A children's show that was aired on BBC1 on Saturday mornings, starting in 1992. It was introduced by the BBC to combat falling ratings of Going Live!.
The show focused on Mercator, an old alien prince with very long eyebrows (played by Roddy Maude-Roxby) who had been banished to Parallel 9 as a result of his thirst for knowledge - a criminal offence on his home planet. As part of his punishment, he was allowed to awake for only 2 hours a week; from 9am to 11am on Saturdays, and had the ability to ‘beam up’ guests from Earth to Parallel 9.
Among the other characters that made regular appearances in the first series were Calendular – an earth girl who had become a permanent resident on Parallel 9 – and three other criminals who had been banished from their home planet: Steyl, Skyn and Thynkso. The latter three spent the entirety of the show plotting ways to escape Parallel 9.
The show survived until 1994, but recasting issues led to a decline in its overall popularity.
Do You Remember Parallel 9?
Do You Remember Parallel 9?