ZOOM IN

BEST MOMENT

The reveal of Karellen: Charles Dance, wings outstretched, steps down from his ship to the awe of the humans watching on.

EASTER EGG

The musical choices that the Stormgren family listen to on the radio are all from the ’ 50s – a nod to the novel’s original publication date.

BEST EPISODE

“The Overlords” ( 1.01) is impressively widescreen, quickly conveying the scale of this strange invasion. It’s pacier than the rather saggy middle and end chapters.

TRIVIA

Stanley Kubrick was initially interested in adapting Childhood’s End. Though that project was abandoned, it was the starting point for his collaboration with Clarke on 2001: A Space Odyssey.

IT’S WOSSISNAME!

There’s a Life On Mars connection in the cast – Colm Meaney was Gene Hunt in the US remake’s unaired pilot.