Dinosaur TV- save our Forgotten British Heritage!
Researching and rescuing obscure tv. Always happy to swap rarities, but I don't sell dvds. David: email

List of main tv series on this site
. . Wanted- TV Programmes / TV Times

Lost Treasures . . Crime Series Film Drama Drama Soap Opera Comedy/ Variety Quizzes etc
Early TV adverts . . U.K. 60's film Historical Children's TV Documentary Late 60's on American
Click on any of the headings above for more, much more...

ATV Back Room Boys No.11

Michael Redington
(born 1927 in Leicester)
Michael started acting professionally at the age of 14, graduating to the Old Vic Company, touring America and Australia. In the early 1950's he appeared in some BBC television plays.
He joined the newly formed ATV as a producer, his first assignment the 1955 Saturday afternoon ad mag At Home with Joy Shelton. This lead to his involvement mostly with serious religious programmes in the long running About Religion.
Among his successful efforts were an interview between a nun and Anthony Greenwood, John Betjeman and Monica Dickens. Another showed Teddy boys discussing their philosophy with a padre from Peckham.
In 1959 he directed a few episodes of Emergency- Ward 10, while in the 1960's he produced a number of networked documentaries, again for ATV.


TV Companies: BBC . ATV . STV . TWW . Southern TV . Tyne Tees TV . Anglia TV . Ulster TV . Danzigers . . . . . To a fine Vintage TV site
Video: Here's the sales promotion for the 1957 series African Patrol

Vintage TV Channel
Sky 369 devoted to the (rather wide) era the "1940s to the 1980s" has now started, and maybe there might eventually be vintage films as promised, but for the present it should be immediately renamed VINTAGE MUSIC TV, because the current station name is thoroughly misleading

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. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Children's Television
Muffin the Mule Billy Bunter The Railway Children Counter Attack! Pathfinders ... The Terrible Ten
Crackerjack Mr Pastry Tom's Midnight Garden
City /Secret Beneath the Sea Lion, Witch and Wardrobe Flash Gordon
Bonehead Adventure Weekly Sooty Object Z Freewheelers Flight of the Heron
For Dinosaur TV research into ITV Children's serials, BBC Children's serials. See also Romper Room.
Main TV Menu

An ABC cartoon series made in 1960
Foo Foo
"A regular cartoon TV series has long been overdue and even without the advantages of colour, Halas and Batchelor have successfully created a fresh character who is sure to please the kiddies," wrote critic Lawrence Masidlover.
"A group of 33 fine films have been produced each lasting seven minutes and involving the adventures of Foo Foo. Two films are transmitted consecutively.
Foo Foo is an engaging little fellow and is sure to delight children from six to sixty. An amusing tramp (like Popeye), he has an arch enemy Gogo, who has an outsize beard. Gogo is a bully relying more on brute strength than cunning.
On the other hand our hero Foo Foo is small and Chaplinesque in appearance, complete with bowler hat. And like Chaplin this humorous character could last for years (well, that prophecy failed). It is not easy to make a tv cartoon series when there are so many established characters from America. Despite this Halas and Batchelor successfully took the plunge. They developed a new technique for cartoons. Each picture story is so carefully prepared that the plot could be followed easily although not a word of dialogue is spoken. A fine effort."
Only story I have seen- #20 'Beauty Treatment'

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Sooty
with longsuffering creator, Harry Corbett.

Was the wonderful Harry the first non-standard English speaking star on the BBC?! Though of course his creation, Sooty, was the real star, and you musn't forget the mischievous Sweep. Harry knew how to entertain children, with a mixture of slapstick and naughtiness plus an element of self parody. I used to love his pained expression when Sooty or Sweep got him in the face with ink... or flour.... or.... almost everything else under the sun!

Sooty's Garage-
The expected chaos when Harry calls at Sooty's garage and gets squirted with petrol
Sooty's Pottery (16mm film)
Sooty "the expert" demonstrates how to make a pot, but Sweep switches up the kiln temperature, and the pot is frazzled. Sooty's magic repairs the damage, but only partly, because it now has no bottom, and when it is filled full of milk...
When Muffin met Sooty -
celebrated encounter between the pair in the Muffin series

As Harry used to say, Bye bye Everyone, to Children's Menu

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Freewheelers
To
Children's Menu

Southern TV's most successful serial ran for 104 episodes (eight series of thirteen stories each) between 1968 and 1973. Producer Chris McMaster said his plots were influenced by Danger Man and The Avengers, but it was not intended to be "way out, with it or trendy. Scientific facts would be correct and the deadly devices within the bounds of possibility."

The first serial entitled Menace! in 5 episodes starred Geoffrey Toone as the villain Von Gelb, and
Ronald Leigh-Hunt as Col Buchan (not episodes 1 and 2), with the children Tom Owen as Bill Cowan, Gregory Phillips as Chris Kelly (not 1.1), Mary Maude as Terry Driver, plus Ronald Govey (Monk) and Michael Brennan (Boone), Script: James Hopes.
1.1 The Sleepers (April 4th 1968) - my review
1.2 No Smoke (April 11th 1968) - my review
Also in this episode were: Ivan Beavis (Bryant), John Swindells (Alf), and Michael Murray (Cmdr Bell).
1.3 The Camp (April 18th 1968) - my review. Also with Howard Lang (Admiral Nash).
1.4 The Ultimatum (April 25th 1968) - my review. Also with Howard Lang.
1.5 Face to Face (May 2nd 1968)- my review. Also with Howard Lang.

The second serial following straight on from the first was called Recipe for Danger in 4 episodes, with the same main stars:
Geoffrey Toone (not story 1.6 or 1.7), Ronald Leigh-Hunt (not story 1.6 or 1.7), Tom Owen, Gregory Phillips, and Mary Maude.
Others appearing in each of the 4 episodes of this story: Nicholas Smith (Captain Nils Larsen), and Roy Patrick (Olaf),
Script: Barry Busbridge. Director: John Braybon. Producer: Chris McMaster.
1.6 Too Many Cooks (May 9th 1968)- my review. Also appearing: Norman Mitchell (Dusty), Gordon Faith (Stefan), Bruno Barnabe (Alex Dmitropolous), Peter Thompson (Carol), Arnold Beck (Kurt).
1.7 One Man's Meat (May 16th 1968) - my review. Also in this: Gordon Faith, Bruno Barnabe, Peter Thompson, Arnold Beck and Terry Wright (Policeman)
1.8 Trouble Brewing (May 23rd 1968) - my review. Plus Bryan O'Leary (Paddy), Julian Grant, Clive Taylor, and Ned Stern
1.9 Bring to the Boil (May 30th 1968) - review, plus Bryan O'Leary, John Higgins, John McNulty, Michael South, Robert Wilcox, and Michael Wrigley.

The third and final serial of this first series following on from the second was called
The Big Freeze in 4 episodes, with the same main stars: Geoffrey Toone, Ronald Leigh-Hunt, plus Ronald Adam (Prof Lawrie), Tom Owen, Gregory Phillips, and Mary Maude.
Also appearing in each of the 4 episodes of this story was Chris Matthews (Dr Robert Duncan).
Script: Trevor Preston. Producer: Chris McMaster. Von Gelb has stolen Anvil, a machine that can control the weather. He plans to create a blizzard to paralyse a British destroyer.
1.10 Icarus (June 6th 1968) - A professor vanishes. Can minds be controlled?
Also in this cast were Ronald Govey (Monk, as in the first story), Brian Wilde (Dr Spencer). Also: Trevor Baker, the Southern TV Weatherman, uncredited.
1.11 Valkyrie - (June 13th 1968) - A deadly machine, and a fountain pen that is not what it seems
Also in this cast was Charles Lamb (Clayton).
1.12 Anvil- (June 20th 1968) - The storm bursts. 'Turn back before it's too late'
1.13 Gotterdammerung - (June 27th 1968) - A shipload of scientists, and a twist of fate
Also in this cast were Ian Flintoff (TV announcer), Ronald Govey, and Jane Murdoch (Dr June Paxson).

Series 2- The Zander Plot (in 8 parts)
Chris Chittell as Nick now replaces Chris.
With Geoffrey Toone, Ronald Leigh-Hunt, plus Jeanne Moody (Terry Driver), Denys Peck (Otto), Gary Hope (Hunter: stories 5-8)
Script: Rick Trader Witcombe. Director: Peter Croft. Producer: Chris McMaster.
A review of the only surviving episode of this story, the last: 2.8 Doomsday (January 8th 1969)

Colour series 6, made in 1971 has been reissued on dvd. Ronald Leigh-Hunt is the only original cast member left, and there are now children stars in Wendy Padbury as Sue Craig, Adrian Wright as Mike Hobbs, and Leonard Gregory as Steve Walker.
6.1 Nero (September 27th 1971) - Ryan and Burke (Richard Shaw and Michael Ripper) have escaped prison and are lurking on Shanklin Pier where Steve, Mike and Sue spot them. But they run off and land in a crumbling mansion where Professor Nero (Jerome Willis) recruits them to rob a ship, The Dragon, of the cargo of gold bullion worth six million that it is transporting. Now this ship happens to be where our Three are working as waiters...
6.2 Operation Seagull - The gas Somnol has knocked out nearly everyone on The Dragon, enabling Ryan and Burke to remove the crates of gold. But Mike and Steve hide in the boxes and are able to alert Col Buchan that their hq is Bickley Manor, where the gold is melted down into frying pans. The money raised from their sale will fund Nero's ace project
6.3 Medusa - The Department of Oceanography Cambridge is where Professor John Barnet, now missing, had worked on making larger plankton to solve the world food shortage, code name Medusa, and Nero looks like the prof! His assistant Dr Jo Bell (Jenny Till) tells Col Buchan all this while the boys find out Operation Seagull is an air display. When Mike learns too much, Soapy (Lawrence James) places a bomb in the plane Mike is to pilot, but luckily his plot fails. Col Buchan takes Jo to Paris for a meeting of Achilles, a scientists' club that Barnet belonged to, but once there he is knocked out
6.4 Mayday - Ryan and Burke shoot at Steve's plane, "they've got my right wing!" He's able to land at Stockbridge, safely. All sixty scientists at the Achilles meeting have disappeared, where? Sue joins Colin (Mike Lewin) to find the answer, no luck at Hartland Point, and Col Buchan has his own methods, by joining the arrested Ryan and Burke as a fellow prisoner. A fake rescue for them is staged and they are tailed by Mike and Steve to Portsmouth, where they join a training ship
6.5 Pirates - Bodinnick Lighthouse, that's Nero's hq. Joining him is Mike and Steve's ship, The Malcolm Miller. Colin is wounded, and Sue captured near the giant machine Medusa, which is concealed under the lighthouse. She's tied up on the beach, at the mercy of the incoming tide
6.6 The Threat - Mike and Steve swim from their ship to the shore to rescue Colin and, water up to her neck, Sue, both taken by dinghy to Polperro, though en route Col Buchan picks them up. They plan to put Sue on The Churchill, sister ship to The Malcolm Miller, that Ryan and Burke are going to hijack. At the lighthouse, one scientist, Prof John McCabe (Simon Cuff) is anxious for action, but Nero is not ready yet for Medusa
6.7 Doomsday - "The world, I have decided to destroy it," cries Nero. Only those 60 scientists and the youngsters from the two ships will survive as Medusa spreads o'er the earth. Later, they'll emerge into a brave new if empty world, "he mustn't do it!" Buchan and Jo penetrate the lighthouse to prevent tragedy, and the ships' crews are rescued. An almighty explosion, only Ryan and Burke survive, and they grab Mike and Steve as hostages

6.8 Black Box
6.9 Cypher
6.10 The Parcel
6.11 The Race
6.12 Red Herring
6.13 Pay Off
Children's Menu

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Menace! 1.1 The Sleepers (April 4th 1968)
A disjointed opening sequence, but have patience, the story does come together and gains momentum.

"Target range one mile... Stop engines." Mysterious sounds. "Course 090." Completion of a successful exercise, except for "ruddy idiot" Boone (Michael Brennan) who has failed to do his part of the job properly. Can he make amends when it's the real thing?
The packed 5.45pm London to Portsmouth train is a little unusual, an anorak's delight. For a start it's not an electric train, and the line it runs on has traffic lights as signals! But more relevant to the plot, the train also has a relief steward.
A party of sailors are enjoying themselves in the restaurant car. They are bound for a new Polaris sub, and one young passenger, Bill Cowan chats happily to them.
But the steward ejects him from the coach, and Bill spots the original steward who has been knocked unconscious. Hurriedly he fetches the guard, but by the time he's on the scene, the body has gone. The guard is sceptical, but Bill tells another young passenger, Terry Driver.
In the restaurant car, all the sailors have been drugged. At a pre-arranged location, Boone has got the signal changed to danger. Stop. One carriage, the restaurant car, is uncoupled. The train chugs onward, minus the drugged sailors.
On the alert, Bill notices the last coach has become detached. As per plan, Boone is phoning the signalbox, "this is box 106, stop the Portsmouth train." So it shunts back to pick up the errant carriage. Now on it are replacement sailors. And Bill knows it, for one, Alf whom he'd been chatting to, isn't there now. "They're not the same sailors," Bill warns Terry
Review of
part 2 . . . To Freewheelers

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Menace!
1.2 No Smoke

Bill helpfully recaps the plot for newcomers, as he works out how all the sailors have changed. But why, that's the key unanswered question.
Terry takes the bull by the horns and tries to talk to the sailors, but meets a wall of silence. She agrees to split up with Bill, undertaking to follow these sailors. Bill's rather improbable task is to leap off the train as it rattles along, then, unhurt apparently, hitch a ride from a motorcyclist and catch up with the coach which is transporting the original bunch of sailors. They reach a dark isolated house, "lock them in the cellar."
Bill, and his motorcycle mate Chris Kelly find a grill by the cellar and the sailors urge them to fetch the police. Guards dressed in white chase the two lads and they are driven straight into the hands of Boone. He ushers them into the presence of the Boss, Number One ("as a name it lacks panache," he admits). The pair are interrogated. This German seems "as mad as a hatter."
"Ze problem is, what is to be done with you?" However very conveniently he also explains his plans for world domination, based on revenge for his country's defeat in ze last war. This kidnapping of sailors is but one of six simultaneous operations. All the replacements are bound for a nuclear submarine. Having been privy to these secrets, Boone escorts them to the cellar. There Chris has the bright idea of starting a small fire and this doesn't cause them all to be fried alive, for the guards dash in and our boys and the sailors escape. Though phone lines are dead, they use the coach that brought them here to make their bid for freedom.
Terry has alighted from the Portsmouth train (a different one to that in episode 1!) and has followed the sailors who are marching to the dockyard. There she is picked up by the real sailors, plus Bill and Chris, but sad to say, they arrive only in time to see the submarine submerging

