Young Nicky Gore is preparing for an upcoming English test when her father, complaining of a headache, flies into a rage and destroys the family television set. Not long afterward, a strange noise overcomes the entire family, and they set about destroying every machine in their home – kitchen appliances, radios, clocks, anything even remotely mechanized. And the Gores are not alone; their neighbors are destroying everything from cars to bicycles. Throughout England, the industrial age comes to a standstill. Nicky’s father and her pregnant mother are seized by a compulsion to escape to France, where rumor has it things are “normal”. The noise occurs again, and in the ensuing frenzy to destroy any remaining machinery, Nicky is separated from her family, who continue to France without her. She returns to the family home, but has to resort to foraging for food in abandoned shops. The alternative is starving to death.
written by Anna Home
based on the novels by Peter Dickinson
directed by John Prowse
music by Paddy Kingsland
Cast: Vicky Williams (Nicky), Sonia Graham (Mrs. Gore), Bernard Horsfall (Mr. Gore), Clyde Pollitt (Preacher), Bartlett Mullins (Old Man)
Notes: Originally filmed in 1973 but not broadcast until early 1975, The Changes is based on Peter Dickinson’s novels “The Weathermonger”, “Heartsease”, and “The Devil’s Children”, though significant changes are made to his stories to fit the entire trilogy into ten half-hour television episodes.
LogBook entry by Earl Green
