Guest Artists/Additional Cast
Julian Glover as Jarak
Cyd Hayman as Sue Crawford/Rena
Wayne Brooks as Jackie Crawford
Rula Lenska as Joan Conway
Writer
Christopher Penfold
Director
Ray Austin
Background
Before his departure from the series Edward Di Lorenzo had completed an outline for 'Alpha Child',
which he had developed from an original concept by Gerry Anderson. Christopher Penfold reworked the outline into a shooting
script by July 1st 1974.
Filming for this episode began on 8th July, 1974.
Gerry Anderson employed a young model maker named Martin Bower to design and build new spacecraft.
Jarak's spacecraft was six feet long, with a smaller version measuring three feet. The smaller
model sold for £1700 at Christies auction house in 1995.
When another spacecraft was needed Bower produced a six foot seven model he had built five years previously
when he was aged sixteen. Inspired by the spaceship Discovery in the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, the ship featured a
mid-section mounted radar dish which was actually half of the dish section of a Revell Star Trek Enterprise model kit.
Guest star Julian Glover remembers this episode as, "...totally rediculous, but it was good fun to
do."
The Main Mission set underwent a subtle change as illuminated green panels replaced the usual white
ones.
Information from 'Production Notes: Series One' booklet by Michael
Richardson
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