Journey into Space
Journey Into Space is a BBC Radio science fiction programme written by BBC producer Charles Chilton. It was the last UK radio programme to attract a bigger evening audience than television.[1] Originally, four series were produced (the fourth was a remake of the first), which was translated into 17 languages[2] (including Hindi, Turkish and Dutch)[3] and broadcast in countries worldwide (including Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand and The United States).[3] Chilton later wrote three best-selling novels and several comic strip stories based upon the radio series.
For the novel by Toby Litt, see Journey into Space (book).Genre
30 minutes
United Kingdom
English
Charles Chilton
21 September 1953 –
18 June 1958
Journey to the Moon – 18
The Red Planet – 20
The World in Peril – 20
Operation Luna – 13
The Return from Mars – 1
The first series was created in 1953, soon after Riders of the Range (a popular Western, also written by Chilton) ended its six series on the BBC Light Programme. Michael Standing, then Head of the BBC Variety Department, asked Chilton if he could write a sci-fi programme, and Journey to the Moon (later known as Operation Luna) was the result.[1] Each half-hour episode would usually end with a dramatic cliffhanger, to increase the audience's incentive to tune into the next episode.
The original magnetic recordings of the show were erased shortly after broadcast, and for several decades it was believed that no recordings of the show had survived, although some were broadcast by the American Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS, formerly AFN) in Europe during the late 1970s. In 1986, a set of misfiled Transcription Service discs (produced for sale to overseas radio stations) was discovered, containing complete copies of the three original series (more accurately, the surviving version of the first series is a cut-down remake of the original, produced for the Transcription Service during the 1950s). This discovery enabled the BBC to begin re-broadcasting the show in the late 1980s, and release copies of the show, first on audio cassette, and more recently on CD and internet download.
Fans of Journey Into Space included Colin Pillinger,[4] Kenny Everett,[5] John Major,[5] Stephen Hawking,[5] Miriam Margolyes[5] and former Doctor Who producer Philip Hinchcliffe.[6]
Original three series[edit]
Journey to the Moon/Operation Luna[edit]
Initially, the first series was simply known as Journey Into Space, with the subtitle A Tale of the Future added by the Radio Times, but within the BBC it became known as Journey to the Moon.[1] The series was set in 1965 (the year in which Chilton believed humans would first walk on the Moon[7]), and was first broadcast in 1953–1954 on the BBC Light Programme. The series was originally intended to have 12 episodes[1] (one source claims 8 episodes[2]), and 5.1 million people tuned into the first episode, but the first four episodes (which took place on Earth) did not prove very popular, and the audience soon shrank to fewer than 4 million.[1] But once the rocket set off for the Moon in episode 5, the audience reaction was much more favourable. The series was extended to 18 episodes, and by the time the final episode was broadcast, 8 million people were tuning in.[1]
In 1958, Journey to the Moon was re-recorded for the BBC Transcription Services (retitled as Operation Luna), because the original recordings had been erased.[1] The first four episodes of the original series were omitted, and episodes 12 and 13 were merged into a single episode.[1] Today, the only surviving recording from the original 1953 series Journey to the Moon is a 5-minute excerpt from the final episode.[1]
Faulds, Kingsley Poynter, and Deryck Guyler were the only actors from Journey to the Moon to reprise their roles in Operation Luna.
In addition to the main characters, other characters in Journey to the Moon included:[1]
Van Phillips composed and conducted the music for all three series.[2] The music was initially recorded beforehand, and played from acetate discs during the recording sessions.[1] Later, an eight-piece orchestra was actually present in the studio, and played the music live.[13] Phillips liked the sound of the clavioline, and obtained one for use during Journey Into Space. He composed music especially for it, and it was "bolted onto the piano" in the studio.[13] Titles of his compositions include "A Picture of the Universe", "Rocket Away", "Music for Outer Space",[1] "The Red Planet", "Crossing the Plains",[3] and "Sunrise".[9]
In 1955, Decca released a 78rpm record of the Journey Into Space theme, performed by Frank Weir and his orchestra (catalogue number F.10435),[3] and sheet music of a piano solo of the theme was also published. In 1978, the recording was included on the 33⅓rpm BBC compilation record BBC Space Themes (catalogue number REH 324),[3] and in 2005, Vocalion/Dutton Laboratories included it on their digitally remastered compilation CD Presenting Frank Weir And His Saxophone (catalogue number CDLK 4266).
