ITV Original Series documentary

[Dave]

After They Were Famous

According to Star Trek Monthly #102 March 2003, Star Trek is to be the focus of a new ITV documentary.

It has also been reported at Trek Today -news Bullets and at Starfleet News but they quote the same source. I can't find confirmation from Yorkshire/Tyne Tees Television.

What could well prove to be one of the definitive Star Trek documentaries will be on British screens this summer [2003]. STM [Star Trek Monthly] has just learnt that Yorkshire/Tyne Tees Television are making another show for ITV in the acclaimed After they were famous series, and this time it's on Star Trek: The Original Series. For this hour-long primetime special, the producers hope to be bringing back together as many of the original cast as possible.
Pre-production was only just starting as we went to press, but we hope to keep up with the progress of the show over the next few months. Previous films and TV shows in the series have included The Sound of Music (which won a BAFTA nomination), Grease, Dallas, Dynasty and The Waltons.

Starfleet News says that this is the first UK, Original Series documentary since the death of DeForrest Kelly in 1999.

 

[Dave]

Star Trek Monthly #105 has more on this:

A transmission date has been provisionally set for August. There will new interviews wiyh all the surving members of the show, including James Doohan, who is still recovering fro pneumonia.

Producer Mark Murray said, "Filming with all the cast has gone well. We've filmed interviews with Walter Koenig, George Takei, James Doohan, Nichelle Nichols, Leonard Nimoy and William Shatner. Plus there's behind the scenes people too - producers Bob Justman and Herb Solow. Everyone was on good form."

Hinting at an exclusive element to the show he added, "I can promise that Classic Trek fans will be seeing something they have never seen before, which for Star Trek I guess that is something."

 

[Dave]

This is being shown on ITV1 at 21:15 on Saturday 19th July 2003.

From what I've read of the cast biographies, there doesn't appear to be anything new, that they haven't already said many times before.

The quote from the producer may be referring instead to the "previously unseen footage of the making of the series," as my 'What's On TV' guide says.

It is narrated (unfortunately) by Mathew Kelly.

Edit: Just seen it.

There wasn't anything new in the biographies, but it was fun, covered everything neatly, and the archive film taken by Billy Blackburn was interesting. There was some film from this years 'Grand Slam' with James Doohan too.