 The Creature — an original script by Kneale concerning the legend of the abominable snowman — was his next collaboration with Cartier , broadcast on 30 January 1955 , followed by an adaptation of Peter Ustinov 's play The Moment of Truth ( 10 March 1955 ) , before Kneale was commissioned to write Quatermass II . Specifically designed by the BBC to combat the threat of the new ITV network , which launched just a month before Quatermass II was shown , the serial was even more successful than the first , drawing audiences of up to nine million viewers . Kneale was inspired in writing the serial by contemporary fears over secret UK Ministry of Defence research establishments such as Porton Down , as well the fact that as a BBC staff writer he had been required to sign the Official Secrets Act . 
