the original bbc version of the quatermass experiment shock a nation way back in 1953 but this remake barely cause a ripple when broadcast three year ago and it not too difficult to see why . nowadays television audience be much more sophisticated and television in the 21st century be more of a bastard child of cinema than theater and but it would be both churlish and incorrect to state that the failing and the lukewarm reception of this remake be down to the audience because the fault lie entirely with the production team a lot of people have complain about the anachronistic feel of the production . indeed it doesn not really feel like it set in the present day despite the scene set at the tate modern and have bbc news 24 give away exposition . perhaps the most startling thing be the large number of character who smoke and something both television production team and government have crack down on and i be possibly correct in say if this have be make in the autumn of 2008 none of the actor would be allow to smoke on screen by law director sam miller usesa countless number of medium shot . in order to generate tension and atmosphere wouldn not close ups have be more effective . of course miller be direct a live broadcast where anything or everything can go wrong so perhaps we should be more forgiving because of the amount of pressure he be under . unfortunately any tension and atmosphere be dilute with the amount of clichéd pov shot and over head filming of london which outstay their welcome very quickly . there also a lack of internal logic to these shot . if youre a mutating monster walk around london dress in a cloak wouldn not someone call the police and and wouldn not the police be go out of their way to hunt down the mutating monster . be we to believe the monster hasn not be pick up on cctv camera . apparently the story be set in a world where we can send astronaut into deep space but no one have invent the close circuit tv camera . do you understand the anachronistic criticism now . some of the problem with the script actually lie at the door of nigel kneale . the original version of the quatermass experiment be write a a suspenseful mystery . ala however it be construct very much a a whodunnit . once you know what be happen to victor carroon etc there little mystery involve . it similar to watch a whodunnit unfold when you already know who do it so there no surprise . kneale do construct his story in an episodic form to be broadcast over a period of six week which leave richard fell adaptation very disjointed . in some place it very slow and in other place so rush you find yourself think if there be a hitch in the production that stop a scene be transmit . we also have to endure a ridiculous scene where an art lover bleat if you destroy beauty then we do not deserve to go on living oh please . all in all this version of a nigel kneale classic be more of a nostalgic gimmick than anything else . if the bbc be think of do a live version of quatermass and the pit then my advice be do not . it would be terrible to see the great sf drama in the history of television turn in to something like this .