In Journey to the Moon, Lemmy occasionally provided musical entertainment for the crew on his mouth organ, playing songs such as "Knocked 'em in the Old Kent Road" and "My Old Dutch".[1] Excerpts of popular music were often used during the episodes, and sometimes played an important role in the plot. In episode 8 of Journey to the Moon, an excerpt from "Honeymoon on a Rocket Ship" by Hank Snow and The Rainbow Ranch Boys is heard by the crew on the ship's radio.[1] "When It's Night Time In Italy", by James Kendis and Lew Brown, was an important part of episodes 7 and 8 of The Red Planet.[3] Other popular music used in The Red Planet included:[3]
The World in Peril featured a 'rebel song', sung by the 'conditioned' men aboard the Martian asteroids. This song was actually a musical arrangement of The Green Hills of Earth (a poem taken from Robert Heinlein's short story of the same name), performed by the George Mitchell Choir.[9] In the final episode of The World in Peril, Chopin Opus 34: No. 2: Valse brillante in A minor is heard playing over the radio.
Sound effects[edit]
A variety of sound effects were used in the episodes, and played a major role. In addition to basic sounds, such as feet walking along a corridor or tunnel, more advanced effects were created, such as the mysterious haunting 'music' which is heard over the rocket's radio in many episodes of Operation Luna.
The most distinctive effect was the dramatic rocket take-off, which was played at the beginning of each episode, and whenever necessary during the episodes. This was actually a recording of a jet aircraft at Heathrow airport.[13] Often, this would be followed by a slowly ascending tone (representing the rocket accelerating), which "was actually a recording of a thermionic valve played through an echo chamber down at the Physical Research Laboratory at Kingston".[13] Other sound effects were created at Battersea Power Station, and the sound made by the televiewer on board Luna was actually a naval ASDIC.[1]
The BBC had an echo chamber in the studio, which was greatly utilised during the episodes. Whenever the crew were in contact by radio with Earth control, or another distant location, the echo chamber would be applied to the voice of the remote character. Various sound effects were also created "live" in the studio. For example, in episode 8 of Journey to the Moon, the crew hear a mysterious tapping on the outside of the ship; this effect was created "by tapping the needle of the gramophone pickup head, and playing that through an echo chamber".[13]
The operation of the Martian "Brain" when compiling an answer in response to questions was represented by the sound of a 2000-type Director - a telephone call routing device used in large city Strowger type telephone exchanges.
Novels[edit]
Chilton wrote three Journey Into Space novels, one for each of the three original series. The first novel, titled Journey Into Space, told the story of Journey to the Moon and was the first book that Chilton had written.[1] It was published in hardback by Herbert Jenkins in 1954, followed by The Red Planet in 1956,[3] and The World in Peril in 1960.[9] Later they were published in paperback by Pan in 1958, 1960 and 1962 respectively.
On 8 May 2008, BBC Audiobooks released a complete and unabridged audiobook of the first novel, read by William Hope.[14]
Comic strips[edit]
In 1956, the Junior Express comic began publishing Journey Into Space comic strips, with scripts by Charles Chilton and artwork by Italian artist Ferdinando Tacconi.[9] The first adventure, titled Jet Morgan in Planet of Fear, was a 35-episode sequel to The World in Peril. Tacconi spent some time with Chilton absorbing the atmosphere of the saga, and portrayed (in full colour) the radio actors' likenesses to match the clever dialogue.
The story was continued in 1957 in the 32-episode adventure, Shadow over Britain. In March 1957, Arthur Bruce Cornwell took over from Tacconi as artist, and Chilton lost his enthusiasm for the cartoon strip; thereafter it became a contractual chore for him. Terence Patrick took over from Cornwell in April 1957, and by the time the third adventure began (The World Next Door), Chilton was no longer writing the scripts.
The 1956 Express Weekly annual contained a short black & white comic strip called Jet Morgan and the Space Pirates, illustrated by Tacconi. (Express Weekly was the new name of Junior Express.) The 1957 annual included a short story called Jet Morgan and the Space Castaway, written by Chilton and illustrated by Cornwell.
