The Sparticle Mystery facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Sparticle Mystery
Title card
Genre	Children's Sci-Fi Drama Teen Drama Adventure
Starring	Abigail Hardingham Karim Zeroual Emily Sanderson Grace Mandeville Karene Peter (Series 2–3) Abbie Hayes Gerran Howell Oliver Bell (Series 1–2) Gia Lodge O'Meally (Series 3) Adam Scotland (Series 3) Stephanie Dale (Series 3) Oliver Dillon
Composer(s)	Sheridan Tongue
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	3
No. of episodes	36
Production
Executive producer(s)	Alison Hume Stephen Smallwood
Running time	28 minutes
Production company(s)	Sparticles Productions Ingenious Broadcasting
Release
Original network	CBBC BBC HD
Original release	14 February 2011 (2011-02-14) – 30 March 2015 (2015-03-30)

The Sparticle Mystery is an exciting British science fiction TV show. It was created by Alison Hume and made for CBBC. The story is about a group of ten children in modern Britain.

A science experiment, called the Sparticle Project, goes wrong. Everyone aged 15 and over suddenly disappears. They are sent to a parallel dimension at exactly 11:11 am. The children must travel to the Sparticle Project. Their goal is to bring the adults back and fix the two dimensions.

The show had a budget of £3 million. It was filmed around Bristol, England. The final episode was shot at the ISIS neutron source particle accelerators. The second series was very popular, with over 2 million views on BBC iPlayer. The third series often topped the charts for children's shows. Overall, the series got good reviews, with a score of 7.3 on IMDb.

The show stars Annette Badland as Doomsday Dora/Holodora. It shares themes with other shows like The Changes and The Tribe. But The Sparticle Mystery is different because the children want to bring the adults back. Series 2 was filmed in Yorkshire in 2012 and aired in 2013. Series 3 was filmed in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 2014. It started airing on January 5, 2015, and the final episode was on March 30, 2015.

You could watch Series 1 and 2 on Amazon UK Prime until 2017. In the US, Netflix had Seasons 1 and 2. Series 3 was on the BBC Store. From 2019, Series 1 was available on BBC iPlayer in the UK.

What is The Sparticle Mystery About?

Series 1: The Disappearance and the Quest

The Sparticle Mystery begins with 11 children left alone on Earth. A science experiment at 'The Sparticle Project' goes wrong. All people aged 15 and older vanish into a parallel universe. This happens precisely at 11:11 a.m.

At first, the world seems like a giant playground. There are no adult rules or laws. The kids have fun, like raiding sweet shops. But soon, resources start to run out. Daily survival becomes much harder. The children decide they need to bring the adults back. They plan to go to the top secret 'Sparticle Project'.

They get help from clues left by 'Doomsday' Dora. She was a scientist who worked on the Sparticle Project. Along their journey, they have many adventures. They also learn important skills for life.

Early in the first episode, we see that gangs appear on the streets. Sadiq, a main character, leads his new group to safety at the City Hotel. Kat, a smart girl, finds her mom and older sister missing. She takes care of Liam, a small boy. They try to get into the City Hotel. Only Liam gets in at first. Kat is left alone, but Sadiq eventually lets her join. Reese, another girl in the group, starts to have strange experiences. These turn out to be her own special psychic powers.

Kat and Reese quickly figure out that the Sparticle Project caused the adults to disappear. The 'Sparticles' group then splits up. Tia and Jeffrey (who has cerebral palsy) stay at the City Hotel. They look after the younger kids, Liam and Frankie. The others, Sadiq, Kat, Jordan, Ami, Holly, and Reese, become the 'Questers'. They go to find the Sparticle Project. Callum, a tough teen, first seems like an enemy. But he later joins their side.

A girl living at The Sparticle Project tries to mess with the machine. Reese and Muna, another child with special powers, step in to help. But Kat chooses Reese over bringing back the adults. She shuts down the machine for good. Before she disappears, Doomsday Dora tells the Questers to go to the Quantum Nexus. She also gives them a mysterious key.

Series 2: The Quantum Nexus and New Powers

One year later, the team is still trying to bring back the adults. They need to find the Quantum Nexus. They discover that the key unlocks clues leading to special treasures. These treasures will guide them there. It becomes a race between The Sparticles and Serena, Fizzy's deputy. Holly also joins Serena.

Along the way, The Sparticles find more children with powers like Reese. They call these children "Sensitives." After following clues about the "Artos" tribe, Serena joins The Sparticles. She was secretly working for them. They work together to stop Fizzy, Ernesto, and Holly from destroying the Quantum Nexus. Reese switches sides after Muna warns her. Reese uses her sensitive powers to interfere with the process. Instead of bringing the adults back normally, they arrive in the children's dimension as teenagers!

Series 3: The Teen Parents and The Circle of Time

In the third season, Queen Kylie takes over the world. She locks up the remaining Sparticles: Sadiq, Reese, Serena, Holly, and Frankie. Kylie's brother, Erimon, lets the Sparticles go. But he can't catch them again. The Sparticles, now joined by Aris (a sensitive), Holly's teen mom Kim, and Ernesto, start a new mission. They want to get rid of the Teen Parents and send them back to the 1980s.

While traveling in one of Queen Kylie's stolen vans, Reese finds "The Circle of Perpetual Time." If seven sensitives link up with it, they can send the parents home. This will use the power of an energy-boosting Comet. Holly becomes pregnant with Ernesto's child. This child turns out to be the final sensitive needed. In the end, the Sparticles manage to send the teen parents back to their own dimension. This brings the real parents back.

Who are the Characters?

Top (left to right): Holly, Ami, Liam. Bottom (left to right): Reese, Kat, Sadiq, Tia, Frankie, Jordan, Jeffrey.

The main characters in The Sparticle Mystery are all children. They come from different backgrounds and are of various ages. Many of the actors were new to acting. Some of the main cast included: Megan Jones (16) as Tia; Oliver Bell (8) as Liam; Wesley Nelson (who has cerebral palsy) as Jeffrey; and Karim Zeroual as Sadiq. Because the actors were growing up, the cast changed a lot between series. There were not many adult characters, but Annette Badland as 'Doomsday' Dora and Larissa Wilson as Anita were important.

Series Overview