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Chocky Season 1

Episode One

ChockyThe Gore family enjoys a typical upper-middle-class life in London, but when their adopted son Matthew begins asking unusually existential questions about everyday life, and showing other signs of accelerated intelligence, it’s a minor cause for concern. When he suddenly falls ill, his parents, Mary and David, are much more concerned – and a bit annoyed that Matthew keeps asking them to send someone named Chocky away until he’s better.

written by Anthony Read
based on the novel by John Wyndham
directed by Vic Hughes
music not credited

ChockyCast: Carol Drinkwater (Mary), James Hazeldine (David), Andrew Ellams (Matthew), Zoe Hart (Polly), James Greene (Mr. Trimmble), Devin Stanfield (Colin), Kelita Groom (Jane), Jonathan Jackson (Mark), Peter John Bickford (Roger), Catherine Elcombe (Susan)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Chocky Season 1

Episode Two

ChockyRecovering from his high fever, Matthew is still having conversations with Chocky, a voice that he claims only he can hear. Matthew flies into hysterics when he claims Chocky is calling the new fuel-efficient family car “stupid”, and his math teacher contacts the Gores to ask if Matthew has been receiving outside tutoring, as his schoolwork has improved dramatically. The common thread between both good news and bad is Chocky.

written by Anthony Read
based on the novel by John Wyndham
directed by Christopher Hodson
music not credited

ChockyCast: James Hazeldine (David), Carol Drinkwater (Mary), Andrew Ellams (Matthew), Zoe Hart (Polly), James Greene (Mr. Trimmble), Devin Stanfield (Colin), Lynne Pearson (Miss Blayde), Jonathan Jackson (Mark), Kelita Groom (Jane), Peter John Bickford (Roger), Catherine Elcombe (Susan)

Notes: Fear not, the makers of Chocky didn’t blow up a perfectly good Atari 800 home computerChockythe panel that bursts open is a hinged cover that must normally be opened to access the dual cartridge slots within. The smoke pouring out of the computer, however, is not standard issue. The game being played with remarkable reflexes by Matthew in this story is the Atari computer port of Space Invaders.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Chocky Season 1

Episode Three

ChockyThe Gores’ concern for Matthew’s mental well-being grows as he continues reporting what strange things he’s heard from Chocky. David contacts a friend who happens to be a forward-thinking psychologist, asking him to talk with Matthew to conduct an initial assessment. It does little to help the Gores’ nerves when they hear his conclusion: Matthew may well be in contact with the extraterrestrial intelligence that he has claimed existed all along.

written by Anthony Read
based on the novel by John Wyndham
directed by Vic Hughes
music not credited

ChockyCast: Carol Drinkwater (Mary), James Hazeldine (David), Andrew Ellams (Matthew), Zoe Hart (Polly), Jeremy Bulloch (Landis), James Greene (Mr. Trimmble), Devin Stanfield (Colin), Patrick Blackwell (Boatman), Gary Raynsford (Policeman), Glynis Brooks (Chocky’s voice)

ChockyNotes: Boba Fett, child psychologist! Less than a year after Return Of The Jedi hit theaters, Jeremy Bulloch was, like most working actors, pursuing roles other than the one which had briefly made him famous even without showing his face. Odds are that he still gets asked about Star Wars more often than he does about Chocky.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Chocky Season 1

Episode Four

ChockyMatthew’s parents quiz him about a series of drawings they find in his room, some of them surprisingly realistic and some very impressionistic, and after some prodding he admits that he drew them under Chocky’s influence. Chocky now appears to Matthew as an ethereal blue floating mass of energy, and speaks aloud to him. With a family vacation just around the corner, Matthew asks Chocky to stay away from him…but he doesn’t expect to be taken quite so literally. The family vacation proceeds with no sign of anything unusual…until a boat with no one in it barrels toward the wooden dock where Matthew and his younger sister are fishing.

written by Anthony Read
based on the novel by John Wyndham
directed by Vic Hughes
music not credited

ChockyCast: James Hazeldine (David), Carol Drinkwater (Mary), Andrew Ellams (Matthew), Zoe Hart (Polly), Colin McCormack (Alan), Penny Brownjohn (Phyl), Devin Stanfield (Colin), Kathleen Cotty (Emma), Glynis Brooks (Chocky’s voice)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Chocky Season 1

Episode Five

ChockyMatthew manages to save his younger sister and gets her to dry land, to the astonishment of his father, who points out that Matthew has never learned how to swim. It quickly becomes apparent that Chocky has returned, and is responsible for Matthew suddenly being able to swim proficiently. BBC Radio interviews Matthew, who opens up – to his parents’ alarm – about hearing a voice that told him how to swim; the story also makes the papers. More reporters, and self-proclaimed psychics and witches, descend upon the Gore household, to his mother’s alarm. Dr. Landis arranges for Matthew to spend time with a hypnotist; after this session, Chocky abruptly leaves Matthew, instructing him to forget her.

