Original subtitles

Today, we bring you to one of the huge shelters

which the government is constructing at top speed for our protection.

This must be by far the largest construction effort

ever undertaken in this country.

The whole of our... Oh, no.

Diana, make a note to fix a session with the film editor, will you?

Er, the whole of our armed forces

together with the... civil defence organisations

and numerous...

No, no, thousands of volunteers

are working day and night on these immense shelters.

Most people in this country are facing the menace of Object Z with amazing calm.

I can't get any cooperation in this building at all!

I'd be better off producing for some other TV network.

- Have you finished that script yet? - Almost done it.

Well, come on, come on, let's not waste any time.

I'm the only one here who seems to want to do any work!

What was the last thing I said, Diana?

"With amazing calm."

Yes.

Everywhere there is confidence.

Confidence in the measures taken by the governments.

Confidence that so long as we work together and avoid panic

we can survive the impact of Object Z.

I don't think.

I take it that's not meant to be in the script.

No.

- Peter? - Hmm?

Do you think the shelters will be ready in time?

Not a chance.

Peter, before we go out and film this script, I want you to go to Kings Norton.

Where on earth's that?

It's a village in Buckinghamshire. The vicar there refuses to build shelters.

What? Why?

Oh, on the grounds that judgement...

Object Z is a judgement from God.

Anyway, chat him up and see if you can get a programme on it.

Alright, well, I better get off right away.

Diana, phone through and get a car for us, will you?

Peter, we'll have to get some street interviews.

The whole object of this operation is to instil confidence.

Main object is to understand and to find out

to find out what the ordinary person is doing and thinking at this moment.

What do you think about all this?

Well, it's a bad do, of course.

But we've faced this kind of thing before, haven't we?

Battle of Britain and all that.

Quite.

- How's your shelter getting on? - Not bad.

Everyone's working on it.

It's jolly hard work too, I can tell you.

- How's yours getting on? - Oh, not bad, actually.

Everybody's pitching in.

I make myself useful, brewing tea and all that.

I see they've closed down all the schools.

Want us to stay together, I suppose, when the...

Quite.

There's bound to be devastation, of course.

But as long as we stick together, avoid panic and obey instructions

I'm sure everything will be alright.

It's all a plot, you mark my words.

There's gonna be a war, and they're just saying it's a star

to make us go out and build all them shelters.

Worn out, Albert is.

It's not fair. After a long day with the gas board

then he has to go out and dig.

But I've seen the star on the telly!

Oh, yes, you can see it alright.

But that don't mean it's going to hit us, does it?

No, it's all a plot.

Do you think it'll miss us then?

Yeah, course it will.

Anyhow, I'm not going down one of them shelters.

Not if I don't want to.

It's a free country, innit?

Well, if it ain't free, it's reasonable.

No. One bomb and the lot comes down.

Albert can go if he likes, but I'm not going near them.

Oh, you ain't half awful!

Oh, well, you see, I know it's all a plot.

Look, six buses.

They're afraid to come singly in case they get lynched.

Come on.

Well, how are we getting on?

Not too well, I'm afraid.

My reports show that barely 25% of the shelter accommodation

we need will be ready by Z-Day.

Can't we speed them up? If it's a question of manpower.

It's not a question of manpower, John, it's a question of concrete.

- Have you read Duncan's report? - Yes.

According to him

if impact occurs more than 6,000 miles away

outside this line, we shall have a very fair chance.

Though there will be flooding and some damage to buildings by blast.

At 3,000 to 6,000 miles

the risks will be much greater and the effects much worse.

Most buildings will be completely destroyed by blast

and we shall have to expect severe casualties, even in the shelters.

How many will have shelters in six weeks' time?

About 10 million.

One in five.

It would be possible, of course, to select people

so that the fittest, most intelligent, had the best chance of survival.

I'm not God to decide who's fit to live and who's to die.

We must select people by lot.

Oh! A charity match.

I thought it was a bit late in the year for proper cricket.

- Diana? - Excuse me.

I'm very grateful to you, Vicar, for letting us do this interview.

