Dan Dare Radio Show - Missing Episode surfaces

Back in 2008, I posted a news story here titled "Dan Dare's Holy Grail", reporting on the continued hunt for episodes of the Dan Dare radio show broadcast by Radio Luxembourg in the 1950s.

Aired on Radio Luxembourg between July 1951 and May 1956, the Dan Dare Radio Show, based on the first Dan Dare comic story from Eagle, was made on wax discs that were then sent to Luxembourg to be broadcast.

All episodes of the show were believed to be lost forever – but now, one, albeit a poor recording – has surfaced on the Internet (Mediafire link: I advise you should always scan for viruses before downloading anything from the Internet).

My source for the link tells me that one reason the quality is so bad is that, as well as it being recorded with a microphone next to a speaker (or more acurately, it sounds like the microphone is on the other side of the room), is that over the years the person who taped it recopied it from one tape to another several times (possibly with a mic next to a speaker again). One of the times this was done it was recorded at 15/16 speed which is the slowest a reel to reel will go, and that speed was almost never used as its too slow and quality is always bad.

My source also reports that two episodes of the Dan Dare show exist: recovered, it would seem, during an appeal for the return of lost or missing TV and audio shows in 2011 co-organised by the Kaleidoscope’s website (www.lostshows.com).

The purpose of the appeal was to track down recordings of otherwise lost TV and radio shows that might exist in the lofts, sheds and cupboards of the general public, and was promoted on Radio 4’s PM programme and with a spot on the BBC website. A full list of materials found is listed in this PDF: http://wiped.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/lostshowsappeal2011.pdf.

Sady, the recording of Dan Dare - Pilot of the Future: Episode 53 - The Lost World On Mars is described as "almost completely incomprehensible" (and I'm wondering if this is the episode that has surfaced online).

The other episode listed, Dan Dare - Pilot of the Future: Episode 76 - Under Sentence of Death aired on Radio Luxembourg on 21st January 1952 - but according to the PDF, the recording has been donated to Kaleidoscope "on the strict understanding that it will not be archived or otherwise distributed, without the owner's prior consent."

The Dan Dare Info site reveals Bob Danvers-Walker announced the Adventures of Dan Dare, whilst former Dick Barton actor Noel Johnson took the part of Dan, Digby was played by John Sharpe, Peabody by Anne Cullen, and the Mekon by Francis De Wolfe. Other parts were played by Kenneth Willams and Ralph Richardson. The series was produced in London by John Glyn-Jones.
 

The Dan Dare Radio Show was sponsored by drinks company Horlicks, who encouraged young listeners to enroll in the Horlicks Spacemans Club, and then marketed a series of related items that could be bought - usually for six pence and a label from a Horlicks jar. The Spaceman Club items included The Spacemans Club Handbook, a Dan Dare Tie, Spacefleet Service Identity Card, The Spacemans Club Badge, the Dan Dare Spaceship Cup (for drinking one's Horlicks, of course), and a Periscope.

RTL, the former Radio Luxembourg have been kind enough to search their archives for one fan, but copies of the show have never been found there and it is believed they were either destroyed after the broadcast, or when their "sell by date" expired.
However, like Doctor Who fans tracking missing TV episodes, there is a remote possibility copies of the show may exist elsewhere. Eagle, and many of its strips, was republished in many countries including Australia, France, Potugal and Croatia (to name but a few) and the radio show was also broadcast in Australia. The original scripts were also sent to Spain where they were translated into Spanish and broadcast by Spanish actors. (The name Dan Dare was quickly changed to Diego Valor).

In Australia, 4AK QLD and 4BK QLD Radio broadcast the show each Monday and Tuesday but so far, no-one has had any luck tracking copies down under. Unlike the Biggles radio show, the Australian National Film and Sound Archives does not appear to hold copies, but now fans are trying to find out of the series was ever broadcast or elsewhere.

It seems unlikely the show was broadcast in South Africa - as yet, no-one seems to have tracked down South African versions of Eagle comic - but New Zealand is a strong possibility.

The BBC’s Radio 4 produced a four part Dan Dare radio serial in 1990 - Dan Dare, Pilot Of The Future, again, based on the first comics story. This time Dan was played by Mick Ford, with Terrance Alexander as Sir Hubert.

John Ainsworth and Nichoas Briggs, who are these days better known for their work for Big Finish, produced a Dan Dare audio drama as a test, with David Banks (Doctor Who's Cyberleader) playing Dan Dare and Colin Baker playing Digby. Comic artist John Ridgway tells me he supplied Colin with reference for his to voice Digby and capture his Lancashire accent.

