The BBC has long been known as a science fabrication pioneer , thanks to show like Quatermass and Doctor Who . But long before either of those things existed , the BBC was already breaking earth : On Feb. 11 , 1938 , the Beeb showed a television system yield of R.U.R. , the play that gave us the word “ robot . ”
R.U.R. stands for Rossum ’s Universal Robots , and it ’s a manoeuvre by Karel Capek . ( I just recently picked up a translate version of it in paperback , in fact . ) In the play , “ golem ” are artificial humans created in a manufacturing plant , althoughthe “ robots ” are for the most part biological and have normal circulatory systems and other organ . These creatures are seen as contraption , until they arise — giving us the first templet for the “ automaton insurrection ” in pop acculturation .
The stage gaming was originally panned by the New York Times , butas Smithsonian Magazine note , it came to be championed by intellect , include Carl Sandburg ( whowrote to the Timesto fight it . ) And just two year after the BBC came into existence , the Corporation get on a production of R.U.R. , which theRadio Times advertisedas “ a play that should lend itself very well indeed to TV from the point of view of personal effects . ”
Sadly , no recording exist — and although the image above is often posted online as coming from the BBC production , I ’m not 100 per centum sure that ’s the case .
[ Smithsonian ]
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