British telefantasy of the 1980s
Mostly based on the now defunct Telefantasy List website plus a few bonus ones I've found that weren't listed on there.
Missing Middle English - The Shadow Cage (ITV, 1981), The Dybbuk (C4, 1984), Night Voices (ITV, 1987), The Magic Toyshop (ITV, 1988) and See Hear! - The Monkey's Paw (BBC1, 1989).
Missing Middle English - The Shadow Cage (ITV, 1981), The Dybbuk (C4, 1984), Night Voices (ITV, 1987), The Magic Toyshop (ITV, 1988) and See Hear! - The Monkey's Paw (BBC1, 1989).
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- DirectorMarilyn FoxStarsSiobhan BrooksIfor WilliamsJohn BranwellAn adaptation of the novel by Penelope Lively. The plot revolves around the ghosts of plague victims in a sleepy wood.
- StarsDonald HoustonMargaret JohnIan RowlandsMerlin, the illegitimate son of a princess, is made unwelcome at court and is fostered by a local smith and his wife. However, Merlin's true destiny lies ahead in the service of King Arthur, and he must face many dangers along the way.
- DirectorPhilip LeacockStarsEva Marie SaintRobin EllisRaymond BurrAfter an archeological expedition discovers the tomb of the Egyptian king Tutankhamen, many of the scientists, engineers and workmen begin mysteriously dying off.
- DirectorAlastair ReidStarsDavid HemmingsLisa HarrowIan BannenDr. Henry Jekyll, a respectable Victorian scientist, concocts a drug which releases another side to his personality: a brutal, murderous alter-ego.
- DirectorJane HowellStarsJeffrey ChiswickDavid SwiftJohn BennettA young bride is possessed by a dybbuk, a malicious possessing spirit, believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person, on the eve of her wedding.
- DirectorPhilip SavilleStarsDonald PleasenceLila KedrovaClive ArrindellA young student makes the acquaintance of the mysterious man who helps him to find his way into the apartment of betrayal and sickness.
- StarsPeter CushingDenholm ElliottKathryn Leigh ScottThis British anthology series, which was produced by England's leading exporters of horror films, told tales of haunted houses, demons, ghosts, and other supernatural wonders.
- DirectorRobert ChetwynStarsEleanor BronPat HeywoodJohn RatzenbergerProfessor Rex Thornton summons a meeting of fellow UFO-nuts, "The Friends in Space Society", to unveil a wonderful surprise...
- StarsMichael StaintonGeorgina MelvilleAshley KnightMetal Mickey was a robot built by young Ken to do chores around the house. Ken was the eldest child of a typical British family--well, almost typical. Metal Mickey was endowed with a number of magic powers, which enabled it to battle aliens, travel through time, survive extreme temperatures, and other outlandish situations. Mostly Metal Mickey just caused trouble for the Wilburforces, but the family loved him anyway.
- DirectorAndrew GoslingStarsAnna MasseyJohn SavidentRichard MurdochAction and animation combine for a play based on a story by E. Nesbitt. The Academy for the Daughters of Respectable Monarchs is disrupted by the arrival of Professor of Magic who turns their world is turned upside down.
- StarsSimon Gipps-KentMarcus FrancisDavid NealThe father, an ex-military man, sees the 'handwriting on the wall' as to where his country's economy is headed. In an effort to prepare for this, he moves his family of wife, two sons and two daughters out of the city to a secluded old mansion -- a fortress, a castle, as it were. In a confidence he shares only with his youngest son, he acquires stores, goods and foodstuffs, for the tough times he sees coming.
- DirectorAlan GibsonStarsPeter FirthCaroline LangrishePippa GuardDominick Hide has a mission to study and report on the transport systems of the past, but only as an observer. Yet when his Great Aunt Mavis talks about one of his ancestors, Dominick begins to bend the rules and become involved.
- DirectorMichael CustanceStarsJack ShepherdJudy ParfittGranville SaxtonA physicist has visions of his unborn baby - it turns out that the child will grow up to become a Hitler-like dictator responsible for World War III.
- StarsJonathan PryceFreddie JonesJohn WoodvineReadings of classic ghost and horror stories aimed at older children.
