For years, science fiction has been one of the most followed genres in television.  Television series such as The Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits and Star Trek have captivated audiences with images of elaborate, imaginary worlds and situations.  Before any of these series could gather cult-like followings, the first science fiction television programming aired on BBC.

On this day, February 11th, in 1938, BBC Television produced the first ever television program, R.U.R. The television version of R.U.R. was based on a Czech play created in 1920. The play would be translated and credited with introducing the word “robot” to the English language.  The play was turned into a 38 minute adaptation for BBC Television. Unfortunately, the 1938 screening was not saved in BBC’s archive.

1938 would be the first time that “robots” were featured on television. The influence of R.U.R. on the science fiction industry is hard to overlook.