To review of part 3
To Freewheelers

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Menace!
1.3 The Camp

Admiral Nash: "Thesus our latest nuclear submarine is missing." Even the PM is worried.
Col Buchan of MI6 is put in charge of the search. He admits, "we don't know who's got it." But maybe those kids do.
Bill is showing Chris his boatyard. Terry has just joined them for a meal, when the phone rings. Colonel Buchan asks the two lads to come to Portsmouth to see a film, footage from July 1944 of the Nazi programme to build a super rocket. In charge of the project is Von Gelb, and he's the Nazi who had interrogated Bill and Chris! Col Buchan adds quietly, "you see why we've got to get our hands on him." But his quest proves to be peculiarly unsuccessful.
The boys tell Terry all about the interview and speculate where Von Gelb might be based now. They test out their theory by checking on out-of-season holiday camps in the vicinity. The first is deserted, and at a second they also draw a blank.
Between Freshwater and Compton Bay, our trio discover a more active camp. There's Boone! Over a fence they climb and there in the great dining hall sits, in solitary splendour Von Gelb, surrounded by the boom of German grand music, for he is gloating over his triumph.
"Time to turn the screw a little harder," he smirks, and on a tv link he confronts Col Buchan. The sub is targetted on London, he warns, and it's loaded with nuclear missiles

To review of part 4
To Freewheelers

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Menace!
1.4 The Ultimatum

The PM has to decide whether to accede to von Gelb's extortionate demand for £100,000 in diamonds. "The fellow's a madman."
In his holiday camp, echoing to the strains of Wagner, the Nazi puffs a contented cigar. "It is time to pay some debts." On the Thesus (which looks suspiciously like a model), the crew prepare to fire missiles if so ordered.
The three kids, in attempting to run away from the camp are shot at. It brings about an interesting chase round the funfair, and then Bill and Chris hide first up the helter skelter, then in a chalet. They espy Boone in a frogman's suit with a large canister. If the lads did but know it, this is a replica of the canister that Col Buchan is to send the diamonds in. However Boone is so incompetent that von Gelb decides to entrust this mysterious mission to his impassive servant Monk.
Now von Gelb and his entourage take their leave of the camp in a Land Rover, but what they don't know is that Bill and Chris are hidden inside. Their destination is a boat, von Gelb's boat. But where has Terry got to? She's the prisoner of the Nazi, or "guest" as he terms it. "You're just a common thief," she retorts, which doesn't endear her to him. Chris is von Gelb's prisoner number two. But at least Bill Cowan has got away, to the police.
To prove his powers, von Gelb now arranges a demonstration explosion of a missile in mid-Atlantic

To review of the final part
To Freewheelers

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Menace! 1.5 Face to Face

The explosion temporarily blanks out radio communications.
The diamonds are readied for sending, plus Col Buchan's ace, a miniature radio transmitter. "Whoever picks up the diamonds will lead us straight to von Gelb." Terry and Chris are von Gelb's prisoners. They try and convince the dim Boone to rebel, but he doesn't play ball. As they wait the arrival of the diamonds, von Gelb plays chess against Terry. "The mental discipline of the game would do you good," he advises. Using the chess pieces, he illustrates his triumph- Col Buchan is the chivalrous knight, "but lacking striking power." And who is von Gelb? "The directing mind," the King!
Enter Monk with the canister of diamonds. The transmitter is winkled out of one of the jewels, and chucked overboard. only Chris manages to switch a diamond for the transmitter.
Grid ref 57244200. Von Gelb, rich beyond dreams, now plans to sail away to repeat his blackmail on another country, America perhaps? His boat makes for Thesus.
Bill has joined Col Buchan on HMS Pegasus. By helicopter they fly to the rendezvous with Thesus that von Gelb is now at. Thanks to Terry and Chris eluding their captors, von Gelb's boat has been careering wildly and Buchan is lowered by rope on to the Thesus just after von Gelb has gone aboard.
Von Gelb is boasting of his Button, his hand caressing the dangerous device. In bursts Buchan with a gun. "Surface at once," he orders. But this is stalemate, as the Nazi threatens to press the button if he is shot. Luckily, the idiot Boone interrupts the tension. But in a puff of smoke, von Gelb disappears, "check, but not I think checkmate!"

End of story. Return to Freewheelers or why not start the next adventure?

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Series 1.6
Recipe for Danger
This four part serial is less tightly written than the first. Too much time is spent on setting the scene, the absence of seeing the arch villain weaving his fiendish plot is disappointing, it would be all right if the story was a ten parter, but as it is, the build up in the first two stories isn't justified by the final two episodes.

1. Too Many Cooks

The lost expanse of the sea. A ship drifts, the crew lifeless. The headlines proclaim Fifth Ship Vanishes.
Chris is going on board The Tromso. The cook Dusty (Norman Mitchell) asks Chris, "you don't think it's going to happen to this ship?"
While the ship remains in dock, Chris is given a temporary job by the captain (Nicholas Smith with what I think is a Norwegian accent). When Dusty is taken ill, Chris knows of a last minute replacement, Terry. "Women are unlucky on board ship," protests the captain, but with noone else available, he offers her a trial.
Bill and Chris carry in the necessary food supplies, plenty of potatoes. In the kitchen they spot a ladle that has been impregnated with dope. "Who would want to do it to Dusty?"
This ladle is apparently part of some new kitchen equipment purchased from the Eureka Ship Chandlers, a shop run by Dmitropulous, who also trains ships' cooks. Chris buys four similar ladles there.
Terry's cuisine has proved a big hit with the crew, but for the forthcoming voyage a cook is supplied from Dmitropulous' school.
Now Terry poses as a posh lady seeking a place on one of Dmitropulous' courses. She enlists on a crash course.
Chris snoops round the Tromso and spots the new cook...

To my review of next episode , or back to Freewheelers

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Series 1.7 Recipe for Danger 2. One Man's Meat
"Just a coincidence?" That is, the new cook just happens to be one of the trainees at Dmitropulous' school.
At this school Terry kneads dough to Italian music, "she does not strangle it," he tells the other students. Terry smuggles out the spare keys to the building in some dough, and later Chris makes impressions of them. "I hope they fit."
That night Bill and Terry break in to Eureka's premises. Chris keeps watch outside. A bobby on patrol nearly rumbles them. But what is the combination of the safe? Terry had heard Dmitropulous mumble Greek Independence Day, March 21st 1821, so they try 3211821, "no good." Try the day first, suggests Terry. 2131821, "it works."
Bill scans the documents and takes plenty of photos. However Dmitropulous returns from his party celebrating independence, thank goodness Chris stalls him, enabling Terry and Bill to get away via a skylight.
The photos are developed. A map of Ireland, lists of sailings, including the ships that have disappeared, "Tromso must be the next one on the list." Blaskin Island seems to be the key, "never heard of it."
On board Cpt Larsen is worried as the cook is feeling sick.
Next day, at the school, soup is being made. "23rd March, Tromso," Terry overhears. She phones Chris, who rushes to alert Cpt Larsen, but he never makes it

Review of next episode, or
Back to Freewheelers

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Series 1.8
Recipe for Danger
3. Trouble Brewing

Chris is taken prisoner on the Tromso, "don't try anything." Deep down in the cold room, he is locked in.
With the ship about to sail, Bill climbs on board to wish Captain Larsen bon voyage. The captain is rather upset because the new cook Olaf is not very good.
When Bill meets up with Terry again, she tells him of the radio message she had overheard. They dash to warn Larsen, but too late, for the ship has left harbour.
Bill recalls Colonel Buchan has a country cottage nearby, "I hope he's in." But he is out.
So they decide to search Eureka Chandlers again, in case Chris is kept there. But a man stops them, and he is holding a gun. It's Colonel Buchan!
He sifts through the information Terry and Bill give him, "I've been working on this case for some time now." He radios the Tromso and leaves a message for the captain, "Arrest the Cook. Do Not Eat Anything prepared by the cook." But the message is not received, the crooks intercept it. And in charge of them is Von Gelb!
Col Buchan takes a helicopter out to the ship, regretting he can't take Bill and Terry with him. But they have their own ideas about that, and stow away.
Mealtime on the Tromso. Radio operative Paddy hears tapping, it's Chris. He traces the source and releases the prisoner. All Chris can find now are drugged members of the crew. A speed boat is racing towards the ship.
"Going somewhere?" Chris is asked. He's captured once more as Von Gelb climbs aboard. He is ready and waiting to greet Colonel Buchan...

For meview of the final part of this adventure
Now, back to Freewheelers

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Series 1.9
Recipe for Danger
4. Bring To The Boil

(Different opening music to the usual.)

Chris has got free and despite frantic waving, the helicopter lands Col Buchan on von Gelb's ship. The greeting Buchan receives from von Gelb is nothing if not predictable, "nice of you to drop in on us again."
Von Gelb's right hand man shoots at the departing helicopter and the pilot is hit, the helicopter careering out of control. "They were a sitting duck," moans Buchan.
But he isn't aware that Bill and Terry were on board, but luckily they bale out. Very improbably they succeed in climbing on board the Tromso, unnoticed.
Chris warns Captain Larsen of the whole plot but both are captured and locked in the cold room, only to be rescued by Bill and Terry. "We recapture the ship," that's Larsen's idea, and to do so they need to dispose of the enemy, whom they pick off one at a time. But Olaf smashes the rasio so they cannot summon help. "What are we going to do now?" They are heading for Ireland, Blaskin Island, uninhabited rocks.
Von Gelb is taunting Col Buchan as they pit their wits in a game of 3D chess. Kindly von Gelb outlines his evil scheme to start a war with his captured ships and the armaments he has ammassed, "any war with the possibility of escalation" involving the superpowers.
Larsen plans, since he seems to have watched The African Queen, to use the Tromso to ram von Gelb's fleet, thus causing an almighty explosion. The only drawback is that Col Buchan will get blown up too.
In von Gelb's cabin, Col Buchan announces "check." "I was expecting zat," von Gelb has to concede. Olaf warns von Gelb of Larsen's plan with the strains of Wagner booming in the background. Panic. The three kids whisk away Col Buchan in a dinghy. Explosion. "We've lost him!" as von Gelb also escapes, speeding away in a motor launch.
"There'll be another time"

Now it's Time to go back to Freewheelers menu.

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2.8 Doomsday
Explosions are to occur in every water pipeline in the country. Boon and Monk have placed the charges, due to go off in eight hours time at noon. How can von Gelb's evil plan to take over Britain while the nation sleeps drugged be prevented? On his volcanic isle, the master criminal, aided by Olga, anticipates his triumph; "everything is ready for the invasion." After London, he can invade other countries. he spouts poetry along the lines of zis sceptred isle etc.
Col Buchan suggests creating an antidote, for with but six hours left he sees it's futile to try and locate and destroy all the exploding canisters. Then he realises that von Gelb must have his own antidote at the ready.
At their lighthouse, Monk and Boon have a supply and Buchan snatches it, somehow hoping enough of the stuff can be manufactured in time.
"Achtung, ze moment for action has arrived!" Von Gelb addresses his troops, "forward to ze new vorld!" But among those troops are our three heroes. They join the troops flying by helicopters for the invasion.
Two hours to go. The PM gets the army to distribute the antidote, but it's too late, so the BBC are instructed to warn everyone not to drink any water. However, Buchan's phoned request is switched to Monk, and no warning is ever broadcast.
So soon nearly everyone is asleep, roads littered with unconscious bodies a la Day of the Triffids. In his flash Merc, MMM300C, von Gelb parades royally into London, past Big Ben to Nelson's Column. It's an impressively done scene, as von Gelb sidesteps the bodies in his hour of glory. Alas, he's in for a shock, when Buchan steps up with Bill Nick and Terry to arrest him. "Von Gelb in the bag at last"
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Freewheelers menu.

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THE FLIGHT OF THE HERON
The story commences in the year 1745, so you can guess the theme! Veteran Scottish star Finlay Currie played a blind soothsayer, who prophesies that a flying heron will bring together two men on opposing sides: Ewen Cameron, a highland chieftain (Ian McCulloch), and Captain Keith Windham, an English officer (Jon Laurimore). Though they are enemies, they do learn a lot from each other.
Most of the location shooting was done near Fort Augustus, and the indoor scenes in STV's Glasgow studios. So many props were required, a special wagon on a train from London had to be hired to transport the furnishings, cannons and costumes etc.
With all the extras, the cast amount to 187. In charge was master producer Francis Essex, with director Brian Mahoney. The script was by Moultrie Kelsall from a novel by DK Broster. The atmosphere breathed a kind of serious historical serial on the lines of the successful BBC prototypes, rather than something like jolly old Ivanhoe. The breathtaking outdoor scenery gives the series a fine sense of reality, only marred by the uneasy feeling that because of their limited numbers, these are after all only actors dressed up wandering round the Scotland of today. And perhaps it's not so much fun compared with the likes of The Adventures of Robin Hood. Yet it turned out as good as anything its rival BBC could have done for children, and that is praise enough.

My reviews of each episode
1-
Capture (28th February 1968)- with Sheila Whittingham, 2- Rebellion- with Sophie Stewart, 3- Escape- with Leonard Maguire, Bruce McKenzie, 4- Levee- with Helena Gloag, WHD Joss, 5- Retreat- with Meg Watt, Allan Craig, 6- Rescue- with James Copeland, Bill Henderson, 7- Torture- with Tom Conti and Richard Wilson making brief appearances, 8- Revenge - with John Young.

Fly back to Children's Menu

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. 1 Capture
Ewen Cameron is arguing with gamekeeper Lachlan, forbidding him to shoot a heron. Apparently sighting the bird foretells a meeting with a Sassenach redcoat, both their fates interlinked. The prophecy from old Angus MacMartin is that this enemy will do you great service, but cause you also bitter grief.
A romantic farewell by the loch with Miss Alison- these are the two loves of Ewen's little world. They even see the heron Lachlan didn't shoot.
Ewen's world is to be enlarged, for news has reached the glen that the Prince has landed at Borrowdale, "he has come at last! Clan Cameron will rise!"
"A uniquely barbarous prospect" is facing Captain Windham and his redcoats on the march to Fort William. The captain bemoans the fact that he could have been in Flanders fighting against civilised troops, if it hadn't been for this Young Pretender. In a wild mountain pass, an ambush awaits. Scouts sent on ahead spot a lot of madmen with bagpipes. A gun battle follows, Windham hastens on horseback to Fort Augustus to rally reinforcements. However he is surrounded by kilted warriors who chase him across the moors. Fleeing on his horse, it suddenly shies at the sight of a heron in flight. Windham is left stunned and lamed. He staggers forward, his sword a walking stick, but unluckily meets with Ewen. He refuses to surrender and despite Ewen's reluctance, the two fight with swords. The victory is an easy one, and the weakened Windham is taken prisoner. On his word of honour, he is placed on Ewen's steed to be taken to Ewen's home, there for his wounds to be bathed
To
Review of part 2
To Flight of the Heron

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2 Rebellion

The studio scenes lack a certain flow and some, not all, of the acting is weak.

