Quatermass TV Serial 1979 Written by Nigel Kneale, directed by Piers Haggard. Verity Lambert was the Executive producer. A four part TV serial that aired in October and November 1979 on ITV. The producers created a 100 movie version called The Quatermass Conclusion for the US and other countries. John Mills stars as Bernard Quatermass.
Set in a troubled future with massive urban collapse in the worlds largest cities. Quatermass has retired to a small town in Scotland. He's come to London to appear on a TV show only to get attacked near the studio. A man called Joe Kapp helps run the baddies off. He's an astronomer who was scheduled to appear on the same show. He has a radio telescope. The show is about the joint American and Russian space program. Two ships are to dock but something happens and they are destroyed.
Joe takes Quatermass back to his home which is next to his radio telescope. They encounter the Planet People, hippy like young people who believe that space aliens will take them to another planet for a better life. Turns out space aliens are taking them but not to another planet. A bright beam of light turns them into ash. Over time Quatermass figures out that it's aliens and they're harvesting humans for something, much like humans harvest musk deer for their musk.
Quatermass assembles a team of scientists to figure out how to fight the alien. He's going to set off a 35 kiloton nuclear weapon. He's going to attract the alien's attention by faking a gathering of young people. Quatermass and Joe are going to manually set off the nuke. As the trap is set the Planet People arrive, among them is Quatermass's grand daughter. Joe is killed and Quatermass has a heart attack, his grand daughter helps him set off the bomb. The Earth survives and so far no alien attacks. Maybe they are gone. Who knows.
I saw the movie version back in the 80s and hadn't watched it since. It's my least favorite of the Quatermass stories. The 204 min TV version is fairly well done but show going and rather depressing. Originally the BBC had the production but let it go after reasoning the budget was too much for them and the story too depressing. ITV got it and it didn't pull in the punters as they hoped. I'm thinking I wouldn't bother with it again. You can see both the serial and the movie version on Dailymotion.