Do you believe that the visitation of this object

is a punishment for the sins of the whole world

or just for those of Kings Norton?

Oh, I hope I'm not as narrow-minded as that.

Oh, well played!

No, I don't want to share the same fate as a predecessor of mine in this parish.

He was thrown into the horse pond by his own congregation

for suggesting a similar thing.

When was that?

Er, 1916.

He was unwise enough to suggest that a stick of bombs

which fell from a zeppelin that year

demolishing the parish hall and killing six people

was sent as a punishment for their fondness for the Crown and Anchor.

Most unwise.

Well, do you really think that this is a visitation from God?

Oh, certainly. All visitations are.

Oh, well stopped!

Yes, I believe this dreadful thing has been sent to punish us all for our sins.

And it would be blasphemy to try to take shelter against it.

I've told my parishioners so.

In any case, you know, many of them believe

that no shelter will avail against so tremendous an impact.

A view which I share.

When do we start?

Oh, just as soon as the cameras are set up.

What has the government done about all this?

- About us not building a shelter, you mean? - Mmm.

Well, there's not much they can do, is there? I mean

it's very difficult, as you know, to make men work if they don't want to

especially when they're convinced they only have five weeks to live.

However, it is extremely difficult, as you all know

to make men work if they're really unwilling to do so.

And it's difficult to threaten prison and fines

when they're convinced they've only got five weeks to live.

That's a very good interview you filmed there, Peter.

Thanks.

Splendid chap, that vicar.

I envy people who can feel so certain about things.

I envy the way he can order people about.

Make them see his own point of view, even.

You know, they very nearly lynched Diana because she was wearing pants.

And kinky boots too, I suppose.

Yes, they weren't very much appreciated.

What's that?

Looters, I expect.

I can't see anything from here.

Ah, they're all over the place.

Bunches of ruffians, they break into pubs, drink themselves into a frenzy,

- and then they go out and beat up the town. - Yes, I saw them at Highgate yesterday.

I'm told that looters are to be shot at sight now.

That's about the only thing that'll stop them.

Barclay.

Hello? Oh, Tom.

Yes. Oh?

Yes, I see. Yes. Mm-hmm.

Yes, fine. I'll fix it up. Yes.

Diana too?

Yes, I'll tell them. OK, bye.

- Well, you're off. - Who?

You and Peter, to Australia on tonight's plane.

You're mad! I haven't anything with me.

Well, you'd better take a taxi round to your flat and pack then, hadn't you?

- Got your passport? - Yes, of course I have.

Well, you'd better bring it.

And they'll fix you up with the rest of your papers at the airport.

Where are we going and why?

To Woomera.

They're firing the rocket on Thursday to destroy Object Z.

The tracking installations extend for several hundred miles.

Uninhabited country.

Yes. You'll see the launching tower later on.

I suppose that's where they're going to fire Minerva.

- Yes, that's correct. - Well, look, that's all very interesting

but before you go

have you any inside information from the Special Branch, Captain Wade?

As I always say to the press, no comment.

That's exactly what I thought you'd say.

Oh, I say, look, she's rather nice.

You're looking very nice, Miss Winters, if I may say so.

Thank you, Captain Wade. How nice of you to say so.

The car shall be here shortly.

Oh, by the way, I'm sorry that our last meeting was so unfriendly.

That's alright. We were all under a bit of a strain.

The Australian television people have put their staff at your disposal.

There's a chap called Grant in charge of arrangements.

You'll meet him later on.

I suppose you'll want to fly your report back to England.

- Yes, I will. - I'll lay that on.

I'm afraid I must see it first, though.

Well, what on earth for?

Well, it's a security angle again, I'm afraid.

I'm supposed to see all taped or written reports before they go out.

Alright.

I thought there weren't supposed to be any national secrets anymore.

That's quite true.

The Russians and the Americans are sharing their secrets.

But the great thing is to keep people's spirits up.

That's what the shelter building programmes are for, as you know.

They're not likely to be much use when it comes to the crunch.

- Who's in charge of operations here? - Dr Ramsay.

