The Tripods - Has it all been for nothing?

Quite a favourite show for Cult Spy, and not only for its phobia-inducing nature, The Tripods was abandoned by the BBC in 1985 when plans to adapt the final book of John Christopher's trilogy were scrapped. This was a harsh call, as the second season vastly improved on the first, which included far too much chateau-based padding in the middle with barely a three-legged foe in sight. In some ways, it was a victim of its own ambition, particularly on a visual level. While the Tripods and their city were imaginatively and superbly designed, the filming methods used by the BBC couldn't give them the right scope or texture on many occasions.

Given the absence of the trilogy's final part on television, the final words mournfully uttered by the heroic young lad Will Parker have taken on extra significance. "Has it all been for nothing?" he said with a trembling voice as he surveyed the ruins of the Freemen's hideout in the White Mountains - the last hiding place of uncapped mankind. Will then burst into tears. Many viewers would have followed his lead, if only they knew at the time that this was the end of his televised adventures. Read on for a closer look at the final moments which concluded the series and left the Tripods on top...

The Context

Will Parker had escaped from the Tripod city armed with vital information to bring back to the Freemen in their Swiss Alps camp. On his route back, having dodged plenty of Tripods and Black Guards on his trail, he hooked up with his old pal Beanpole and marched on. Nearing their destination, the pair were forced into joining the sinister Ali Pasha's travelling circus. Plenty of fairly mundane padding ensued, involving knife throwing and the enormous bosom of Pasha's missus, before a Tripod turned up... and it wasn't alone.

The Moment

Will warns the uncapped circus performers that the Tripods plan to kill humanity by poisoning the planet's air to make it breathable for their own race. At night, the group slips away from the circus and heads through the forest towards the White Mountains. Yet the chilling hunting cry of the Tripods is soon heard, with several of them chillingly emerging from the darkness armed with their luminous nightlights and laser guns. The appearance of a red Tripod, equipped for warfare, certainly helps to ramp up the excitement factor.

The Tripods blast the forest to smithereens, with trees being felled by blasts all around the human fugitives. Yet somehow they manage to survive under camouflage and emerge in the morning to survey the devastation and thank their luck. Will and Beanpole travel ahead in order to advise the Freemen at their White Mountains outpost that the circus crew are friendly and uncapped.

Will and Beanpole trudge over the hill and gaze at the valley below them, expecting to receive a warm welcome from their comrades. Instead, the scene they survey is one of desolation. The outpost is now a smoking ruins and it looks like the Tripods have rumbled the secret White Mountains lair. All hope seems lost and the fugitives have nowhere to go.

"Oh Will," sighs Beanpole as he comforts his friend, who endured so much to gain entry to the Tripod city as an Olympic champion and barely survived the dramatic escape from his Tripod Master. "I don't believe it," wailed Will. "Has it all been for nothing?"

Cue end credits and that marvellous theme tune from Ken Freeman. Boo hoo.

The Aftermath

Well, if you want to know what would have happened next then you'd need to pick up 'The Pool Of Fire' - the final book in John Christopher's trilogy. However, the recent DVD release of both seasons includes a booklet featuring the plans made by writer Alick Rowe for the third season before the BBC pulled the plug. Breakdowns of all thirteen 25-minute episodes are included, which give a tantalising glimpse at what might have been. Even better, the DVD set includes music for the unmade season by Ken Freeman.

In recent years there have been plenty of rumours that The Tripods would try their luck on the big screen, but none have come to fruition. Recently though, Cult Spy had a one-on-one chat with acclaimed director Alex Proyas (The Crow, Dark City, I Robot) and was delighted to hear that he is well underway with his plans to bring back Will, Henry and Beanpole into our lives. Although one of those three lads will now have much less between the legs...

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