Set in a parallel dimension - number nine, oddly enough.

Featured a crystal entity called The Dynotrope, set in the centre of a big lake. This is also where the wizard-figure-frozen-in-time (Mercator) used to go into suspended animation at the end of each show. He was convicted of some crime by his own people, who were - as the Captain Zep-style theme music put it - "gonna take your time away". Bands, etc. would come on and feed the Dynatrope video tapes (ie. chuck them in the water) in order to keep it going.

• The wizard figure changed at the end of the first season. Lee 'TV Zone' Binding remembers that "for the second, it went so amazingly camp, even I found it incredulous. I am convinced that the new guy (same name, different outlook and outfit - it looked like a Babylon 5 dress uniform) was James Dreyfuss from Gimme Gimme Gimme. He certainly swanned around like it."
• And then in the third series, Mercator was played by Richard Waites, previously Hamilton Dent in No. 73 but probably best known as Cuthbert Lilley in Zzap!
• According to producer Anna Home, ver Nine shared with No. 73 the problem of actors finding it "difficult to retain their characters while doing straight interviews."
• Made by Roach and Partners for the BBC.

• Everything you need to know about Parallel 9 can be found on the excellent website mentioned in the top-right hand corner.