Isaac Asimov's The Foundation Trilogy was adapted for the BBC in eight hour-long episodes by Patrick Tull (episodes 1 to 4) and Mike Stott (episodes 5 to 8), directed by David Cain, first broadcast in 1973, and repeated in 1977 and 2002.
Originally broadcast in 8 parts, between 6 May and 24 June 1973.
1: Psychohistory and Encyclopedia
The opening episode begins on Trantor, capital of the Galactic Empire, with the meeting of Hari Seldon and Gaal Dornick, their trial, and their exile to Terminus. The action then jumps forward fifty years, to the first Seldon Crisis, where the repercussions of the recent independence of the Four Kingdoms of the Periphery are being felt on Terminus, and are handled by the first Mayor, Salvor Hardin.
The scene moves forward a further twenty years, as Mayor Hardin faces down the domination of the nearby and most powerful of the Four Kingdoms, Anacreon, whose ruler intends to annex the Foundation by force.
A hundred and fifty years after the Foundation was established, the now powerful trading nation, guided by master trader Hober Mallow, faces its greatest threat to date.
Two hundred years after its creation, the Foundation battles Bel Riose, the last powerful General of the dying Galactic Empire.
A further hundred years have passed, and the Foundation is challenged by an unexpected threat named The Mule.
During the war against The Mule, with things going badly for the Foundation, some key figures under the leadership of the Foundation's greatest scientist, Ebling Mis, flee Terminus in search of the Second Foundation, to warn it of the danger from The Mule.
The Mule attempts to find and overthrow the Second Foundation.
Sixty years later a teenage girl is at the centre of the Foundation's renewed search for the Second Foundation.
The conflict between The Foundation and Anacreon takes place 70 years into the Foundation era; in the novels it occurs in year 80 F.E.
A small segment entitled "Traders" in the first volume, Foundation, has been removed entirely
General editing of the timescale has been done throughout
A large, rather comedic, section about farming on Rossem has been added to "The Mule Finds"
Nigel Anthony as Prince Dagobert
Geoffrey Beevers as Gaal Dornick
Douglas Blackwell as Onum Barr and The Governor (Rossem)
Robin Browne as Jaim Twer and Orum Palley
Heron Carvic as Advocate
Maurice Denham as Ebling Mis
William Eedle as Hari Seldon
Trader Faulkner as Bail Channis
William Fox as Poly Verisof and Cleon II
Sarah Frampton as Arkady Darell
Martin Friend as Ammel Broderig
Julian Glover as Hober Mallow
David Gooderson as Tech-man
Nigel Graham as Franssart
Brian Haines as Tomaz Sutt and Huxlani
Michael Harbour as Lathan Devers
Ronald Herdman as Sennett Forell and Elder (Rossem)
Ronald Herdman as Lord Dorwin
Carleton Hobbs as Dr Toran Darell II
John Hollis as Yohan Lee
Dinsdale Landen as Bel Riose
Peter Howell as Ducem Barr
Anthony Jackson as Jorane Sutt
Hayden Jones as First trader
John Justin as Han Pritcher
Fraser Kerr as Comdor Asper and Meirus
Michael Kilgarriff as Theo Aporat, Lieutenant Vrank and Tubor
Rolf Lefebvre as Anselm Rodric and Dagobert IX
David March as Homir Munn
Gail MacFarlane as Commdora Licia
Lee Montague as Salvor Hardin
Wolfe Morris as Magnifico/The Mule
Katherine Parr as Mrs Palver
Angela Pleasence as Bayta Darell
Peter Pratt as Lord Stettin
John Rowe as Jord Fara and Student Planner (Second Foundation)
John Ruddock as Second trader, Mayor Indbur III and Elder (Rossem)
John Samson as Sef Sermak
Prunella Scales as Lady Callia
Terry Scully as King Lepold I and Oval
Cyril Shaps - The Guardian/Preem Palver
William Sleigh as Doktor Walto
Roy Spencer as Lewis Pirenne
Lewis Stringer as Randu
David Valla as Encyclopedia Galactica Read-out
Gary Watson as Toran Darell
Peter Williams as Ankor Jael
Francis de Wolff as Prince Regent Wienis
Gabriel Woolf as Pelleas Anthor
