At 11.30pm on September 5, 1980, BBC 2 broadcast “The Mice”, an episode of the American series The Outer Limits.

The classic sci-fi series exploring the boundaries of man’s inner self when faced with alien forces in time and space.

The Mice

starring

Henry Silva

Diana Sands

Michael Higgins

Ronald Foster

Dabney Coleman

Francis de Sales

Hugh Langtry

Contact has been made with the planet Chromo and a cultural and scientific exchange arranged. Earth awaits the first Chromite and prepares to send a human there. It all seems very innocent and worthwhile…

Radio Times, issue 2964 (August 30 – September 5, 1980)

In dreams, some of us walk the stars. In dreams, some of us ride the whelming brine of space, where every port is a shining one, and none are beyond our reach. Some of us, in dreams, cannot reach beyond the walls of our own little sleep.

Hunger frightens and hurts, and it has many faces, and every man must sometimes face the terror of one of them. Wouldn’t it seem that a misery known and understood by all men would lead Man not to deception and murder, but to faith, and hope, and love?

Opening and closing narration [Wikipedia]

A convict volunteers to be a human guinea pig for a matter transportation experiment. In reality the experiment is supposed to be an exchange of scientists between Earth and an alien race, the Chromoites. As problems arise and researchers die, the convict is blamed, but it may also be a sinister plot to turn the world into a food source for the alien creatures. [Wikipedia]

Cast Notes

This episode features Henry Silva, who played Kane in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century pilot movie. Creator of The Outer Limits, Leslie Stevens, co-wrote that film with Glen A Larson.

Dabney Coleman appeared in two other episodes of The Outer Limits: “Specimen: Unknown” and “Wolf 359”. He also appeared in two episodes of The Invaders, and starred in WarGames (1983).

Vic Perrin, who provided Chromo Voice #1 in this episode, is also the ‘Control Voice’ featured at the beginning of every episode of The Outer Limits. He also guest starred in a 1981 episode of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, and appeared in two episodes of The Twilight Zone. He also appeared in Star Trek three times: as the voice of the Metrons in “Arena”, the head of the ruling council in “Mirror, Mirror”, and the voice of Nomad in “The Changeling”.