There will be Flash Gordon at the British Museum, X the Unknown at Bletchley Park, and Village of the Damned in the pretty West Sussex market town of Midhurst, no offence intended.

The BFI on Thursday announced details of Sci-fi: Days of Fear and Wonder, its biggest themed season of film and television.

Heather Stewart, the BFI's creative director, said sci-fi was the world's most popular film genre but "we are not looking at sci-fi just because it is popular … pornography is popular. The real point for us is that we do believe it is real cinematic magic and we want to celebrate that."

The season will see more than 1,000 screenings of classic films and TV series at more than 200 locations as well as talks and debates addressing the myriad questions around sci-fi.

For example, was Susan Sontag right when she said there was no social criticism, even of an implicit kind, in any science fiction? Is sci-fi as a genre patronised because of the obsessiveness of its fans? Is it sexist?

Reflecting on the number of strong women characters in sci-fi, Stewart said: "We all like women kicking ass but I wish their characters were as rounded as their bosoms."

Although the main programme will run from 20 October until 31 December, there will also be events this summer, as well as new DVD releases including a long awaited seven-disc DVD box set of Out of the Unknown, the BBC TV series that ran from 1965-71.

Outside London there will be a cinematic event at Jodrell Bank, Cheshire, home to one of the world's largest radio telescopes; three days of screenings at Bletchley Park from 19-21 September; a sci-fi all-nighter at the Cornerhouse in Manchester; and screenings in Midhurst, HG Wells's home town.