A for Andromeda / The Andromeda Breakthrough

A for Andromeda was one of the BBC's first major sci-fi TV productions of the 1960s, and was devised by prominent astronomer Fred Hoyle, who contributed the outline for the story, with the final scripts being written by BBC producer John Elliot.

The seven-part serial involved the reception of radio signals from the constellation of Andromeda, which, when decoded, prove to be the instructions for a highly advanced computer. After following the instructions, further signals are received, which, when programmed into the computer, result in the creation of a new lifeform, Andromeda, who takes on the appearance of lab assistant Christine, who had earlier been killed in an accident with the alien-designed equipment.

The role of Andromeda was played by a young Julie Christie, while other major characters include computer scientist Dr John Fleming (Peter Halliday), biologist Professor Madeleine Dawnay (Mary Morris), and Intel agent Kaufmann (John Hollis).

A for Andromeda proved to be just as popular with the viewing public as the final Quatermass serial a few years earlier, with ratings escalating sharply as the story progressed. Needless to say, the strength of the scripts had already prompted work to begin on a follow-up serial before production of A for Andromeda had even begun.

Picking up from the conclusion of the previous story, The Andromeda Breakthrough saw the mysterious Intel organisation (almost a prototype for The Man from U.N.C.L.E.s THRUSH) building a replica of the alien computer in the newly independent, middle-eastern country of Azaran. With Madeleine Dawnay already recruited, and Andromeda and John Fleming spirited away from the UK, the scene was set for for a further battle against alien technology, as the world's weather systems start to become increasingly violent — a direct consequence of one of Dawnay's failed experiments in A for Andromeda.

The sequel saw Susan Hampshire replacing Julie Christie as Andromeda, whose movie commitments clashed with the shooting schedule, meaning that she only performed in a limited number of location shots before leaving the production. Many of the other cast members from the original story also reprised their roles, including Peter Halliday, Mary Morris, John Hollis, and Noel Johnson as Osborne.

The Italian television network RAI subsequently produced their own adaptation of A for Andromeda in 1972, with the five-part serial being produced in black and white and on videotape just like the UK original. To this day it remains one of the few original UK sci-fi TV productions to be re-made in this manner.

A further production of A for Andromeda occurred in 2006 when BBC Four commissioned a ninety-minute re-make as a follow-up to their 2005 update of The Quatermass Experiment. By a bizarre coincidence, a 16mm print of the sixth episode from the 1961 original was returned to the BBC archives just a few days after the new version was announced.