Wizards vs Aliens
A wizard and a scientist battle alien magic-eaters.
Wizards vs Aliens is a British science fantasy television programme produced by BBC Cymru Wales and FremantleMedia Enterprises for CBBC, created by Russell T Davies and Phil Ford. It follows 16-year-old wizard Tom Clarke and his scientifically gifted friend Benny Sherwood as they battle the magic-consuming Nekross aliens. The show was created to fill the schedule gap left by The Sarah Jane Adventures after its cancellation due to the death of lead Elisabeth Sladen, though it is set in its own separate continuity.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Science fiction; Fantasy
- Creator
- Russell T Davies; Phil Ford
- Composer
- Sam Watts; Dan Watts
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Series
- 3
- Episodes
- 36
- Executive producers
- Russell T Davies (Series 1–2)
- Bethan Hunt (Series 1–2)
- Nikki Wilson (Series 3)
- Phil Ford (Series 3)
Facts from the source article.
Premise
Wizards vs Aliens is a science fantasy adventure series that brings together two different worlds. The first series follows 16-year-old wizard Tom Clarke and his best friend Benny Sherwood as they confront the Nekross, an alien race that has invaded Earth to consume magic. The second series expands the conflict, focusing more on magical creatures and locations, as well as a plot by Jathro and Kooth to overthrow the Nekross royals. In the third series, Tom and Benny part ways when Benny goes to study at MIT in America. The Nekross return with Varg, now king regent, seeking vengeance on Tom for turning his sister Lexi into a human and sending her to Earth. Varg is aided by his wife Lady Lyzera, a secret sorceress who aims to take Earth's magic and rule the universe.
Cast and characters
Scott Haran plays Thomas Robert 'Tom' Clarke, a football-loving teenage wizard who defends wizardkind and Earth from the Nekross. He is the son of Michael and Helen, and grandson of Ursula and Simeon. Percelle Ascott portrays Benjamin Claude 'Benny' Sherwood, Tom's unenchanted best friend whose scientific knowledge complements Tom's magic against the Nekross. In The Quantum Effect, Benny leaves to study at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and he comes out as gay at the end of the Series 2 finale. Annette Badland plays Ursula Crowe, Tom's happy-go-lucky grandmother, a wizard descended from the Magical Line of Crowe who also tutors Tom in magic. Michael Higgs is Michael Clarke, Tom's widowed father, an unenchanted veterinarian concerned for his son's safety. Dan Starkey plays Randal Moon, a hobgoblin living in the Chamber of Crowe who aids the wizards with his knowledge of potions and spells. After Tom turned her into a human to save her life and sent her to Earth at the end of Series 2, Lexi lives peacefully with her son, Benny Junior.
International broadcasts and releases
The Hub Network brought Wizards vs Aliens to American viewers from late May to mid-June 2013, and it stayed on Netflix until December 2018. Down under, ABC 3 broadcasts the show. In Poland, teleTOON+ carried it from April 2013 into January 2014, but the final episode of the second series got a small edit: Benny’s line about dating, originally stating he wouldn’t date a girl, was softened to “Not yet.” Italy’s Rai Gulp aired the series across 2014 and 2015.
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