Of the major ITV companies, Thames were probably the only ones with a track record in sci-fi/fantasy for children - ACE OF WANDS, THE TOMORROW PEOPLE and, in the 1980s, three series based on John Wyndham's CHOCKY.

This is the first series, adapted by former DOCTOR WHO script editor Anthony Read from Wyndham's novel.

The story revolves around the Gore family - parents David and Mary (James Hazeldine and Carol Drinkwater) and children Matthew (Andrew Ellams) and Polly (Zoe Hart).

Twelve-year-old Matthew is an average kid, until he starts asking some strange questions and holding conversations with himself.

His parents suspect that like his younger sister he's got a younger friend, but that doesn't explain the type of questions he's been asking, nor his improved schoolwork.

It transpires that Matthew is in contact with Chocky, an alien scout who has been sent to Earth to tell us about a new energy source. But Chocky's inexperience has caused her to make mistakes that will ultimately put Matthew in danger...

Compared to the book, the television series is set at the time of its original broadcast. This generally works well (Matthew's new abilities are demonstrated by solving the Rubik's Cube faster than his friends and being so good at Space Invaders that he causes an Atari 800 to overheat!), and is certainly preferable to setting it during the 1950s, although you'd think Matthew would be more alert to the dangers of getting into a car with strangers.

The kidnap plot is probably the least successful element of the story. Even in the 1980s, you'd expect the parents to be frantic with worry, although only Mary really appears to be. The police also appear to be a bit relaxed about Matthew's disappearance. However, since the series was aimed at younger viewers, it's perhaps not surprising that this aspect of the story is rather downplayed.

The production itself is the usual mix of videotaped interiors and filmed location shots. The quality is perfectly acceptable (although episode 4 seemed to be slightly worse than most of the others), but the filmed sequences do exhibit the flecks of dirt that you'd expect from a programme of this age. It's pleasing to note that the original Thames frontcap and endcap have been retained on all episodes.

Extras are limited to a 20-minute interview with Anthony Read, but this is well worth checking out. It covers a variety of subjects, such as how the series came about in the first place, updating it for the 1980s, casting and the production itself.

As with CHILDREN OF THE STONES, Second Sight have lumbered the DVD with a slightly clumsy method of playing the episodes. The only options are to play all, or to select an episode, which brings up a screen where the six chapters in each episode can be selection. This isn't to be recommended (at least on the first viewing) as it gives away spoilers and once again, I resorted to advancing chapter by chapter instead.

Despite this, this is a decent release of a much-remembered 1980s series, and is well worth a place in any fan of UK science-fiction's collection. BACK TO THE TOP

CHOCKY

Written by JOHN WYNDHAM

Dramatised by ANTHONY READ

Produced by VIC HUGHES

Directed by CHRISTOPHER HODSON,
VIC HUGHES

Starring JAMES HAZELDINE,
CAROL DRINKWATER, ANDREW ELLAMS

SECOND SIGHT TELEVISION

CERTIFICATE PG

REGION 0 (PAL)


RATING: 7/10