- DirectorHerbert WiseStarsRoald DahlTimothy WestSusan GeorgeBee-keeper Albert Taylor and his wife Mabel are concerned that their baby daughter is underweight and seems reluctant to take any nourishment until, that is, Albert decides to feed her on Royal Jelly from his hives. He feeds himself on it as well, becoming almost addicted to it and with very macabre results.
- StarsKeith BarronJack WatsonBrian JenningsWest Country Tales was an early 1980s supernatural drama series based on real-life experiences sent in by viewers in response to a BBC appeal. Of the hundreds of letters received, 13 stories were selected and turned into TV scripts.
- DirectorAlastair ReidStarsHywel BennettDinah StabbDan O'HerlihyThe epic battle for the future of mankind is fought between an angel of light and an angel of death.
- StarsChristopher GodwinCarmen Du SautoyBarrie RutterMattocks, Fost and Ackroyd are Britain's first three astronauts. They must live in small, cramped space station orbiting the earth. Naturally, these conditions make coexistence difficult for them, but funny to us.
- DirectorJune Wyndham-DaviesStarsElaine StritchStephanie ColeNorma WestJulia, a Hollywood property scout, is looking for a house to star in a horror movie, she finds more than she bargained for at Glebes Hall.
- StarsBarry AngelJack GallowayPhilip LockeA child prodigy is being manipulated as the basis for a complex scheme involving nuclear missiles and the mysterious Icarus Foundation's plot to take over the world.
- StarsJohn DuttineEmma RelphMaurice ColbourneWhen a comet blinds nearly everyone in the world, a genetically-engineered species of plant takes over.
- StarsAmanda KirbyBernard HorsfallPhyllida HewatGhost story for children, set in modern and Victorian times.
- StarsSimon JonesDavid DixonPeter JonesArthur Dent and his friend, Ford Prefect, escape the destruction of Earth, only to face incredible trials, tribulations and adventures in space and time.
- StarsPamela SalemCharlie CaineRon MoodyThree children stumble upon the imprisoned sorcerer Rothgo and are drawn into a mysterious search through time for the magical Nidus which has been stolen by the evil witch Belor.
- DirectorPaul HarrisonStarsPaul EddingtonGregory FloyRobin BaileySet in the future about a new town that is under constant surveillance and also where a daily TV soap opera provides solutions to problems in the town.
- DirectorJohn BlackStarsElisabeth SladenJohn LeesonBill FraserOne time companion of the Doctor, Sarah Jane Smith returns to Earth and carries on with her journalist career. Now, in 1981, she has managed to rebuild her career and has come, a matter of days before Christmas, to her aunt Lavinia's (a famous scientist) house in the sleepy English village of Moreton Harwood to write a book and to rest after her world-travelling assignments. However, her journalist's nose sniffs out another mystery when she arrives to find Aunt Lavinia gone, and nobody knows where she is, but the local rumour is that she was the victim of a local witch coven. Worshipers of a pagan goddess Hecate gather to celebrate a festival by ritually murdering a friend of Sarah's. She needs help - and she gets it from a box from her friend "The Doctor." Inside the box is a metal robotic but almost human-like talking dog called K-9 that is built for Sarah Jane personally and together Sarah and K-9 sets out to solve the mystery and stop the killing of Sarah's friend.
- StarsTony HaygarthPatsy RowlandsPrunella GeeLazy, unambitious repairman and UFO enthusiast Des Kinvig encounters a spaceship captained by the beautiful Miss Griffin from Mercury. Or is it all just the fantasy of a man having a quiet breakdown?
- DirectorJohn BruceStarsWendy HillerHannah GordonBosco HoganTwo British women claim to have been thrown into a time warp where they saw Marie Antoinette as they were strolling through the gardens at Versailles Palace in France. After they tell their story to a psychic society, they find themselves the objects of derision and their jobs are threatened.
- StarsJames WarwickCelia ImrieMaurice RoëvesA lonely Scottish island is stalked by a brutal killer who may be from another world...
- DirectorAlan BridgesStarsFrank FinlaySarah BadelNigel Stock"They say that in the wood you get what nearly everybody here is longing for - a second chance." J. M. Barrie's fantasy play, depicting alternative realities for its characters and their eventual return to real life.
