"When you've finally reduced your Triffids to dust..."

"When you've finally reduced your Triffids to dust..."

Last night we recorded the article on the 'Doomwatch' episode 'Project Sahara' which was chosen as it was broadcast the week Warren was born.  To be honest, I was a bit worried about whether we'd have much to say about this particular story, as it doesn't have a memorable image or scientific concept at its core.

There's none of the shock horror of 'Tomorrow, The Rat' or topical green concerns covered in 'The Plastic Eaters'. Even the name is a trifle misleading as the experimental defoliant around which the project is based could frankly have been anything. What Doctor Quist is faced with is the inhuman face of computer security - there are no location scenes of trees or bushes withering on Clapham Common. We were just going to run out of things to say after ten minutes?

But as soon as we got the shot of the computer operator "typing" with an action more reminiscent of playing the piano with a sledgehammer, we realised we were hitting gold here. Lisa proclaimed "She's like Rowlf from 'The Muppet Show!", kicking off a stream of consciousness that I could barely keep up with when making my notes.

What we've essentially ended up with is an irreverent set of production notes, where we take the mickey out of each other as well as what appears on screen. All three of us go back a long way, so no-one gets offended and we hope that the listeners will enjoy the experience as much as we did.

We concentrate on details rather than the overall plot, so we consider the attempts at avoiding product placement, with bottles turned away from the camera and cigarettes being taken from their packets only when they are safely below the nearest desk.

We wonder whether the curtains that sweep across the bluescreen in the computer room mean that someone is going to come in shortly bearing a tray of Kia-ora orange cartons, small tubs of ice cream and possibly an albatross.

My total lack of knowledge of sporting things is betrayed when footage of horse racing is featured on a pub TV. The best phrase I could come up with was " a horse match". Cue Warren piddling himself laughing...

This is not to imply that we think the episode itself is a poor piece of work. Quite the contrary, it asks questions that are even more important now than they were in 1970. 'Doomwatch' as a format is as relevant as it ever was.

So, that's one major article all done and dusted for Episode 20, then. Now we have to stop off in 1968 and 1972. What can we be covering next?

"Now pay attention, [banana]men..."

(By Andrew Trowbridge)