The
Tomorrow People are
the next stage of human evolution: Homo Superior. Gifted
with various telepathic abilities such as telepathy, telekinesis
and teleportation (jaunting), these special teenagers are
also unable to kill. Sworn to defend the Earth from enemies
both alien and human, The Tomorrow People
operate from a secret base known as the Lab, situated in
a disused London Underground tunnel, and are assisted by
Tim - a sentient, biotronic computer.
First to manifest their powers - or 'break-out' - is John.
The 'father-figure' of the team, it is John who originally
makes contact with the Galactic Federation, a universal
organization made up of telepathic races. Where John is
the brains of the team, Carol is the heart, being a compassionate
young girl who is always willing to help those in need.
Kenny is the youngest member, but makes up for his age with
a keen mind. The first story sees these three Tomorrow People
joined by Stephen, as he begins to break-out. Stephen is
the more adventurous member of the team, always keen to
rush off into danger. Later stories see members come and
go: there is Elizabeth, a young schoolteacher, who soon
becomes the team's 'mother-figure'. Tyso, a young gypsy
boy; Mike, an impetuous teenager who plays in a band called
'The Fresh Hearts'; oriental 'goddess' Hsui Tai; and the
mischievous young scot, Andrew.
Created in 1973 by Roger Price, The Tomorrow
People was always entertaining, full of fresh,
innovative ideas, and larger-than-life villains. The series
proved to be immensely popular, particularly as young viewers
- even me! - were taken with the idea that even they could
be a potential Tomorrow Person, just waiting to 'break-out'.
Stories are action-packed, and fast paced, and are both
humorous and dramatic; in fact some of the subjects they
feature, such as racism, espionage, Nazism and violent death
are quite extraordinary for a children's show.
Unfortunately, as seasons developed, later episodes suffered
from low budgets, tacky special effects and cheesy acting,
with the latter seasons being particularly cringe-inducing.
After eight seasons, the show was cancelled. But that wasn't
the end of The Tomorrow People.
In 1992, a new series began, with a new cast and improved
special effects. It follows the adventures of Adam, Ami,
Kevin, Marmaduke 'Megabyte' Damon (played by YCDTOTV alum
Christian Tessier)
and Jade, who operate from an ancient and mysterious spaceship
buried on the shore of a remote island. The concepts of
the original series are still there: jaunting, telepathy
and telekinesis, plus the usual bizarre and outlandish villains
and concepts.
The series ran for three seasons before ending. But the
story doesn't end there. In 2001, 'Big Finish Productions',
well-known for their new audio adventures of 'Doctor Who',
decided to bring together members of the original series
in order to release further stories of The Tomorrow
People. A worthy addition to the show's lore,
these stories are particularly dramatic and well-written,
and ensure that The Tomorrow People
is still going strong.
