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. Originally, four series were produced (the fourth was a remake of the first), which was translated into 17 languages (including Hindi, Turkish and Dutch) and broadcast in countries worldwide (including Australia, the Netherlands, New Zealand and The United States). Chilton later wrote three best-selling novels and several comic strip stories based upon the radio series.
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. 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, Kenny Everett, John Major, Stephen Hawking, Miriam Margolyes and former "Doctor Who" producer Philip Hinchcliffe.
The main characters.
The four main characters appear in all the original series, as well as the later special episodes:
Guy Kingsley Poynter (who played Doc) had worked with Charles Chilton before "Journey Into Space", and Chilton once commented that Poynter "was a very good poetry reader". Chilton also observed that Bruce Beeby was like his character Mitch, and was "always blowing his top".
David Kossoff asked Chilton if his character (the ship's radio operator) could be called Lemuel (a name he loved), and Chilton shortened the name to Lemmy. Chilton based Lemmy's character on himself, since he had been a radio operator in the RAF. Originally, Chilton had chosen John Glen to play Jet, but later decided to use Andrew Faulds instead, because Chilton's secretary fancied him.
David Jacobs's ability to play a wide variety of characters, each with his own distinctive voice, resulted in him playing 22 different characters during the course of "Journey Into Space". He used to mark up his script using different colour pencils, to help him remember what each character was supposed to sound like. In episode 1 of "The Red Planet", Jet is interviewed by a group of newspaper reporters, all of whom were played by Jacobs.
Light-hearted pranks were often played on David Jacobs just before a recording session was about to begin. On one occasion, Andrew Faulds poured a jug of water inside his trousers, totally soaking him, and he "did the rest of the programme in a raincoat!" On another occasion, some of the actors smeared mustard on his lip microphone, causing him some difficulties during the recording session.
Don Sharp later became a noted director.
Original three series.
"Journey to the Moon"/"Operation Luna".
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". The series was set in 1965 (the year in which Chilton believed humans would first walk on the Moon), and was first broadcast in 1953–1954 on the BBC Light Programme. The series was originally intended to have 12 episodes (one source claims 8 episodes), 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. 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.
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. The first four episodes of the original series were omitted, and episodes 12 and 13 were merged into a single episode. Today, the only surviving recording from the original 1953 series "Journey to the Moon" is a 5-minute excerpt from the final episode.
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:
(*) Alan Keith (born Alec Kossoff) was the brother of David Kossoff, who played Lemmy.
Chilton wrote episode 8 of "Journey to the Moon" in response to a challenge from a TV producer, who considered the success of the series to be "a fluke". The producer challenged Chilton to write an episode "that could not be played equally well on television", and Chilton succeeded – a large proportion of the episode takes place in total darkness. During the episode, Jet reads to the rest of the crew by torchlight from "The First Men in the Moon" by H. G. Wells, the only work of fiction carried on board the ship.
Andrew Faulds's adopted uncle, Hector MacPherson, was an astronomer, and wrote a book called "Practical Astronomy". Chilton bought a copy of the book, which first sparked his interest in astronomy, and later led him to write "Journey Into Space". In episode 7 of "Journey to the Moon", Jet's childhood flashback features his great uncle Hector, who was based on Hector MacPherson.
In November 1957, Chilton wrote an episode of the BBC School Radio science series "Our Own and Other Worlds", titled "A Trip to the Moon", which featured edited material from episodes 5 and 6 of "Journey to the Moon".
The table below indicates the correspondence between the episodes of "Journey to the Moon" and "Operation Luna".
"The Red Planet".
The second series, "The Red Planet", followed the adventures of the crew in their first attempt to reach and explore Mars. Several new characters were introduced, the most notable of which were Frank Rogers and James Edward Whitaker, the two original crewmen of freighter #2. Chilton took the name Whitaker from a copy of "Whitaker's Almanack" which was sitting on his desk.
In addition to the main characters, other characters in "The Red Planet" included:
(*) Married to Bruce Beeby, who played Mitch.
The most memorable catchphrase from this series was "Orders must be obeyed without question at all times", which was often repeated by many of the 'conditioned' characters, especially Whitaker. Episode 19 of the series rated a 17% audience share, whereas the newsreel broadcast simultaneously on BBC TV had an audience share of 16%. This was the last time that a radio show achieved a higher rating than its TV opponent.
