The Orbital Workshop crew has been in space for months, and cabin fever has set in. Mattocks has gotten into the habit of having long, meaningful conversations with Bimbo the dog. Ackroyd talks to himself in the mirror. Foster talks to a tape recorder, and then plays back the tape and has conversations with herself. Even Beadle, frustrated because no one seems to listen to him either on the ground or in orbit, mumbles to himself in ground control. But what happens when the isolation even begins affecting Bimbo?
written by Graeme Garden and Bill Oddie
directed by Dick Clement
Cast: Christopher Godwin (Mattocks), Carmen Du Sautoy (Foster), Barrie Rutter (Ackroyd), Bruce Boa (Beadle), and Bimbo (himself)
Notes: The second season of Astronauts was produced by Central Independent Television (inheritor of ATV’s broadcast franchise and facilities after a sell-off of some parts of the company and the loss of ATV’s
broadcast license). ATV signed off for the last time on January 1st, 1982. Whereas the first season had neither a theme tune nor incidental music within the episodes, there was now a “spacey” theme tune over the open and end credits. Other than that, one can be forgiven for thinking that no time had passed at all. The second season was produced in 1982, before the ATV-to-Central handover.
LogBook entry by Earl Green