It's great to hear that at least some of these early shows do stil exist, and perhaps Kaleidoscope might consider passing a copy to the Dan Dare Corporation at some point so they could make it available to Dan Dare fans.

• Dan Dare Info Radio Luxembourg Page

• Wiped Web Site: http://wipednews.com

• Dan Dare Corporation web site: www.dandare.com

Glory Be! creator joins Who actors for Harlow Sci-Fi weekend

Writer and artist David C Hill will be attending the renowned Comic Book & Sci-Fi Weekend at the Harvey Centre in Harlow, Essex to sign copies of his esteemed yet off-beat comic, Glory Be! – and is offering fans the chance to grab an exclusive ‘Norton Mouse’ mini-comic.

The bank holiday weekend also kick-starts a fantastic new competition, open to every reader who purchases a copy of the comic between 1st May and 1st July 2010 (either at the event or via the website). By answering the set question correctly, one lucky winner will be immortalised in comic book form and featured as a guest character in the next issue of Glory Be! - "an accolade that money just can’t buy," say the publishers

Glory Be! is an 84 page full-colour comic book set within the fictional community of Riverdale Church. Not a traditional comic per se it is, for the most part, a series of extraordinarily random "off-the-wall" email exchanges between a charismatic church pastor and his Machiavellian band of troubled sheep.

Albeit that there is a clear Christian premise within the story, Glory Be! is designed to appeal as much to non-believers as to avid church-goers.

Taken from the main Glory Be! comic, Norton Mouse is a particularly popular character with his own fansite and ever-spiralling fan base on Facebook and Twitter. Followers include television legend Jonathan Ross, Peter Serafinowicz and he natters with Christine Hamilton, Murray Gold and Josie D’Arby – to name a few.

The Comic Book & Sci-Fi Weekend, hosted by 3 Darths Comics and Collectables, is the second comic book and SF weekend in the Harvey Centre, with a host of special guests and events line up. Visitors can collect a free comic and meet the Stormtroopers from the UK Garrison who will be on hand to meet and greet Star Wars fans and will be collecting for their nominated charity NSPCC.

As well as David, other guests at the Bank Holiday weekend event include (subject to work commitments): Sixth Doctor Colin Baker, from Doctor Who; Warwick Davis (Wicket the Ewok in Star Wars VI: The Return of the Jedi and Professor Flitwick in the Harry Potter films); R2D2 actor Kenny Baker; Scott Capurro (Beed’ in Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace); plus Tim Rose, Mike Edmonds and Nick Briggs, who supply the voices of the Daleks, Cybermen and other monsters in Doctor Who, Torchwood and The Sarah Jane Adventures.

• Glory Be! Magazine web iste: glorybemagazine.tumblr.com

• Glory Be! on Twitter: www.twitter.com/glorybemagazine


Where: The Harvey Centre, Harlow, Essex, CM20 1XR
When: Bank Holiday 1st – 3rd May 2010 – 10am to 5.30pm (4pm Sunday)

• For more information and guest listings/timings please visit this page on the Harvey Centre web site

New Doctor Who a "Half Witted Clown"

With new Doctor Who Matt Smith now on our screens, reaction to this latest regeneration seems to have been generally positive. But to hear a new Doctor described as a "pantomime character" or "a looney" may come as a surprize. Are these critics of a new incarnation watching the same show as the rest of us?

Indeed not - these comments were made when past Doctors - some of whom went on to become hugely popular - first debuted.

Reaction to new regenerations of everyone's favourite Time Lord on Doctor Who has always been mixed, as a favourite, established character changes into something completely new -- and newly-published BBC Archive documents reveal just how much these transformations have affected some of the show's audience.

Papers spanning the 40-plus years history of Doctor Who have just been published online and reveal the difficulties of bedding in the new Doctor, with internal memos noting how his first transformation (with Patrick Troughton replacing William Hartnell) was originally envisaged as a bad LSD trip.

"Once a brilliant but eccentric scientist, he now comes over as a half-witted clown," objected one viewer of Troughton's new role, while another told the BBC's Audience Research Department: "I'm not sure that I really like his portrayal - I feel the part is exaggerated - whimsical even.

"I keep expecting him to take a great watch out of his pocket and mutter about being late like Alice's White Rabbit."








Jon Pertwee fared a little better in 1970 but one document reveals "Reaction to this first episode of the new Dr Who series can hardly be described as enthusiastic." Tom Baker, too - despite becoming one of the series best-loved incarnations - was described by a viewer as "a looney.

"He is an eccentric always, but the way it was presented made him stupid," said one viewer, while others urged the return of Pertwee.

"It was nice and creepy, but I like the other Dr Who best," claimed a 12-year-old boy.





