fiction series is an exciting prospect at any time. When it is backed by the authority of a scientist with the international reputation of Fred Hoyle, it ranks as a major television event". A for Andromeda was broadcast on Tuesday nights at 8:30pm from 3 October 1961. The opening episode was watched by 7.5 million viewers; however, by the end of the serial this had risen to 12.9 million viewers and the serial averaged 9.6 million viewers over its seven-week run. A for Andromeda met with a varied critical reception. "Science fiction serial starts well", said The Times after the broadcast of the first episode, adding, "Although it is encouraging to have the authority of Professor Fred Hoyle for the scientific credibility of [A for Andromeda]... it is the skill of Mr Hoyle the novelist that will mainly be called upon to hold our attention". The Evening News, meanwhile declared the serial to be "a jolly good successor to Quatermass". Not so impressed was L. Marsland Gander in The Daily Telegraph who wrote, "As a devotee of Prof. Hoyle and a keen student of disembodied intelligence I felt impatient... I am too well acquainted with [his] work to be disappointed, but the temptation is great". A harsher verdict came from Philip Phillips of the Daily Herald who said, "The next six episodes might be brilliant. But I won't be watching them" while The Sunday Times said, "I cannot with the best will find anything in the least exciting about A for Andromeda". The BBC produced an Audience Research report for episodes one, five and seven. Many respondents criticised the serial for being slow and full of scientific terminology. However, as the serial progressed, viewers became more enthusiastic; after episode five, one viewer said, "The serial, like Andromeda herself, suddenly came alive. This episode was spine-chilling". Another commented "I didn't like the way Andromeda was created – it is absolutely against Christian belief". J.A.K. Fraser of Dornock, Scotland, wrote to the BBC's correspondence programme Points of View, saying, "Enough surely has been seen of Prof. Fleming's overacted hysterical outbursts". Writing to the Radio Times, B.W. Wolfe of Basingstoke said, "Congratulations on the recent BBC-tv science-fiction serial A for Andromeda. Bug-eyed monsters we have seen before, but never a creature so radiantly beautiful as Andromeda herself. I was completely captivated". Other letter writers to the Radio Times discussed the scientific accuracy of