Name that show: Children's 80s show about a child befriending an alien

[mankinduk]

Hi, I've been trying to mind the name of this show for ages. I don't even remember particularly liking it but it's stuck with me all these years and I'd love to know what it was.

Anyway, it must have been a drama as I don't remember much in the way of humour, made in Britain I think, and was about an alien on Earth, possibly hiding, who befriended a child. The alien could take on a human appearance with a device they had which either was disguised as a radio or just actually looked like a radio. I remember the main antagonists (although might have only been in one week for all I can remember) were depicted by plasma balls that would fly about. That's about all I can remember. I don't think this was a very popular show, can't have had more than one series, and no one I've talked to my age can remember it. TIA if anyone has any leads!

[Heather74]

Re: Name that show: Children's 80s show about a child befriending an alien

Watt on Earth?

[Richard1978]

Re: Name that show: Children's 80s show about a child befriending an alien

Hi, I've been trying to mind the name of this show for ages. I don't even remember particularly liking it but it's stuck with me all these years and I'd love to know what it was.

Anyway, it must have been a drama as I don't remember much in the way of humour, made in Britain I think, and was about an alien on Earth, possibly hiding, who befriended a child. The alien could take on a human appearance with a device they had which either was disguised as a radio or just actually looked like a radio. I remember the main antagonists (although might have only been in one week for all I can remember) were depicted by plasma balls that would fly about. That's about all I can remember. I don't think this was a very popular show, can't have had more than one series, and no one I've talked to my age can remember it. TIA if anyone has any leads!

Sounds like Aliens In The Family.

[mankinduk]

Re: Name that show: Children's 80s show about a child befriending an alien

Thanks to you both. It wasn't Aliens in the Family as that was definitely too late but good suggestion. Watt on Earth...been watching it on YouTube and I'm not getting that 'this is it!' feeling but it's so close to what I'm describing that it must be it and the 30 years since has distorted my memory of it. The only thing that is giving me any doubt is that it was made in 91/92 and I would have thought I was too old to be watching this kind of stuff by this point (hence why I thought it was a 80s show) but I guess I could have been. Must have been.

Anyway, thanks again.

[Richard1978]

Re: Name that show: Children's 80s show about a child befriending an alien

Aliens In The Family was made in 1987, I can remember when the alien called Bond is looking for a radio & takes interest in a ghetto blaster playing Kim Wilde's version of You Keep Me Hanging On.

His true appearance looked like his face was carved from polystyrene.

[Heather74]

Re: Name that show: Children's 80s show about a child befriending an alien

Aliens in the family bbc1 not to be confused with Jim Hensons Aliens in the family
I think Richard is right
http://www.thechestnut.com/aliens/aliens.htm

[mankinduk]

Re: Name that show: Children's 80s show about a child befriending an alien

Yeah, I just googled Aliens in the Family and got the America show. Didn't think to check if there were other shows with the same name.

But yes! Definitely getting the 'this is it!' feeling seeing this.

Thank you so much. Appreciate all the help.

[Richard1978]

Re: Name that show: Children's 80s show about a child befriending an alien

Thanks, I'm happy to help jog people's memories if I can.

I never knew there was another show with the same name.

[Arran]

I can vaguely remember a children's programme called Wiziwig about a black boy and an alien but it was shown in the late 1990s. I think it was on CITV, but it wasn't very popular and a bit naff.

[beccabear67]

Children befriending ______ could account for one of every three children's tv shows at one time: alien, time traveler, ghost, scarecrow, person from the past.

[Semi42]

Thing that came to my mind was a schools programme called the boy from space, must’ve been the 70s though

[George 1978]

Thing that came to my mind was a schools programme called the boy from space, must’ve been the 70s though

Look and Read, shown between 1971 and 1973. It was Remade in the 1980s - the 1970s version was in black and white.