Aunt Margaret supplies bandages and medicaments for the injured Captain Windham, who Ewen calls his "guest," though Windham himself more realistically describes himself as "prisoner."
After the injured Redcoat is made comfortable, the two enemies chat, there's a sense of admiring friendship, only spoiled by the Englishman getting hot under the collar when Ewen seems to suggest he might be tempted to break his parole. Ewen adds the riposte, "at morning prayers we pray for our rightful sovereign."
Bagpipes awaken Windham next morn, "that infernal row." He wanders round the estate until kilted warriors spot him seeing what he should not see. Accused of spying, Windham is brought before blind Angus, who only speaks Gaelic. His second sight warned him of the heron in the Sassenach's path, and he is ordered to be freed, though the "unmannerly ruffians" would take their own revenge, except Ewen intervenes.
With Aunt Margaret keeping a watchful eye from the window, Miss Alison Grant approaches Winham as he sits aside the loch. She really wants to know if he is only biding his time before he gets a chance to escape. He in turn pleads with her to spare his friend Ewen from embarking on this "hopeless venture." Hardly diplomatic, and she castigates his "English way of thinking," retorting that they follow the one who "has the right."
Now it is Ewen who makes an impossible demand, saying he will let Windham go free, if he promises to take no further part himself in the campaign. That cannot be accepted, so the pair agree that Windham must go with Ewen, still on parole, on his journey on the morrow.
To the skirl of more bagpipes they take their leave of the castle
To
Review of part 3
To Flight of the Heron

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3 Escape

To the noise of more bagpipes, the Scottish mini army gather "to strike terror into the hearts of a foreign people."
Prince Charles orders Lochiel to persuade Captain Windham to accept the terms of his release. But this is still refused, so terms of parole are discussed. Finally a compromise is reached, the parole will end in three days, at 9pm on the 23rd.
So Windham continues to march with the group across the bogs, wheels jarring on rutted roads as cannon and arms are dragged slowly onward. Windham jests with Ewen over this new type of military strategy.
After one night roughing it, the group settle in to a burgess' home near Corpach. Ewen is placed in charge of a baggage train by His Royal Highness, and seems to forget about the ending of his 'prisoner's' parole. But naturally, Captain Windham has not, and he lays his plans to flee once the time of his parole is over.
Disguised in a kilt, he writes a farewell note, and descends the stairs from his bedroom. Oh, he just remembers to remove his Redcoat wig.
"He's gone, my prisoner... I clean forgot," cries Ewen. The note angers him, especially the offer of three guineas for the loan of the clothing
To
review of part 4
To Flight of the Heron

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4 Levee
We move on. This story is really a one-off interlude after the first three episodes that flow nicely.
Ewen Cameron is now aide-de-camp to Prince Charles, while Captain Windham is in the Hanoverian garrison in Edinburgh, which is all but surrounded by the prince's army.
The victory of Prestonpans is celebrated at Holyrood House, where the prince greets Ewen and his fiancee Miss Alison. Ewen has a brush with the obnoxious Strickland over protection for the slightly foppish Scottish prince with the French accent. It is agreed that Ewen shall guard the prince as he walks to a secret rendezvous "dangeroudly near" the castle to meet... a lady. "This is an honour," the elderly host declares, the prince is actually here to seek financial support for his cause. But Ewen's alertness is justified when the house is surrounded by Redcoats, and the prince barely escapes via a secret stairway. Captain Windham and his men burst into the house.
"I know that the Pretender is here." Ewen suggests he look in Holyrood.
"Accept the fortunes of war," retorts Windham, now the positions of the two men are reversed from their previous encounter. However matters can quickly change, and the redcoats retreat in cowardly fashion, leaving Windham once more in the custody of Ewen, who is wounded after their slight scuffle.
"I lost my temper," apologises WIndham, adding by way of explanation, "I thought you had your sword out." They bandage Ewen's bleeding hand, then Windham is allowed to 'escape,' ironically via the very route that his highness had only just taken.
There's another gap before the story continues with events leading up to Culloden.
To
review of part 5
To Flight of the Heron

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5 Retreat
1746- after moving south to Derby, the Scots have retreated back to Scotland and Ewen makes for Lady Ogilvy's house in Inverness.
Alison has received a message from her father in France, that he is too ill to return home. She must go to see him. A boat is to depart in two days. So the hasty Ewen proposes an immediate marriage. The minister obliges and the happy ceremony takes place, his Royal Highness bestowing his gracious blessing.
Time for Alison to depart, reluctantly, and she bids tearful farewell to Ewen, sensing he is to face grave danger.
Her intuition is correct, the Redcoats strike, Ewen is injured. Gently he is carried to Glen Nevis House, his ribs cracked. He is ordered to rest. He is cared for by his doting Aunt Margaret. Then comes an order,
"Gather your men, and march at once. Cumberland is moving." The English break through to Nairn, "ill news" for the Scots who are tired, hungry, dispirited.
The Scots take their stand on the moor, against Lochiel's better judgement. "Any hope of repulsing him?" Ewen asks of the Redcoat leader. The Scots have but the "courage of despair," but no tangible hope of success.
Lochiel even plans with Ewen a suitable rendezvous when the inevitable retreat occurs (the cave behind the rock).
As winds howl over the desolate more, the troops engage in combat
To
review of part 6
To Flight of the Heron

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6 Rescue

The grim moor, guns now idle, men lying dead in mud.
Major Guthrie's men are sacking cottages, shielings, when Captain Windham prevents Guthrie from needless barbaric cruelty to an injured highlander, who indeed proves to be an officer, Lochiel's kinsman Cameron. Windam argues for Cameron's life and Guthrie finally concedes, since the man is more use alive.
In a dark room, Windham patches up the still unconscious Cameron's wounds.
Later, Windham explains to the brash Guthrie his debt to Cameron. "Friends in both camps," jibes Guthrie, adding hastily, "just a pleasantry."
Returning to Cameron with some food, the injured man screams in agony as his wounds are treated. "You saved my life, this is more than kindness." Cameron relates how the redcoats had left him for dead. Exhausted through lack of food, he had been hiding in this shieling when he had been flushed out by Guthrie's men. The pair reflect on the prophecy that they would meet five times, this is now the third.
Cameron does know of Lochiel's whereabouts, though that of course is his secret. But Guthrie wants to know it. Yet Windham concedes privately that he would be sad if Lochiel were to be captured

Review of part 7
To Flight of the Heron

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7 Torture
Major Guthrie continues to rant, blaming Windham. Retorts the latter, "you swine, you twist everything I say." He is questioned as to his motives for assisting the highland rebel instead of spending his time on his soldierly duties. After a flare up, he is arrested for insubordination.
Thus there comes about the fourth meeting between the two men on opposite sides, this time in the depths of prison. The truth comes out that Cameron had not yielded to torture in revealing Lochiel's whereabouts, but exhausted after days of intense interrogation, in his sleep he had uttered the name of the mountain where Lochiel's cave is. "I slept and I talked." The two part, shaking hands.
But the mountain Cameron has named cannot be located, does it exist? He is further questioned, but will never reveal the real name of the place.
Good news for Windham- he is exonerated. That is, if he will testify against Cameron. But even the intervention of His Royal Highness will not persuade Windham to sink to that. "It is no part of military duty to play the informer."
Lord Albermarle berates him for his insolence to the royal personage, but he doesn't attempt to make Windham testify against Cameron at his trial which will shortly begin away in Carlisle. Instead, he commissions Windham to travel to Arisaig where intelligence suggests The Young Pretender is heading to flee the country by ship

To review of the final episode
Flight of the Heron

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FINAL PART
8 Revenge

Cameron is being dragged off to his trial, tied up on a horse, guarded by three Redcoats. A highland lassie aids his flight and despite a hot chase, Cameron is free from his pursuers. Soaked to the skin, he gains his freedom.
As far south as Morar, Captain Windham had set soldiers on watch for the Prince. News of a drowned man has reached Windham- could it be Cameron? But there is that prophecy that they would meet five times- so Windham is as sure as he can be that his friend still lives. And it is true, though only just, for the wounded Cameron has barely struggled home. Bedraggled, step by step he had staggered, then crawled to safety.
Soon he's in better spirits under the ministrations of Aunt Margaret. Even though he would be with his wife away in France, he must warn Lochiel who is in hiding, "there's something I must tell him." But some of his kinsman cannot trust him, for they believe he did, albeit inadvertently and inaccurately betray Lochiel.
Cameron rides to Arisaig but is spotted by Redcoats. For Windham lies in wait for the prince. A Redcoat is poised to shoot Cameron, "you can't let a rebel escape."
But this is no the prince, and Windham remembers his debt of honour to the highlander and refuses to allow Cameron to be killed. However that kindness backfires when a zealous Scot runs through this gentle Sassenach with a sword.
Cameron and Windham's final meeting sees the latter dying. "Your friend... always." Windham yet has breath to warn Cameron of the approaching patrol as the pair shake hands. Sadly, Cameron takes leave of the dead soldier, barely to catch the boat for France.

A tense final episode, satisfying if sad, though the script never makes you feel the relationship between the two enemies who became friends is ever more than on the surface.

To Flight of the Heron

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To Main TV Menu

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Muffin the Mule
A children's favourite presented by Annette Mills

"We want Muffin, Muffin the Mule
Dear old Muffin playing the fool!
We want Muffin- everybody sing
We want Muffin the Mule."

Father Christmas Muffin
Dick Muffington And His Cat
When Muffin met Sooty
Schoolboy Muffin - Professor Peregrine gives out homework which baffles Oswald the Ostrich, 2 minus 1 proving too difficult. Muffin produces a One Man Band but when he's naughty Peregrine has one of his splendid tantrums
Muffin's Aquarium
Muffin and the Bird Parliament
Muffin and the Squeaking Shoes
Muffin in a Jam
Muffin's Bedtime Story
Also a brief clip- Muffin's One Mule Band
See also
We Are Your Servants (1956)

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Mr Pastry (BBC) -

Richard Hearne was a superb children's entertainer, now unjustly neglected by a generation who thirst after crudity in humour, a thing that Richard always vehemently avoided.
His long running appearances on Children's Television made for gentle fun-loving enjoyment, that us innocent children thoroughly appreciated. He made many one off short films, but I think the first series was Mr Pastry's Progress shown in late 1950/ early 1951. Three series were made in the early Sixties, Ask Mr Pastry (1961), Mr Pastry's Progress (1962), and Mr Pastry's Pet Shop (November/ December 1962). In these, I particularly liked Barbara Hicks as Miss Print, a fine foil to Pastry's antics.

It seems very few of his tv shows both for BBC and also ITV survive. If you have any of his tv programmes or can add more data, I'd love to hear from you! Most interesting to see, would be his 1957 A-R series for adults, Highland Fling. And of course, we can only speculate how his interpretation of Dr Who might have turned out. However, thankfully, some of his numerous Ed Sullivan TV Shows in America are still around as are his British feature films.

'Mr Pastry Learns to Ski' (1956)
A BBC film short as Mr Pastry demonstrates how not to ski. Fairly predictable clowing around on the ski slopes accompanied by a typical running commentary of the era.

Return sadly to the Children's Menu

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Crackerjack

* March 19th 1958: with Winifred Atwell who bangs out Piano Tuner's Boogie, Poor People of Paris, and Let's Rock n Roll. Pinky and Perky an acquired taste if ever there was, also include a weird elderly lady rockin', plus a rockin' frog. Ronnie Corbett (as Skylark Hands) and Michael Darbyshire appear in a sketch Eamonn Andrews tells us is Cops and Robbers, with James Beck appearing as a detective from the Yard. The Double or Drop quiz is there as usual, though I felt Uncle Eamonn decided the winners of the qualifiers rather arbitrarily.
* March 18th 1959 (last of the current series): There are the usual games with balloons, long sticks, parcels etc. Double or Drop has prizes such as tv aerials and kippers! First guests are "you know who," Pearl Carr/Teddy Johnson, who claims Eamonn "you'd like to hear again." They sing Sweet Elizabeth. Martin Grainger's Puppets follow them. Ronnie Corbett and Eddy Leslie act a sketch in a lighthouse with 700 steps. A tale of contraband, Ronnie getting soaked with sea water lots of times. Dickie Valentine is the top attraction, singing Simple Life, then an interesting duet with two girls in the audience In My Life. He then stars in the final sketch The Pied Piper of Hamelin.

* October 11th 1962: with Pinky and Perky, and regulars Leslie Crowther and Peter Glaze.

* 1964: the final programme hosted by long-serving Eamonn Andrews.
It includes Leslie Crowther and Pip Hinton singing Where There's You There's Me.
With omnipresent Peter Glaze, they perform two sketches which seem like something written by Ernie Wise, only without any appearance from Eric to enliven proceedings- The Stowaway, and The Prisoner of Fender.
Magic is in the hands of Vic Perry, and Peter and Gordon provide the pop music.
At the end, Eamonn is presented with a plaque and stands uncomfortably with the crowd as they sing the final song. By this date, the half-hearted shouts of 'Crackerjack!' from the children in the audience contrast with their enthusiasm from the earliest shows of this series.

Children's Menu

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Billy Bunter of Greyfriars School

Gerald Campion was the perfect embodiment of the finest creation of neglected author Frank Richards. The rest of the cast, with the exception of Kynaston Reeves as Mr Quelch, were perhaps rather a disappointment, but it's a jolly good show, you chaps, that this series hasn't been entirely lost!

I say you fellows,
click here for outline details of all the stories shown.
3.1 Backing Up Billy Bunter (first shown September 9th 1956) - Bunter is having to swot for a scholarship! His dad's in financial trouble as his secretary, Tregg, has absconded with the contents of Mr Bunter's safe, so oh crikey! - Bunter has to help out by bagging the schol! As his good intentions might just waver, the Famous Five have promised to back him up.
Classic Frank Richards, an abbreviated version of his novel of the previous year of the same name. The only 'active' schoolboy characters are those mentioned, but the plot is otherwise the same, even down to the 5,000 pounds Tregg has stolen. Except he hides in a house which the Famous Five find by accident in the rain, and Johnny Bull squirts ink at him, uncovering his false beard, and Mr Bunter's fortune, much to Billy's satisfaction. Some wonderful moments before this, as the Damoclean Sword makes Bunter strive against nature to actually do a spot of work.

