BEHIND THE SCENES
AUTHOR'S BIOGRAPHIES
ARTHUR C. CLARKE'S MYSTERIOUS WORLD - THE BOOK
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SIR ARTHUR C. CLARKE - SERIES HOST
Born in Minehead, Somerset in the United Kingdom on December 16 of 1917, Clarke is one of the best known science fiction authors in history. His books have sold millions of copies in different countries, but his work and interests extends well beyond literature. From very early on he developed an interest for astronomy and though he never had the chance to pursue a university degree, he earned a first class degree in physics and mathematics from King’s College. Having served as a radar specialist during World War II, he became involved with the British Interplanetary Society, where he first devised the concept of the geostationary satellite and its importance for telecommunication systems. For that he is often referred as the father of the communications satellite.
Simultaneously, Clarke started his career as a novelist by writing short-stories for Astounding Science Fiction magazine and also participating in some writing contests. In 1956 he permanently moved to Sri Lanka a country where he exercised his passion for scuba diving. The success came almost immediately with the first published novels, where he combined his fascination with the broad universe with a great ability to foresee the future and its technological developments. Among his most cherished works are “Childhoods End” (1953), “Rendezvous with Rama” (1972), “The Fountains of Paradise” (1979) and “Songs of Distant Earth” (1986).
His most celebrated work would be “2001: A Space Odyssey”, a project that began in 1964 in collaboration with director Stanley Kubrick, who wanted to create the definitive science fiction movie. Starting from his own short-story “Sentinel” (1948), Arthur C. Clarke took four years to complete the script and the shooting of the film, ending with the publication of the novel in 1968. The theme of extraterrestrial intervention on Earth from the very dawn of mankind became a mind-shattering success in an age of deep scientific revolution – in the next year man would land on the moon for the first time.
In “2001: A Space Odyssey”, Clarke also reveals his lifelong interest in mysteries, from ancient civilizations to strange apparitions and UFO sightings. His private surveys on these themes led him to participate and give his name to the 1980 Yorkshire Television production of “Arthur C. Clarke’s Mysterious World”. The success of this 13 episode series later led to “Arthur C. Clarke’s World of Strange Powers”, broadcasted in 1984, and also “Arthur C. Clarke's Mysterious Universe”, aired for the first time in 1994.
Sir Arthur C. Clarke died on 19 March, 2008 at the age of 90 in his home in Colombo, Sri Lanka. He will remain as one of the most important and inspiring minds of the XX century. His long bibliography broke the barriers between science fact and fiction, cementing the status of this literary genre as a respectable and necessary form of planning the future. But most importantly, he showed that to understand the paths mankind will walk, we must look back to our past in order to find clues for an always uncertain tomorrow.
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GORDON HONEYCOMBE- SERIES NARRATOR
This multi-talented artist, born in Karachi, British India, in 1936, provided the voice narration for “Arthur C. Clarke’s Mysterious World”. After graduating in English from the University College at Oxford, he undertook military service with the Royal Artillery in Hong Kong, where he started his career as a radio announcer. Back in the UK he decided to dedicate his life to acting and joined the Royal Shakespeare Company, performing with them at Stratford-upon-Avon and at the Aldwych Theatre, London.
In 1965 he joined ranks at ITN (Independent Television News) and rose to fame as one of the most popular newscasters of his time. During the seventies he also dedicated a great time to writing, amassing a body of more than a dozen books, television and film scripts. His vocal talents were also featured in various voice-over narrations for television broadcasts and documentary series. He participated as an actor in several TV and movie productions such as “The Brack Report”, “CQ”, “The Medusa Touch” and “The Fourth Protocol”. By 1988 he became Britain's longest-serving TV newscaster, receiving the Television and Radio Industries Club Newscaster of the Year award in 1989. Gordon Honeycombe now lives in Perth, Western Australia, where he continues his diverse work in radio, television, film and writing.
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ALAN HAWKSHAW- SERIES COMPOSER
This British composer and performer has a wide-ranging career, oscillating between his work for film and television and the more pop/rock incursions with some well-known bands and artists. During the 1960’s he was a member of the rock and roll group Emile Ford and the Checkmates, also participating in the founding of the Mohawks band and Rumplestiltskin. In the next decade Hawkshaw played in The Shadows and was a keyboard player for Cliff Richard, later extending his competences to the area of musical direction by collaborating with Olivia Newton-John, Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin.
His work as a keyboard player is well represented by his compositions for TV series like “The Dave Allen Show” and “Grange Hill” and also for films “Silent Witness” and “Love Hurts”. The synthesizer score created by Alan Hawkshaw for “Arthur C. Clarke’s Mysterious World” is an important dramatic factor for the series success. He managed to create an alternately eerie and inspiring music, underlining the enigmas investigated in the show. The main title track is unforgettable, forever reverberating in the spectator’s minds along with the bizarre places and events we’re taken to visit.
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