Ah, here's the car.

- Are you ready? - Yes, of course.

I say, I wonder if you could help me.

There was supposed to be a car here to meet me and it hasn't turned up

and I've just got to get to Woomera.

- Dr Ramsay? - Yes?

What happens if this thing goes wrong?

We shall just have to start again, shan't we?

Would there be time?

I think so. It'll take about three weeks, of course.

And if it fails, we've had it.

I'm afraid so.

We'll just have to succeed, won't we?

Excuse me. The world's press are waiting, sir.

Oh, thank you.

- Good luck, sir. - Thank you.

Gentlemen, this is Dr Ramsay.

Hello. Now, wait a minute, don't tell me.

It's Mr Murray, isn't it?

- Barry. - Oh, yes, of course.

Sorry our programme got cut short.

Well, we shall have to take it up again sometime.

Yes.

Well, gentlemen, quite an imposing array of talent, eh?

Well, I suppose I'd better begin.

In a few minutes

we are going to launch an extremely powerful missile into outer space.

The object of this is to explode a hydrogen bomb.

This bomb is much more powerful than anything

that we've ever constructed before.

The point of impact should be about 600,000 miles from the Earth.

Now, if this operation is successful

we hope to be able to destroy Object Z

- or at any rate, deflect it from its course. - Two minutes to blast-off.

Well, as you can hear, there's very little time left.

You'll be able to get a good view from the lift-off from these screens here.

How powerful is this bomb you're firing?

It's in the 1,000-megaton range.

It's about five times bigger than anything built before, isn't it?

Yes, it is.

Now, Object Z has been described as six miles across

and covering a mass of several thousand million miles.

This bomb that you're about to fire, can it make any impression on such a mass?

Our calculations show that if it's made of stone

a direct hit might shatter the object completely.

We shall probably still have to face a bombardment of fragments

but that would certainly be less dangerous than a single object of this mass.

One minute.

What if Object Z is composed of nickel iron, as you said it may be?

Then I'm afraid the effect would be

well, less satisfactory.

We might hope, however, to deflect it from its course.

Under the conditions obtaining in outer space

even a light blow might move it from its path

and alter its velocity and produce large effects.

What if this firing fails?

I'm afraid there's no time for any more questions.

You'll be able to get a complete view from these screens here.

Now, this is a three-stage device.

The first stage is composed of six Saturn rockets

developing a thrust of 1,500,000 lbs.

- At 1,600 miles... - 20 seconds.

The second stage will be fired, developing a thrust of 600,000 lbs.

- 15 seconds. - The third stage will be fired

developing a thrust of 1,200 lbs

at 9,600 miles. That's what the engineers tell us at any rate.

- Ten, nine, eight... - My job has been to calculate

a collision path.

Five, four, three

two, one, zero.

- She's off course. - What?

What's the reading?

- Destruct. - But, Doctor!

- But you can't! - Destruct. Destruct.

What are you going to do now?

What I told you that we might have to do.

Start again.

And although the results are not entirely satisfactory

much valuable information has been gained

and our chances of scoring a direct hit at the next attempt

are vastly improved.

It is very heartening indeed to see such unity

among our people at this moment.

It is even more heartening

to see the unity which now exists between nations.

- All national and... - Oh, welcome back.

Thanks.

I gather that the first firing was even more of a frost than they've said.

Total failure.

It's all too complicated.

You've got to get about 30 tonnes into orbit

set it off at a distance twice as great as the moon

and then hit an object moving at about a mile a second.

It's just not on.

The Russians are trying next week.

Guess where they're firing it from.

Piccadilly Circus.

- Cape Kennedy. - What?

The Americans have put every facility at their disposal.

Apparently their tracking devices are better than the Russians'.

But the Russians have more powerful motors

so they've, er, got together.

Well, what's this?

Britain!

Britain must emerge from this supreme crisis

as the world's greatest power!

That is the destiny of the British people!

The British race was born to rule

and this crisis

was sent by providence

to give the British people their chance!

- What on earth's going on? - It's Keeler.

