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NEWS : INTO THE UNKNOWN - NIGEL KNEALE

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INTO THE UNKNOWN : NIGEL KNEALE
Book News 17.09.05

Provisional cover art for Into the Unknown the Life of Nigel Kneale, published by HeadpressNovember 2005 will see the publication of a new biography on cult science fiction writer Nigel Kneale, published by Headpress Books, and written by Andy Murray.

Kneale is perhaps best known for his creation of the Quatermass serials (adapted for cinema by Hammer in the 1950s).

Andy Murray's book retails at £13.99.

You can pre-order your copy now by clicking here.

 

PRESS RELEASE

192pp | Available Nov 2005 | Critical Vision

The first full biography of a living legend, drawing on a whole range of exclusive interviews.

Nigel Kneale invented popular television"—Mark Gatiss, The League of Gentlemen

Over fifty years ago, the first instalment of a fantasy series called Quatermass aired on BBC TV. Penned by scriptwriter NIGEL KNEALE, it was a vast success and the big screen adaptation that followed helped place HAMMER FILMS on the international map.

Quatermass was but the tip of the iceberg. Kneale followed it with a horde of astonishing TV work that stands amongst the most original and powerful in the history of the medium—from The Creature and The Road to The Stone Tape and The Year of The Sex Olympics. Blending elements of horror and science fiction with intelligent, powerful drama, many of these works have since been lost, the broadcast tapes wiped, but they continue to influence generations of admirers and filmmakers—amongst them JOHN CARPENTER, DAN O’BANNON, JOE DANTE, JOHN LANDIS, CHRIS CARTER, THE LEAGUE OF GENTLEMEN, the makers of DOCTOR WHO, STEVEN SPIELBERG and many others.

A key figure in popular culture, yet a vastly underrated one, Into The Unknown is the first book to examine Kneale’s work and assess its pioneering nature, drawing on interviews with major collaborators and high-profile fans—as well as Kneale himself.

 

"I myself was writing a science fiction horror film and I worked very hard to understand and to emulate some of what Nigel Kneale had done"—Dan O'Bannon, writer of one of the key films of all time, ALIEN

Kneale was an acknowledged influence on Chris Carter and THE X FILES, and Dan O’Bannon, creator of the ALIEN series

Nigel Kneale’s archive work increasingly plays on Public Broadcast TV stations and at festivals, hailed as "classics" and Kneale himself as a "living legend". Much of his movie work is presently available on DVD

The book features lots of inside info on British TV sci fi.

 

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