by Michael Collins

Created on: April 15, 2008

Britain, being the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, would necessarily go on to become the birthplace of the literary genre known as Science Fiction. From HG Wells to Arthur C. Clarke, there was no shortage of Britons willing to explore how the future of the human race would unfold. It is unsurprising, then, that Britain was also be the place where the first ground-breaking instances of Sci-Fi began to show up on television screens: from the 1950s through to the 1980s, it was the English who would take a chance with new ways to look forward. Here's just a few of the British Science Fiction programs that would go on to inspire the next generation of television producers.

The Quatermass Experiment (1953):

Number of Episodes: 6

Premise: the head of a space agency investigates the mysterious reappearance of a spaceship thought lost, only to find that two of the crewmembers have mysteriously vanished. The remaining one seems to have absorbed the others' consciousness, and also that of a strange alien organism that has begun to mutate him into a plant monster. Quatermass and the British army must track down the creature when he escapes, having found that if the plant monster is allowed to "spore," it will be the end of all life on earth. The day is saved when Quatermass, apparently having watched other science fiction movies in his time, talks the human personalities of the astronauts into fighting off the alien's controls. Britain is saved, and there are tea and crumpets for all.

Why it's awesome: Although possessing maybe not the greatest story, acting, or special effects, Quatermass would inspire millions of Britons to tune into the BBC, increasing the overall audience for television on the isle.

Fun fact: the series was broadcast live, as most television shows in Britain were at the time, which caused the final, climactic episode to be delayed when a malfunctioning microphone had to be replaced in mid-transmission.

Doctor Who (1963):

Number of Episodes: ongoing.

Premise: A cranky old man (who is actually a space alien) gallivants around the universe in a little blue box that travels through time. He solves problems and prevents alien invasions using his brains rather than force. Whenever he dies, he can "regenerate" into another version of himself, a new persona with a different appearance, temperament, and sometimes even new abilities. In the first episode, he takes his grand-daughter and two of her teachers on an educational field trip to the Palaeolithic era,

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