written by Anthony Read
based on the novel by John Wyndham
directed by Vic Hughes and Christopher Hodson
music not credited

ChockyCast: Carol Drinkwater (Mary), James Hazeldine (David), Andrew Ellams (Matthew), Zoe Hart (Polly), John Grillo (Sir William Thorbe), Devin Stanfield (Colin), Colin McCormack (Alan), Penny Brownjohn (Phyl), Leo Dolan (Postman), Deborah Fairfax (Girl Reporter), Janet Henfrey (Cranky Woman), Brian Redhead (Interviewer), Gary Watson (Radio Reporter), Glynis Brooks (Chocky’s voice)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Chocky Season 1

Episode Six

ChockyMatthew goes missing from school, and is gone for five days, during which reports surface that he got into a stranger’s car; he abruptly turns up mostly unharmed, aside from having received several injections and claiming to have been in a violent car wreck. Matthew remembers having been in a hospital, but not much else. As Matthew sleeps, Chocky emerges and finally speaks to another human being – Matthew’s father – to explain why Matthew was chosen…and what must happen to him now.

written by Anthony Read
based on the novel by John Wyndham
directed by Vic Hughes and Christopher Hodson
music not credited

ChockyCast: James Hazeldine (David), Carol Drinkwater (Mary), Andrew Ellams (Matthew), Zoe Hart (Polly), Penny Brownjohn (Phyl), John Pennington (Inspector Maggs), Derek Broome (Police Constable), Martyn Lewis (Newsreader), Glynis Brooks (Chocky’s voice)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Chocky Season 2: Chocky's Children

Episode 2.1

Chocky's ChildrenA year after his last encounter with Chocky, Matthew Gore is a budding artist whose work is on public display. When Max Landis, the psychologist who spoke at length to Matthew during Chocky’s visit, appears at one of Matthew’s exhibit, Matthew’s father displays extreme suspicion, believing Landis was involved in Matthew’s kidnapping. With an upcoming business trip taking David and Mary Gore to Hong Kong, Matthew is taken to stay with his aunt while his younger sister stays with neighbors…but his progress is still being monitored from afar.

written by Anthony Read
based on characters created by John Wyndham
directed by Peter Duguid
music not credited

ChockyCast: James Hazeldine (David), Carol Drinkwater (Mary), Andrew Ellams (Matthew), Zoe Hart (Polly), Ed Bishop (Deacon), Michael Crampton (Luke), Jeremy Bulloch (Landis), Angela Galbreath (Cissie)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Chocky Season 2: Chocky's Children

Episode 2.2

Chocky's ChildrenNear his aunt’s home in the country, Matthew finds a windmill – the same one that has kept cropping up in his sketches and artwork. He meets a 12-year-old girl named Albertine, who lives with her father near the windmill; oddly, the two children already know each other’s names. Albertine’s father, who is homeschooling her, explains to Matthew’s aunt that the girl recently suffered some kind of brain trauma. Albertine is invited to take pottery lessons with Matthew, and he’s stunned when his new friend scuplts an abstract shape that he recognizes as Chocky’s physical form.

written by Anthony Read
based on characters created by John Wyndham
directed by Vic Hughes
Chockymusic not credited

Cast: Andrew Ellams (Matthew), Anabel Worrell (Albertine), Angela Galbreath (Cissie), Prentis Hancock (Meyer), Michael Crampton (Luke)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Chocky Season 2: Chocky's Children

Episode 2.3

Chocky's ChildrenMatthew asks Albertine if she has been in contact with Chocky, and she has no idea what he’s talking about. Albertine continues to show skills and intelligence beyond her years, and while playing chess with Matthew, their combined concentration on the board allows them to move the pieces without touching them. Matthew suggests that Albertine’s skills and intelligence are actually the result of contact with Chocky, but hat only offends her. Then Matthew is warned of great danger – to himself and to Albertine – by Chocky herself.

written by Anthony Read
based on characters created by John Wyndham
directed by Vic Hughes
Chockymusic not credited

Cast: Andrew Ellams (Matthew), Anabel Worrell (Albertine), Angela Galbreath (Cissie), Prentis Hancock (Meyer), Ed Bishop (Deacon), Michael Crampton (Luke), Glynis Brooks (Chocky’s voice)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Chocky Season 2: Chocky's Children

Episode 2.4

Chocky's ChildrenMatthew is alarmed when an American scientist visits Albertine and her father, and tells them he’s studying the nature of genius and wants to conduct a few unintrusive tests on Albertine. Matthew warns Albertine about what happened to him a year before, and introduces her to Chocky. This convinces her to run away and hide, which upsets her father. Matthew knows where she’s hiding – a hiding place she had shown him while playing – but even there she isn’t safe.

written by Anthony Read
based on characters created by John Wyndham
directed by Vic Hughes
Chockymusic not credited

