As a child growing up there were certain TV shows that could only be watched from “behind the couchâ€. You wanted to know what happened, but at the same time the tension (and scariness) of the episode required that some form of retreat or protection was needed. These shows included the (Tom Baker) Dr Who ‘Pyramids of Mars‘ episodes, the UK series ‘Children of the Stones‘, and the New Zealand kid’s science fiction drama ‘Under the Mountain’, based on the Maurice Gee novel of the same name.
Today, we picked up the Under the Mountain DVD of TV series (filmed back in the early 80s). I’m looking forward to moving the couch forward a bit from the wall, and sitting down to watch it with the kids. Should be fun, especially as a couple of the kids have already read the novel.
Also, on a related note – the creator of ‘Black Sheep‘ is going to produce a movie version of the book aimed at teenagers. That should be worth seeing when it happens. More details here.
Mark
Hiya Stephen,
Where did you find “Under the Mountain”? Will gladly swap for “Day of the Triffids” (BBC 80s) for a season when you’ve watched it!
Stephen
It was released last week. We picked up our copy at the Whicoulls in Henderson, though I guess any place that sells TVNZ DVDs will stock it.
Day of the Triffids is also on my ‘to acquire’ list, along with John Christopher’s ‘The Tripods’.
I’m also after the box set of the complete series of The Tomorrow People, and UFO (love the teletypes clacking on the theme music).