'Dark Season' (6 Parts) by Russell T. Davies

Parts 1-3

Arriving at their school one morning, fifth-formers Thomas and Reet, and their peculiar and enigmatic third-form friend Marcie, are intrigued to find several men unloading computers from white transit vans. At assembly, their headmaster introduces the school to Mr. Eldritch, a sinister, black-clad man in dark glasses and bleached-blonde hair, who tells the pupils that he is donating an advanced Abyss computer to each of them; the news is greeted by cheers from every pupil – all except a highly suspicious Marcie. She tries to warn her teacher, Miss Maitland, that Eldritch’s motives are not as philanthropic as they seem, but her claims are dismissed as mere paranoia. With Miss Maitland’s permission, Eldritch takes the school swot, Olivia, back to his offices for use in a publicity shoot; but when they arrive at Eldritch’s control room in a disused old factory, Olivia is instead introduced to Elditch’s associate, Doctor Osley, and shown the main computer system – which immediately possesses her mind. Back at the school, Thomas and Reet, aware of Marcie’s unease, sneak a computer home and hide it in Thomas’ garage; on activating the machine they are amazed to find that Thomas can somehow control it with his mind, and they look on in amazement as the screen displays one word: symbiosis. Olivia, now literally glowing with energy, returns to the school, where she causes destruction from the powerful forces within her. With Reet and Marcie, Thomas demonstrates his new-found computer power to Miss Maitland; by using the classroom’s Abyss computer to tap into Eldritch’s files they then learn that their school’s mysterious benefactor is searching for a Professor Bejinski – whom Thomas immediately recognises as Marcie’s next-door neighbour, Mr. Polczinski. The trio set off to warn the professor, unaware that Eldritch has detected Thomas’ hacking, and has also learnt the location of the old man. Marcie, Thomas and Reet arrive at the Polczinski’s house too late, and can only look on helplessly as the old man is bundled into a car by Eldritch and his men. Unless Marcie and her friends can find a way to stop Eldritch, it looks like his plan to use the Abyss computers to link everyone’s mind to his is about to become a terrifying reality…


Parts 4-6

With Eldritch’s plan defeated, Marcie, Tom and Reet hope that things at the school will return to normal. However, they soon discover that an area of the school grounds has been cordoned off by an overbearing archaeologist named Miss Pendragon and her team of blond-haired colleagues. Marcie, Thomas and Reet join a party of Miss Maitland’s pupils as they are shown around the dig site by one of the archaeologists, Luke; noticing a number of flaws in Luke’s information, Marcie’s suspicions are raised once more, and her concern increases when Miss Pendragon tells the party that she is searching for “The Behemoth” - a mighty creature from Celtic legend which was imprisoned in the ground by the ancient Gods of War. Marcie sneaks into Pendragon’s portacabin and finds some monitoring equipment; listening to the headphones, she hears a sound like a giant heartbeat. Back at the dig, a probe sent into the earth suddenly causes an earth tremor and a violent explosion; Luke’s arm is injured, prompting a furious Pendragon to remark that her “perfect stock” is now is useless, and to order that the site to be cleared. While Miss Maitland and Reet take Luke to hospital, Marcie and Thomas stay behind in hiding to keep watch; however, they are soon discovered by Pendragon’s followers and forced to flee into the recently uncovered hole, where, instead of soil and rock, they find themselves inside an underground installation. Believing the blond Thomas to be a suitable replacement for Luke, Pendragon leads her followers after him and Marcia. Meanwhile, having returned to the school, Reet persuades Miss Maitland to steal some of Pendragon’s files, which they discover originated at the Ministry of Defence. Thomas is captured by Pendragon, but Marcie manages to escape through ventilation shaft and rejoins Reet and Miss Maitland. Pendragon finds the installation’s control room and reactivates the Behemoth – in fact a powerful defence computer that she created, but which was abandoned when the government learn of her fascist beliefs. Pendragon tells Thomas that the systems need a final, human, component – a ‘chosen one’ – which is to be him; but Thomas objects and pushes Pendragon into the control chair – metal clamps pin the woman in place and the Behemoth’s systems awaken. Under Pendragon’s control, the machine rises up through the earth, bursting through the ground and emerging in the school assembly hall - where the triumphant Miss Pendragon comes face-to-face with her newly-arrived master: the sinister Mr. Eldritch…

Tim Barker (Doctor Osley), Samantha Cahill (Olivia), Ben Chandler (Thomas), Rosalie Crutchley (Mrs Polzinski), Brigit Forsyth (Miss Maitland), Victoria Lambert (Marcie), Grant Parsons (Mr Eldritch), Cyril Shaps (Mr Polzinski), Kate Winslet (Rita 'Reet' Sullivan), Martina Berne (Inga), Marsha Fitzalan (Behemoth), Jacqueline Pearce (Miss Pendragon), Roger Milner (Headmaster), Luke (Stephen Tredre)

Directed by Colin Cant
Produced by Richard Callanan

TX (BBC1):
Part 1 - 14th November, 1991 @ 4.35 pm
Part 2 - 21st November, 1991 @ 4.35 pm
Part 3 - 28th November, 1991 @ 4.35 pm
Part 4 - 5th December, 1991 @ 4.35 pm
Part 5 - 12th December, 1991 @ 4.35 pm
Part 6 - 19th December, 1991 @ 4.35 pm

Notes:
*Introducing Marcia, Thomas and Reet