Pandemic, panic and pop culture: Nigel Kneale and the cinema of contagion [Panel]

With eerie echoes of the riots that close Quatermass and the Pit in the January 6th 2021 D.C. Capitol Riot and Portland’s ongoing Antifa protests, with Quatermass’s Kickalong finding his real-life counterpart in the QAnon Shaman, with the idea of infected beings roaming city streets sparking urban panics akin to The Quatermass Experiment, and with countless other examples littering current global newsfeeds, the Cold War-era apocalyptic visions of Nigel Kneale seem more prescient, more timely than ever.

Panel discussion with Stephen R. Bissette, Andy Murray, Kim Newman, Maura McHugh and Jon Dear.

This panel discussion seeks to explore the enduring, shaping themes, images and power of this visionary writer, asking how and why Kneale’s stories made an impact in their time – and remain important to this day.

The Panel will be moderated by Dr David Tully, Head of the Media Department at Middlesex University Dubai. The session will be interactive and there will be ample opportunity for any questions you have for the panelists.