10

I've been trying to track down a live-action children's TV series (or short story perhaps) from the 1980s or 1990s, probably on CBBC or CITV.

A few people I've spoken to IRL have suggested The Boy from Space or Sky, but I'm pretty sure it's neither as a lot of the details don't seem to match.

The story was set on Earth (possibly England or Wales) and was about an "alien" boy who was being pursued by a group of people, though I don't remember who they were.

Somehow he encountered siblings, a girl and a boy, and made friends with them. I think they lived on a farm with their parents, as I remember quite a large barn or other building, and they hid(?) the boy in a car which was inside or next to this building. He also slept in this car with a dog (which might have been a German shepherd).

The "alien" boy had a portable "radio" (all silver, very 1980s) that repelled his pursuers by emitting a high-pitched sound when he turned a dial on it, and he used it when out and about with the other children whenever they encountered a pursuer. I seem to remember lots of hills and valleys, lots of green.

In the end it turned out he wasn’t really an alien, but a human from the far future. He was pretending to be an alien as he was from 20000 years into the future and humans' appearance had changed by then, but he had the ability to make himself look like current-day humans. When he was in his car/bed he reverted to his normal appearance, so he would hide under the blankets until he was able to assume current-day human appearance.

In the finale, it was revealed that he was never in any danger – the pursuers were testing him as part of a kind of coming-of-age thing. I remember a scene on a spaceship or something where his elders/parents where shown telling him that he was safe all along and that he "passed".

I also seem to remember them referring to "ancestors" and making sure they didn't find out, so the either the girl or boy could well have been a direct ancestor.

Improve this question
4
  • Hi there! That's a lot of useful info already! Just in case, though, please chekc these guidelines, see if they trigger yet any more memories that you could edit in :)
    – Jenayah
    Feb 11, 2019 at 21:28
  • 1
    This is definitely ringing bells although I can't place the name either unfortunately These details might help track it down though, were the aliens called something like "weirdigens"? and and was there a scene in a stone circle with people from the 17th or 18th century?
    – skyjack
    Feb 11, 2019 at 22:39
  • 1
    @Dan Any one person alive at the present will fall into one of three categories. 1st not having any children. 2nd having children but their descendants die out within a few generations. 3rd having children and a line of descendants that lasts at least as long as the species Homo sapiens. In the third cases their descendants intermarry and include everyone in the species Homo sapiens within a few thousand years. So after 20,000 years it is pretty certain that most of the 20th century people will be among the boy's ancestors. Continued.
    – M. A. Golding
    Feb 12, 2019 at 18:40
  • @Dan Continued And it would be really cool if the future records are so good that after he returns to his time the boy could trace his ancestry back 20,000 years to the people he met.
    – M. A. Golding
    Feb 12, 2019 at 18:42

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
9

Based on what you describe I think the series you are looking for is called Aliens in the Family, produced by the BBC and broadcast on BBC1 in 1987. (not to be confused with a US show of the same name)

Then time frame of late 1980's early 1990's broadcast matches and your description broadly matches this IMDb summary.

Here is the theme music from Youtube, you may find it familiar. Note that then character is holding a silver coloured portable radio as you describe.

You will find more information and crucially a number of still shots from the series on this page. There is a detailed breakdown of each episode, and again images show the radio and lots of green countryside that could easily be Wales.

Improve this answer
2
  • 1
    That's it! Thanks for your help. This has been bugging me for ages.
    – Dan
    Feb 12, 2019 at 9:24
  • Glad to be of service. I know exactly how it feels to be trying to get hold of a memory that is just out of reach. Ai recall enjoying this as a child, I suspect it is very comfortable and unchallenging and very BBC to rewatch but might be worth for pure nostalgia
    – skyjack
    Feb 12, 2019 at 11:36

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.