During the first broadcast of this series, the "Radio Times" featured "Journey Into Space" on its cover, showing Andrew Faulds as Captain "Jet" Morgan. His spacesuit (which was used by several of the cast members for publicity photos) was a prototype being developed in Britain at the time.
During the recording of "The Red Planet", Guy Kingsley Poynter was also starring in "The Teahouse of the August Moon" at Her Majesty's Theatre.
The British Empire Exhibition was referred to throughout the episodes.
In the table of episodes below, the numbers marked with # refer to the numbered freighters of the Mars fleet.
"The World in Peril".
The third series was a direct continuation of the story begun in "The Red Planet", and followed Jet Morgan and his crew's return to Mars in an attempt to avert the impending Martian invasion.
In addition to the main characters, other characters in "The World in Peril" included:
During the recording of "The World in Peril", Alfie Bass was also starring in the revue "The Punch Bowl" at the Duke of York's Theatre.
Critical reaction and legacy.
Public reaction to the show was mixed. Some comments received by the BBC described the show as "a first class affair" and "the best serial for ages". After episode 5 of "Journey to the Moon" was first broadcast, the "Daily Express" commented:
Midway through the original broadcast of "The Red Planet", a BBC Audience Research Report indicated that the series
However, others commented that the plot often featured scientific inaccuracies, even though Chilton had received technical advice from Flight Lieutenant Roger Burton and Kenneth Gatland of the British Interplanetary Society. One correspondent to the "Radio Times" commented that:
Chilton admitted that he was not a science-fiction writer, astronomer, or scientist, and that his "pursuit of astronomical studies" was "clumsy and very amateurish". He often "worked very late to deadline", sometimes not starting to write an episode until two days before recording.
"Journey Into Space" remains popular today, thanks to the discovery of misfiled recordings of the show, which enabled the BBC to begin re-broadcasting the show from the late 1980s onwards.
Philip Hinchcliffe has acknowledged growing up listening to "Journey Into Space", citing in particular its cliffhangers, as an influence on his period as producer of the science-fiction television series "Doctor Who" between 1974 and 1977.
Music.
Van Phillips composed and conducted the music for all three series. The music was initially recorded beforehand, and played from acetate discs during the recording sessions. Later, an eight-piece orchestra was actually present in the studio, and played the music live. 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. Titles of his compositions include "A Picture of the Universe", "Rocket Away", "Music for Outer Space", "The Red Planet", "Crossing the Plains", and "Sunrise".
In 1955, Decca released a 78rpm record of the "Journey Into Space" theme, performed by Frank Weir and his orchestra (catalogue number F.10435), 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), 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". 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. "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". Other popular music used in "The Red Planet" included:
"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. 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.
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. 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". Other sound effects were created at Battersea Power Station, and the sound made by the televiewer on board Luna was actually a naval ASDIC.
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".
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.
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. It was published in hardback by Herbert Jenkins in 1954, followed by "The Red Planet" in 1956, and "The World in Peril" in 1960. 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.
Comic strips.
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. 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.
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). 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.
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.
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.
The BBC took the opportunity to re-broadcast all three series on Radio 2, beginning with "Operation Luna" in 1989, followed by "The Red Planet" in 1990 and "The World in Peril" in 1991. 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.
"The Return from Mars".
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:
"Frozen in Time".
This was a new episode based on the original series, with David Jacobs finally taking the role of Jet Morgan (who has aged while the rest of his crew were in suspended animation owing to a systems malfunction). Charles Chilton wrote the one-hour play which was set in the year 2013. It was broadcast on Radio 4 on Saturday 12 April 2008. This was released by BBC Audio in January 2009.
Music by David Chilton;
producer/director Nicholas Russell-Pavier.
"The Host".
A further new episode based on the original series by Chilton, written by Julian Simpson starred Toby Stephens as Jet Morgan. Another one-hour play, it was set in the year 2079.
Broadcast as The Saturday Play on Radio 4 on Saturday 27 June 2009.
BBC releases on audio cassette and CD.
Audiobooks.
Currently, only the first novel has been released as an audiobook.
In translation.
A Dutch-language version of the first three series of "Journey into Space" was broadcast in the Netherlands by the (KRO) in 1955–1958 under the title (), directed by Léon Povel. Translation was by Eddy Franquinet and the main character roles were played by John de Freese (Jeff Morgan ), 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 ()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 long. 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.
Other related series.
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.
External links.
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: