Having very much enjoyed rewatching 'Quatermass And The Pit' recently, we added the three Quatermass script books to our collection.
The edition of 'The Quatermass Experiment' is the 1979 version from Arrow Books, priced at 95p, which thankfully includes the set of production photographs. So, you get a good idea of how the Thing (as it's called) looked when it visited Westminster Abbey.
Script books are not always the easiest things in the world to read but with rarely-seen or missing shows, they are very useful aids to research.
Obviously it would be fascinating to be able to see how the final scenes were pulled off, but I also want to see the bits in Part Four with the spoof 3D sci-fi film 'Planet Of The Dragons', starring Space Lieutenant and Space Girl in their fashionable pressurized Zeider-helmets.
Which when you say it out loud sounds like it's something to do with the Wurzels necking pints of scrumpy...
For 'Quatermass II' and 'Quatermass And The Pit' we tracked down the Penguin Books editions from 1960, priced at a mere two shillings and sixpence.
Again there are photos with captions from the script, with the final image from 'Pit' being the frightening manifestation over the ancient power that has been released at Hob's Lane.
We've also picked up a copy of Graham McCann's 'Spike & Co', which looks at the wonderfully talented pool of writers at Associated London Scripts. Spike Milligan, Eric Sykes, Ray Galton, Alan Simpson, Terry Nation and more besides; people whose work is still entertaining the world over fifty years later.
This book came with an unexpected bonus or two, as the previous owner clearly was in the habit of using bookmarks from whatever came to hand. A £60 wine voucher, which expired after 30 days, was mildly unusual, but was quickly eclipsed by the second item.
For a moment, I honestly though we'd discovered a forgotten five-pound note, but then the light dawned. Included in a book about Spike, who was born in India, was a five-rupee note. I honestly don't know whether it was a mistake, or a piece of sly humour on the part of the seller.
Sadly, 5 rupees works out as about 5 pence with the current exchange rate, but it's gone into our tin of assorted notes and coins, which contains more foreign money than the electricity meter owned by the Steptoes.
Our video about the 'Quatermass' script books and 'Spike & Co' can be seen here.
(By Andrew Trowbridge)
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