also starring Barry Morse

I was saddened to hear of the death of actor Barry Morse this week. He passed away on the morning of February 2nd, aged 89. Although, perhaps, equally well known for roles in “The Fugitive”, “The Adventurer” and “The Zoo Gang”, in which he worked alongside John Mills, Barry will forever remain etched in my mind as Professor Victor Bergman in the first and best series of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s “Space: 1999”. He was, himself, highly critical of the series, particularly the writing, and rightly so. It does leave a lot to be desired, as much as I love the series. But, he did bring rationality to many of the plots and his character helped ground the series in science, however implausible that science was! If he found his season often ludicrous, Lord knows what he would’ve made of the second and final year…

When Barry Morse left “Space: 1999”, to be replaced by the female metamorph Maya played by Catherine Schell, a cure-all serving the same function as K-9 in “Doctor Who”, the series went downhill as logic departed with him. Even when the crew of Moonbase Alpha ostensibly meet “God” during Barry’s time on the show, in an episode entitled “Black Sun”, there is a feeling of gentle but assured scepticism emanating from the good Professor. He was a solver of problems, rather than a quick fixer, in much the same way as earlier incarnations of the Doctor, when compared to those of the present day, and remains an approach to storytelling much to be admired. Series Two of “Space: 1999” might be fun but it is poor science fiction just as present day “Doctor Who” languishes in mediocrity. I continue to miss the kind of television Barry’s character represents.