kneale for the BBC. It ran from 18 July to 22 August 1953. It was followed by three further miniseries: Quatermass II, Quatermass and the Pit, and Quatermass.

Series summary[]

Professor Bernard Quatermass (Reginald Tate), head of the British Experimental Rocket Group, anxiously awaits the arrival of the first manned British space flight. But the capsule lands with just one of its three-man crew, and the survivor (Duncan Lamont) is gravely ill. As time goes on, it becomes increasingly clear that something terrible is happening to the man, and soon only Quatermass stands between the transforming astronaut and the destruction of mankind.

Spin-offs[]

The Quatermass Experiment was followed by three more miniseries: Quatermass II, Quatermass and the Pit, and Quatermass. The Quatermass Experiment was remade in 2005 but did not take place in the continuity of the original Quatermass series.

Westphall connection to The Quatermass Experiment[]

Although Kneale was never a fan of Doctor Who, a reference to Quatermass did make it into the show. In "Remembrance of the Daleks", a military advisor remarks to her colleague, Alison, 'I wish Bernard (Quatermass) were here,' to which Alison replies: 'British Rocket Group's got its own problems.' Years later, in "Planet of the Dead", a scientist uses 'Bernards' as a unit of measurement, mentioning that they're named after Quatermass.

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