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Themed series looking at cult programmes.

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The Cult of...: Science Fiction

The Cult of...: Science Fiction: Episode 4: Star Cops

Episode 4

Episode 4: Star Cops

Science Fiction

Star Cops

BBC Four - The Cult of..., Science Fiction, Star Cops

Documentary series about cult sci-fi. A look at the late-80s BBC series Star Cops.

Documentary series about cult sci-fi. A look at the late-80s BBC series Star Cops, which followed the adventures of the International Space Police Force in the year 2027.

There are devoted fans who believe 'Star Cops' could have been the BBC's best-ever science fiction series. The notion of combining two popular TV genres - police drama and science fiction - and thereby appealing to fans of both, seems a good one. Certainly, a series about a fledgling International Space Police Force, created by a man who had worked on 'Blake's 7' and 'Bergerac', had the right sort of pedigree. Combining that know-how with an ambitious approach aiming for a robustness and realism that's unusual in science fiction, it seems surprising that the show didn't survive beyond its first series. So why didn't STAR COPS fulfil its considerable promise? Interviews with the cast and crew allow 'The Cult Of...' to give us an insight into how hard the actors and even the hairdressers , worked to create authentic-looking weightless scenes; detail how NASA's Pete Conrad - a man who'd set foot on the moon - complimented the authenticity of the show when he visited the set; outline the way the actors became writers when one of the show's stars was laid low by chickenpox just before the last episode was filmed; and expose how disagreements about the title and the theme tune were indicative of the ongoing and unresolved tensions between the show's creator and producer.

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