Before Doctor Who: How a BBC Mistake Created Britain’s First Sci-Fi Horror

Before Doctor Who, there was Quatermass, the terrifying sci-fi horror that changed British television forever.

But how did it happen?

This clip dives into the unlikely story of Nigel Kneale, a man who sabotaged his law career, trained at RADA, and somehow ended up at the BBC just as they were scrambling to fill a six-week gap in their schedule. That “gap” would go on to create Quatermass, kickstart a new genre, and influence everything from Alien to The X-Files.

We trace the strange, brilliant chain of events that led to one of the most iconic moments in sci-fi horror history in this exclusive clip from the brand-new documentary The Legend of Nigel Kneale: The Creeping Unknown.

To see the full first part of the documentary and experience the newly restored 4K version of The Quatermass Xperiment, pre-order the Limited Collector’s Edition here: hammerfilms.com/products/the-quatermass-xperiment-limited-collectors-edition?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=social_organic

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