THE TOMORROW PEOPLE: THE SLAVES OF JEDIKIAH

By: Tony Whitt
Review Date: Wednesday, June 19, 2002

Why are we reviewing a British DVD, you might ask, especially a British DVD of an old low-budget seventies science fiction program like THE TOMORROW PEOPLE? For one thing, even though this first disc in the TOMORROW PEOPLE series is only available from British on-line vendors like AMAZON.CO.UK and the like, it's a Region 0 disc, meaning that you can play it no matter what sort of DVD player you have. And for another, despite the low budgets, sometimes bad acting, and horrendously dodgy special effects, the Thames-produced series holds a special place in many science fiction fans' hearts, and not just because of its resemblance to the slightly more polished but equally dodgy BBC series DOCTOR WHO. For many of us in this country who originally encountered it on Nickelodeon back in the early eighties, THE TOMORROW PEOPLE produces some of the same fond memories of being a kid and waiting eagerly in front of the TV for the next episode to begin.

It may be harder to deal with THE TOMORROW PEOPLE as an adult than it was when we were kids, though. For one thing, while DOCTOR WHO episodes produced at the same time were often able to succeed despite their budgetary constraints, episodes of THE TOMORROW PEOPLE were often hamstrung by them, and the series' opening serial "The Slaves of Jedikiah" is no exception. For another, the use of only three or four music cues, especially the slowed-down version of Dudley Simpson's excellent opening theme, makes many of the action sequences incredibly slow going. Also, the visual effects department at Thames Television was woefully ill-equipped for the rigors of producing a show like this, resulting in some terrible Chromakey shots, poor sets, and ridiculous costumes. The Cyclops in this story, for instance, is more laughable than frightening, and when Jedikiah himself is revealed to be a robot, the sequence is more likely to produce snickers than gasps of surprise. The acting is variable, ranging from Sammie Winmill's overly gushing delivery to Stephen Salmon's complete lack thereof, and the moments of intentional humor provide far less amusement than the unintended ones.

But if you can get past all of that, there's an intriguing concept at the heart of it all, one which would keep the show on the air for seven seasons, result in the creation of a second television series, and inspire a new series of audio dramas produced by Big Finish Productions, makers of the DOCTOR WHO audios and producers of the audio commentary on this disc. The concept should be familiar to X-MEN fans in particular: humanity is on the verge of a new evolutionary surge, resulting in a race of telepathic people with the ability to jaunt through space and to manipulate objects telekinetically. The new race, Homo Superior, must keep their existence secret from regular Homo Sapiens - whom they charmingly refer to as "Saps" - especially when a new Homo Superior "breaks out" during his adolescence. The first episode of "The Slaves of Jedikiah" follows the efforts of John (Nicholas Young) and his two younger friends Carol (Winmill) and Kenny (Salmon) as they try to find the new Tomorrow Person named Steven (Peter Vaughn-Clarke) before the Saps can do anything to him - and before Jedikiah and his two ruffians can kidnap him for their own purposes. They are aided by TIM (voiced by Philip Gilbert), a sentient computer who gives them control over their jaunts and provides them with all the information they could ever need. Watched on its own, the first episode is a compelling introduction to the series. Pity the remaining five episodes somewhat spoil the effect.


Young, Vaughn-Clarke, and Gilbert have a field day with the commentary, making the sort of comments we're all likely to make while watching these episodes in MST3K mode. Nicholas Briggs's presence here is a welcome one, if only that the three actors would most likely get too caught up in watching the story to talk about its production. Young's commentary is particularly insightful, and often even biting - his criticism of the special effects, the music, and the (lack of) acting skills of Stephen Salmon is a highlight, making the commentary worthwhile on its own.

The interface is incredibly stylish, making full use of the series' remarkable opening sequence and theme tune, even if the chapter stops are kept at a minimum and are placed at the most unusual spots. The full episode guide is a handy feature to have, as is the who's who section which features bios for both the characters and the actors who play them. It's a bit distressing, though, that Peter Vaughn-Clarke's picture has been supplanted by that of Mike Holoway as Mike Bell, a character who won't join the series for another two seasons! Other gaffs include the photo gallery, which seems made up of random shots from the show's entire history, even though there are no captions to tell us which episodes they come from, and the packaging itself, which proudly proclaims that Sammie Winmill is helping with the commentary. She must be a lot quieter now than she was then, I imagine. The two essays on the series' creation and this particular story, however, balance out these blunders, making this disc nearly as great a bargain as the DOCTOR WHO discs being produced by the BBC. Nearly. At £15.99 a pop - about twenty-three bucks for us colonials - it's definitely worth a look. And the overseas shipping charges, of course.

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