ARTHUR C. CLARKE'S WORLD OF STRANGE POWERS (1985)
ARTHUR C. CLARKE'S MYSTERIOUS UNIVERSE (1994 - 95)
The "prophet of the space age," Arthur C. Clarke invented the communications satellite and was one of the "big three" SF writers of the time, with Robert Heinlein and Isaac Asimov. Immigrating to Sri Lanka (then Ceylon) in 1956, this aided his homosexuality with more open laws.
THESE time capsules of fortean exploration were all produced by Yorkshire Television, the first two lasting thirteen half-hour episodes, and the last twenty-six. An overview to mainstream topics - Bigfoot, UFOs, Tunguska et al - ARTHUR C. CLARKE'S MYSTERIOUS WORLD sees the scientist and author ("living in retreat" in Sri Lanka) act as a voice of reason amongst the eyewitness reports. ARTHUR C. CLARKE'S WORLD OF STRANGE POWERS follows the same format but, by delving into more abstract phenomena, is the lesser of the three. Unintentionally hilarious highlights include famous authors channeling new work from beyond the grave, "thoughtography," spoon-bending parties and a dowsing vet. And in a continuation of the newscaster as narrator - MYSTERIOUS WORLD was voiced by Gordon Honeycombe - STRANGE POWERS has Anna Ford.
One might expect ARTHUR C. CLARKE'S MYSTERIOUS UNIVERSE to venture out into the cosmos, but we are again in similar (and revisited) territory, covering mythical creatures, ancient legends, ghosts, the Bermuda Triangle and big cats. Narrated by Carol Vorderman - two years before her presenting stint on OUT OF THIS WORLD for the BBC - this is more polished than the 1980s efforts. There is a delightful look at crop circles, which underlines English eccentricity to a playful degree, but there are certainly darker shifts: the part on Haiti zombie potions is particularly nightmarish, as is the opening episode's coverage on the alleged non-purification of Saint Francis Xavier's corpse.
Clarke spent four years collaborating with Stanley Kubrick on 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. Kubrick once said of Clarke: "he has the kind of mind of which the world can never have enough, an array of imagination, intelligence, knowledge, and a quirkish curiosity which often uncovers more than the first three qualities."
Clarke is a dry host, but he is not out to falsify, only to reach out. You get the impression that Arthur would like nothing more than come face-to-face with a Sasquatch or Alien, but he isn't going to show himself up in front of camera, unlike the gamut of personalities fronting the Chariots of the Gods-type "documentaries" of the 1970s, or IN SEARCH OF.... By STRANGE POWERS Clarke has grown more confident and even whimsical, no doubt aided by the more outlandish narrative; for example, a fortune teller based on mathematics requires Arthur to count his footsteps from his house to their meeting place as part of essential requirements. The presenter has tried to "steer a course between scepticism and credulity," and whatever your beliefs the programmes provide a springboard for conversation; "I don't pretend to have all the answers," the scientist tells us, "but the questions are certainly worth thinking about."