- Who? - Keeler, leader of the Action Party.

He's speaking from Trafalgar Square.

And the Russians, who have dispersed their armed forces

shared their secrets

sunk their aircraft, their missiles

their warships in the Atlantic.

We must keep our arms!

We must retain our armed forces

at concert pitch!

We must keep the bomb!

If we do this!

If we do this

we shall emerge as the world's only armed power.

And no one, but no one will be able to stop us

or resist us!

And then... then!

We shall be able to fulfil our historic task

to dominate the world!

Listen! Listen!

There are not enough shelters to go round. Did you know that?

Not enough for one in ten of you!

You, death! Death threatens you all!

And the government will do nothing about it!

- And who will be the lucky ones? - This looks nasty.

How did he get to know about the shelters?

About there not being enough to go around?

It was becoming obvious, wasn't it?

Down with the government!

That is the only way to save yourselves.

Down with the government!

Down with those who have made such poor preparations!

Down with the traitors who have lied to you

and exposed you all to imminent death!

He's mad.

So was Hitler, look where he got to.

He's certainly got the crowd behind him.

How can they believe him?

Building shelters for 40 million people in three weeks?

Hello?

Oh, hello, Bob.

Yes, yes, I've just been watching it. It was.

What?

Right.

There's a crowd of 60,000 people marching on Whitehall at this moment.

Well, get down there and cover it!

Latest reports state that severe fighting continues in London

where followers of the Action Party are engaged with troops and police.

In a statement today, Sir John Chandos said

that the government had removed to Oxford

because of the critical situation existing in London.

And now, over to Peter Barry for a report of events recorded earlier today.

From where I'm standing, I can see Whitehall.

The streets are littered with broken glass from this afternoon's fighting.

You can see the barricades erected by the Action Party against the police.

Firing is still going on.

A car which was attacked earlier is still burning in the street.

I can see a man lying in the street not far from here.

No one dares cross the street to pick him up.

As you saw on the news earlier

we're not the only country that's having trouble.

In South America, the Middle East...

Peter certainly laid it on with a trowel.

Yes, he's good.

Even in the United States, there's revolt and confusion.

The whole world is mad with fear.

More details in our next summary.

The time is now 10:45.

You must get some rest.

I'm waiting for a report from Duncan.

He's putting the latest figures through the computers.

- Should be ready in about half an hour. - Well, will you rest then?

What a pity.

For the first time, I suppose, in history, the whole world was united.

There's no national ambition

no threat of war.

We were all brothers.

Now everything's falling apart simply because a few ambitious men

see this situation as a way to power.

There was a chance, you know.

If we survived

there was a chance to build a better world than we'd ever known before.

Without hatred, without...

- And now... - But there's still a chance

if this thing they're firing from Cape Kennedy works.

It must work.

There won't be a second chance.

What time are they firing Bacchus?

- 11:30. - Half an hour.

Nine, eight, seven

six, five, four

three, two, one.

- She's off. No trouble so far. - When will she go into orbit?

In about 40 minutes. Then we hope to give her escape velocity.

What?

Right. Thank you.

- Oh, how's it going? - Oh, fine.

The deck is tracking her.

She'll be over Siberia in about ten minutes.

- Are those the figures? - Yes.

Course is unchanged.

She's heading straight for us.

I, er, think it's time for the Prime Minister's statement.

- Oh, yes. - Turn it up, Diana.

OK, bye-bye.

I am happy to tell you that order has been restored in London

as well as in the provinces.

John Keeler, leader of the so-called Action Party

has, I'm afraid, escaped with some of his followers.

My other news is of even greater importance.

As you all know

efforts have been made to destroy Object Z before it can reach us.

Hitherto, these efforts have not met with much success.

About 15 hours ago, however

a missile was successfully fired from Cape Kennedy.

I need hardly say with what relief we must all hear this news.

No words could express the debt we owe to the scientists of every nation

whose skill and devotion made this result possible.

In a short time

we shall be giving you the results of the explosion

which are expected to be decisive.

Goodnight, and bless you all.

Well, all we can do now is wait.