Andra

This Australian TV show was made for children by the ABC, originally adapted from the science fiction novel of the same name by British writer Louise Lawrence. Many well known Australian TV actors made their first appearances in the show.

I saw Andra on television as a kid and the show had a significant impact on me at the time. The poignant story of the future Andra juxtaposed with a child from the 1980's was quite innovative. I imagine it would look impossibly primitive by modern television standards, but for the era of 1970's TV it was an excellent and thought provoking piece on a future society gone wrong. It would make an ideal premise for a modern series.

This TV series is unique in the annals of programming. In this I include both Sci Fi and all other genres. We may say that performances were wooden but in Andre the performances of the bit players were plastic. This was recorded on such a small budget that it is clearly obvious that the 'people' standing in the background are store mannequins.

Also they had no budget for set design. The scenes are mostly large white rooms with stacks of colored blocks, almost like a kids building block sets, and the mannequins are arranged on these.

Not to say that the book wasn't interesting. In the book the unfolding events are shown from different character's viewpoint. The series does not manage to accomplish a solid viewpoint and the lead character lacks sympathy. In the end of this post-apocalyptic show all you feel is gratitude that they saved money, hopefully for something better.