Out of This World (British TV series)

Out of This World

Company type	Television series
Industry	Television production
Founded	1962
Founder	Irene Shubik
Headquarters	United Kingdom
Area served	United Kingdom
Key people	Irene Shubik (story editor), Leonard White (producer), Boris Karloff (host)
Products	Science fiction television anthology series
Parent	ABC Weekend TV

Out of This World is a British science fiction anthology television series produced in 1962 by the ITV franchise ABC Weekend TV for ITV. As a derivative of the Armchair Theatre anthology, each installment was introduced by actor Boris Karloff. The show adapted narratives from notable science fiction authors including Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, and Clifford D. Simak. The British Film Institute recognizes it as an early influence on the BBC's Out of the Unknown, which was developed and produced by Irene Shubik after her departure from ABC.

Only a single episode, "Little Lost Robot," remains intact and has been released on DVD. Two additional episodes, "Cold Equations" and "Impostor," survive as audio recordings—complete for "Cold Equations" and partial for "Impostor"—both also accessible on DVD.

Origins

In 1960, series creator Irene Shubik joined ABC Television as a story editor for Armchair Theatre, working under producer Sydney Newman. A devoted fan of science fiction, Shubik proposed in 1961 a science fiction counterpart to Armchair Theatre, similar in concept to its crime-themed spin-off, Armchair Mystery Theatre. Prior to this, she had commissioned scripts with sci-fi elements such as "The Omega Mystery" and "The Ship That Couldn't Stop." The pivotal inspiration was "Murder Club," an adaptation of Robert Sheckley’s The Seventh Victim, broadcast on 3 December 1961 featuring Richard Briers. This initiative paralleled the BBC’s success with the sci-fi thriller A for Andromeda.

Production

Shubik took on the role of story editor while producer Leonard White, known for his work on the first two seasons of The Avengers, was assigned to produce the series. White welcomed Out of This World as a refreshing departure from the demanding production schedule of The Avengers, appreciating the chance to delve into speculative futures and encourage audience suspension of disbelief. Each episode had an average budget of £5,000.

Securing appropriate scripts proved challenging for Shubik, reflecting difficulties that had impeded prior attempts at comparable series. She established a partnership with John Carnell, founder of New Worlds and agent for numerous British science fiction writers, who assisted in sourcing material and connecting her with authors and publishers. Carnell actively promoted the series through prominent coverage in New Worlds, including featuring it on the magazine’s July 1962 cover. An actors' union strike by Equity delayed production on Armchair Theatre, affording Shubik additional time to acquire scripts. Nearly all episodes were adaptations drawn from short stories or novels. The series title was inspired by anthology collections published by Blackie and Son, edited by Amabel Williams-Ellis.

Actor Boris Karloff, renowned for his horror film career, was selected as host, following a U.S. anthology tradition exemplified by shows such as The Twilight Zone, Alfred Hitchcock Presents, and Thriller—series that Karloff himself had hosted—and continuing the format established in Armchair Mystery Theatre introduced by Donald Pleasence.

Terry Nation contributed three scripts: adaptations of Philip K. Dick's "Impostor" and Clifford D. Simak's "Immigrant," along with an original story titled "Botany Bay." These marked Nation’s initial professional work in science fiction; he later created the Daleks for Doctor Who and went on to develop original series such as Survivors and Blake's 7.

Broadcast and critical reception

The series was originally set to debut with an adaptation of John Wyndham’s "Dumb Martian," but this episode aired a week earlier on Armchair Theatre, where Boris Karloff provided an introduction and preview for Out of This World.

The opening installment, "The Yellow Pill," attracted an audience of 11 million viewers, securing the eleventh position in the weekly television ratings and surpassing the well-known police drama Z-Cars.

Critical response to the series was largely favorable. Kinematograph Weekly described it as "the most intelligent and best written of its genre since Quatermass." The Times praised its superior writing and direction, suggesting it could raise the quality of summer television programming. H. F. Hall from the Yorkshire Evening Post regarded it as "the most accomplished thing of its kind that TV has yet produced," emphasizing the excellence of its script and production values. Michael Bentine of The Goon Show sent a congratulatory telegram to Leonard White, expressing "joyous congratulations for wonderful entertainment."

Influence

Although the series enjoyed success, production of a second season ceased following Sydney Newman and Irene Shubik’s move to the BBC. At the BBC, Shubik developed and initially produced Out of the Unknown, a science fiction anthology series focusing on adaptations of short stories and novels, which aired for four seasons between 1965 and 1971. During its third season, two scripts from Out of This World—"The Yellow Pill" and "Target Generation"—were remade. Irene Shubik later became a distinguished television producer, working on series such as The Wednesday Play, Play for Today, and Rumpole of the Bailey, and she originated but did not produce the celebrated adaptation of The Jewel in the Crown.

Archive status

In line with common practices among British broadcasters at that time, nearly all episodes of Out of This World were erased after their initial transmission; only the episode "Little Lost Robot" remains intact. Complete audio recordings survive for "Cold Equations," along with a partial audio recording (approximately 44 minutes) for "Impostor," although no visual footage exists for these. The surviving episode together with these audio recordings were issued on DVD by the British Film Institute in 2014.

List of episodes

A total of thirteen episodes were broadcast on Saturday evenings at 10 p.m., starting from 30 June 1962. Included for completeness is the Armchair Theatre presentation of "Dumb Martian," which was originally intended as part of this series. Visually, only "Little Lost Robot" is known to have survived; audio recordings exist in full for "Cold Equations" and partially for "Impostor" (approximately 44 minutes).

Ep. No.	Title	Original short story	Adapted by	Director	Airdate
Produced for Out of This World but aired within Armchair Theatre:
0	"Dumb Martian"	John Wyndham	Clive Exton	Charles Jarrot	24 June 1962
Broadcast as part of Out of This World:
1	"The Yellow Pill"	Rog Phillips	Leon Griffiths	Jonathan Alwyn	30 June 1962
2	"Little Lost Robot"	Isaac Asimov	Leo Lehman	Douglas James	7 July 1962
3	"Cold Equations"	Tom Godwin	Clive Exton	Paul Bernard	14 July 1962
4	"Impostor"	Philip K. Dick	Terry Nation	Peter Hammond	21 July 1962
5	"Botany Bay"	Terry Nation	N/A (original)	Guy Verney	28 July 1962
6	"Medicine Show"	Robert Moore Williams	Julian Bond	Richmond Harding	4 August 1962
7	"Pictures Don't Lie"	Katherine Maclean	Bruce Stewart	John Knight	11 August 1962
8	"Vanishing Act"	Richard Waring	N/A (original)	Don Leaver	18 August 1962
9	"Divided We Fall"	Raymond F. Jones	Leon Griffiths	John Knight	25 August 1962
10	"The Dark Star"	Frank Crisp (from novel Ape of London)	Denis Butler	Peter Hammond	1 September 1962
11	"Immigrant"	Clifford D. Simak	Terry Nation	Jonathan Alwyn	8 September 1962
12	"Target Generation"	Clifford D. Simak	Clive Exton	Alan Cooke	15 September 1962
13	"The Tycoons"	Arthur Sellings	Bruce Stewart	Charles Jarrot	22 September 1962