BFI screens The Eagle Has Landed, one of Zoë's earliest TV appearances

15 February 2017 01:05

On 13 February, an audience at London's BFI Southbank was treated to the first public screening of The Eagle Has Landed since the programme's original broadcast in 1973. In this innovative satire, which brings the wonders of space exploration down to earth with a bang, a very young Zoë made her fourth TV appearance. She played dippy hippy Alice, a victim of a sinister plan by two astronauts who take over her home after presenting a variety show on the moon.

The Eagle Has Landed is undeniably – and deliberately – bizarre. It's also sharp, witty and compelling, thanks to brilliant performances and David Edgar's savagely funny script (his first for TV). Zoë's Alice, with tousled hair, lilac eyeshadow and a boho frock, can't tear herself away from the spectacle of The Apollo 18 Moon Show on her family's black-and-white TV. 'This is really very heavy,' she says in her hippy drawl, voice flat and eyes, almost unblinking, fixed on the screen.

Their wits dulled by the inane variety show, the young woman and her family seem powerless to resist as they themselves become the next part of the evening's entertainment. Now Alice is gazing through her big round glasses at two unexpected visitors – the astronauts – who are intent on carrying out the horrifying final act of their mission in her home. Sadly, she's not clear-sighted enough to grasp the implications of the astronauts' plan before it's too late.

The Eagle Has Landed presents a vision of space travel, by turns humorous and nightmarish, in which politicians, the military and powerful corporations collude against an unsuspecting public. It's darkly comic and hugely thought-provoking as a result.

Before the screening, the script editor, Jonathan Powell, spoke briefly to the audience about his memories of making the programme. It was commissioned for ITV's Late Night Theatre platform, which focused on 'new voices, unheard-of themes'. The Eagle Has Landed fitted the bill perfectly and was 'good fun' to film.

The screening is part of the BFI's second Forgotten Dramas season, which has been curated by a team of academics from Royal Holloway, University of London, who are working on a project called the History of Forgotten Television Drama in the UK. The project's blog, Forgotten Television Drama, discusses The Eagle Has Landed.

If you'd like to know more about what happens, you might find my summary of the programme helpful. I tried to cram in as much detail as possible in light of the fact that many fans won't have had the chance to see this neglected programme. Its sets and special effects may look dated, but The Eagle Has Landed remains a powerful show and an important piece of work in the early stage of Zoë's career.

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