Quantum Fridge

When mysterious electrical interference from the Dome crashes Mt. McCaber’s ancient computers, the only person who knows how to reboot Earth’s defences is Douglas Stinger. But he is no-where to be found and so, working from one of Ron's cryptic suggestions, Poppy, Annabel and Prof. Sproot head off to the village to look for him. But things in the village no longer match the reality they thought they remembered. And there is no suggestion that Stinger ever worked for S.A.D.O. Or even that any of them are, in any meaningful sense, real.

What is going on? Have they entered a parallel Universe? Or is the very fabric of the Cosmos starting to crumble as entropy maxes out and Primal Chaos takes over? As reality starts to unravel, Poppy, Annabel and Professor Sproot find themselves trapped in an unstable limbo, frantically searching both for Stinger and for a way out of their predicament.

One thing’s for sure: nothing at Mt. McCaber will ever be quite the same again.

In a dark corner of a forgotten potting shed in the garden of the Mt. McCaber Space Science Institute lurks a mysterious artefact. At the same time, in a dark corner of Poppy’s psyche lurks the germ of the seed of an idea for a  heroic, galaxy-spanning tale of stirring escapades and sweeping  adventure  that would have George Lucas weeping all the way to his lawyers.

Meanwhile, not that long ago, in a galaxy not so far away, Saffron Star, silver-clad Space Pilot, poster girl for galactic equality and role-model  to billions of sentient younglings is drawn into another dangerous mission when she and her RabbitMan co-Pilot, Buzz B’Nee , are co-opted, well forced, into undertaking a dangerous rescue mission on behalf of the Galactic Emperor - a mission that will take them deep into uncharted space where they will come face to face with the dreaded Space Vixen, Allura, Vampire Queen of the Lost Nebula.

These facts may, or may not be, connected. Decide for yourselves.

Here we present unique audio recordings of the SADO staff members’ original job interviews, which were held at the Ministry and secretly recorded for use both in detailed off-line psycho-analysis and as the principal entertainment at the Ministry’s Christmas party. These recordings came to us thanks to a risky data leak from an operative working within the UK's Deep State, although that state's not as deep as you might think. More of a Shallow State, really. Mostly based around a small number of chaps who attended the more expensive sort of Public Schools* many decades ago.

*: For those unfamiliar with the UK's multiple interweaved education systems a "Public School" is, of course, a private school, which is "public" in the sense that any member of the public can send their kids there if they can pay the fees. 

In this short episode the characters tell us a little more about themselves "In Their Own Words". For some reason, Doug Stinger recorded his piece while hiding in the MMSSI's mysterious underground storage tank, originally installed in the 1950s with the purpose of keeping the UK's entire stock of Worcestershire Sauce safe from loss in the event of an alien invasion (the 50's were a different time). Now, from Doug's point of view, it serves as a convenient, private space in which to record his secret thoughts. Unfortunately it also serves as an echo-chamber...

When an unscheduled meteorite threatens to destroy the Institute it looks like Annabel’s plans for a Girls’ Night Out with Poppy at the Village ceilidh will be ruined. Fortunately the only casualties of this extraterrestrial intruder are the Professor’s prized leeks. Meanwhile, the postie brings bad news for Doug -  his remote Highland hiding place has been finally been uncovered by the mysterious forces which have been seeking him and it is too late  for him to run. Will he finally have to face his destiny? Sadly, he gets no support from his colleagues, as Annabel is too busy swapping fashion tips with Poppy - although the “swapping” is entirely one-way - and Sproot is musing over the meteorite’s effect on his leeks.

At the ceilidh,  as Annabel’s nemesis, Mrs McNulty from the tea shop, proffers an interesting line in leek pies, the villagers start to change in disturbing ways.  At the same time, to escape the unwanted “visitors” at the Institute, Sproot and Doug flee to the ceilidh. Re-united at last,  the staff only have once chance to save the planet from a terrible fate.

When the Ministry sends an efficiency expert to determine whether or not the Institute’s funding should be continued, mild panic ensues. This is swiftly followed by terminal boredom as Ramona Polglase, the Woman from the Ministry, subjects the Institute’s staff to a long lecture on the Polglase Protocol for Delivering Efficiency Savings. Things perk up slightly when, to the horror of Poppy and delight of Annabel, it is revealed that Ramona is an old flame of Professor Sproot’s. Is her desire to shut them down really delayed revenge for the effect Sproot’s appalling time-keeping had on their relationship? Or just part of a drive for order and efficiency?

When Doug loses Ramona in the Institute’s sub-sub-basement, Professor Sproot is forced to reveal the existence of a mysterious trapdoor leading down into the bowels of the earth. Knowing that accidentally losing a Senior Civil Servant will have a detrimental impact on their future prospects, the staff prepare to venture down the trapdoor to recover her. But… who knows What Horrors Lie Beneath?

Poppy Zeitgeist arrives at the Mt McCaber Space Science Institute to take up her new position as a member of SADO, the UK's top secret defence force that protects us from incoming alien spacecraft. Here she meets IT slacker Doug Stinger, glamorous science celebrity Annabel Fox, and their boss, Professor Hadrian Sproot. Also recently arrived is Bert Stein, assumed by everyone to be their new janitor. Poppy and Doug discover that he may actually be Albert Einstein, mysteriously restored to life. He is engaged on a major new project which will revolutionise science and could make them all rich and famous.

Matters are complicated when the team are called upon to stop the orbital space station BOOBOO from crashing to Earth and obliterating the Home Counties. Might Einstein's amazing new machine hold the answer? Let's hope so.

Perched high on a mountain in the Cairngorms, the scientists of the Mt McCaber Observatory guard us against alien invasion. Their mission is to - Watch the Skies!

A group of social misfits find themselves washed up in the corridors of the Mt McCaber Space Institute, a decrepit Government installation perched precariously on the slopes of an isolated mountain in the Scottish Highlands. The product of a 1950’s bureaucratic error, the Institute is tasked with defending Britain against the possible threat of alien invasion. Over time it has become a dumping ground for failed technological innovations and individuals who have nowhere else to hide. The staff members’ inability to form meaningful relationships is further complicated by falling asteroids, alien infiltration, space warps and surprise visits from government inspectors.

This short trailer lets you know what to expect. First episode coming next week.