Captain Quest – Nostalgia Central

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10 x episodes

The ITV children’s programme Space Club took a break from facts and figures in October 1956, introducing a cliff-hanger serial of 10 episodes about a trip to the moon aboard a spaceship, which aired every second Wednesday, helping young viewers explore the mysteries of space.

Captain John Quest (Stanley Meadows) from Satellite Station No. 1 (located 100,000 miles away in outer space) was accompanied by 12-year-old goggle-eyed schoolboy Nigel (played by Nigel Lambert, who hailed from Leigh-on-Sea in Essex).

Hawk-eyed science fiction fans wrote indignant letters to the network whenever they saw something they believed was not technically correct. “Your space helmet shouldn’t get fogged up from the inside when you breathe,” wrote a 13-year-old viewer.

Stanley Meadows died in October 2025, aged 94.

Captain John Quest
Stanley Meadows
Nigel
Nigel Lambert