3.5 Bunter on the Warpath (October 7th 1956)

6.7 Bunter Won't Go (September 17th 1960) - The title is that of a chapter in the book The Banishing of Billy Bunter. This is an abbreviated free adaptation of this story, that just captures its essence, mainly thanks to Campion's 'presence'.
After a whopping Bunter tells the Famous Five he's going to get back at Quelch with this egg. Overhearing, Quelch awards him an extra 200 lines. When Coker throws a hassock out of his study and it accidentally hits Quelch in his deckchair (!) Bunter is on the spot and cackles. Oh Lor', Quelch is not amused, taking Bunter to Dr Locke for expulsion. Bunter hides in a study but Quelch finds him and takes him to the station. At 11pm in the Remove dorm Bunter returns exhausted having walked from Lantham, "miles and miles." Next morning when Quelch appears in the dormitory the rumble of Bunter's snore awakes the echoes! Bunter escapes to the boxroom. Coker climbs a ladder in order to extricate him, getting rapped on his knuckles by way of thanks. However he does break down the door and Bunter is dragged off to the beak. When Coker learns why Bunter is expelled he bursts in to the sacred presence to confess. Finally we see Bunter enjoying a feed with the Five. In between mouthfuls, Bunter suggests his new idea- why not a tomato in Quelch's face?

7.3 Double Bunter (June 3rd 1961) - Frank Richards returns to his character of Walter Bunter, a much more serious version of Billy. When Billy faces Coker's wrath after pinching his apples, and Quelch's cane after not doing his lines, he changes places with his double Wally who is staying in Pegg on holiday- though the filmed sequence here looks nothing like the fishing village of the books. On his return to Greyfriars, Bunter Mark 2 fells the astounded Coker, and surprises Quelch by reading Virgil, the shipwreck scene. He suggests to Quelch lines 109 and 110 are not quite perfect, a perceptive remark that decides Quelch not to introduce the cane. Then Bunter offers to play cricket, and a film shows him at the nets clean bowling each of the Famous Five in turn. He takes the bat too, and his lofty shot knocks poor Coker out. "What does food matter?" Wally asks Billy, who wants to change back, since the boarding house food is so awful. Thus Billy returns to Greyfriars, plus one black eye, by way of thanks from Wally. But it was at least "a marvellous wheeze"- except that Coker is still chasing after Bunter
Oh lor', you'll have to go back to the Children's Menu

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Billy Bunter of Greyfriars School was shown on BBC Children's television. After the first series, it was shown on Saturday afternoons.

1.1 The Siege (February 19th 1952) - series main cast
1.2 The Report (February 26th 1952)
1.3 Bunter's Christmas Party (March 4th 1952)
1.4 Bunter's Postal Order (March 11th 1952)
1.5 Bunter's Bicycle (March 18th 1952) - same title 6.5
1.6 A Piece of Cake (March 25th 1952)
Note- most programmes were telerecorded and repeated

2.1 Bunter on the Run (July 9th 1955)
2.2 Bunter the Hypnotist (July 23rd 1955) - cast details, same title 6.1
2.3 Lord Billy Bunter (August 6th 1955)- same title see 6.4
2.4 Bunter Forgot (August 20th 1955)
2.5 Bunter Takes the Blame (September 3rd 1955)
2.6 Bunter Knows How (September 17th 1955)- see also 6.3

3.1 Backing Up Bunter (September 9th 1956) - cast details, see also 7.1
3.2 Bunter the Bold (September 16th 1956) - see also 7.2
3.3 Billy Bunter's Double (September 23rd 1956) - background, see also 7.3
3.4 Hunting Bunter (September 30th 1956) - see also 7.4
3.5 Bunter on the Warpath (October 7th 1956) - cast details
3.6 Bunter's Christmas Box (October 14th 1956)

4.1 Beastly for Bunter (July 20th 1957)
4.2 Bunter the Ventriloquist (August 3rd 1957)
4.3 Bad Lad Bunter (August 10th 1957) - cast details
4.4 Bunter Keeps It Dark (August 17th 1957)
4.5 Bunter Does His Best (August 31st 1957)
4.6 Bunter the Ventriloquist

5.1 Bunter's Bargain (June 13th 1959)
5.2 Billy Bunter's Burglar (June 27th 1959) - cast details
5.3 Phoney Bunter (July 11th 1959) - cast details
5.4 Bunter's Birching (July 18th 1959)
5.5 Bunter Spells Trouble (August 1st 1959)
5.6 Boastful Bunter
5.7 Bunter's Bedtime Story (August 8th 1959)
5.8 Bunter's Bull's Eye (August 15th 1959)
5.9 Treasure Hunter Bunter (August 29th 1959)

6.1 Bunter the Hypnotist (July 16th 1960)
6.2 Brainy Bunter (July 30th 1960) - cast details
6.3 Bunter Knows How (August 6th 1960)
6.4 Lord Billy Bunter (August 13th 1960) - cast details
6.5 Bunter's Bicycle (August 27th 1960)
6.6 Toffee-Hunter Bunter (September 10th 1960)
6.7 Bunter Won't Go (September 17th 1960) - cast details
6.8 Bunter's Party (September 24th 1960)

7.1 Backing Up Bunter (May 20th 1961)
7.2 Bold Bunter (May 27th 1961)
7.3 Double Bunter (June 3rd 1961) - cast details
7.4 Hunter-Bunter (June 10th 1961) - details
7.5 Stowaway Bunter (June 17th 1961)
7.6 Bunter Goes to Cairo (June 24th 1961)
7.7 Bunter Goes to Venice (July 1st 1961)
7.8 Bunter Goes to Naples (July 15th 1961)
7.9 Bunter Goes to Nice (July 22nd 1961- oh crikey, the last story!)

It seems from scrutiny of the cast lists that some of series 6 and 7 were actually repeats. Likely repeat programmes are in italics
Let a fellow pass to our Billy Bunter main section

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The main cast for the very first series in 1952 included
Gerald Campion as Billy Bunter
John Charlesworth... Harry Wharton
Keith Faulkner... Bob Cherry
David Spenser... Hurree Singh
Barry MacGregor... Johnny Bull
Michael Danvers Walker... Frank Nugent
Kynaston Reeves... Mr Quelch

Note- Apart from Gerald Campion, other actors took the parts of other boys in other series. Gerald Campion joked that he got hazy about who was in which series, so much so that if an actor accosted him booming, "Campion, remember me. I played Nugent (Cherry, Wharton, Mauleverer) in 1953," he would worry if "he was the one I tripped up, deliberately, in the study scene."

Actors who played the main parts in the entire run:
Harry Wharton: John Charlesworth (series 1,2), Anthony Valentine (3,4), Richard Palmer (5), Julian Yardley (6,7)
Frank Nugent: Michael Danvers Walker (1), Peter Marden (2), Lawrence Harrington (3,4), Michael Crawford (5), Jonathan Margetts (6), Michael Tennant (7)
Bob Cherry: Keith Faulkner (1,4), Brian Roper (2,3), Cavan Kendall (5), Peter Greenspan (6), Jeremy Bulloch (7)
Hurree Singh: David Spenser (1), Ron Moody (2), Barry Barnett (3), James Doran (4), Leonard Davey (5), Brian Tipping (6), Hugh Ward (7)
Johnny Bull: Barry MacGregor (1), Colin Campbell (2), David Coote (3,4), Nigel Anthony (5), Melvyn Baker (6), Gregory Warwick (7)
Mr Quelch: Kynaston Reeves (1,3), Raf de la Torre (2,3), John Woodnutt (5), Jack Melford (6,7)

Yarooh- go to Bunter story list

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Bunter Hypnotist
July 23rd 1955
Produced by Joy Harington
Directed by Pharic McLaren
Raf de la Torre... Mr Quelch
John Charlesworth... Harry Wharton
Brian Roper... Bob Cherry
Peter Marden... Frank Nugent
Colin Campbell... Johnny Bull
Ronald Moodie... Hurree Singh
Henry Davis... Skinner
Alaric Cotter... Snoop
Anthony Valentine... Lord Mauleverer

Oh jiminy, get back to Bunter story list

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Backing Up Bunter
September 9th 1956
Produced by Shaun Sutton
Designer: Eileen Diss
Kynaston Reeves... Mr Quelch
Anthony Valentine... Harry Wharton
Brian Roper... Bob Cherry
Laurence Harrington... Frank Nugent
David Coote... Johnny Bull
Barry Barnett... Hurree Singh
Paul Whitsun-Jones... Mr Bunter
Robert Perceval... Lucius Tregg
Christopher Hodge... Gosling
Peter Scott... Coker
with Melvyn Hayes, Glyn Dearman, Alaric Cotter
Note- Anthony Valentine as Harry Wharton had previously played Lord Mauleverer in series 2

Beasts! Go to Bunter story list

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Gerald Campion stated that this was his favourite episode, partly maybe because he played both William George Bunter, and his athletic cousin Wally.
He explained, "this was managed by exposing only one side of the film, while I as Wally, played the scene, leaving pauses for Billy's dialogue. I then changed clothes, the film was rewound, and then the other strip was exposed, with me as Billy, answering Wally's questions."
Campion added, "we did it in one go and congratulated ourselves, as a slip on anyone's part would have meant starting all over again!"

Go and eat coke at the Bunter story list

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Bunter on the Warpath
October 7th 1956
Produced by Shaun Sutton
Designer: Eileen Diss
Kynaston Reeves... Mr Quelch
Anthony Valentine... Harry Wharton
Brian Roper... Bob Cherry
Laurence Harrington... Frank Nugent
David Coote... Johnny Bull
Barry Barnett... Hurree Singh
Melvyn Hayes... Skinner
Alaric Cotter... Snoop

Leggo to Bunter story list

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Bad Lad Bunter
Shown Saturday August 10th 1957 at 5.25pm
Produced by Pharic Maclaren
Designed by Tony Cornell.
Cast in order of appearance:
Keith Faulkner... Bob Cherry
Anthony Valentine... Harry Wharton
Laurence Harrington... Frank Nugent
David Coote... Johnny Bull
James Doran... Hurree Singh
Gerald Campion... Billy Bunter
Peter Scott... Coker
Anthony Toller... Potter
Timothy Harley... Greene
Edward Lexy... Mr Prout

bend over to Bunter story list

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Bunter's Burglar
Shown Saturday June 27th 1959 at 5.25pm
Produced by David Goddard.

Cast in order of appearance:
Cavan Kendall... Bob Cherry
Richard Palmer... Harry Wharton
Michael Crawford... Frank Nugent
Nigel Anthony... Johnny Bull
Leonard Davey... Hurree Singh
Gerald Campion... Billy Bunter
Michael Caridia... Coker
Tim Hudson... Mr Prout
David Hemmings... Potter
John Woodnutt... Mr Quelch

Oh lor, back to Bunter story list

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Phoney Bunter
Shown Saturday July 11th 1959
Produced by David Goddard.

Cast in order of appearance:
John Woodnutt... Mr Quelch
Alaric Cotter... Skinner
Vernon Morris...Vernon Smith
Cavan Kendall... Bob Cherry
Richard Palmer... Harry Wharton
Michael Crawford... Frank Nugent
Gerald Campion... Billy Bunter
Nigel Anthony... Johnny Bull
Leonard Davey... Hurree Singh
Tim Hudson... Mr Prout
John Kidd... Manager of Chunkley's
Ivan Owen... Mr Skinner
Alastair Speed... Carter

Oh scissors, back to Bunter story list

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Brainy Bunter
Screened- July 30th 1960 5.25pm
Producer: Clive Parkhurst
Characters in order of appearance:
Julian Yardley... Harry Wharton
Peter Greenspan... Bob Cherry
Jonathan Margetts... Frank Nugent
Gerald Campion ... Billy Bunter
Jack Melford... Mr Quelch
Barry Halliday... Skinner
Brian Tipping ... Hurree Singh
Melvyn Baker... Johnny Bull
Reginald Greene... Postman
Irene Richmond... Mother
Ivan Owen... Nosey Jenkins

Detention for whoever destroyed this story as you return to Bunter story list

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Lord Billy Bunter
Screened- August 13th 1960
John Charlesworth... Harry Wharton
Brian Roper... Bob Cherry
Peter Marden... Frank Nugent
Colin Campbell... Johnny Bull
Ronald Moodie ... Hurree Singh
Anthony Valentine... Lord Mauleverer
Raf de la Torre... Mr Quelch
Robert Young... Doctor Locke

This seems certainly to be a repeat from series 2

I say I say I say, go to the Bunter story list

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Bunter Won't Go
Screened- August 27th 1960
Producer: Clive Parkhurst
Designer: Susan Spence
Julian Yardley... Harry Wharton
Peter Greenspan... Bob Cherry
Jonathan Margetts... Frank Nugent
Brian Tipping ... Hurree Singh
Melvyn Baker... Johnny Bull
Jack Melford... Mr Quelch
Ian Hobbs... Coker
Maurice Colbourne... Dr Locke

Look for Postal order at Bunter story list

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Bold Bunter
May 27th 1961, 5.20pm
Producer: Clive Parkhurst
Film Cameraman: Bill Munn
Film Editor: Larry Toft
Cast in order of appearance:
Gerald Campion... Billy Bunter
Jeremy Bulloch... Bob Cherry
Gregory Warwick... Johnny Bull
Julian Yardley... Harry Wharton
Michael Tennant... Frank Nugent
Hugh Ward ... Hurree Singh
Mark Mileham... Gypsy boy
Barry Halliday... Skinner
Jack Melford... Mr Quelch
Peter Thomas... Jenkins

A new version of the story from series 3, with a different cast.

I say you fellows, gerrout to Bunter story list

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Double Bunter
June 3rd 1961
Producer: Clive Parkhurst
Designer: Susan Spence
Film camera: Bill Munn
Film editor: Larry Toft
Ian Hobbs... Coker
Julian Yardley... Harry Wharton
Jeremy Bulloch... Bob Cherry
Michael Tennant... Frank Nugent
Gregory Warwick... Johnny Bull
Hugh Ward ... Hurree Singh
Jack Melford... Mr Quelch
Patricia Leventon... Maid

A new version of the story from series 3, with a different cast.

Construe the Bunter story list
or get sacked and return to our Children's Menu

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Hunter-Bunter
June 10th 1961, repeated March 5th 1962
Producer: Clive Parkhurst
Designer: Susan Spence
Film camera: Bill Munn
Film editor: Larry Toft

Jeremy Bulloch... Bob Cherry
Julian Yardley... Harry Wharton
Gregory Warwick... Johnny Bull
Michael Tennant... Frank Nugent
Hugh Ward ... Hurree Singh
Jack Melford... Mr Quelch
Malcolm Gerard... Lord Mauleverer
George Woodbridge... Bert Maggs
Peter Glaze... Jim

You chaps return to the Bunter story list
or go on your hols by returning to the Children's Menu

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BONEHEAD (1960-1962)
One of BBC Children's Television great comedies written and produced by Shaun Sutton, who described the series as "a weekly reminder that crime doesn't pay."
The ever popular Colin Douglas was in the title role, "an amiable, gentle giant, eager to carry out The Boss' last order- if only he could remember what it was." The Boss, played by the superb Paul Whitsun-Jones, was "bursting with boyish enthusiasm," longing to be "the Napoleon of the Underworld." The absurdly named Happy was portrayed by Douglas Blackwell. He gloomily follows from disaster to disaster, pessimistically certain of failure.

