The Prisoner, Sapphire & Steel and Other Classic British Sci-fi Coming to BritBox

Here’s a bumper crop of the weird and the British – UK streaming service Britbox, which is home to a wide selection of BBC, ITV and Channel 4 series including classic Doctor Who, is fortifying its sci-fi ranks. From Thursday the 20^th of August, a host of new additions will be joining the classic and modern British fare, including cult series The Prisoner and the complete collection of Sapphire & Steel.

Here’s the full list of new arrivals, known collectively on BritBox as the ‘Out of this World Collection’…

The Prisoner (1967)

All 17 episodes of the television drama created by and starring Patrick McGoohan. A former British secret agent is abducted and held captive in a strange coastal village while those who captured him try to discover the truth of why he suddenly resigned from his position. 

Sapphire & Steel (1979) 

The complete collection featuring all six seasons and 34 episodes from the 1980s sci-fi series starring Joanna Lumley and David McCallum as Sapphire and Steel, the mysterious agents charged with protecting the universe from the malevolent forces of time with their uncanny powers. Created by P.J. Hammond.

Space 1999 (1975)

Every episode of Gerry Anderson’s popular science fiction series. Commander Koenig (Martin Landau) and the crew of Moonbase Alpha face various alien threats as they attempt to return to Earth.

Thunderbirds (1965)

The initial ten episode collection is being expanded and will now feature all 32 episodes of Gerry Anderson’s cult Supermarionation series.

Captain Scarlet & The Mysterons (1967)

All 32 episodes of Gerry Anderson’s cult Supermarionation series chronicling Captain Scarlet’s battle to save Earth from a Mysteron invasion. 

UFO (1970)

All 26 episodes of the British sci-fi series set in 1980 as Earth is being invaded by aliens fleeing their dying planet and seeking human organs to extend their lifespan. Specialist task force SHADO (Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organisation), headed by Commander Edward Straker (Ed Bishop), must defend Earth against these mysterious hostile creatures while containing knowledge of them to avoid widespread panic.

Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) (1969) 

The complete episodes of Randall And Hopkirk (Deceased) starring Mike Pratt as Jeff Randall, Kenneth Cope as his ghostly partner Marty Hopkirk and Annette Andre as Marty’s widow Jean.

Thunderbirds: 1965 (2015) 

Made available to the public at large for the very first time; Thunderbirds 1965 consists of three brand new episodes of Thunderbirds that were created to celebrate the show’s 50th anniversary, using all the classic techniques. The episodes were based on three original 1960s voice recordings, and sets, puppets, and models matching the originals were created by hand to bring the episodes to life. The series premiered at the BFI in August 2016.

UPDATE: Initially announced to be joining those 1960s and 1970s classics was Dirk Gently, the 2016 BBC adaptation of Douglas Adams’ Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency. (That’s not the Netflix version, but the three-part miniseries starring Stephen Mangan, Helen Baxendale, Jason Watkins and Darren Boyd.) On the 29th of July, Britbox announced that due to an unforeseen rights issue, Dirk Gently would not yet be part of their offer.

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