Year of the Sex Olympics

[paulvonscott]

Off topic?  Well, I don't know.  It's the sort of TV that Judge Dredd became in comic strip form in the 80's.  Prophetic, dark, humerous.  There's a direct link in some of the content such as the 'Angry/Hungry Show'.

Anyway, a short synopsis, there are two classes of people.  The Lo's who are the genetic masses, the vital reservoir of genes that will keep mankind going for millions of years (they are scum, but they are also neccesary), and there are the Hi's, quicker, smarter, in control. They are the media.  They keep the masses in check, sating them with television - you see it, you don't do it.

Shows such as Sport Sex (popular) and Art Sex (not so popular) do their job.  But when Kin Hodder starts to show not patterns between the programs but his 'pictures', static images designed to provoke feelings from the Old Times such as horror, revulsion, TENSION... well things get out of control.  The Lo's start to get out of control.

But there is a plan.  Send people to live like the Old Times.  No help, nothing done for them.  It might just work... 24 hours a day... reality TV!

Written by Nigel Kneale of Quatermass fame, this really is an amazing bit of telly.

It actually was quite startling in that it helped me clarify why I just really hate a great deal of the bullshit that people write in the realm of SF and comics.  

Where's our Kin Hodder, we need him!

Anyway, go watch it... watch, don't do...

[Bico]

I've been meaning to check this out for a while now.

You DO realise, of course, that once it becomes prophetic and socially relevant, it stops being sci-fi?  It becomes 'dystopian drama' or something...
Anyway - where's this on?  And when?

[paulvonscott]

Might occasionally appear on BBC4, otherwise, DVD.

[Bico]

D'oh!  BBC4 is my best bet, I reckon.

Cheers for the heads-up, Paul.

[Art]

You DO realise, of course, that once it becomes prophetic and socially relevant, it stops being sci-fi?

Something I like to refer to as Atwood Syndrome.

[DavidXBrunt]

A link that might be of some help; it's a  little more pricey than some on-line shops but the money goes back into the pot for getting more stuff like this out. I've got most of the Archive Telly stuff and there's not a bad one amongst them. I can't imagine anyoter company releasing some of these...

Link: http://www.bfi.org.uk/videocat/index.php/page/item_view/code/347" target="_blank">This is the year of the Sex Olympics...

http://www.bfi.org.uk/videocat/more/sexolympics/images/year_of_the_sex_olympics_sm.jpg">

[Byron Virgo]

This was repeated on BBC4 last year (and damn if it didn't almost persuade me to get a digital box!), but I'd definitely be buying it on DVD if/when it comes out.

[DavidXBrunt]

Byron Virgo hs killfiled me!

[Byron Virgo]

No I haven't (what is a killfile, anyway?)!