In the Looking Glass
In the Looking Glass is a surreal television series, broadcast on BBC2 in 1978. It starred John Wells, John Fortune, Carl Davis, and Madeline Smith, was directed by Andrew Gosling and produced by Ian Keill. The same team had previously created 1974's The End of the Pier Show. Wells, Fortune and Davis appear to have been the main writers for both series. In the Looking Glass was notable for its design, overlaying live action and drawn or animated backgrounds, for instance, a hole drilled to the centre of the earth, or the Monopoly board on which a character risks being crushed by rolling dice. The production team went on to develop this approach further in the "live action comic strip" series Jane, for which McCallum won two BAFTA Best Graphics awards.
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Seasons & Episodes
1. Deserts
Who is the 'Girl in the Picture'? What do the notes of music on the 12,000-year-old papyrus mean to the Professor? Why does he eat a tin of lima beans?
2. Space
Who are the Eroticas? Can they be the fantasy factor? And why did Bone's father disappear in such mysterious circumstances? The answers are reflected in the looking glass.
3. Fading Away
What is heaven to a photographer's model? What is hell? What will happen if the eternal fire goes out? The answers are reflected in the looking glass.
4. Atlantis
Who is responsible for the lost submarine? Who finds the lost city at the bottom of the sea? Who is the beautiful creature who has lost all hope? The answers are reflected in the looking glass.
5. The Centre of the Earth
Why can the Professor's neighbours no longer see out of their bedroom windows? How can a banana have so many skins? The answers are reflected in the looking glass.
6. Monopoly
Roger Ladders fears the rattle of the dice and Lady Halma loses on platform ten. All reflected in the looking glass.