Cast: Andrew Ellams (Matthew), Anabel Worrell (Albertine), Angela Galbreath (Cissie), Prentis Hancock (Meyer), Ed Bishop (Deacon), Michael Crampton (Luke), Glynis Brooks (Chocky’s voice)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Chocky Season 2: Chocky's Children

Episode 2.5

Chocky's ChildrenWith Albertine missing, Matthew confides to her father that Chocky is real and has been enhancing Albertine’s intelligence. Albertine’s father, convinced that Matthew has a hand in her disappearance, calls the police. Deacon returns to question Matthew’s aunt about his whereabouts, and leaves with an unexpected passenger, because rather than hiding from Deacon, Matthew wants to get inside and save Albertine.

written by Anthony Read
based on characters created by John Wyndham
directed by Peter Duguid
music not credited

ChockyCast: Andrew Ellams (Matthew), Anabel Worrell (Albertine), Angela Galbreath (Cissie), Prentis Hancock (Meyer), Ed Bishop (Deacon), Michael Crampton (Luke), Sidney Livingstone (Police Sergeant), Brian de Salvo (Doctor) Glynis Brooks (Chocky’s voice)

Notes: Even if Deacon doesn’t look familiar, he probably sounds familiar – actor Ed Bishop (1932-2005) was a favorite of producer Gerry Anderson, and voiced characters in many of Anderson’s Chockypuppet-based series, as well as playing a starring on-screen role as Ed Straker in Anderson’s 1970 live-action series UFO. He also appeared in 2001: a space odyssey, Saturn 3, as well as uncredited roles in numerous James Bond films, along with guest shots on such TV series as Out Of The Unknown, 1990, The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, and Highlander: The Series.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Chocky Season 2: Chocky's Children

Episode 2.6

Chocky's ChildrenAs sneaky as Matthew has tried to be, Deacon has anticipated his arrival at the clinic where Albertine is being held; both children are now under lock and key. But with the help of Chocky, guiding them to join their minds as a gestalt entity, they are able to escape. Just as Deacon tries to block their way out, they call upon another power to repel him, joining minds with children the world over who have encountered Chocky.

written by Anthony Read
based on characters created by John Wyndham
directed by Peter Duguid
music not credited

ChockyCast: Andrew Ellams (Matthew), Anabel Worrell (Albertine), James Hazeldine (David), Angela Galbreath (Cissie), Prentis Hancock (Meyer), Ed Bishop (Deacon), Michael Crampton (Luke), Jeremy Bulloch (Landis), Brian de Salvo (Doctor), Glynis Brooks (Chocky’s voice)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Chocky Season 3: Chocky's Challenge

Episode 3.1

Chocky's ChallengeA year after they met, Matthew and Albertine remain in touch with one another, and with Chocky. Albertine has completed a degree at Cambridge, a degree she cannot legally collect for another two years. She elects to remain at Cambridge to do undergraduate studies in astrophysics, which gives her access to a radio telescope array. Chocky gives Albertine the coordinates to locate her home planet; a signal from Chocky’s home planet replies. When Albertine announces this fact to the board of professors who must approve her research proposal, she is met with laughter…until Chocky reveals herself to them.

written by Anthony Read
based on characters created by John Wyndham
directed by Bob Blagden
music by John Hyde

ChockyCast: Prentis Hancock (Arnold Meyer), Anabel Worrell (Albertine Meyer), James Hazeldine (David Gore), Andrew Ellams (Matthew Gore), Richard Wordsworth (Professor Ferris), Kristine Howarth (Professor Wade), Illona Linthwaite (Dr. Liddle), Roy Boyd (Professor Draycott), Leon Eagles (General), Joan Blackham (Mrs. Gibson), Glynis Brooks (Chocky)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Chocky Season 3: Chocky's Challenge

Episode 3.2

Chocky's ChallengeChocky’s first appearance before adults on planet Earth doesn’t have the intended effect; at least one professor at Cambridge insists that Albertine is playing some sort of trick on them. A newspaper article on her acceptance brings a flood of other parents to the college, claiming that their children are equally exceptional. Albertine meets other young people whose minds have been touched by Chocky, and all of them are keenly aware when another mind joins them.

written by Anthony Read
based on characters created by John Wyndham
directed by Bob Blagden
music by John Hyde

ChockyCast: Prentis Hancock (Arnold Meyer), Anabel Worrell (Albertine Meyer), James Hazeldine (David Gore), Andrew Ellams (Matthew Gore), Richard Wordsworth (Professor Ferris), Kristine Howarth (Professor Wade), Illona Linthwaite (Dr. Liddle), Roy Boyd (Professor Draycott), Joan Blackham (Mrs. Gibson), Freddie Brooks (Mike), Paul Russell (Paul), Karina Wilsher (Su Lin), Paul Shearer (Reporter), Michael Plaister (Porter), Glynis Brooks (Chocky)

LogBook entry by Earl Green