- DirectorAlan ClarkeStarsRosalind AyresAnthony BateColin BlakelySoldiers are captured and interrogated by terrorists: but is it real or only a sadistic form of psychological training exercise?
- DirectorAnthony SimmonsStarsEd BishopBob HoskinsAl MatthewThe Metaliens, alien robots intent on galactic domination, encounter a major setback. Their enormous Space Saucer, 'Compromise', enters a black hole in a strange, uncharted region of Space, and collides with another craft - sending the Kleptonite Ball, their precious cargo and the key to Universal Conquest, hurtling to a planet inhabited by primitive life forms: Earth. Having materialized in a bar, the Ball variously functions as a Christmas tree decoration, a bathroom ornament, and a fortune-teller's prop. The Metaliens must retrieve the Kleptonite Ball if their mission is ever to succeed. And that's when their problems really begin.
- StarsKeith JayneGrant WarnockJanine TidmanYoung boy discovers a teenaged caveman living in the local rubbish dump.
- DirectorJohn GorrieStarsHarry AndrewsJames WarwickMargery MasonAmateur scientist Mr. Klausner invents a sound machine that can detect sounds so quiet he can hear plants.
- DirectorPeter SmithStarsBill MaynardMalcolm StorryRay WinstoneA trio of troublesome tykes are fascinated by a mysterious masked wrestler.
- DirectorColin BuckseyStarsCharlotte ColemanLynda La PlanteJohn BirdOne-off episode in the "Theatre Box" TV series about Marmalade Atkins, the naughtiest schoolgirl in the world, who is fired into space in an attempt to cure her of her wild behaviour.
- StarsPeter BowlesIain CuthbertsonPaul SpurrierRole reversal comedy as a father and son swap bodies thanks to a magic talisman.
- StarsAndrew SachsKen JonesHarry FowlerErnest (Andrew Sachs) dies after getting hit between the eyes by a flying champagne cork. Goes to heaven, and that's where the fun really starts.
- DirectorAndrew GoslingStarsCyril CusackMike GwilymJonathan Byatt
- DirectorRenny RyeStarsJudith AllchurchIan A. StevensJane FreemanTeresa and David, two young history fanatics, have been copying inscriptions from gravestones at the local Church. At a later meeting of the school history society, Teresa happens to mention that she has in her house an old piece of embroidered cloth signed by an Abigail Parkes, and David immediately connects the name with one he had seen on a grave. They are further intrigued by a part of the inscription that states Abigail died 'Innocent of All Harm'. Together they set out to discover what happened to Abigail Parkes and why she died so young. Teresa discovers that she is a blood relative of Abigail and, as the story progresses, she seems to become almost possessed by the dead girl's spirit. It's a somewhat tragic tale, depicting Abigail as a girl ruined by the death of her beloved in a mining accident. The poor girl swears after his death that she will wear his ring always but accidentally drops it into a canal. Distraught at the loss she attempts to retrieve the ring but drowns in the process. The coroner incorrectly recorded a verdict of suicide, in those days a sin, and Teresa and David must prove the death was accidental and so free Abigail's troubled spirit.
- StarsAndrew BurtLinda PolanJonathan CecilGulliver washes ashore on Lilliput and attempts to prevent war between that tiny kingdom and its equally minuscule rival Blefuscu.
- StarsHelen ProbynElizabeth SpriggsRuth Adcock13 year old Cassie, the daughter of a psychic medium, decides to see if she has inherited her mothers powers. She tries to conjure up a spirit, with unexpected results.
- DirectorAlan GibsonStarsPeter FirthCaroline LangrishePippa GuardNow a respected teacher of temporal observers, Dominick has not visited the past for several years. He is content with his lot, resigned to the idea that he will never again see Jane, the lover he left in 1980, or their son. Then his boss gives him a new mission: to find out what has become of one of Dominick's students, Pyrus Bonnington, who has gone missing in 1982. Pyrus, who idolises Dominick, is attempting to emulate his exploits in the past. Dominick's search reunites him with Jane who now lives with a musician (conveniently on a six-month stint in Brazil) and allows him to meet his son for the first time. Pyrus is attempting to rescue a foreign princess being held to ransom by terrorists, which might have a disastrous affect on future history if he succeeds. Matters become even more complicated when Dominick and Jane quarrel, and he decides to use his time machine to revisit the previous day, and try to repair the rift. Meanwhile, in Dominick's own time, his wife becomes increasingly disenchanted with his dalliance in the past, and runs off with their baby-sitter.