Colin Baker's arrival in 1984 provoked savage criticism, failing to impress half the viewing panel when BBC chiefs conducted research.

"The new Doctor is too stern and doesn't have enough humour," thought one viewer, while another said: "I find him too aggressive and just not as pleasant as other Doctors."

It was a sign of things to come, as dissatisfaction with Doctor Who grew. "The whole concept is now outdated and overworked," one viewer opined, with around a fifth of those interviewed feeling the show had lost its edge. "The stories have become predictable and lack excitement. I'm afraid it has lost its appeal."

Poor old Sylvester McCoy fared even worse than maligned Colin. His "approval rating" when he debuted in Time and the Rani in 1987 was considerably lower than Colin Baker's, although the reception given to his sidekick Mel (played by Bonnie Langford) proved to be the show's nadir: a quarter of viewers said she was the worst thing about the series, with over half the audience wishing she had been eaten by cannibalistic senior citizens in McCoy's second story, Paradise Towers.

Faced with such criticism, moved to a time slot that put it up against Coronation Street and hated by BBC executives such as Michael Grade, it is hardly surprising the show was put on hiatus two years later - and seemed, back then, unlikely ever to return.

Reactions to new Doctor Who leads down the years forms part of a new online collection from BBC Archive which looks at the changing face of the Doctor and includes internal BBC memos which outline new characters and plot devices.

One document from 1970 discusses plans for the debut of the Master emphasising how he must be played in a "natural and convincing" way.

"He must not be written as a moustache-twirling villain of melodrama or given melodramatic dialogue; if anything his evil quality should be underplayed, though never forgotten," it urges. Actor Roger Delgado was to fulfill those obligations with consummate skill and delivery.

Articles from Radio Times and programme images have also been digitised for the new site.

"The whole idea of regenerating the Doctor was a flash of genius that's kept Doctor Who fresh and exciting for 47 years now," argues Roly Keating, the BBC's director for archive content.

"As we welcome Matt Smith and Karen Gillan into the TARDIS, it's the perfect moment to remember his predecessors and also to celebrate the work of the BBC Archive in preserving these documents and photographs for future generations."

• View the material at bbc.co.uk/archive from today

Baker's Brief Encounter!

By John Freeman

Pictured: Sixth Doctor Colin Baker regales an enthusiastic crowd of fans on Carnforth Railway Station at a Bank Holiday event, aided by Big Finish director John Ainsworth, wearing one of Colin's original coats from the show. Colin revealed he had once been offered £10,000 for his famous multi-coloured coat from Doctor Who, which he kept in his house for the entire run of the show in case it was 'liberated' from BBC stores during filming. "They stole a Dalek from a studio once," he recalled.

200 science fiction fans of all ages enjoyed a "Brief Encounter" with Doctor Who star Colin Baker this weekend on Carnforth railway station, Lancashire.

When the event sold out - surprising even the organisers, Carnforth's new TARDIS Shop - Colin's question and answer session had to take place on the platform of the famous station itself, interrupted occasionally by passing trains packed with bemused passengers wondering what on earth was happening on the platform.

Carnforth station is of course famous for being the location for the filming of the 1940s romantic drama Brief Encounter, prompting the name of the event.

Responding to a huge range of questions from the audience the popular actor, who will soon be touring in Michael Frayn's Noises Off around the UK, regaled a crowd of all ages with both memories from his time on the show to his current work, which includes reprising his role as the Doctor for the Big Finish audio adventures, also broadcast on the BBC7 digital radio station.

Colin answered questions for an hour and a half, recalling a scary encounter with a Dalek on the studio floor of the BBC late at night ("It started to move, and for one moment I was really scared... one of the operators was inside fixing a squeaky joint!"), sharing filming memories and answering all manner of questions about his character. ("Did you ever meet K9?" asked one youngster. "No, not on the show, though we have shared a couple of drinks socially," Colin replied fondly).

He spoke highly of the new show but felt it highly unlikely he would appear on it as the Doctor. He also suggested that there might come a time when the Time Lords would return, dismissing the ocassionally mentioned "time lock" blocking the Doctor from returning to the Time War. "If they decide to being the Time Lords back, they'll soon find a way around that!" he declared confidently.

Colin also told fans he would like to write more, still pleased by his 1980s comic strip for Doctor Who Magazine, a copy of which was offered as a raffle prize.

Colin's fascinating and humour-filled talk was followed by an autograph session and other events through the day.

The organisers were pleased by the turn out and Colin was delighted by so much enthusiasm for the original Doctor Who series.

More Doctor Who events are now at the planning stage.

• The TARDIS Shop web site
• Visit the Big Finish web site
• More about Colin Baker on his official web site