by Kenneth Andrews

Created on: January 15, 2010   Last Updated: February 10, 2010

Britain invented science-fiction, of course, with HG Wells. And when the French counter with Jules Verne, well, we still have Mary Shelley and Frankenstein. Science-fiction is a much abused form, a genre which is regularly conflated with fantasy because, well, nerds read both and it makes sense to keep together everything nerds might read - away from 'normal' people.

This ghettoisation or marginalisation has not, however, prevented some of the greatest of British TV shows being science-fiction based. Enjoy some of the greatest science-fiction ever filmed, in no particular order and with all its dodgy special effects intact...

1) Torchwood

While TV science-fiction is often derided for appearing camp and cheesy and featuring too many bad actors running around quarries in silver jumpsuits, sometimes producers decide to make the genre 'serious'. Torchwood was conceived as an adult-oriented sister show to the BBC's Doctor Who. Torchwood would be dark, witty, scary and sexual. It would also be set in South Wales and star light entertainment presenter John Barrowman. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot. They've not yet had too many silver jumpsuits, but it can only be a matter of time. The thing about Torchwood is that the team themselves, investigating alien incursions around a spatio-temporal Rift in Cardiff, are often incompetent. Not only that, but their swearing and shagging comes over as juvenile and Captain Jack Harkness is so blatantly John Barrowman in a big coat that it's just not funny any more. In spite of all that, it's utterly compulsive viewing. It moves effortlessly from the high camp of episodes where Jack's ex-lover and fellow Time Agent Captain John turned up played by Spike from Buffy to the bleak depression of episodes where Torchwood has its very own Guantanomo Bay out in Cardiff Bay.

And then, in Summer 2009, this oddball show that had never quite seemed sure of what it was supposed to be scored an unexpected hit. Torchwood: Children of Earth captured the hearts of the UK TV audience in a way that is no longer supposed to be possible in our multi-channel age. The future for the show is unclear, with just three of the original main characters left alive and rumours of an American version of the show in development, but whatever happens, it will be weird but still worth watching...

2) Galloping Galaxies!

Most notable for including one of the final roles of comedian and Carry On legend Kenneth Williams, Galloping Galaxies

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