Series synopsis
Pathfinders to Venus is a British sci-fi & fantasy family television series that premiered on ITV1 on March 5, 1961. It ended on April 23, 1961. It was created by Malcolm Hulke, Eric Paice, Sydney Newman. It stars George Coulouris, Gerald Flood, Graydon Gould and Pamela Barney.
Returning from their unexpected trip to Mars the crew of MR4 intercept a distress signal from Captain Wilson, a U.S astronaut, and must change course for Venus to attempt a rescue in space. However, through the space periscope, Brown sees what appears to be a settlement or a city of some sort. Desperate to investigate, Brown edits Wilson's message and tricks the crew into landing Venus so as they can rescue him.
Premise
Returning from their unexpected trip to Mars the crew of MR4 intercept a distress signal from Captain Wilson, a U.S astronaut, and must change course for Venus to attempt a rescue in space. However, through the space periscope, Brown sees what appears to be a settlement or a city of some sort. Desperate to investigate, Brown edits Wilson's message and tricks the crew into landing Venus so as they can rescue him.
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- George Coulouris as Harcourt Brown
- Gerald Flood as Conway Henderson
- Graydon Gould as Captain Wilson
- Pamela Barney as Professor Mary Meadows
- Hester Cameron as Margaret Henderson
- Stewart Guidotti as Geoffrey Wedgwood
Episodes
This series spans 1 season with 8 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 8 | March 5, 1961 | April 23, 1961 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
S.O.S. From Venus While returning to Earth from a hazardous journey to Mars, the British rocket crew hear a mysterious distress call from the vicinity of Venus. |
March 5, 1961 |
| 2 |
Into The Poison Cloud In answer to a distress call from a stranded astronaut; MR4 has diverted to Venus. By a trick, the rocket's univited guest Harcourt Brown has made pilot Henderson decide to land on the unknown world beneath the carbon cloud. |
March 12, 1961 |
| 3 |
The Living Planet The crew of the British rocket MR4 have landed on Venus to rescue the stranded American astronaut. But he has vanished and his rocked has been ransacked. |
March 19, 1961 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | ITV1 |
|---|---|
| First aired | March 5, 1961 |
| Last aired | April 23, 1961 |
| Runtime | 30 minutes |
| Status | ended |
| Schedule | Sunday at 16:50:00 |