"Your children are not your children, for they dwell in the house of tomorrow which you cannot visit even in your dreams." (12th century Scottish Poem)

THE TOMORROW PEOPLE was created by Roger Price, a writer of comedy, magazine, documentary and variety programmes for the BBC, Granada TV and ATV in the early 1970s. British children's television in the 1970s was produced both by the BBC and by the local companies that formed the Independent Television network (ITV). Not just the driving force behind this imaginative, and for its day highly technical, series; Price went on to write twenty-one of the twenty-two stories featured during the show's six year run.

Price claimed that the series' premise was inspired by discussions with singer David Bowie; by a fragment of a Scottish poem he had read: "Your children are not your children, for they dwell in the house of tomorrow which you cannot visit even in your dreams"; and by discussions with Dr. Christopher Evans, a scientist at the National Physical Laboratory in Middlesex. Already a popular figure in scientific programming, Evans became scientific advisor to the show throughout its long run and was instrumental in the concept and design of TIM - the TPs biotronic computer, mentor and friend.
The unconfirmed rumour that the series was inspired by a meeting between Price and Bowie on the set of a children's pop program is supported by the content of the song 'Oh! You Pretty Things', which features the lyric: "You gotta make way for the Homo Superior" (From the Album Hunky Dory by David Bowie).

Originally submitted to Granada Television in Manchester, the format was eventually accepted by Brian Rudd, and commissioned by Brian Tesler and Sue Turner at the London-based Thames Television in 1972.

One of the show's most defining features is the characters ability to use the "three T's" that is, telepathy, telekinesis and teleportation. The term 'jaunt' - used to describe teleportation - was originally used in the Alfred Bester short story, 'The Stars my Destination'.

Thames intended the series to be the replacement for its children's magic/action series ACE OF WANDS, which ran successfully for three seasons from July 1970 until November 1972. THE TOMORROW PEOPLE has also been described as ITV's answer to Dr. Who; designed to take advantage of young people's interest in the scientific developments and space exploration of that era.

Although Price was keen to retain creative control, the first season of thirteen episodes was co-written with experienced scriptwriter Brian Finch. Ruth Boswell, who had worked earlier as script editor on ATV's TIMESLIP in 1970, was assigned as co-producer with Price.

Pre-production began in February/March 1973 at the Thames TV studios at Teddington Lock, west London. The series was to be recorded on two-inch videotape, with occasional film inserts for location scenes. The initial budget was around £5,000 an episode. While THE TOMORROW PEOPLE has often been derided as cheap in comparison even with DOCTOR WHO, many of the cast, including Nicholas Young, have commented on how innovative and technically advanced the effects were for their day.

Unfortunately the show's six-year history was plagued by various problems including repeated episodes of industrial action at the Thames studios, poor continuity between stories, poor casting, and the use of this show to 'cut the teeth' of many directors with little experience in the making of science fiction. Despite all these setbacks, THE TOMORROW PEOPLE had an enduring quality which inspired a whole generation who wanted to 'Break Out'. The mixture of Price's unusual politics, irreverence for authority figures and ability to appeal directly to children, meant that the show had world-wide audiences rushing home from school to watch their heroes battle against various aliens, thwart the military establishment and jaunt around the Teddington area in flared trousers and multi-coloured tank tops!

Looking beyond the wobbly sets, poor acting and assortment of hilarious aliens, THE TOMORROW PEOPLE was original and inspirational to children, and had the best hook in recent television history; the idea that every child had the potential to save the planet from war and human ignorance - qualities that many people feel are lacking in some of today's scheduling.

"The development of man hasn't just suddenly stopped. It's going on all the time. In the last hundred years,
everything has speeded up. The world has changed out of all recognition, and human beings have changed with it."

Carol to Stephen, The Slaves Of Jedikiah

In recent years the release of the show on DVD, first in the United Kingdom and now in the United States, has brought the TP to a whole new generation. Who knows, one day we may all 'Break out'.