Going Straight (Sat Oct 29th 1960, 5.25pm) - As Boss and Happy emerge from jail, Boney greets them with "did you have a nice time?" Efforts to keep in paid employment end in sackings but a fortuitous discovery of a stolen safe by Bonehead leads our gang to a warehouse. The Plan: drop the safe from a great height to smash it open. Posing as policemen they proceed to the tall building. However, there they meet up with an old safe cracker friend, who kindly opens their safe for them, only to learn it is empty. Arrival of the real police results in a Keystone Cops-type chase
Let's Pretend- The Boss' latest plan: Rescue eccentric shortsighted millionaire Mr Popkiss (Reginald Barratt) and claim £50 a time for each saving act. Disguised as a plumber, a gardener and a window cleaner our gang calls at his mansion. The old bucket on top of the head trick fails, as well as falling into the lily pond, so it's desperate measures: blow the house up! But this only results in a flooding farce, into which falls quite unnoticed the pathetic Popkiss. Maybe this was nearly the pinnacle of black and white children's tv comedy
To our
Children's Menu

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Counter Attack (1960)
A seven part story of the wartime occupation of the Channel Isles, the first production to be made after Mary Field, late of the Children's Film Foundation, joined ITV. According to this unsympathetic contemporary, her first effort was not a success:
"I hate to say it, but on its first showing it's very bad indeed. If ABC thinks this will combat BBCtv, then it's in for a shock! It is true that Sydney Newman has put one of his best directors on the job and also one of his best designers. Peter Ling who has written the script knows exactly how to angle his script, but it just doesn't come off. Why? The answer is relatively simple. ABC has not been courageous enough. It has placed too many embargoes on the author in an effort to keep down expenses. The result is a cardboard serial which doesn't have the slightest ring of truth in it. The script does indeed need to be tighter. Ling is writing down too much and he is concentrating too much on plot. It also needs a greater use of film to conjure up the atmosphere of the Channel Islands. Without it the play falls down like a dead duck. Obviously more money has got to be spent on it.
The story involves three children who remain on the island when the Germans occupy it. They find the whole thing exciting and great fun. To me, this is wrong. Children should be made to realise that war is a horrible and terrible experience. It isn't a game. It isn't fun. This, then, is where the serial is wrong. it is too much of a romp. It is raucous when it should be raw. There is no feeling of fear at the impending occupation and when the Germans do arrive they come in such numbers that they would be hard put to it to even occupy a village. Even the German flag that was hoisted was noticeably home made. It would indeed be unfair to compare Counter Attack with BBCtv's Silver Sword, which began a vogue for realistic children's drama. Unfortunately the last war has become exciting costume drama for many of today's young viewers. Even so, realism still should be the keynote. Without it the serial will never succeed."
After viewing the second episode our critic was dreadfully predictable in his additional comments: "I looked in again to see whether Counter Attack has improved. I regret to say it has become considerably worse. It would seem that the plot is worthy of the attention of the six to nine age group while obviously being angled at the nine to fourteens. Miss Field obviously wants the best of both worlds. Without having made up their minds as to the age group they wanted to attract ABC tv has, in my opinion, done a great disservice to children's television. Sydney Newman cannot apply the principles of Armchair Theatre to young viewers. Children like to be treated as adults while it is obvious that Armchair Theatre viewers are prepared to be treated like children."

However unlike the critic above, I enjoyed it! If the story is seen as a kind of Enid Blyton's Famous Five, or rather Famous Three, it's a ripping adventure seen through childish eyes. Jeremy Bulloch has all the authority of the natural leader, whilst Murray Yeo is a good counterfoil as the cheeky but innocent Cliff.
This tone is set in the opening title sequence- a very official voice announces the Occupation of the Channel Islands. But, we are informed, there is some "unofficial" opposition, as three kids throw mud right in a Nazi's face. No this isn't gritty wartime drama, it's not meant to be, and for me this is the best of the ABC serials I have seen.
Episode 1
White Flag . . . 2 Escape . . . 3 Sealed Orders . . . 4 Secret Agent . . . 5 Traitor's Mark . . . 6 Guard Duty . . . 7 Last Chance
Children's Menu

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1 White Flag (17 January 1960)

During the voluntary evacuation before the Channel Islands face invasion, Joe Carter is one who has to bid farewell to his chums. His radio he loans to his friend Terry Benson, which will be jolly useful for the Argo Club, with other members Carol and Cliff Delamere. The group meets at the Old Mill which is linked to the Delamere's shop by a secret underground passage. "We'll fight the Germans with practical jokes!" they decide.
The adults however are more soberly awaiting the invasion, among them Carol's elder sister Miss Jean Delamere, and Terry's dad Tom Benson (Leslie Sands) who really feels he should be joining the Forces, if it weren't for the fact he has to take care of Terry. But watch out for Mr Prout (Bruno Barnabe), because he looks like a traitor. Besides, he speaks German.
By order of the British government, everyone has to display the white flag of surrender. Major Heinrich Wolf (Joseph Furst) announces the enforcement of rules: "if any of these orders are disobeyed, immediate disciplinary action will be taken."
First to be in trouble could be Tom, who tries to leave to join the Navy. Jean Delamere is to look after Terry. However Terry and his friends have a whale of a time transmitting news of the invasion on their radio. And the Admiralty picks up their messages.
That night the Germans are knocking on the door of the Delamere shop, but it's only the Major announcing that he and his batman Kurt Lander will be billeted here. "England has already lost the war," he smiles at the children. But will he spot their radio?
Continue to
Episode Two of Counter Attack or Return safely back to Counter Attack

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2 Escape

The Major glances round Cliff's bedroom, where Terry's radio is hidden. Luckily a cap gun is all he spots. Phew! "I hope you sleep well," Carol thankfully bids Major Wolf goodnight, taking care that he doesn't see her then sticking her tongue out at him.
Next morning, Cliff gives the Major another rebuff when he asks if Cliff enjoys school. "No," retorts Cliff, "who wants to take German?"
Tom, who is planning to leave the islands tonight at 10pm, takes exception when the Major snaps propaganda photos of him with the children. Tom snatches the camera and bolts. He bids his friends a quick goodbye: "mind you don't get killed," advises Cliff.
Terry continues to send radio messages to the Admiralty, though one request rather puzzles the high-ups there: can they send some stink bombs?
They're for Cliff who is offered pocket money to be office boy for the Major, who still can't quite reach the children. Not surprising when his remarks include "English children spend too much time playing!" This job is useful, for Cliff learns a guard has been posted at St Briac's Point, just where Tom's boat is moored.
"We've got to warn them." Cliff and Carol create a diversion whilst Terry flashes to the offshore boat, enabling it to come and pick up his father. But the three are captured by Muller who destroys the camera, to the Major's chagrin: "Dummkopf, this is my camera!" Now those photos are useless- hurrah!
Mr Prout offers to grind maize at the old mill, the children's headquarters, and from where Terry is now transmitting. Prout shows the Major round the mill and the radio is discovered. The apparatus is smashed.

Crumbs, you'd better return to Counter Attack start, but if you want to read on go to Episode Three of Counter Attack

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3 Sealed Orders

The Major is very angry at finding their radio. Will he believe that they were merely sending messages to friends on the island? Thankfully, he gives them the benefit of the doubt. But he will be watching them, he warns. However Jean Delamere, Carol and Cliff's wiser elder sister, gets her own back, shouting at the Major. "She's got a nerve." She tells him that in future he will have to take off his muddy boots before entering her home. That shows him!
A strategically placed tin tack on the floor catches the bare footed man. Then a little more sabotage when his field telephone line is cut. However Cliff's booby trap above the cupboard door backfires, when the Major spots it and forces Terry to walk right into it.
The three children decipher the final message they have received, before the radio had been smashed. It tells to go to a rendezvous at midnight.
"Out On Important Business," announces a note they leave for Jean. A tough crawl through undergrowth to the place. Guns are blazing as they hear a plane. It must be British. A parachute descends, and with whistles blowing, the children grab the package and run for it.
Safe, they examine the contents, which are titled, Important Mission, Contact Us. But how can they do that, as their radio is broken?
The answer is in the package, which includes valves and spare parts. As well as Cliff's stink bombs, plus, more mysteriously, tobacco and razor blades.
But there's bad news. The Major has learned of Tom's escape and arrests Jean Delamere for aiding him. As the children scream, she's lead away.

To avoid any trouble, go back to the Counter Attack start or, if you want to read hear about the Secret Agent,
you can go to Episode Four of Counter Attack

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4 Secret Agent
"We know everything that happens on this island," the Major tells Jean Delamere. At least he thinks he does! Jean plays a trump card- the major will have to look after her children. Faced with such a prospect, he relents, and Jean is permitted to stay at home.
Terry has now repaired the smashed radio and is able to transmit to the mainland. There's a job for them. Hide a British Intelligence Officer who is being landed tonight at 11pm.
Here he is! He gets rather a surprise when his young contacts give the correct password! "You're only kids- holy mackerel!"
Cliff has not been allowed out so late, and feels left out, so he decides on his own action, putting a stink bomb in the major's bed- "happy dreams, major!"
"Es stinkt hier!" cries Major Wolf, who teaches Clifford, as he calls him, a lesson. Cliff has to stay in that smelly room.
A radio message to the mainland advises of the safe arrival of agent Hugh (Oliver Neville). But someone is listening in to their message- it's Mr Prout. It turns out Hugh is an old school friend of Jean's, but whilst they happily chat, Mr Prout has been listening at their door....

Phew, get back quick to the start of Counter Attack.
Or to find out the truth about Mr Prout, continue to Episode 5

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5 Traitor's Mark
"No-one must know I'm here," agent Hugh warns Jean and the children. But there is Mr Prout listening in at the keyhole. He enters and tells them he's on their side. As an ex British Intelligence Officer, he promises them his assistance. He cites Col Richardson as a contact and his bona fides is established. Cue- jolly music.
But it's a swizz for the children, for now Hugh doesn't need their help. However they're pleased to be allowed to continued their practical jokes, so as to distract the Nazis away from Hugh's task, which is to locate and destroy the enemy arms dump.
Thus, next morning "some young rips," as Mr Rowley the milkman (Edward Palmer) describes them, have painted large V signs on the curfew notices. "Who has done all this?" demands the goaded Major Wolf. "Funny isn't it?" comments Cliff, though the Major doesn't look at all amused. The children note that Mr Rowley has a V sign on his back, showing he must be a collaborator.
Prout has found out that the German arms dump is in the cellars of their headquarters- surely a rather dangerous location! Cliff shows them his secret passage in there, but it's too narrow for Hugh to negotiate.
But Terry has broken in there. He's trying to remove any evidence that it was Cliff who had painted those V signs on the chairs. But as he enters, he's pounced on by Major Wolf himself.

Wow.... back to Counter Attack start .
Or to learn of Terry's fate, go to Episode 6

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6 Guard Duty
"Where is Clifford?" demands the major of Terry, "move!"
The major has found Cliff's hanky at the scene of the crime, and not only Cliff, but Carol and "one of the workmen", Hugh actually, are caught. Luckily the major dismisses Hugh, not realising his importance, as he rounds on Clifford.
"I'm going to punish you," he rants. But his bark seems worse than his bite, for the penalty is that all three children are confined to their house for one week.
Prout hides Hugh in a deserted barn, where Jean takes him provisions, plus a gun. Whilst Prout then tries to retrieve the radio from the mill, the children divert Kurt, the major's batman, by locking him in the bathroom and hiding his clothes. The kindly Kurt seems to take it in good humour, and warns the children not to go near the mill again. He even tells them why- because it's the new place where the ammunition is stored. Carol seems to take quite a shine to him.
Prout takes this as misinformation when the children excitedly break him this news, but the children are able to succeed where he cannot because of his size, and squeeze through a gap in storage boxes in the mill, and rescue their hidden radio. England is contacted and they are entrusted with the important task of telling Hugh that he must rendezvous at 22.00 tonight after destroying the dump.
However once more the major catches them. "This time, this is it... you will be sent to France, a prison camp." Kurt is in trouble too for spilling the top secret information: "I shall have you shot for this."
Flee back to
Counter Attack start .
Or to find out how the serial concludes, go to The Final Episode

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7 Last Chance
"You will obey my orders," rants the major, shouting wildly in German. The three children and Kurt are locked in the old mill, but of course they know the secret way out! "We've got to hide," urges Terry. "But what about Kurt?" Carol asks. To save his life, they take him with them as a prisoner of war. Kurt goes willingly. When it's all explained to Jean, she gets them to pack their belongings to leave with Hugh.
There are more rants from Major Wolf when he finds his prisoners have flown.
Hugh and Prout break into the German headquarters and set the explosives. But Hugh realises this is not the main arms dump, and Prout persuades him to make for his rendezvous. Prout will blow up the mill.
"This is a surprise!" Quisling Mr Rowley finds the children have got away, and insists they tell him all they know: "if you've got any sense, you'll keep in with them" (the Germans), he tells the youngsters. They refuse, as you'd expect, and he dashes to headquarters to get help.
In the mill Prout is captured by the major. "Herr Prout, where is the bomb? If you don't tell me, I shall shoot you." As the German hq explodes, Prout and Major Wolf struggle violently. As the fight rages, the mill blows up.
Cheers from the children as they watch from the waiting submarine- "mission accomplished." It's left to Jean to add a touch of sobriety as she concludes "that's the thing about war, there never is a complete victory."
To Counter Attack start . . . Children's Menu

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Pathfinders in Space
Pathfinders to Mars (1960)
Pathfinders to Venus (1961, ABC)

starring Gerald Flood as Conway Henderson; his charismatic charm was used by ABC in further children's serials;
George Coulouris ('To Mars') as Harcourt Brown, a free thinker, a kind of serious Zachary Smith from Lost in Space;
with Stewart Guidotti, who continued with Flood in later serials. As Geoffrey Wedgwood, he plays his part with intense boyishness.