- DirectorRichard WilsonStarsSheila HancockAntony BrownNick RedingJack's obsession with the possibility of nuclear war sees him usher his family down into his home made fall out shelter after a nuclear strike hits the country. Will their time in confinement draw them together or push them apart?
- StarsGavin CampbellSylvestra Le TouzelRobin EllisAn anthology of six plays that offered predictions of the future ranging from 1997-2016. Made by the same team behind the more regarded Play For Today, it lasted for a single series.
- DirectorJames OrmerodStarsHerbert LomJames GriffithsAnthony ValentineGuests at a small hotel are disquieted by the insistence of a mysterious doctor that he has been there before.
- DirectorJohn GorrieStarsCherie LunghiMoray WatsonCarol DrinkwaterNewly married young wife Karen seeks to discover and overcome a malign presence in her new abode.
- StarsBarry MorseJohn BarronEd BishopDuring an election week, the U.S. president deals with the Russians, a deposed Shah and a stolen quark bomb while a terrorist plots an attack.
- DirectorGiles FosterStarsPeter FirthRichard JohnsonRichard BriersIn the future England is ruled by a fascist government, and one day the leaders begin the construction of a heavily guarded, mysterious airport.
- StarsPeter EganEmily RichardPatrick MowerSupernatural thriller series dealing with a secret society on the Greek island of Rhodes.
- DirectorDiarmuid LawrenceStarsDavid DoyleMark FarmerAnnie Hayes
- 1983–19897.2 (7)TV Episode
- DirectorTony BicâtStarsMartin ShawClarke PetersSue Jones-Davies
- CreatorMicky DolenzStarsAaron BrownFrank DuncanColin BennettIn 2040, the dimini female (teenage girl) 72 Batch 19Y and her misfit family in the Efficiecity, a completely enclosed bureaucratic city sealed off from the polluted and abandoned outside world.
- StarsStuart WilsonMarius GoringAndrew CruickshankSatirical piece set in a zoo, which is plunged into a crisis when a giraffe escapes.
- DirectorLawrence Gordon ClarkStarsStuart MacKenzieSuzanna HamiltonVivian PicklesTeenagers Tim Ingram and his friend Rebecca investigate a ghost story involving a boy, Tom Inskip, who mysteriously died in Tim's parents' cottage in 1910. Tim soon discovers eerie parallels between himself and Tim during his final days.
- StarsNorma WestAnnette Wilkie-MillerFrancesca Annis"Shades of Darkness" was an anthology of short mysterious dramas, each with a supernatural twist.
- StarsAnnabelle LanyonWilfrid BrambellNicholas BallA precursor to the later Dramarama series, Spooky explores the supernatural, and ventures into the dark corners of the imagination.
- CreatorGerry AndersonStarsJeremy HitchenDenise BryerAnne RidlerThe missions of a planetary defense organization dedicated to protecting Earth from a Martian menace.
- StarsAdam WoodyattZoe LoftinGiles HarperWhen a family come into possession of a statue called The Grinnygog, a trio of benevolent witches are summoned to the village where they live.
- StarsDevin StanfieldRobert StephensGeoffrey LarderBased on the classic children's novel by John Masefield, the story follows the exploits of a young boy, Kay Harker, who finds himself drawn into a world of magic and danger when he encounters an old Punch and Judy man.
- CreatorJohn WyndhamStarsJames HazeldineCarol DrinkwaterAndrew EllamsA story centered on a young schoolboy and his strange relationship with an extraterrestrial entity.
- StarsRoy KinnearSandra DickinsonHugh LloydAfter being hit by a car Arnold Bristow (Roy Kinnear) believes he has psychic abilities. This sitcom was created by Roy Clarke (The Last of The Summer Wine) and was broadcast on BBC2 for one series.
