From Newsgroup: rec.arts.drwho.moderated
From Address: solar.penguin@gmail.com
Subject: Pathfinders in Space

While he was still at ITV, Sydney Newman created his first attempt at
a semi-educational science-fiction show for the whole family.  They're
interesting to us nowadays because they give some idea of what Newman
wanted DW to be like, and what it could've been like if Verity Lambert
and David Whittaker hadn't done such a good job of ignoring him
completely.

Known today as the "Pathfinders" series, these connected serials never
had one overall on screen title.  They were co-written by future DW
stalwart Malcolm Hulke, and one of the stars was Gerald Flood, later
to play the ill-fated Kamelion.  I'm going to be looking at these
serials (or at least the surviving ones) one episode at a time, and
posting my thoughts here.

However, the first serial "Target Luna" is missing, so that won't be
included.  Apparently it showed how rocket scientist Professor
Wedgwood treats every day as bring-your-children-to-work-day.  When
his pilot falls ill, the professor's youngest son sneaks aboard the
one-man space rocket in his place.  Somehow the ground staff failed to
notice that the man was two-foot shorter and his spacesuit was a lot
baggier!  (These people clearly aren't as professional as Quatermass's
Rocket Group!)  Anyway, it all results in little Jimmy as the first
person to orbit the far side of the moon, being talked through the
controls by mission control, "Airplane!"-style.

For some reason, the story was popular, and a sequel was
commissioned.  But all the main roles were recast.  The original
actors (including future DW companion Michael Craze) weren't
considered good enough.  Considering how awful their replacements
were, I'd hate to imagine how much worse the originals were!

So, we'll pick up the story at the start of the next serial,
"Pathfinders in Space."

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