Pathfinders To Venus (1961)

Pathfinders To Mars was a British television serial broadcast by ABC Weekend TV in December 1960. It was a sequel to Pathfinders To Mars (1960-61).

Production credits

Synopsis

Returning from their unexpected trip to Mars the crew of MR4 intercept a distress signal from Captain Wilson, a US astronaut, and must change course for Venus to attempt a rescue in space. Brown sees what appears to be a settlement or a city of some sort. Desperate to investigate, Brown edits Wilson's message and tricks the crew into landing on Venus so as they can rescue him. Landing on Venus, the crew discover, much to Brown's delight, that the planet is capable is sustaining life and is a vast jungle.

Cast

Episodes

1. SOS From Venus
   • Returning to Earth from a Mars mission Henderson and crew receive an SOS message from the direction of Venus. An American astronaut's spaceship has been damaged by a meteorite. Henderson and a Russian supply rocket begin a rescue attempt. [Watch on YouTube]
2. Into The Poison Cloud
   • The MR4 arrives at Venus. Scheming Harcourt Brown is convinced that he has seen indications of advanced life on the surface of Venus and lies to Henderson telling him that Capt. Wilson has already been forced to crash land on the planet. [Watch on YouTube]
3. The Living Planet
   • Geoff and Margaret locate Wilson's crashed spaceship but are alarmed to discover it empty and worse still something with very big teeth has ransacked the interior. Wilson and Brown set out to find Brown's Venusian city. [Watch on YouTube]
4. The Creature
   • The hairy thing with the big teeth traps Professor Meadows and Margaret in the MR4 rocket but luckily for Geoff it vanishes before he comes to the rescue. The three of them set off into the jungle to find Henderson, Brown and Capt. Wilson. [Watch on YouTube]
5. The Venus People
   • Hamlet is almost eaten by a plant. The explorers become lost and separated in a cave system under a mountain which is home to a clan of primitive cave people. To add to their woes they realize that the area is prone to volcanic activity. [Watch on YouTube]
6. The City
   • Margaret's new little cave girl pal Kiki helps the crew escape from the lava caves. Harcourt Brown's Venusian city turns out to be a disappointment and Professor Meadows becomes ill after she receives an insect bite. [Watch on YouTube]
7. The Valley Of Monsters
   • The crew plan to cook a giant flying reptile's egg for lunch but cancel that when the annoyed parents turn up. The Russian supply rocket is soon due to arrive in orbit so the long walk back to the MR4 begins. [Watch on YouTube]
8. Planet Of Fire
   • A jungle fire puts the MR4 rocket at risk. Brown plans to sabotage the MR4 to safeguard Venus from future human exploitation. Kiki helps Capt. Wilson back to the rocket after he gets thumped by a Venusian Neanderthal. [Watch on YouTube]

Notes

Sydney Newman wanted to develop a children's adventure serial, which could educate its audience about science and the developing Space Race.

Director Guy Verney was replaced by Reginald Collin for two episodes. The serial included scenes of animated dinosaurs from the Czech film Journey to the Beginning of Time.

Many of the cast and crew from the Pathfinders series worked on three further science fiction serials: Plateau of Fear (1961) and its sequels: City Beneath the Sea (1961) and Secret Beneath the Sea (1962). All three serials would star Flood as scientific journalist Mark Bannerman and Guidotti as his photographer Peter Blake.