Underplayed Gems

Captain Zep – Space Detective (1983)

Captain Zep – Space Detective poster
Genre
children's television series, science fiction television series
Country
United Kingdom
Length
2 seasons, 12 episodes
Rating
6.0 of 10 from 3 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this series is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

More series like this

How it feels

A British children's series where a space detective solves mysteries with help from the studio audience. Viewers at home could also send in answers. The show mixed live actors with cartoon characters.

whimsicalplayfulinteractivelightheartedcampyanimatedstudio-audience

What happens

Captain Zep – Space Detective is a British television children's series produced by the BBC between 1983 and 1984. Constructed as part drama and part quiz game, Captain Zep featured mysteries that would be solved by the child audience in the studio, along with a write-in competition for viewers. The child audience were dressed in futuristic clothes and had gelled hair. The series was also notable for its combination of live action and animation, where the cast would interact with drawn alien characters amidst drawn backgrounds. Paul Greenwood played the titular Captain Zep in the first series, to be replaced by Richard Morant for series two. Zep was assisted by Professor Spiro (Harriet Keevil) who was also replaced in series two by Professor Vana (Tracey Childs). The only cast member to appear in both series was Ben Ellison as Jason Brown. The theme tune "Captain Zep" was written by David Owen Smith and Paul Aitken and performed by The Spacewalkers. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

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