- DirectorSandy JohnsonStarsMark ArdenLee CornesSteve DixonTeen-age gang leaders Passion and Little Sister are released from prison, only to find that their gang the Slags have disbanded due to rival gang, the Hawaiians, who wear garlands and drink Pina Coladas.
- StarsGeorge ColeClaire ToemanBarbara EwingIn an alternative future, Great Britain is part of the USSR in 1999 - an imperfect situation but one that pleases Reg, the 'Comrade Dad' of the Dudgeon family.
- DirectorAndrew MorganStarsKevin LloydDenis CareyKelly Lawrence
- DirectorJohn WoodsStarsDavid JasonDavid RappaportPatrick MalahideMr Stabs is summoned to the City of Shadows, where he must perform various heroic deeds in order to defeat the evil Polandi, and ultimately face mortal, magical combat with Melchisedek.
- DirectorJames OrmerodStarsRobert PowellDavid WarnerCarrie FisherA scientist who is obsessed with creating life finally does it, with tragic results.
- StarsDavid McCallumDavid CarradineDean Stockwell"Fox Mystery Theater" was an anthology series of chilling tales with a twist.aka Hammer House of Mystery and Suspense
- StarsPip DonaghyLila KayeDavid GwillimA scientist named Griffin invents a way to change his body's refractive index and thus becomes invisible. He uses the opportunity to carry out random acts of violence.
- DirectorAnthony GarnerStarsAnthony AndrewsPippa HinchleyDavid DakerBased on a book of the same name, depicting events in a Welsh valley after a nuclear holocaust, in which almost everyone has dies, leaving just two families. Eventually just one girl and one man are left, and the majority of the film is about how they cope with the situation and each other.
- CreatorRichard CarpenterStarsPeter Llewellyn WilliamsRay WinstoneMark RyanA forest mystical being appoints two men in succession as the legendary outlaw defender of the oppressed.
- StarsWilliam FranklynBarry CryerAnna DawsonA sketch comedy program with a difference!
- StarsRobin DriscollTony HaasePete McCarthyThe new town of Middleford is taken over by aliens. Not quite a sitcom or a sketch comedy but it fell somewhere in between.
- DirectorMick JacksonStarsKaren MeagherReece DinsdaleDavid BrierlyThe effects of a nuclear holocaust on the working class city of Sheffield, England and the eventual long-term effects of nuclear war on civilization.
- StarsJohn ShackleyCeri SeelJim BakerEarth has been conquered by an alien race known as the Masters using their giant Tripods. When humans reach the age of sixteen, they must undergo a process known as capping which places their mind under the control of the conquerors. In 2089, having learned the truth, cousins Will and Henry Parker embark on a journey to the White Mountains in search of a group of free men.
- StarsKate DorningJonathan CecilDavid LeonardOne of the most well-known stories begins one golden summer afternoon. Alice is sitting on a riverbank with her sister when a fully-dressed, talking rabbit runs past her. She follows the rabbit down the hole and enters a nonsensical world where it seems the normal rules of logic do not apply. In Wonderland, Alice participates in a winner-less race, alternates between being tiny and giant, hears riddles at a "mad" tea party, plays croquet with live flamencos, and attends a trial where the Knave of Hearts is accused of stealing the Queen's tarts. Join Alice as she encounters the Hatter, the Cheshire Cat, and others as she makes her way through Wonderland. JOAN STRIBLING HAIR,MAKE-UP,,PROSTHETICS DESIGNER 'ALICE IN WONDERLAND' BBC
- DirectorBen BoltStarsJohn NettlesTerence AlexanderCharles GrayPhotographer Jerry Grant throws himself in front of a car and dies raving in hospital. Jim learns that he worked for a newspaper and had befriended Helene Duvall in order to gain entry to a black magic coven headed by occult writer Bart Bellow. Jim is initially sceptical, but when a neighbour of Bellow's dies mysteriously having released sacrificial animals, realises that he must take the matter very seriously. Helene offers to help but this places her in danger with Bellow and Jim must race to save her.
- StarsAndrew EllamsAngela GalbraithMichael CromptonChocky, the mental extra-terrestrial, returns to help to his friend Matthew.
- StarsPrentis HancockAnabel WorrellIllona LinthwaiteThe final moment has arrived. Chocky, Matthew and Albertine return to work together to defeat the enemy and to discover Chocky's secrets for humanity.
