Space Police – Star Laws
Over the years Dad came up with lots of project ideas… many of which became incredibly popular. Others didn’t quite make it. Some were just discarded before getting to a scripting stage. Others made it to scripting and storyboarding but were then chucked out. A few made it to pilot film stage and most notably these include the Investigator, The Day After Tomorrow, and Space Police.
I spent many happy hours watching (and re-watching (and re-re-watching)) the pilot for Space Police – which would eventually be transformed and made as Space Precinct almost a decade later.
It felt quite grown-up when I was watching it as a 6, 7 and 8 year old, but it also felt really accessible. The baddies were varied, funny, and only sometimes scary. Shane Rimmer’s voice was strangely reassuring (although I hadn’t yet consciously connected his name or voice with his best-known roll – that of Scott Tracy in Thunderbirds). I found the story really exciting – and despite watching it monthly for 3 years, I never grew tired of it.
So, when going through Dad’s archive after the funeral – I was disappointed not to find any copies of the script. Luckily Ralph Titterton was able to loan me a copy of the script (thanks, Ralph!) and I was finally able to see Dad and Tony Barwick’s intentions for the story. I found the process so fascinating, and enjoyed reading the script so much that I felt I had to share the screenplay with Gerry Anderson fans who might enjoy it.
So – we’ve spent the last couple of months putting the screenplay into a paperback, and also formatting it as an ebook. It was an interesting process, and the fact that I’ve been able to re-read the script several times has been a bonus!
We’re very lucky that Shane Rimmer (who played lead character Chuck Brogan) agreed to write a lovely foreword, and you’ve also got a tiny intro from me jabbering on about how much I loved the pilot film!
Anyway… now, it’s ready for you to enjoy!
You can get it for your Kindle, or for a couple of quid more pick up a copy of the beautifully designed paperback. You can buy the Space Police screenplay from Amazon.
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Thanks to Shane & Sheila Rimmer, Peter Jones of Soundhaven, Dave Low of IDO Design and Animation, Donna Bridges, Ralph Titterton, Chris Thompson and everyone else who has helped bring this little project together!