Pathfinders in Space: 1 Convoy to the Moon- At a Scottish rocket research station Conway Henderson (Gerald Flood) meets Valerie Jimmy and Geoffrey, children of Prof Wedgwood (Peter Williams) who's doing "something men have dreamed of for centuries," that is, flying to the moon. Sighs Jimmy "gosh I wish I was going." When Geoffrey accidentally leaves a screwdriver in the backup ship, the auto pilot short circuits and so, of course, Henderson has to fly it, along with his crew, hip hip, the two boys. Girls complain now. But fear not, is that a stowaway.....?
Pathfinders to Mars 4: "Lichens!": "We're approaching Mars- stand by!" Harcourt Brown: "I've dreamt of this moment all my life." Margaret is first to set foot on Mars- the first task is to find some water, urgently. But "nutcase" Brown is convinced there's life on the red planet. Martian rainfall solves both these problems- but this causes giant lichens to sprout everywhere. Comments Brown: "I see life, but it's not the sort of life I thought it was"
Pathfinders to Venus 2: "Into the Poison Cloud" (Sun March 12th 1961): "No-one can survive down there," but, three cheers, the British rocket manages to land on Venus! The search commences for Wilson's rocket, but beware, "I don't think any of us should be alone on this planet." Yes, look out, another rocket is landing, "it's almost as though it had been trying to find us." The children go exploring and discover the rocket but, oh dear, "the rocket's been ransacked by some creature!"
Pathfinders to Venus 3: "The Living Planet": "I've got a feeling someone's watching!" No comment. "There's something in the rocket! It's smashing things up."

To our Children's Menu

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City Beneath the Sea (1962, ABC)
In this ABC children's serial, Gerald Flood stars again, this time as Mark Bannerman. My only gripe -the underwater scenes, whilst adding authenticity, are overlong and not entirely convincing. Unfortunately there are no fish in the sea!
The script was by John Lucarotti whose "method is to take a known scientific fact and enlarge on it." In this case it was the concept of a whole city able to live under the ocean.

1 The Pirates -An ex Nazi Uboat commander, Swendler (played with a swagger by Denis Goacher) steals a British sub. Hidden on board are mag editor Mark Bannerman and his youthful assistant Peter. They summon the Navy to the rescue
2. Escape To Aegira - "I wouldn't want to be in their shoes when Swendler finds them!" It's Swendler v. The Royal Navy! An exciting cat and mouse for viewers who risked switching on after the slowish first scene setter. First round goes to Swendler, as Bannerman is taken to an underwater city
3 Tide Of Evil - Mark and Peter are set to work in the underground laboratory where they discover many scientists who had disappeared. In an escape attempt, Mark "gums up the works", but he's ordered out into the ocean to repair his sabotage. Peter gets swept away by the current - and that of course is the End of Part Three!
4 Cellar Of Fear - Peter is rescued and the sabotaged air system repaired so work can speed ahead with Professor Westfield's worldwide transmitter, the last experiment needed for boss Professor Ziebrecken's "complete conquest of the sea." Ziebrecken (Aubrey Morris - was this his finest hour?) explains he's doing it all for altruistic reasons. But, asks Peter, "suppose he didn't tell everyone about his work?" Mark travels to 35,542ft to the underwater cellar, where he sees what Ziebrecken has stored there - warheads for a nuclear missile
5 Power To Destroy - Ziebrecken desires "a world free of tension and strife." Unfortunately he also wants "a world united, with me as its leader." "The frightening thing is," Marks tells Peter, "that Ziebrecken thinks it's quite possible." To try and attract international attention, Peter throws out an oxygen cylinder, which implodes, and damages a bathyscape. Ziebrecken sentences him to death
6 Operation Grand Design - Whilst Swendler prepares an "accident" to befall Mark and Peter, our heroes finally alert the world by exploding a warhead - BOOM!
7 Three Hours To Doomsday - "My name is Ludwig Ziebrecken. I am speaking to you from Aegira, my city beneath the sea. I have a series of nuclear missiles directed at the capitals of the world." Will we have to submit to his demands? Aubrey Morris provides an endearing study of a paranoid dictator- "which shall I destroy first, Bannerman? London, New York or Moscow?"
For the sequel
Secret Beneath the Sea . . . or . . . Children's Menu

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Secret Beneath the Sea (1963) -

1 The Mysterious Metal - Swendler escapes the authorities, and in the guise of a showman exhibits the "eighth wonder of the world" Phoenissium. After his secret are a man calling himself George Smith (Reginald Smith in a kind of Hitch imitation) and Dr Deraad, architect of Aegira. Eluding Smith's henchmen, Swendler passes his secret to Bannerman. Orders Smith: "this time I want no mistakes...."
2 Voyage Into Danger - A thief breaks into Bannerman's office, stealing the plate of Phoenissium, but neglecting to take the all-important research notes. Taking Peter and Janet, Bannerman sets sail for Aegira to look for the important Phoenissium deposits. But Sir George orders a ship to ram their sub, and though the attempt's unsuccessful Deraad locks Peter and Janet in a compartment which has now started to flood....
3 Sabotage - "Mark, there's nothing you can do." But Peter and Janet are "jolly lucky" and at Aegira Peter 'helps' dour Prof Gordon (Robert James) who is designing a spectrascope camera until it is sabotaged. Peter is accused, though it's nasty Dr Deraad who's the culprit. With Janet, Peter searches Deraad's lab to prove his guilt, but the pair are spotted....
4 The X - Layer - So Peter and Janet are hauled before Cpt Payne: "that wasn't very clever was it?" Exonerated, Janet's underwater exploration nearly ends in tragedy when it appears she has forgotten to replenish the gas supply. Mark goes underwater too, as he thinks he knows where the Phoenissium is.....
5 The Take-Over "Bannerman's in trouble... I think he's dead!" gasps Dr Deraad. He's not, naturally, and the search is on for Mark's mysterious attacker. After another explosion, Captain Payne resigns
6 The Death Trap - "You completely fooled them!" All is revealed in this final episode. Working "twice as hard," the phoenissium is located, though we never hear any more about the evil Smith (see episode one). But at least the saboteur is captured: "if it hadn't been for you, I might have succeeded," Bannerman is told

If you're not too scared, return to the Children's Menu .

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The Lion The Witch and The Wardrobe (ABC)-

with Elizabeth Crowther as Lucy.

1. What Lucy Found in Her Wardrobe (9th July 1967)
The adventure starts

8. The Triumph of the Witch (27th August 1967)-
Aslan (Bernard Kay) saves Edmund from the Witch (Elizabeth Wallace)

Hey presto, to return to the Children's Menu - click here!

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The Railway Children

A seven part BBC serial shown in 1968
directed by Julia Smith.
Jenny Agutter starred as Bobbie, a role she was to recreate in Lionel Jeffries' better known 1970 film version.
Episode 1- The Visitors (May 12th 1968)
Episode 2- The Coalminers (May 19th 1968)
Episode 3- The Message (May 26th 1968)
Episode 4- The Foreign Gentleman (June 2nd 1968)
Episode 5- The Secret (June 9th 1968)
Episode 6- The Rescue (June 16th 1968)
Episode 7- The Meeting (June 23rd 1968)

Children's Menu

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Object Z (Rediffusion) -
Although a serial for children, shown Tuesdays at 5.25pm commencing 19th Oct 1965, writer Christopher McMaster, a one time director on Coronation Street, originally wrote it as an adult programme! Producer Daphne Shadwell got him to adapt it for the children's slot.
The stars were Trevor Bannister as tv commentator Peter Barry, and Celia Bannerman as his assistant Diana Winters. Other regulars were Margaret Neale as June Challis, Denys Peck as Robert Duncan, Ralph Nossek as Prof Ramsey, Brandon Brady as Brian Barclay, William Abney as Ian Murray, Julian Somers as Sir John Chandos (PM), Terence J Donovan as Capt Wade (eps 1,2 and 6).

Mr review of the first episode: 1. The Meteor
Trevor Bannister: "A nova? The only nova I'm familiar with, is a bossa nova!"
But this is a new object, not a nova, but what is it, seen in the night sky? It's several million miles away, at present, but it must be six miles across. It's approaching Earth! "I've never seen anything like it before... in fact, it's heading straight for us!" The Prime Minister looks serious. Cooperation with America (now where have you heard that before?), and a more unlikely alliance with Russia might enable a machine to be constructed to divert the meteor. News of the impending calamity is broken on U-K tv. Then the PM makes his solemn announcement in a seemingly unintentional parody on Churchill in 1939.
This is an impressive start to the serial. Well acted with the tension maintained, yet still time to portray the central characters in some detail.

Brief details of the remaining stories: Episode 2: The World in Fear, October 26th 1965: death and destruction approach the earth. Can it be averted? with Terence Woodfield, Penny Morrell, Roger Rowland, Hugh Munro, Arthur White, John Newman.
Episode 3: Flight from Danger, November 2nd 1965: the world's leaders learn the truth. With Roy Herrick.
Episode 4: The Aliens, November 9th 1965: the aliens are coming closer. What do they want? With Lindsay Campbell, Jeffrey Wickham, Robert O'Neil and Dmitri Mackaroff.
Episode 5: Too Late, November 16th 1965. With Arthur White and Bernard Kay.
Episode 6: The Solution, November 23rd 1965: everything becomes clear- or does it? With Richard Bidlake, Milton Johns, Lindsay Campbell, Jeffrey Wickham.
The sequel was: OBJECT Z RETURNS, a six part story which commenced in February 1966. The same team were behind the scenes, while the stars returned, Trevor Bannister and Margaret Neale. Other regulars also continued- Denys Peck, Ralph Nossek, Brandon Brady, Julian Somers and Arthur White (Keeler). New face was Toni Gilpin as Terry.
Episode 1: The Voice from Space, February 22nd 1966. Are the invaders real this time? Do they really exist? With William Abney (as in series 1).
Episode 2: March 1st 1966.
Episode 3: The Monsters, March 8th 1966. With Paul Armstrong and Terence Woodfield.
Episode 4: The Menace from the Depths, March 15th 1966. Something strange is going on in the oceans. What can it be? With William Abney.
Episode 5: The Big Freeze, March 22nd 1966. Barclay sets out on a hazardous quest. With William Abney, Barry Lowe, and David Saire.
Episode 6: The Eleventh Hour, March 29th 1966. The world freezes, and Robert must find an answer. With William Abney, and Barry Lowe.
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The Terrific Adventures of The Terrible Ten
Made starting 1960 in Melbourne, these short stories consisted of narration with the occasional bout of childish acting, a sort of amateur version of The Forest Rangers. Somehow it was very popular on Children's TV in England. Roger Mirams directed this series, on a shoestring budget: "it was like the early days of the cinema all over again." He even roped in his own family to act in the series. His wife Gwen had the unenviable task of looking after all ten child stars.

The Terrible Ten Build a Town - Old packing cases are built into a set of a frontier town by the kids, using impressive DIY skills and much cleverer than anything Barry Bucknall could do, or any of those toffee nosed infants on Your Very Own. But jealous enemy Rex Jackson swears he will capture the town.
The Enemy Attack- "This means war!" With the aid of flour bombs and the like, a jolly time is had by all, and the enemy have to retreat.

The Terrible Ten Fire Brigade! - The TT obtain an old jalopy and, a la Scrapheap Challenge, convert it into a red fire engine, horse drawn to boot. "Sound the fire alarm!"
The Terrible Ten Fire Brigade in Action! -Some comedy as the girls practise their first aid before the alarm is sounded. Pop Jones' old shack is alight. Overcoming the natural reluctance of their steed to pull the old banger, the TT rattle and race to save the old timer from the licking flames. Their First Aid nearly finishes him off!

A Horse Named Joe Part One - The narration is dropped here in favour of all dialogue which is terribly badly done. Old enemy Ofoot challenges the TT to a horse race at the forthcoming fair
A Horse Named Joe Part Two - Return of some narration! A wandering wild horse proves the TT's best bet to beat Ofoot. They call it Joe after Joanna who had found it. Training begins in earnest
A Horse Named Joe Part Three - Bad news! Joe is a missing racehorse called The Emperor. Says the owner- "I can't let a little girl like you ride him," as he leads Joe away.
A Horse Named Joe Part Four - "They couldn't keep you away." Joe returns and is allowed to race. Sing to him, the owner explains to Joanna and "there's nothing in this world that can catch him." So it's all pats and smiles- "the most wonderful day of my life."

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Adventure Weekly (BBC 1968/9)
This was the name of a newspaper run by five enterprising children, lead by Peter (Brent Oldfield).
Produced by Shaun Sutton, and directed by Barry Letts.
Shot mostly on 16mm film, it was a fun series, with typically stereotyped, but nevertheless very enjoyable caricatures of incompetent but lovable police, and bumbling criminals.
Several episodes have survived- here is the only one however, that I have seen...

The Great Treasure Hunt -
Train Robbers Hiding In Cliffsea, are the headlines, but unfortunately it's The Recorder that has scooped this story. After the £100,000 are the police, with PC Cullis (Michael Wisher) ordered to scour the children's playground for suspicious characters! He keeps watch at the Children's Paddling Pool.
Adventure Weekly has a great wheeze- a Treasure Hunt. Five clues: send one shilling for the first clue. This is: Look for a Man in Whiskers. Actually, it's poor Mr Filling (Bartlett Mullins) who is 'volunteered' for the role, and he has to don a false beard for the part.
Charles Boyd and Eddie Wheeler, the two robbers, are lying low, planning to hire a motor boat to cross the Channel to France. But they had better go in disguise. "Is my beard on straight?"
Ah! PC Cullis spots that false beard on Mr Filling: "just come down to the station." His mistake is soon evident. But later he happily chats with the crooks, without pentrating their disguises. But a member of the public spots that beard, mistaking it for Clue No1. "Quick, run for it!"
A chase across the beach, the robbers speeding away in their boat, with the staff of Adventure Weekly in hot pursuit. Bringing up the rear, in a pathetic rowing boat is PC Cullis- "hoy, wait for me!"
It is lucky that Charles and Eddie have a dud boat. It breaks down, and PC Cullis effects his arrest, though not before he has fallen into the sea. Adventure Weekly really has got a scoop now.

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Tom's Midnight Garden (BBC, 1968) -

This was a serial in the best Reithian tradition, uplifting, upright, with an educating use of background classical music, in short, not for today's generation - but of its day, wonderful! It perfectly encapsulates the old BBC, and a forgotten era.

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Quizzes / Game Shows/ Panel Games etc

Click titles for more details:

Double Your Money (A-R)

Opportunity Knocks (ABC)

Criss Cross Quiz (Granada)

The Golden Shot (ATV)

BBC Series
(Animal Vegetable Mineral, Ask The Family, Top of the Form, This is Your Life)

The picture is of ATV's Dotto.
Question- can you name the first host, pictured in the middle? Answer.
Dotto was consistently in the weekly Top Ten listings. It had a simple format- two contestants faced a screen which concealed, in 50 dots, the outline of a famous personality. By answering correctly a question worth 5, 8 or 10, that number of dots were filled in. First to identify the person won £5 for each dot NOT filled in.
Filling in the dots behind the white screen, unseen, were Charles Stewart and Terry White.
The first show on Sunday September 14th 1958 at 9pm was directed by Colin Clews and produced by John Irwin. Jerry Allen and his quartet supplied the music. It was made at the Hackney Empire London.

