TV Nostalgia: The Boy from Space

boy from spaceIt’s amusing to think back to the notion of schools’ television when I was a kid in the 1980s. Whole classes would sit in front of a big telly and watch broadcasts live or on video. The video was much sought after, as I recall. Televisions were wheeled from room to room. Telly time was something of a treat even if the purpose was overtly and cloyingly educational. Dramas were followed with a session discussing the language idea introduced.

There’s plenty of schools’ television to remember. But the one that sticks out for me, is The Boy from Space. It was a fairly camp rendering of a tale that saw a blond, silvery boy arrive on Earth, pursued by some sort of thin glam rock policeman. And that’s about all I remember… except for the very evocative line in the theme tune that really scared me: “space goes on forever….”

Alas there isn’t much of The Boy From Space on YouTube but this will give you a flavour and maybe evoke some memories. I’d love to find the video that has the theme tune.

(Videos edited in February 2016)

Peep Peep

The scary thin man in the long coat

11 thoughts on “TV Nostalgia: The Boy from Space”

  1. I can’t remember much of this but I do remember being absolutely terrified by John Woodnutt as the Thin Spaceman. His appearance in the quarry http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-4F7y__Viws (ah, sci-fi programmes and quarries…) seems just like a 70s Public Information Film about the dangers of predatory pederasts, and was to me every bit as traumatic to watch as any of the “Charley Says…” films that freaked the bejesus out of me as a nipper. Much amused to realise that he later became Sir Watkyn Bassett.

  2. Where can i get a copy of Look and Read/ The Boy from Space on Disc because someone done me a copy about a year ago but the Last episode with the last Boy from Space instalment was knackered. I would be happy if someone just copied the Last 10 minutes of the last boy from space episode for me. So who’s outhere that do that for me ?????

  3. There are a few clips of Colin Mayes (Peep-Peep) on YouTube in later films such as Scum and All quiet on the Western Front. I wonder if he had a hare lip as a baby because his face has that appearance of somebody who has (think Joaquin Phoenix).

  4. I had a memory flashback of, just as you say, sitting in a class watching this at school in the 1980s. I remember there was something about it that I found a bit freaky.

    Also, wasn’t there a similar production about a haunted house or castle I seem to remember watching at school?

  5. Yep, that was ‘Dark Towers’.
    Both of these are on youtube now, just watched ‘The Boy From Space’ and it brought a tear of nostalgia to my eye…

  6. Yes i remember watching boy from space back in December 1981 at primary school we watched it bit by bit sadly never got to watch all of it as christmas holidays got in the way…
    Also remembered reading those great ‘tim and tobias’ book series that year aswell….

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