On Mondays, at 4.35pm, between September 6, 1999 and August 11, 2000 (split 14/6), BBC One broadcast the first season of Canadian science fantasy series Animorphs, based on the books by K A Applegate. Series 2, broadcast between September 4, 2000 and January 5, 2001 was split 3/3 between BBC One and BBC Two.
Five humans: Jake, Marco, Cassie, Rachel and Tobias, and one alien, Aximili-Esgarrouth-Isthill (nicknamed Ax), obtain the ability to transform into any animal they touch. Naming themselves “Animorphs”, they use their ability to battle a secret alien infiltration of Earth by a parasitic race of aliens resembling large slugs called Yeerks, that can take any living creatures as a host by entering and merging with their brain through the ear canal. The Animorphs fight as a guerrilla force against the Yeerks who are led by Visser Three.
Some of the 20 episodes were broadcast out of order. 14 episodes were shown between September and December 1999, with the remaining episodes broadcast July-August 2000. Series 2, which only contained six episodes, was broadcast on BBC One between July and September, 2000.
Original Broadcast Dates and Times
Series 1
- “My Name is Jake, Part 1”: September 6, 1999, 4.35pm
- “My Name is Jake, Part 2”: September 13, 1999, 4.35pm
- “Underground”: September 20, 1999, 4.35pm
- “On the Run”: September 27, 1999, 4.35pm
- “Between Friends”: October 4, 1999, 4.35pm
- “The Message”: October 11, 1999, 4.35pm
- “The Escape”: October 18, 1999, 4.35pm
- “The Alien”: October 25, 1999, 4.35pm
- “The Capture, Part 1”: November 22, 1999, 4.35pm
- “The Capture, Part 2”: November 29, 1999, 4.35pm
- “The Reaction”: November 1, 1999, 4.35pm
- “The Stranger”: November 8, 1999, 4.35pm
- “The Forgotten”: November 15, 1999, 4.35pm
- “The Leader, Part 1”: July 20, 2000, 5.10pm
- “The Leader, Part 2”: July 27, 2000, 5.10pm
- “Tobias”: December 6, 1999, 4.35pm
- “Not My Problem”: July 13, 2000, 5.10pm
- “The Release”: August 3, 2000, 5.10pm
- “Face Off, Part 1”: August 10, 2000, 5.10pm
- “Face Off, Part 2”: August 11, 2000, 5.10pm
Series 2
- “Face Off, Part 3”: September 4, 2000, 4.35pm (BBC One)
- “My Name is Erek”: September 11, 2000, 4.35pm (BBC One)
- “The Front”: September 18, 2000, 4.35pm (BBC One)
- “Changes, Part 1”: January 3, 2001 (BBC Two)
- “Changes, Part 2”: January 4, 2001 (BBC Two)
- “Changes, Part 3”: January 5, 2001 (BBC Two)
Find out more at BBC Genome* and Wikipedia*