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Criss Cross Quiz . . . Quiz Menu
My brief review of final 1967 edition- Questions seem pretty tough! At the end sadly quizmaster Barbara Kelly can't invite the winner to return next week, as the show is ending.

Here are details I have unearthed about this long running show, and its junior counterpart...

Criss Cross Quiz
"This is probably the best quiz programme on television today," wrote Derek Hoddinott. "The object is rather ingenious. Two contestants play the old game of noughts and crosses by answering simple questions on a set number of subjects. Each correct answer is worth ten pounds and a cross or naught in the appropriate square. Generally the quiz is slick and well directed. The contestants are interesting enough in themselves, and Jeremy Hawk has exactly the right approach. He moves the programme along at a good pace and gives the impression that you haven't been watching it for anything like thirty minutes. I give this show top marks!"
Granada's quiz, which ran to nearly 350 programmes, was first aired on Monday June 18th 1957 at 8pm. Initially it was shown each Monday, Wednesday and Friday at this time.
"This is probably the best quiz programme on television today," wrote critic Derek Hoddinott. "The object is rather ingenious. Two contestants play the old game of noughts and crosses by answering simple questions on a set number of subjects. Each correct answer is worth ten pounds and a cross or naught in the appropriate square. Generally the quiz is slick and well directed. The contestants are interesting enough in themselves, and Jeremy Hawk has exactly the right approach. He moves the programme along at a good pace and gives the impression that you haven't been watching it for anything like thirty minutes. I give this show top marks!"
Every question was worth £10, and the winner who completed a game as in Noughts and Crosses, continued to play another game. At first the show was billed as The Quiz with No Prize Limit, though when one clever contestant scooped over two grand, this rule was changed.
Actor Jeremy Hawk was the first presenter, and David Main the first director. The format continued until the Friday edition was dropped, on and from September 20th 1957. By next month, the bi-weekly quiz became limited to Mondays only at 8pm. But it remained popular and continued in its 8pm slot. Max Morgan-Witts was the new director by the end of the year, and correct answers were increased in value to £20. Another new director in the new year, saw one of the quiz's stalwarts Wilfred Fielding in charge behind the scenes. The show moved to Tuesdays at 8pm as from February 18th 1958, then to 9.30pm in that spring, before a summer break. Jeremy Hawk however did not rest, he went straight on to Junior Criss Cross Quiz.
Series 2 began at the start of 1959 on Wednesdays at 8pm. The director was again Wilfred Fielding. It ran until June, at which time Wigan contestant Angela Fleming had to be 'retired' as she had won £1,200, and the maximum prize was now limited to £1,000.
There was a year's gap until the third series commenced on Tuesday June 15th 1960 at 8pm. As in a previous series, there were two shows per week, the second being screened next day at 8.25pm. After two weeks the times were changed on June 27th 1960 to Monday at 7.30pm and then Wednesday 7.30pm. Graeme McDonald directed and David Main was producer. In the autumn the series was transmitted only once a week, on Wednesdays, Eric Harrison and Wilfred Fielding now directing, and an 'On the Spot Judge' David Ensor (from The Verdict is Yours) on hand in case of dispute. This series continued in 1961, at 7pm (Coronation Street of course bagging its 7.30 time), director was now Philip Casson. In the summer it moved to Mondays at the same time, but not now fully networked. The third series came off air in October 1961, possibly as a result of the ITV dispute with Equity. Jeremy Hawk had hosted the shows in these first three series.
A fourth and final series did not make an appearance until Wednesday July 1st 1964 at 7pm, once again not fully networked. New quizmaster was Bill Grundy, and old hand Wilfred Fielding was the director. The show now ran continuously for over three years. Producer was Patricia Lagone. Top prize was again limited to £1,000. Grundy's run ended on September 2nd 1964, the following week Barbara Kelly took over, and remained hostess until the end the series folded. "I shall enjoy invading a field previously occupied mainly by men," she commented. Patricia Owtram was producer. From September 20th 1964, the show went out on Tuesdays at 7pm. Pauline Shaw, who was also producing the junior show, took over as producer for two weeks on November 10th 1964, long term director Wilfred Fielding continued in his role. Patricia Owtram returned on Nov 24th 1964, but two weeks later on December 8th, Philip Casson took over as producer. Next change behind the scenes came in the June 15th 1965 edition, when John Hamp became the new producer, and David Warwick the director. With the autumn schedules, the show moved to Thursdays at 7pm in September 1965, personnel as before. It was not fully networked, some regions not screening the quiz at all now. During 1966 the times it was shown varied from region to region, those that screened it at all, Granada now placing it in their own area in a slot on Fridays at 7pm. About a year on, in summer 1966, the first change in personnel for a long while came with Richard Guinea taking over the directing.
More changes at the start of September 1966, with Barry Davis the next director, and a new producer in Peter Mullings.
By early 1967 Don Bennetts was directing the quiz, now on Mondays at 6.30pm to those regions showing it. After Easter 1967 it had moved to Wednesdays at the same time then on Fridays at the same time for the summer. Other regions that still showed it treated the long running quiz with some disdain, Rediffusion screening it after 11pm! No wonder prizes had now dropped back to the original £10 per correct answer. John Hamp who had worked on the show two years previously was now the producer for the final programmes, the last being on September 22nd 1967, this show being one of only four surviving in Granada's archive.

Junior Criss Cross Quiz
For children aged 12 to 15. Jeremy Hawk moved from the adult version to start this children's series off, late in 1957 on Wednesdays at 5pm. Unlike the senior version, contestants did not compete for cash, but points. 50 points could win you a pair of skates, 100 a tool kit, 150 a record player, 200 a cine camera, and 250 a portable typewriter. Wow! The biggest prizewinner in the first year of shows was Rosalind Hilson, daughter of a doctor from Ashton, near Manchester who won 850 points, and two prizes, a radiogram and a bicycle. Contestants were 'organised' by Reg Marsh whose task was rather difficult. He explained,"we have to restrict contestants to those living in a ten mile radius of the studios; it is important they should not miss school." I am not sure children over most of the country would have agreed! First Criss Cross Quiz director, David Main, was in charge behind the scenes. Tom Spaulding as well as Wilf Fielding, from the senior version, were also directors.
During the summer of 1958, now at 5.15pm, Jeremy was taking a rest, and the quiz was hosted by Elaine Grand, and directed by Claud Whatham, starting on July 9th 1958 (after a two week break when Wimbledon tennis had been shown). Then in September 1958 Chris Howland took over the quiz, now on Wednesdays at 5pm, directed variously by Mike Wooler, Wilfred Fielding and Claud Whatham. By next August, Bill Grundy took over the role of question master, with Eric Harrison and later Eric Price directing. Bill's last show was on March 2nd 1959 at 5pm, after which time Elaine Grand returned, with Peter Mullings directing, until on Wednesday May 4th Jeremy Hawk returned to host the series. Before long, he was joined by his old partner, producer David Main, though Graeme McDonald was now directing the actual quiz. However after a run of a year and a half, this first long series finished, partly because Jeremy was to start the senior version again. The final programme was on June 8th 1960.
A second series began in May 1961, Jeremy Hawk kicking it off, though Gordon Luck, who had hosted It's Wizard in the same slot soon took over- the time was Thursdays at 5pm, the most regular slot Junior Criss Cross Quiz enjoyed. Philip Casson, who was concurrently directing the 'senior' version, was in charge behind the scenes. Eric Harrison was a later director, with Pamela Brown the producer. Claud Whatham and David Warwick also directed some editions during 1962. The run came to the end in July 1962.
Series 3 was actually billed as "Criss Cross Quiz" and began on Thursday February 14th 1963 in that familiar 5pm slot. The new quizmaster was Australian Mark Kelly, Pamela Brown continued as producer, with Wilfred Fielding now the director. Despite this name change it was for children only, aged 12 and above. Robert Holness, who was also hosting Take a Letter, took over during September 1963, with Pamela Brown still producing and Wilfred Fielding still directing.
The name reverted to "Junior Criss Cross Quiz" in early June 1964, because the grown up version returned to the screen at the end of that month. Pauline Shaw took over the producer's job on September 24th 1964. A special edition on Christmas Eve 1964, though called Junior Criss Cross Quiz still, was a special "grown-ups" edition. Mike Sarne asked the questions, and five sports stars competed for presents to be donated to children's hospitals. Answering questions were Ian Ure, Trevor Bailey, Derek Ibbotson, Madeleine Ibbotson, and Linda Ludgrove. Sarne continued hosting the show in 1965, which moved to Fridays at 5pm from March 5th that year. March 26th 1965 marked the debut of new quizmaster Danny Blanchflower. On Friday June 18th 1965, John Hamp became the new producer, and David Warwick the director, both also at this time had started on the senior version. Leslie Chatfield became the new director from December 23rd 1965, the date having been switched to Thursdays at 5pm (the same day as the adult version) as from December 9th. Another change of directors came on June 2nd 1966, when Richard Guinea took over. As was now traditional, he also was directing the senior Criss Cross Quiz at the same time. Danny Blanchflower left in July 1966 (to watch the World Cup?!), and Peter Wheeler was the new host for the remainder of the programmes. From September 1st, again mirroring the senior version, a new producer started work- Peter Mullings. The director was now Barry Davis, though by November 1966, David Warwick had returned for a while to the role.
But by early 1967 Don Bennetts was directing. The final throes of the series saw John Hamp return as producer on May 25th 1967, with new director Eric Prytherch. Peter Wheeler was still asking the questions up to the final ever edition on Thursday June 29th 1967. This final series had run continuously for over four years. Today, despite Granada's laudable archival policy, only three of around 460 shows seem to remain in their archive. If you were lucky enough to appear, do let me know your memories!

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Opportunity Knocks -
Hughie Greene in a black/white edition. That suspicious Clapometer is the best part!
Those seeking your Vote were:
The Headliners (teenage pop group),
Anthony Graham (hip crooner at piano),
Duggie Clark (comedian, Frankie Howerd style),
Lisa Gordon (singer),
Caribbean All Steel Band,
James Gilhooley (opera singer),
The Flying Paulos (trapeze artists).

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Double Your Money
Good old Hughie Greene with a good old fashioned quiz where the jackpot was -do I hear you swoon?- a thousand pounds. To be frank, Who Wants To Be A Millionaire's questions look frightfully easy in comparison with these - for £32 you almost sell your soul to Hughie. But Hughie links it well, like a real old pro.

This was the junior relation to Michael Miles' Take Your Pick. Both series had started on Radio Luxembourg, but as host Hughie Green was often reminded, his show started second. In fact the first edition of Double Your Money was on Monday September 26th 1955 at 8pm. At the organ was Alex Leader. This show has survived and it is interesting to watch a much more restrained Hughie than in his later programmes.
First question on your chosen subject was worth £1, and each correct answer doubled up the prize, before eventually, for the £64 question, you were put on 'The Treasure Trail,' actually a soundproof box where you could win £128, £256, £500 or even reach the jackpot of £1,000.
This first series ran each Monday, later moving to Wednesdays at 7.30pm and running until June 1956. Like many A-R series, it was commissioned, made by 'Arlington Television and Radio.' For the summer season, Hughie hosted Opportunity Knocks.
Series 2 commenced in September 1956, again shown on Wednesdays at 7.30. A-R's studio designer John Clements was responsible for the set, and Audrey Starrett directed. Amongst the hostesses were Verna, Sheena Marshe, Cherie Danton (series 2), and Pat Goddard. There were many other hostesses during the 1950's, but TV Times did not often list any names, and I am only including those whose names I have definitely been able to verify myself. However if you can supply additional names and give me sources- but not merely regurgitating other internet sites- I'd be pleased to hear from you. One of the first winners to reach the £1,000 jackpot in Feb 1957 was Lynda Sympson. This series ended on June 12th 1957.
Series 3 began on Thursday September 19th 1957, now in the peak 8pm slot. New director was Ronald Marriott, though Eric Croall took over after a few weeks. Robin Richmond played the organ. After the usual summer break, the programme returned for
Series 4 on Thursday September 18th 1958, now at 8.30pm. During 1959 starting times moved around, first 7pm then 8pm. Robin Richmond returned on the organ, hostesses were Jean Clarke and Suzanne Lee. Eric Croall was now producer, director being Bill Turner. A special edition on Christmas Day that year had all contestants as children. After the summer break, Hughie returned with
Series 5 commencing on Monday September 14th 1959 at 7.30pm. For a few weeks it was sceened at 8.35pm, before settling in to a 7.30pm slot. The personnel were the same, but a new hostess joined Jean Clarke in early 1960, Janine Gray. The final programme was on Monday June 20th 1960.
Series 6 returned that September with the same personnel, the series reaching the 200th show on Thursday December 1st at 7.30pm. To mark the occasion, new contestants were all teenagers interested in become scientists. This series ended on June 8th 1961.
Series 7 was in the same time slot, with the same personnel, except Nancy Roberts was now hostess, starting on Thursday September 14th 1961. However at the start of 1962, in the midst of a prolonged Equity strike, it moved to Fridays at 7pm, swapping places with rival Take Your Pick. But by the following month it had returned to Thursdays, now at 8pm. The final show on June 7th 1962 showed clips from the funniest moments of the series. Nancy Roberts played the bagpipes.
Hughie returned on Thursday September 13th 1962 at 7pm for the eighth series. A special TV Times cover showed him and Michael Miles. Nancy Roberts (custodian of the questions) was now joined by Julie de Marco (in charge of the money), with Robin Richmond on the organ as usual, and Eric Croall still the director, though Don Gale took over early in 1963. The final show was on June 6th 1963.
Series 9 began in September 1963 with the same hostesses in the now familiar Thursday 7pm slot. However Jackie Brown was the new organist. Linda Christian replaced Nancy Roberts during October, while Julie de Marco was now billed as "the singing hostess with the notes - top C and £sd." At the end of October, Barbara Roscoe became the figure with the questions. In February 1964, Double Your Money's best remembered face, ex-contestant (she won a mere £8) Monica Rose became the "mod-est" new hostess "with the answers." She enjoyed a cheeky rapport with Hughie. Barbara Roscoe soon replaced Julie de Marco as the second hostess. In common with Take Your Pick, some special programmes began to vary the studio based format. In March 1964 there was a series of Commonwealth Editions, with specially selected teenagers answering questions on different Commonwealth countries. The angle was- the £64 was asked in India, the £125 question in New Zealand, the £250 in Australia, the £500 in Antigua, with the final £1,000 question in Canada. On April 30th 1964, that £1,000 question was posed by the Niagara Falls. Following on from this success, Canadian contestants appeared in the show, and even better for Hughie, a version of the series was sold to Canadian TV. At the end of this run, the hostesses included Julie de Marco back "with the songs," as well as Monica Rose, "the thorn in Hughie's side." Newcomers included, doing the original hostess' roles, Eleanor Calbes, in charge of the money, and Terry Coubay, with the questions. After the traditional summer break,
TV Times marked the returned of the series with another front cover, shared with Michael Miles. The first show of series 10 was on Thursday September 17th 1964, now at 7.30pm with Don Gale again directing. Julie de Marco and Monica Rose continued, as did Jackie Brown at the organ. By that November, the show was back at its most familiar 7pm time, and Helena Donaher became a new keeper of the money. An American holiday contest was a special prize at the end of this year. This series finished its run on June 10th 1965.
Tuesday September 14th 1965 at 7pm marked the start of series 11. Monica Rose now "rises to every occasion," whilst "her friend" looks after the money. Jackie Brown also returned, and the show was again produced by Don Gale. Musical requests were sung by Allun Davies, to prove this was not merely a quiz. Specials included a commemoration of the 25th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain on September 28th, and a "Sentimental Journey" ran throughout November, visiting places viewers had requested. Other hostesses included Alexandra Stephenson, looking after the money, replaced in early 1966 by Lesley Langley. About this time Barry Langford started directing the show. Anita West was a hostess in February, at which time the show was offering science students a Travel Research Scholarship worth £500, the prize finally being awarded on the April 12th show. Peter Croft directed shows at this period, but old hand Don Gale returned once the Travel Scholarship had been decided. Monica Rose even made the cover of TV Times in the May 21st edition, before the final show on June 7th, which had her and Hughie on a trip down the Clyde, stopping off to rope in locals as contestants.
The penultimate series, series 12, began on Tuesday September 27th 1966 at 7pm with Monica Rose, Anita West and Jackie Brown again, Peter Croft now directing. Bill Costello was the programme editor. The first programme promised that six contestants would win the chance to take part in the programme to be recorded in Moscow. Two shows were made in The House of Friendship in Moscow, and shown on November 8th and 15th 1966. Hughie and Monica made the long trip, Bill Hall was at the piano, and Natasha Vasylyeva was an additional hostess. Russian contestants participated (presumably ones who could speak English) in this "first ever Western quiz game in the Soviet Union." TV Times marked the occasion with a photo of Hughie with Moscow in the background. After such high jinks, it was back to the London studio, Audrey Graham now joining Hughie Green who was still "annoyed by" Monica Rose. More excitement however in early 1967, with the "Hostess with the Mostest" competition. The finals were included in the March 14th programme, recorded at the Top Rank Suite in Croydon. After a telephone vote, Karen Cornish joined the programme, and Mary Bygraves replaced the irreplaceable Monica Rose. Mary was, like Monica, an ex-contestant. She had won £250, but she was a little different, she was 76 years young. With Hughie now heavily involved with Opportunity Knocks, this series, like the last, was slightly curtailed compared with previous years.
In fact for this reason, the final series 13 did not start until January 1968. Monica Rose returned as hostess, alongside Judy Monks. Audrey Graham returned during February. Suzanne Dobson was at the organ. Don Gale was producer. The programmes were shown on Mondays at 7pm, though some regions screened the programmes on Wednesdays at 7pm. No exotic locations this winter or spring, but the series ended on a high with the chance to win a trip to Australia, the lucky contestant drawn from 'the travel drum.' The final programme was shown in London on Monday July 22nd 1968 at 7pm, made in Adelaide, Australia. Double Your Money had run to over 450 programmes, Hughie Green hosting every one of them.
Double Your Money and try to get rich,
Double Your Money without any hitch,
Double Your Money, it's your lucky day,
Double your Money and take it away.

