News

Dear Editor
A new TV film version of H G Wells' First Men in the Moon, which was published during his early days in Sandgate, near Folkestone in 1901, is to be shown next Tuesday 19 October on BBC4 at 9pm.

The 90 minute programme will be followed at 10.30 pm (19th) by a drama profile called H G Wells : War with the World.

Showings of the film on BBC HD will follow and again on BBC4 on Oct 23 at 11.15pm. It is written by and stars Mark Gatiss of Dr Who and Sherlock fame.

The book is set in a cottage near the Military Canal by Lympne Ridge and was a follow up science fiction work to Wells' The Time Machine (1895) which helped inspire the Doctor Who series, The Invisible Man (1897), and The Sleeper Awakes (1899).

It features two protagonists Bedford and Cavor, the latter of which 'invents' a form of anti-gravity paint which he then coats on a sphere. This takes them to the Moon where they find it already occupied, by a race of insectiods.

There is also a new 3D cinema version of First Men, which also features Mark Gatiss, and it is hoped will be released soon.

The previous film adaptation was in 1964 and starred Lionel Jeffries.

There was also a 1919 silent film of 'First Men' which is now considered lost, but the British Film Institute recently included it on a search list in case someone still has a copy somewhere.

The new (today) Radio Times has a full page article by First Men star Mark Gatiss on page 33 and the showing is highlighted on p82.

Regards,

Ray Duff
HG Wells Festival committee

BBC4 website : http://www.bbc.co.uk/tv/comingup/thefirstmeninthemoon/
Website for the 3D cinema version: http://www.firstmeninthemoon.com/
The book: http://www.allreaders.com/topics/info_21741.asp
1964 Film: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0058100/
1919 (lost?) Film: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0193947/