- DirectorTerry MillerStarsBobby GubbyMichael O'HaganSuzanna Grant
- DirectorMichael KerriganStarsJay SimpsonCassie StuartRosemary LeachVincent and his parents move into an old house. When they hear noises coming from the cellar he goes down to investigate and finds a whole new world, Cosmos, with its own unique people.
- 1983–1989TV EpisodeDirectorDiarmuid LawrenceStarsJohn AlbasinyAnnette BadlandCharlotte CornwellWiped
- StarsBob PeckJoe Don BakerCharles KayWhen his daughter Emma is murdered, cop Craven discovers that she was in a GAIA group of activists occupied with exposing Northmoor nuclear waste storage facility for illegal activities.
- DirectorJohn DownerStarsAndrew SachsSarah NevilleMona BruceA pair of space travellers arrive on Earth to study the planet's lifeforms, landing in an English garden. However, on Earth they are about three quarters of an inch tall and therefore find themselves encountering its natural and giant indigenous life, such as worms, spiders, goldfish and a tortoise.
- CreatorBob BlockStarsKenneth WilliamsRobert SwalesPaul WilceChidren's series set on board the interplanetary merchant ship Voyager in the 25th century.
- DirectorRichard CallananStarsAnnie HayesJohn BleasdaleSamantha HollandWhen Mum and her three children rent a country cottage, the arrival of Dad coincides with the manifestation of a ghostly crying woman on the telephone, radio, record player and television.
- DirectorAnnabel JankelRocky MortonStarsMatt FrewerNickolas GraceHilary TindallIn the dystopic near future, a crusading TV reporter investigates news stories with the help of a wisecracking computer version of himself.
- DirectorGavin MillarStarsJulie WaltersGeorge LaphamDavid RappaportMavis's plight will ring a bell in the heart of anyone who ever felt like murdering a telephone. Is some ghoulish mind behind the increasingly mysterious and sinister calls she gets? Is it madness or the system, or a joke that's bigger than all of us?
- StarsGudrun UreIain CuthbertsonBill ShineThe adventures of a super-powered granny who fights crime in her community.
- StarsGiselle AndrewsRobert PetersKesser AndrewsAnglia Television's 5 episode adaption of Lewis Caroll's Alice in Wonderland was inspired and based upon an early production put on by the famous Da Silva Puppets group at the Norwich Puppet Theatre.
- DirectorTom CleggStarsJohn NettlesTerence AlexanderAmanda RedmanJim investigates when Charlie expresses concern at the influence supposed medium Raoul Barnaby has over elderly Mrs. Jardine with his story that he was contacted by the spirit of a little girl who died in a fire twenty years earlier. Jim finds that she was accidentally killed by Mrs. Jardine's son, who then committed suicide out of remorse but Plemont, the detective in charge, hushed matters up. After Mrs. Jardine has accused Barnaby of being a fraud, her niece Pauline, who is in league with Barnaby to rook the old lady, pushes her aunt downstairs. Following Mrs. Jardine's funeral a ghostly hooded monk appears to Plemont, who is later found dead. The monk exacts retribution once more before Jim discovers his identity - though even then there will be room for - supernatural - doubt.
- StarsAlec ChristieDaphne OxenfordGeorge MalpasA young boy goes to live with his great-grandmother. While she tells him stories of his ancestors, he begins to see the spirits of children who lived in the house during the reign of Charles II.
- StarsRobert PowellArthur NightingaleBarry SummerfordFive partially-dramatized readings of classic M.R. James ghost stories by actor Robert Powell. Including "The Mezzotint", "The Ash-Tree", "The Rose Garden", "Wailing Well" and "Oh, Whistle, and I'll Come to You, My Lad".
- DirectorPeter GrimwadeStarsJanet BehanClare CliffordJohn ElmesLudo French stars in a sci-fi series, but working with the arrogant, conceited, always dissatisfied man pushes the production to its limits.
- DirectorTerry MillerStarsGraham StarkDorian MacDonaldCharlotte ChattonFilm material from the Second World War is leaked to two young people. The film stars a schoolboy who obviously doesn't belong there. Who is the boy and when did this happen?