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Very British Futures

Very British Futures

By: Gareth Preston
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Enthusiastic, informed analysis of British television's most interesting science fiction series. From cult favourites like "The Tripods" to obscurities such as "The Uninvited". Each episode, host Gareth Preston is joined by special guests to discuss a show, celebrating its ideas, achievements and sometimes its mistakes. Visit our website at https://westlakefilms.uk/verybritishfutures/ Follow us on Twitter @futuresvery Visit our Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/verybritishfuturespodcast/ Visit uk.bookshop.org/shop/verybritishfutures for books relating to the podcast and its contributorsGareth Preston Art Entertainment & Performing Arts
Episodes
  • Bright Eyes - Play for Tomorrow
    Jul 5 2025

    New Year’s Eve 1999. Great Britain is part of the European State. The Euro army is in the midst of a controversial war in the Middle East. Sam Howard has come to a French prison to see his daughter Cathy, who has been arrested for being part of a conspiracy to assassinate a pro-war politician, and is facing execution. The authorities hope he can persuade her to issue an apology regretting her actions, allowing them to commute her sentence to prison time. Waiting outside her cell, Sam remembers two earlier New Year’s Eves. How can he save his daughter - and should he?

    Presenting a special mini series examining BBC1's Play for Tomorrow from 1982. Six looks into the future by up and coming playwrights, produced by the Play for Today team.

    Bright Eyes was written by Peter Prince, and stars Robin Ellis, Sarah Berger and Stephen Greif.

    Featuring guest contributor Jon Arnold, writer and co-host of the Strangers in Space podcast.

    Find out more at https://westlakefilms.uk/verybritishfutures/

    Listen to the insightful Strangers in Space at https://strangersinspace.libsyn.com/

    Follow us on X at @futuresvery or visit our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/verybritishfuturespodcast

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    41 mins
  • Crimes - Play for Tomorrow
    Jun 28 2025

    A British prison at the beginning of the 21st Century. Psychologist Melvyn is leading a therapy group of prisoners. What constitutes a crime in the near future? As different prisoners tell their stories and build up a picture of Britain, we are left to wonder whether Melvyn's world is quite as reasonable as it seems?

    Presenting a special mini series examining BBC1's Play for Tomorrow from 1982. Six looks into the future by up and coming playwrights, produced by the Play for Today team.

    Crimes was written by Caryl Churchill, who would soon become one of the UK's most celebrated playwrights. It stars T P McKenna, Sylvestra La Touzel and Julia Foster.

    Featuring guest contributor Rod Brown, from the Nostalgia Tours podcast.

    Find out more at https://westlakefilms.uk/verybritishfutures/

    Listen to the marvellous Nostalgia Tours at https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/rod-brown58

    Follow us on X at @futuresvery or visit our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/verybritishfuturespodcast

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    51 mins
  • Out of this World
    Jan 8 2025

    “Born of the world’s foremost science fiction imaginations...each week, a specially written hour long play of Tomorrow. Always different. Always compelling.” Out of this World was British TV’s first adult science fiction anthology. Each week, Boris Karloff would introduce a story which brought the works of writers like Issac Asimov and Clifford Simak. Broadcast on ITV and story edited by the legendary Irene Shubik. It only lasted thirteen weeks, but it’s influence would spread across the decade.

    Sadly only one episode – Little Lost Robot – is known to exist, plus sound recordings of two more episodes. Nevertheless, Gareth Preston, Dylan Rees and Peter Grehen are here to investigate a series which also featured early work by Terry Nation, creator of the Daleks and Blake’s 7. Very British Futures is produced by Gareth Preston and is a Phantom Frame production. Find out more about the podcast and Out of this World at https://westlakefilms.uk/verybritishfutures Read Peter Grehen's blog https://petergrehanwriter.weebly.com/ Listen to Dylan Rees' Doctor Who - Too Hot for TV podcast https://www.buzzsprout.com/864883 Leave a comment on the episode or Out of this World by emailing us at verybritishfuturespodcast@gmail.com Follow us on X at @futuresvery Visit our Facebook page

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    1 hr and 22 mins
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