The Slide: A Classic BBC Sci-fi Radio Drama Serial

The Slide was a seven part science fiction radio drama broadcast weekly by the BBC from February 1 to March 27, 1966. Now, more than 40 years later, the serial has been re-released as a three CD set.

In the newly developed English town of Redlow, several earthquakes have occurred. This in itself is odd, as the area is considered geographically stable. Things become considerably more unusual when a mysterious greenish-brown mud begins to ooze out of the fissures in the ground. Not only is this mud highly acidic, it seems to have a life of its own, spreading out across flat ground, and even creeping uphill.

Called in to investigate these mysterious phenomena is Professor Josef Gomez, a South American seismologist who has previously encountered similar earth tremors in the nearby English Channel. Gomez, assisted by local scientific authorities, makes a startling discovery. The mud, it turns out, is not only a living entity, but it is also sentient. And it has the ability to telepathically influence certain individuals, driving many of the residents of Redlow to madness and suicide. Gomez and his colleagues find themselves in a race against time, struggling to halt the lethal mudslide before it destroys the entire town.

The Slide is a very atmospheric thriller. At a length of three and a half hours, I was concerned that the story would lag in places. Instead, the serial moves along at a taut, brisk pace. I listened to the entire play within the space of a day, with only a couple of breaks, and very rarely found my attention wandering.

The sound effects on the production are very effective, imbuing it with a definite mood. The squealing and bubbling sound of the mud is suitably unnerving. Likewise, the jarring theme music adds to the feelings of tension and insanity.

The cast of The Slide is first-rate. Roger Delgado stars as the brilliant, philosophical Professor Gomez. Maurice Denham portrays Hugh Deverill, the arrogant, self-made industrialist and Parliament member who was the guiding force behind the building of Redlow. Marion Mathie plays Anna Deverill, his long-suffering wife who is forced to witness her headstrong husband slowly driven to madness by the mud's mental control. David Spencer is Ken Richards, a physician who carries out his own investigations into the mud while searching for his missing fiancée Janet.

Roger Delgado is probably best known for his recurring role on Doctor Who as the Doctor's arch enemy the Master. Delgado played the Master in eight stories from 1971 until his untimely death in 1973. In fact, Delgado spent most of his career being cast in villainous roles. So it was very interesting to see, or rather hear, him play the hero in The Slide. It really demonstrates the depth and flexibility of Delgado's acting ability that he so ably portrayed Joseph Gomez, a character dramatically different from the majority of his other roles.

Another connection The Slide has to Doctor Who is the radio play's author Victor Pemberton. After the success of The Slide, Pemberton went on to briefly work as a script editor on Doctor Who, before penning that show's classic serial Fury from the Deep. Certain people regard The Slide as a precursor to Fury. Instead of living mud, the antagonist that lays siege to humanity is mysterious, malignant seaweed from the depths of the ocean.

Unfortunately, the master tapes of Fury from the Deep were erased by the BBC in the 1970s. Aside from a few brief clips, it no longer exists. There is a complete audio soundtrack of the six episode serial, though, as well as numerous still photographs, which has enabled a couple of reconstructions of Fury to be assembled. And in 1986, Pemberton wrote a novelisation of Fury. When I read that book at the tender age of twelve, I found it to be incredibly scary.

The Slide almost nearly joined Fury from the Deep in oblivion. Like so much other television and radio material from the 1960s, the master copy of the radio play was purged from the BBC archives. Fortunately, Pemberton himself recorded all the episodes of The Slide during their original broadcast. Decades later, he discovered the tapes buried in his garage. This stroke of luck allowed the BBC to digitally remaster the recordings and release them on CD. And we are fortunate indeed, as The Slide truly is "classic radio sci-fi."

The Slide reminded me somewhat of the 1958 BBC television serial Quatermass and the Pit, written by Nigel Kneale. As with The Slide, Kneale's story involves an intrepid, brilliant scientist investigating a mysterious ancient force that has risen up to threaten modern civilization. Pemberton's writing is just as intellectually compelling and suspensefully riveting as Kneale's work. Fans of Doctor Who and the Quatermass serials should definitely give The Slide a listen.

Topping the package off is an eerie abstract cover illustration by comic book artist Frazer Irving. It perfectly encapsulates the horror and chaos of Pemberton's scripts.