Today sees the final episode of this first series of Wizards Vs. Aliens, the BBC Wales produced children’s tv show that currently has me eagerly tuning in to CBBC every week. If you haven’t heard about it here’s how the BBC describe it:
Tom Clarke is a 16 year-old schoolboy with a secret- he and his family are wizards! Tom was happy using the odd spell to finish his homework or score the winning goal- until the Nekross arrived. A race of Magic-eating aliens from the planet Nekron, the Nekross have come to Earth to drain the planet and all of its wizards of every drop of Magic…
The only people who can stop the Nekross are Tom and his best friend Benny. Benny is a scientific genius, and the boys soon form a close friendship as they use a combination of Magic and science to fight the Nekross threat. Tom is also aided by his wizard grandmother Ursula, his dad Michael, and by the Guardian of the family’s Chamber of Mysteries – the irascible hobgoblin Randal Moon! Together they defend the planet from the Nekross’ evil plans.
I thought I’d share the top 5 reasons I’m loving the series in the hope that I might convince you to give it a go.
1. The Wizards. The wizards in this show are really cool, Tom in particular makes you realise how useful it could be to have a little magical ability. I like the way there are limits on magic and strict rules surrounding it – this definitely makes for more interesting viewing. Annette Badland as Tom’s slightly scatty grandmother is wonderful, a nice contrast to her appearance as calculating Slitheen Margaret Blaine in Doctor Who.
2. The Aliens. I do love a good villain and the Nekross certainly fit the bill. Their mission is simple yet dastardly, and each week they come up with a new way to try and make it succeed. Lexi is one of my favourite characters played brilliantly by Gwendoline Christie, and Brian Blessed is perfect casting for the voice of the Nekross King.
3. The Unenchanteds. This is the name given to non-wizard humans. Benny in particular proves on more than one occasion than being an unenchanted does not make you useless, he’s a science whiz and has plenty of skills that come in very handy. He’s also a geek and comes out with lines that make me want to applaud. Okay so yes I do applaud them. Benny’s definitely the character that jostles with Lexi for top of my favourites list.
4. The Writers. Wizards vs. Aliens boasts a very strong group of writers, the stories are written by Phil Ford, Joseph Lidster, Gareth Roberts and Clayton Hickman. Like many I had grown to love their work through the episodes they wrote for Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures. It’s been wonderful to watch more from them – the stories are funny, and warm, and explore some moral issues nicely, all wrapped in this cool concept of wizards battling aliens.
5. The Opening Credits. Last but by no means least I have to mention the opening credits for the show. They have a lovely old school feel to them, and make me really happy every episode.
As I said at the beginning of the post today is the final episode of the series but all of the previous episodes are still available on BBC iPlayer so there’s still time to catch up. Why not give it try?
{All pictures and quote taken from the official BBC Wizards Vs. Aliens site}
