1975 British children's sci-fi series
The Changes is a British children's science fiction television serial filmed in 1974 and first broadcast in 1975 by the BBC. It was directed by John Prowse and is based on the trilogy written by Peter Dickinson: "The Weathermonger" (1968), "Heartsease" (1969), and "The Devil's Children" (1970) (the books were written in reverse order: the events of "The Devil's Children" happen first, "Heartsease" second, and "The Weathermonger" third).
Background.
"The Changes" posits a Britain where a sudden enveloping noise emanating from all machinery and technology causes the population to destroy them. The resulting upheaval displaces many people and reverts society to a pre-industrial age where there is a deep suspicion of anyone who may be harbouring machinery. Even the words for technology are taboo. The remnants of modern technology that escape destruction (such as electricity pylons) produce a physical and sometimes violent repulsion among those left in Britain.
The Changes are seen through the eyes of teenage schoolgirl Nicky Gore (Victoria Williams), and the 10-part series, originally broadcast every Monday from 6 January to 10 March 1975, traces Nicky's quest to reunite with her parents and solve the mystery.
Production notes.
Despite its modest budget, "The Changes" had extensive location filming. This included:
The theme and incidental music, composed by Paddy Kingsland, combines the sound of an EMS Synthi 100 synthesiser with a small live band (horn, sitar and percussion). Kingsland went on to score both the radio and TV adaptations of "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" and incidental music for a number of "Doctor Who" stories in the early 1980s.
Described by BBC continuity as "a serial for older children", the TV series was freely adapted by Anna Home from a trilogy of novels by Peter Dickinson. The series took most of its material from "The Weathermonger" which, together with "Heartsease" and "The Devil's Children" has recently been reissued in a single volume in the UK. In the original books, however, the lead character of Nicky Gore appears only in "The Devil's Children" – the books have entirely separate characters, and Nicky is introduced into scenarios in which she does not appear in the books, mixing with characters from the other two books. In addition, the timespan of "The Changes" is considerably reduced from that of the original trilogy.
The series was shown overseas, repeated by the BBC in 1976 and on UK Gold in 1994. It was released on DVD by the BFI in August 2014.
Episode guide.
Note: Episode titles were given in "Radio Times", but were not shown on-screen.
Soundtrack.
A selection of music from this serial was released as a single by BBC Records (RESL 33) in 1976.
The complete soundtrack by Paddy Kingsland was released on double white vinyl LP on 21 April 2018 for Record Store Day 2018.
It was reissued as a bonus disc in the Record Store Day exclusive 6-CD box set "Four Albums 1968 – 1978" 29 August 2020.
Critical Reception.
Science fiction historian Brian Stableford lauded "The Changes", writing that "Home's adaption of Dickinson's well-written novels is sensitive and artful."
Reviewing the DVD release of "The Changes", writer Rob Young praised the show. Young stated "Episode one, entitled ‘The Noise’, is as good as anything the BBC children’s department ever produced." Young said "The Changes" had "occasionally stilted script and dialogue", but praised the performances of Victoria Williams, David Garfield and Oscar Quitak. Young concluded: "Home was committed to creating a canon of youth television to compare with the great works of children’s literature, and "The Changes" deserves that comparison".
Stewart Lee has remarked during an interview on the BBC4 programme "Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe" that he feels lucky for having been a teenager watching TV for teenagers in the 1970s as "there was something really comforting for nerds and weirdos about programmes like "Children of the Stones" and "The Changes".".
References.
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