Episode
57: Doomwatch: Tomorrow The Rat (1970) – BBC – Writers Kit Pedler & Gerry Davis – John Paul, Simon Oates & Robert Powell
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- May 24, 2025
- Duration seconds
- 3717
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Summary
This time we watched Tomorrow, the Rat — Episode 4 from Series 1 of Doomwatch , first broadcast 2 March 1970 and written by Terence Dudley. That’s four years before James Herbert published The Rats (which we covered in episode 4). It’s highly likely he was inspired by this vintage BBC sci-fi thriller—pen in hand, watching Doomwatch unfold. Doomwatch was a vintage BBC science fiction series that aired from 1970 to 1972. A prime example of British sci-fi, it followed a government scientific agency led by Dr Spencer Quist (John Paul) investigating futuristic environmental and technological threats. Think of it as classic BBC sci-fi with serious Black Mirror energy. The show was created by Doctor Who masterminds Gerry Davis and Kit Pedler—the very same duo who invented the Cybermen. Davis had been a Doctor Who story editor; Pedler served as scientific adviser. Their fascination with the dangers of science run amok became the foundation of Doomwatch , this cult BBC science fiction drama. Series 1 and 2 each had thirteen episodes; Series 3 had twelve (though one, Sex and Violence , was never broadcast). The BBC got cold feet, possibly due to real execution footage and unflattering portrayals of public figures like Mary Whitehouse and Cliff Richard. As with far too much vintage BBC content, parts of Doomwatch are missing—wiped or taped over. At its peak, the show pulled in over 13 million viewers, cementing its place in classic British sci-fi history. Dr Quist was a Nobel-winning physicist haunted by his involvement in the Manhattan Project. (Yes, he appears in Oppenheimer .) John Paul, who played him, was a familiar face on British television: I, Claudius , Triangle , The Avengers , The New Avengers —proper BBC veteran. Toby Wren, played by Robert Powell (who we talked about…