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The Golden Shot (ATV)
* 1967 show with Jackie Rae, the first host of ATV's live show. Guest Tom Jones.
* Show compered by Bob Monkhouse. Guest Clive Dunn.

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Miscellaneous BBC Series

This is Your Life (BBC)
Detailed reviews of these programmes. Click where highlighted.
July 1955: first programme,
Eamonn Andrews
March 1958: Harry Secombe
c1960: Stirling Moss
1960: Sybil Thorndike
c1962: Stratford Johns
February 1963: Hattie Jacques
March 1964: Barbara Mullen

Panel Games/ Quizzes
Animal Vegetable Mineral - Erudite BBC mateyness amongst the experts, utterly baffling to non cogniscenti
Ask The Family - Mr BBC himself, Robert Robinson with his own brand of avuncular headmasterfulness
Top of the Form - Social history- innocent intelligent middle class youth about to be swept away by the pop revolution

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Eamonn Andrews (1955)

This was the first ever British show, and the host and mastermind behind the American series, Ralph Edwards, was flown over to introduce it. He's clearly not quite au fait with some Britishers.
In the audience he teases us by introducing Boris Karloff. Is he the subject of this programme? No, so how about Bebe Daniels and Ben Lyon. No.
Edwards approaches Eamonn Andrews who has brought Freddie Mills along. The latter knows that Eamonn is to be the subject of the show, but Eamomn thinks it's to be Freddie. A neat trick, one that Eamonn was to do to others many a time.
His big breakthrough had been in February 1950, taking over as MC of the radio programme Ignorance is Bliss at the Paris Theatre London, and an exuberant panelist reminds him of the occasion.
Childhood faded photos serve to introduce his mother then the rest of his family. Eamonn looks decidedly worried, as though some awful revelation might be sprung on him. But family anecdotes brush away the possible tears and he's more cheerful as we hear of his start as an amateur boxer in 1944. His semi final opponent comes on stage, no wonder Eamonn can't place that voice; it seems Eamonn had time to do some radio commentary on the other semi final, before going on to win the competition.
1949 in Double or Nothing he met his future wife, it wasn't a whirlwind romance. Then we hear of Ignorance is Bliss, and at the same time Eamonn started Sports Report. In 1951 began his long association with the tv panel game What's My Line?
Irish music plays quietly in the background as a boxer recalls what was considered to be the "finest sports commentary ever heard," a radio broadcast relayed from a San Francisco boxing match. One needs to recall that sports commentary up till then had been staid affairs, observant but dispassionate. Eamonn changed all that

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Harry Secombe (March 1958)

Hand in pocket, Eamonn Andrews reveals that tomorrow is April Fools Day, and it seems to have come early as we have a long wait at the entrance to the studio before we hear Harry's voice, and finally see him in person, as he enters the stage door with Peter Haigh. Inside, as he takes off his overcoat he threatens Peter with "you wait!"
Eamomn starts by talking of Harry's twin talents, Clown or Caruso? On film, Adele Leigh explains how they first met on a tv show, singing a duet from Madame Butterfly. "One of the finest tenor voices," she says in true show biz speak.
The first studio guests are his mother and father, "he was always larking about the house." Then his elder brother, chalk and cheese you might say. Finally his sister, with whom Harry had performed an amateur act.
One of his teachers talks of his lively class, Harry the ringleader. War service- and an army buddy comes on, then one from the Royal Artillery. He muddles his lines talking about North Africa in December 1942, but thanks Harry for writing a letter home to his wife when the buddy went missing. A third buddy, Len, worked with him as a pianist, they still do.
He met his wife in 1946 at the Mumbles Dance Hall, and we see their two children watching this programme at home.
1948 he teamed up with scriptwriter Jimmy Grafton, 'Cogros,' who describes Harry as "a great comic and singer," that's about right. A chance meeting with a BBC producer gave him his break. She reveals all.
After voice coaching he performed many concerts. After one charity do in 1951 he crashed his car, the unlucky victim being Katy Boyle, unscathed, she says. Then film of a Manchester hospital ward complete with waving children, after which a nurse comes on (in uniform naturally) to explain Harry had donated a tv set for the kids.
On the morrow he's off to Africa. Escorts come on stage to carry him there, they are Spike Milligan, Ray Ellington and not announced Peter Sellers. Eric Sykes is announced by Eamonn but never appears. Amid chaos, Eamonn tries to present Harry with the Red Book

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Stirling Moss c1960
Waiting on the street at Bush Green, a small growd gathers as a car eventually draws to a halt. Eamonn opens the door to surprise Stirling Moss.
In the studio, we start with 25 year old film of "the vituoso of the steering wheel," here on his pedal car. Then to today's newspaper, 99mph in the headlines. First guest dug up is his old schoolmistress who gives quite bit away when she says, "he had more than his share of energy."
Though his father and mother urged him to be a dentist, Stirling always knew he wanted to be a racing driver, and his parents were indeed keen amateur racers themselves. From Paris, Lance Macklin tells of a few escapades chasing round France, and praises Stirling's powers of concentration on the racetrack too.
A journalist explains how it happened that SM drove a Jag for the first time, "he walked the race." 1951 film of a win in the Gold Star British Championship only led to a frustrating period according to Ken Gregory his personal manager. 1954 was a glorious failure with his mechanic Alf Francis, "we worked like two brothers." Alf calls him "the greatest living racing driver."
1955 with Mercedes starts the years of fulfilment. 1956 Vanwall, 1957 marriage. Katie says he never relaxes. A clip is shown from the A-R tv series with Daniel Farson, People in Trouble. SM had helped a grateful Paul, seen in this extract, providing him with a disabled vehicle.
On film, perhaps the greatest driver of the time, Fangio, greets Stirling on film. Eamonn translates.
Stirling Moss OBE is greeted by one final voice, his first mechanic an ex German POW, who concludes, "one of the greatest racing drivers in the world." Seems they all agreed on that, and certainly his name has passed into British folklore
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Hattie Jacques
(February 12th 1963)
Hiding behind a newspaper in the stalls of the BBC Theatre, Eamonn Andrews surprises Hattie, who is walking down the aisle with Eric Sykes. He's the first guest, "I've been dying to tell you!"
We learn that she was born in Sandgate Kent, went to school in Hammersmith, where she was stagestruck. Indeed she has this surprised smile she wears throughout the programme, which sometimes appears just a little too put on.
We learn of her fine work with the Red Cross which she joined in 1940. A guest tells of her work in wartime hospitals and at bomb incidents.
A clip from the 1959 Carry On Nurse serves to introduce Shirley Eaton who is the archetypal This Is Your Life gushing guest.
Leonard Sachs recounts her audition for the Players Theatre in which she sang the Marie Lloyd song A Little of What You Fancy. There is also film of Hattie singing My Old Man.
Her first important film was Chance of a Lifetime (1950) and producer Bernard Miles describes Hattie as "a born actress." He adds, "she was worth every penny."
John Le Mesurier strolls on, the couple had married in November 1950. She "makes every moment count," says John, describing her as "a whirlwind," a contrast to himself no doubt.
A ship had adopted Hattie and she meets first one of the sailors, then all her adopted family.
A clip from the 1961 In The Doghouse brings in Leslie Phillips, "I always enjoy working with Hattie." He'd been rather jealous of her in this film, for she had rather hit it off with Rosie, a chimp, said Rosie now comes on stage to a big hug.
Charity work for the East London Spastics, one mother tells of her kindness raising over £5,000 as their president.
A guest who'd last seen Hattie in 1946 tells of her songwriting. Max Bygraves has a holiday tale from Paris, and he ends by praising her professionalism.
The programme finishes with her family joining her

To 'This is Your Life' Menu

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Detailed Reviews in alphabetical order, these are links to the main British (and Euro) series on this site:
African Patrol
The Baron
The Buccaneers
Colonel March of Scotland Yard
Comedy Playhouse
The Corridor People
Counter-Attack!
Danger Man
Dial 999
Emergency Ward Ten
Fabian of the Yard
Flight of the Heron
Freewheelers
Ghost Squad
Harry Worth
Hugh & I (Terry Scott/Hugh Lloyd)
Interpol Calling
Mark Saber
No Hiding Place
One Step Beyond
Paris Precinct
Public Eye
The Pursuers
The Railway Children
Riviera Police
Scotland Yard
Sherlock Holmes (Ronald Howard)
Strange Experiences
Sunday Night at the London Palladium
Tales from Dickens
Television Playhouse (and other ITV plays)
The Third Man
Undermind
Wednesday Play (and other BBC plays)
Whiplash
White Hunter

Episode Guides (Mostly partial, but as detailed as can be managed pro tem, for these series:)

About Religion (1956-1966)
After Hours (1958-1959)
Biggles (1960)
Billy Bunter of Greyfriars School (1952-1961)
Boyd QC (1956-1964)
Calling Scotland Yard (1954)
Carnival Time (1967)
Crane (1963-1965)
Deadline Midnight (1960-1961)
Destination Downing Street (1957)
Dickie Henderson Show (1960-1968)
Discs A Gogo (1961-1968)

Five O'Clock Club (1963-1966)
Harpers W1 (1961-1963)
HMS Paradise (1964)
ITV Children's Serials
Jezebel ex-UK (1963)
Journey of a Lifetime (1961-1962)
Land Of Song (1958-1964)
Mary Britten MD (1958-1959)
Motive for Murder (1957)
On Trial (1960)
Our House (1960-1962)
Overseas Press Club (1957)
Probation Officer (1959-1962)
Schirmer Inheritance (1957)
Seeing Sport (1956-1965)
Sergeant Cork (1963-1966)
Shadow Squad (1957-1959)
Skyport (1959-1960)
Sunday Break (1958-1965)
Sword in the Web (1962)
Virgin of the SS (1968)
Whacko (series 6 1960)
See also TWW page for Welsh language programmes
To Main TV Menu

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I am always interested in buying film prints of tv programmes.
Only British black/white programmes.
Price for film prints according to condition, but assuming there are only a few splices and scratches, and no vinegar smell, and beginning and end titles are complete, I will offer above market value for items I specially want, for stories I do not have!
The Pursuers
Douglas Fairbanks Presents
Fabian of the Yard (£125)
The Cheaters
Calling Scotland Yard
Lilli Palmer Theatre
Errol Flynn Theatre
Stryker of the Yard (£75)
Glencannon
For films of studio performances, or films of taped material, the position varies considerably. Often titles can be found incomplete or missing, but any near complete programmes from these are of interest:
Boyd QC, Top Secret, Harry Worth, Billy Bunter, Mr Pastry.
For the more popular series like Z Cars and No Hiding Place, as these are now so rare, why not contact the copyright holders?
Other UK programmes always considered, but these are my main Wants for which I do offer top prices.

DVDs- I do also buy dvds of rare material, subject to copyright, and I am happy to offer for many such off the beaten track programmes. Please note that I do not sell dvds, but I will consider swaps for items I no longer want to keep.

TV Times- I am always happy to purchase reading copies of TV Times- condition unimportant as long as the magazines are reasonably complete.
Anything considered from 1955 to 1968.
Regional magazines also of interest, TV World, The Viewer, Look Westward, Television Weekly, regional TV Times etc.
Main TV Menu

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Robert Gladwell.
Well done if you knew that one!

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Back to Quizzes

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