Emmerdale and Doctor Who star champions resurrection of cult TV show at Edinburgh Fringe
Former Doctor Who companion and Emmerdale regular, Louise Jameson, has thrown her support behind an Edinburgh theatre company bringing the cult, 70's BBC Scotland TV series that inspired The X Files to the stage for the first time.
A paranormal thriller made by BBC Scotland, The Omega Factor terrified TV audiences when it was first broadcast in 1979, causing self proclaimed 'moral guardian' Mary Whitehouse to demand its cancellation and questions to be asked in the House of Commons.
The 1979 series, filmed in and around Edinburgh, introduced viewers to journalist Tom Crane (James Hazeldine), a man with latent psychic powers, and physicist Dr Anne Reynolds, a member of the secret government organisation, Department 7, played by Louise Jameson.
A second season was quietly cancelled due to the furore, however, the series did resurface many years later when it was revived by Big Finish Productions as an audio drama in 2015, with original cast members Jameson and Natasha Gerson, daughter of series creator Jack Gerson, reprising their original roles, of Anne Reynolds and Morag, respectively.
Jameson, who has played Mary Goskirk in Emmerdale since 2022 and is much loved for her roles in Tenko, Bergerac and as Doctor Who’s companion, Leela, said, “I'm backing The Omega Factor: By The Pricking Of My Thumbs wholeheartedly. I always thought there was more life in the series and that the BBC made a faux pas by taking it off air too early, hey ho, onwards. I hope it is a marvellous success.”
Written by Gerson (pictured below) and award-winning playwright Liam Rudden, The Omega Factor: By The Pricking Of My Thumbs, which will run nightly at the Grand Lodge on George Street, is set in the mystical Rosslyn Chapel, a monument whose secrets were brought to worldwide attention in the Dan Brown novel, The Da Vinci Code.
Gerson commented, “The Omega Factor was a project close to my dad’s heart and mine it was my first job on television. I believe he would have been thrilled to see it on stage for the first time.”
In the play, the audience find themselves attending a private radio recording of Shakespeare's Macbeth at Rosslyn Chapel and soon discover they are pawns in a chilling battle for their souls. With the stakes rising by the minute, the eternal struggle between good and evil reaches terrifying climax.
Rudden, who also directs, added, “The Omega Factor is one of those shows that has lived rent free in my head since I watched in as a 15 year old. It had such an impact. It’s a thrill to be working with Natasha to bring it to the stage for the very first time.”
Produced by Stageworks East West, the World Premiere of The Omega Factor: By The Pricking Of My Thumbs will run for five nights only, from 19-23 August, at Braw Venues @ Grand Lodge, 96 George Street. Tickets are available from EdFringe.com