Wednesday 7 April 1999

The Last Train (1999)




What a classic bit of television, It has an awful start as though the beginning wasn't really thought out for continuity, and i am sure that probably made a lot of silly people turn it off, luckily i stuck with it and once it got going it was really cool. Continuities? oooo go on then, police car comes screaming in and a guy turns round (suited and booted with gold everywhere) looks at the police car and legs it? 


Yes granted the plain clothes copper had to get the train, but he would of so shouted, i gotta get the train. Go..Nick Him!!!  so they kinda murdered that character introduction because he was clearly one thick copper, yet his character was such a stand up nice guy and came across as that salt of the earth C.I.D, which a few of them were back then.





So what happens then?
well its interesting you should ask...

Ok so everyone's gotta be somewhere and taking the train seamed like a great plan, only theirs a crazy lady on the train with a canister of Liquid Nitrogen (but like a Viagra version)  ooo come on.. it made them all stiff didn't it?, and they were all stiff longer than most people?  never mind.. moving on... :P

So back to the crazy lady.. Harriet Ambrose, played by (Nicola Walker, who consequently was recently in "Being Human" as the woman from social services visiting the house) anyway she has to be somewhere fast so she gets the train to (hard to believe a bank robber is getting away on a train, a copper is rushing to the hospital on a train, and a scientist with the M.O.D is going to out run a meteor on a train) Anyway this meteor is coming and only a hand full of people know about it, there is no time to tell the world and cause a panic. So while the best of the best get frozen under ground to sleep through a time were theirs no sun for years, shes racing to meet them (on this British rail train lol, sorry i can't help it, i mean come on)



Ok so she knows its coming, luckily the train is actually slower than she needs it to be (British Rail, say no more) So just before this meteor hits the earth, the train enters a tunnel, derails and ends up setting off her canister of Liquid Viagra.. *Nitrogen,  and it freezes everyone in the rail car,  car?, *carriage, horse? never mind...



Many years later the frozen ice appears to melt & the passengers are instantly back alive (no one snapped while the world fell to bits, or oddly had a hand or foot broken off, oops i would of gone their for sure)

Now the robber being smarter than the copper noticed the canister before he became a Rob'sicle, so he (when the Cop'sicle, *copper says hes not going to nick him) the Rob'sicle gives the canister to the former Cop'sicle. When they escape the collapsing train tunnel they come out into a world that's changed a lot since they've been frozen. Their are species of plants from all over the world growing in the UK (the weather hansn't changed but their still growing, well somethings changed, check out the rain... although the plants seam to be doing well from it, i never noticed any cannabis plants thrown in, would of made a good touch the old dear stealing a few leafs on the way past it)


So they question Harriet and she explains what happened, but Ber in mind they were frozen at the moment of the impact, so to them only a possible hour has passed while they were thought to be only knocked out from a train crash... (see i don't always go their lol)


 She explains who she is and that theirs some guy in a bunker, shes was going ditch them at first and was trying to contact him with a radio, but when that fails IE, no limo will be sent, she decides to tell them and travel with them. They find the bunker (after stylishly updating their Sheffield AtoZ) but no ones home, just some pipes, one with water in and one with...****  in
And a room with a view (of a nutter on a pc monitor)

 
"I don't want to give to much away" but clearly they don't die, theirs 5 more episodes scheduled to air and their in the credits, way to go tv & radio times for spoilers.

So they have access to a working sat nav and the last one and only working satellite & a mercedes van that mick uses to rob banks, its the Ice Cream.... i mean the I-Cream (well stop it with the Niagara), or is that the Ice-Team... gawd rambling again sorry...


So their out and about riding along and they no theirs other people out their because she saw her and he saw him.




So their heading for an ARK in the middle of Scotland, where Harriet says they use Magic Fairy Dust that puts people to sleep (for a scientist who has an M.O.D Pass who was trying to out run E.L.E "Extinction Level Event" on a British Rail train, i wouldn't help her find a pen let alone an ark with fairy dust) But anyway off they travel in the van with a plan (and micks friends dust, which they say doesn't smell like the Arks dust)

  When your chasing a pig round a factory that's now part of a mountain & a big scary black panther is chasing you and the pig.. your bound to loose one along the way (well you have to, shes not credited for the following episode, maybe she was just tryna teach the pig how to fly)

As the series rolls along over 6 episodes, they make friends & enemy's along the way, such as life, and mick the robber does kinda get nailed at some stage but you'll be surprised how...

Their are a lot of locations from the show still around and WiKi has a prity detailed page of locations, names which you can then Google Search & hit "Images" to check them out.

Its not a bad tv series, in fact its not bad at all, it's just kinda holy plot setup in places, a bit like micks nailing session. I know i have ripped into it a bit, but I do really like this show.



The Composer for the series "Christopher Gunning" is still out their composing today, sadly you can't buy the music from the last train, nor can you buy it for the BBC 6 part "Day of the Triffids"  1981 tv series, which he also composed the score for.

The Last Train has never been Legally released on DVD anywhere in the world, their are some sites that sell boot-leg versions, but most are low quality with TV logos on and are not legal sales, so getting your purchase in the mail isn't guaranteed.....

NOTE:
The DVD cover at the top of the page is MINE, i DON'T and i WON'T sell it, so don't ask, its against the law, I just made the cover simply because i like the show and im not bad with photo shop.

NOTE 2:
I may do an extended improvised cover version of the theme tune one day (i am a composer to)
You will have to check back on this page one day

NOTE 3:
I may also do 3 Separate DVD covers for a 2 on each set with varied artwork to

But for now, here is some examples of the rest of the DVD art i made




Desk Top Wallpaper


Original Tv Channel Bumper




The Last Train FaceBook Fan Page here
(Its PACKED with Screen Shots from the Episodes)

 

Filming Locations

Manchester Mayfield train station  "was used for Sheffield station"
Pontin's holiday camp in Prestatyn, North Wales "Tower Beach Holiday Camp"
The little village of  Mareby in ep 5 is Wardle, in Manchester near  Littleborough / Rochdale
The Ark from ep6 is Thorpe Marsh Power Station, about 5 miles north east of Doncaster

Last but not least.. Air Dates


Episode number: 1x01
Airdate: Wednesday April 07th, 1999

Episode number: 1x02
Airdate: Thursday April 08th, 1999

Episode number: 1x03
Airdate: Thursday April 15th, 1999

Episode number: 1x04
Airdate: Thursday April 22nd, 1999

Episode number: 1x05
Airdate: Thursday April 29th, 1999

Episode number: 1x06
Airdate: Thursday May 06th, 1999

Please remember to RATE this Series below the blog post, add your recommendation tick to help others, also please follow my blog....
Unofficial artwork created by TheWraith517