Discovery of Transcription discs[edit]
The programmes were recorded in the studio on 15ips magnetic tape, and were later copied onto 33⅓rpm 16-inch coarse-groove transcription discs for the BBC Transcription Services (except for Journey to the Moon episodes).[1] The master tapes were erased three months after broadcast, in accordance with BBC policy at the time. The Transcription discs were sold overseas, and their fate was unknown, so for many years it was believed that all the episodes had been lost forever, although a number were broadcast by the American Forces Radio and Television Service (AFRTS, formerly AFN) in Europe during the late 1970s.[15]
However, in 1986, a set of misfiled Transcription discs were found by Ted Kendall, a BBC recording engineer, which turned out to be copies of Operation Luna, The Red Planet and The World in Peril. The BBC no longer possessed a suitable turntable on which to play the discs, but Kendall eventually managed to obtain an EMT 927 turntable. To clean the discs, he soaked them in warm water containing Fairy Liquid, brushed them with a goats-hair brush, and dried them using kitchen towels.[15]
Kendall then transferred the recordings to magnetic tape, removing "clicks" from the sound using a device which he designed and built, called the Mousetrap (or Front End). He removed more severe clicks after the transfer, by scraping the oxide off the magnetic tape in appropriate places.[15]
The BBC took the opportunity to re-broadcast all three series on Radio 2, beginning with Operation Luna in 1989,[1] followed by The Red Planet in 1990[3] and The World in Peril in 1991.[9] Abridged versions of the three series were also released on audio cassette. In 1998, Kendall digitally remastered the recordings for new abridged releases on audio cassette, and in 2004, the unabridged remastered recordings began to be released on CD and internet download. The three series have also been broadcast on BBC Radio 7, now known as BBC Radio 4 Extra.
Special episodes[edit]
The Return from Mars[edit]
In 1981, Radio 4's Saturday Night Theatre slot ran a special science fiction series, featuring stories such as The First Men in the Moon, The Chrysalids, A Fall of Moondust and The Technicolor Time Machine. Charles Chilton was asked to write a new one-off 90-minute episode of Journey Into Space for this slot, and The Return from Mars was the result. The plot was an approximate continuation from the end of The World in Peril. The episode was broadcast on 7 March 1981.
In addition to the main characters, other characters in The Return from Mars included:[9]
In translation[edit]
A Dutch-language version of the first three series of Journey into Space was broadcast in the Netherlands by the Katholieke Radio Omroep (KRO) in 1955–1958 under the title Sprong in het heelal (Dutch for 'Leap Into the Universe'), directed by Léon Povel. Translation was by Eddy Franquinet and the main character roles were played by John de Freese (Jeff Morgan [sic]), Adolf Bouwmeester / Louis de Bree (Doc Matthews), Jan van Ees (Mitch Mitchell), and Jan Borkus (Jimmy Barnett).
Director Léon Povel died just a few days after Charles Chilton, on 8 January 2013, at the age of 101 years. After his death, his youngest son Winfried Povel started recording the fourth series De terugkeer van Mars (Dutch for 'Return from Mars') with professional actors and as a special guest the Dutch astronaut André Kuipers. The recording was much longer than the BBC version, at 2 hours 11 minutes, so the play was edited into four episodes (30–36 minutes each) and broadcast as a mini-series. It was broadcast in January 2014 by the KRO-NCRV as well on NPO Radio 5 and repeated the same night on NPO Radio 1.[16]
[edit]
Chilton followed Journey Into Space with two other radio series – Space Force in 1984 and Space Force II in 1985 – which were based on a similar theme. Indeed, Space Force had originally been intended as a new Journey Into Space serial, following on from The Return from Mars, until relatively late in the day, so its four central characters are clear 'doubles' for the Journey Into Space team. In the version that was actually recorded and transmitted, one character (Chipper Barnett) refers to his grandfather Lemmy.
Journey into Space at BBC Online
The BBC releases of the three original series on CD and internet download are accompanied by 16-page booklets with text written by Andrew Pixley. These booklets provide detailed information about the series, and are available online: