Author Archives: Jack Knoll

It’s a genuine pleasure for me to see Space Precinct end on such a high with Deathwatch Conclusion. Of course it’s not perfect – that’s the nature of Space Precinct. I think we’ve all come to accept that the show is fundamentally flawed for all the reasons I’ve banged on about for the past 24 weeks. But after a year in production on the stages at Pinewood and Shepperton Studios, it’s clear from this episode that the production team weren’t giving up without a fight. With the series achieving respectable viewing figures on Sky One and later BBC2, why would they throw in the towel now? In April 1995, renewing the show for a second series was a real possibility, although most agree that such a renewal would have come with heavy strings attached. Of course, we all know that no such renewal came, and Deathwatch Conclusion was therefore the end of the line – and that’s going to be our focus for today.

The production of The Forever Beetle was curiously nestled in the middle of Space Precinct’s grandest epics – Deathwatch and The Fire Within. While those two-part spectaculars do what they can to push the Space Precinct envelope, The Forever Beetle is more standard fare with just a few hidden gems tucked into the episode for us to uncover. As we’ve come to expect, there’s Brogan family drama aplenty, a tepid romantic subplot, and the occasional bit of actual police work too. It feels appropriate that this penultimate adventure should have so many of the flawed Space Precinct staples we’ve come to love and hate. The Forever Beetle represents the true core of what it means to be nearing the end of a year-long television assembly line. It’s serviceable. It checks all the boxes. And there are only a few bugs in the system…

I left Part One of The Fire Within feeling like there probably wasn’t another 45-minutes-worth of story to get out of it. Sure, the mystery of Jack Haldane appearing to change sides was engaging, but I didn’t feel like that alone was enough to sustain my interest in the crooked cult of Pyrism. I needed Part Two to come along and bring something bold to the table. I’m pleased to say that it does do something pretty spectacular… but not until the final act. So there’s about a half hour or so of beige corridors and padding to wade through first. If you liked Part One and want more of the same then you’ll be very happy with Part Two. If, like me, you expected something bigger and bolder from a two-part, feature-length Space Precinct adventure, then you’ll have to be patient. So, let’s pick up from where we left off and see if Part Two of The Fire Within has that special spark.