Ancient Geeks episode 90: Quatermass and the Pit

Before Mulder and Scully, before Doctor Who, before Carl Kolchak, there was Professor Bernard Quatermass, scientist! The protagonist of several popular British TV series and movies, Quatermass defended the Earth from all sorts of cataclysmic threats. In this episode, we talk about Quatermass and the Pit, the movie version of a story that starts with stunning discoveries made while extending the London Underground. What are all these weird hominid skeletons? And what is this other thing...whatever it is...in the middle of them? How might this overturn our understanding of humanity's past, and even worse, how might it threaten our future?

Tom has been a fan of Quatermass and the Pit (titled Five Million Years To Earth in the United States) ever since he saw it as a teenager. Steven had never seen it before, but is a big fan of British science fiction. We have a nice chat over tea about our reactions to the film, an overview of the Quatermass series, and the important place in British science fiction and horror of Nigel Kneale, the creator of Quatermass.

Strange happenings at Hobs End! Alleged Nazi hoaxes! Inexplicable objects! Genetic flashbacks! Psychic powers! Haunted basements! Myths and legends! Jumping! Leaping! It's all here.

Ancient Geeks is a podcast about two geeks of a certain age re-visiting their youth. We were there when things like science fiction, fantasy, Tolkien, Star Trek, Star Wars, D&D, Marvel and DC comics, Doctor Who, and many, many other threads of modern geek culture were still on the fringes of popular culture. We were geeks before it was chic!

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© 2026 Tom Grant and Steven Taylor