The Navy Lark Collection: Series 7: July - October 1965

Wyman, Lawrie

ISBN 10: 1408469049 ISBN 13: 9781408469040

Publisher: BBC Physical Audio, 2011

Synopsis

All aboard HMS Troutbridge for Series Seven of The Navy Lark! This classic BBC radio comedy, written by Laurie Wyman (with George Evans from the twelfth series onwards) starred Jon Pertwee, Leslie Phillips, Stephen Murray, Ronnie Barker and Tenniel Evans. This box set contains the episodes: ‘Taking Some Liberties’, ‘Smugglers in the Solent’, ‘Mr Murray is Victimised’, ‘The Poveys Move House’, ‘Captain Povey Reports Sick’, ‘Admiral Pertwee’s Fleet’, ‘Let Loose with a Chopper’, ‘Making a Right Pig’s Breakfast’, ‘The Mysterious Pudding Mine’, ‘The Hovercraft Training Course’, ‘The Sabotaged Floggle-Toggle-Box’, ‘The Potarneyland Training Exercise’ and ‘Going On Leave to Croydon’. Also included in this collection is a 30-page PDF booklet containing a detailed history of the development of this series of The Navy Lark (and television’s HMS Paradise) cast biographies, an episode guide and Radio Times clippings. Bonus material includes ‘The Route March’ episode from Series 2, the Overseas Service Broadcast episode ‘Hitting the Ice Floe’ and ten Transcription Service introductions.

7 CDs. 7 hrs.

About this title

Book Description:

All 13 episodes from Series Seven of The Navy Lark – plus extra episode ‘The Route March’ and bonus material.

About the Author:

The Navy Lark is the second longest-running comedy in British radio history (the topical Friday night show, Week Ending, which ran from 1970 to 1998, is currently the longest). In 1958, writer Laurie Wyman announced that he wanted to build a series around talented comic actor Jon Pertwee. Having secured Pertwee as the lead, he looked for other main characters and is quoted in the Radio Times as saying 'I felt we needed an idiot, and there was no one better at playing idiots than Leslie Phillips - so we got him.' The first episode of the series went out on 29 March 1959 and, from the start, the light-hearted and affectionate spoof on the Senior Service won many fans - some of the highest order! On the occasion of the show's 21st anniversary, for example, the crew were asked by WRNS to put on a special performance. They duly obliged, and in the audience that night at the Royal Festival Hall was Her Royal Highness the Queen Mother. Sir Charles Lambe, who was the first Sea Lord at the time, had also visited the studio during rehearsal. The crew of HMS Troutbridge were a motley bunch: Jon Pertwee, who actually served in the Navy during the Second World War, played the conniving Petty Officer and was established as a household favourite by the series. Leslie Phillips was the vague chinless wonder Sub-Lieutenant. His parrot cry of 'left hand down a bit' has passed into A Dictionary of Catch Phrases, whose author Eric Partridge writes 'within two years, it was a standard piece of Navalese'. The young Ronnie Barker (long before attaining fame as a television comedy actor) also appeared in the series, playing two parts: (Un)Able Seaman Fatso Johnson and Lieutenant-Commander Stanton. The Navy Lark gripped the nation for the best part of twenty years. Its signature tune, composed by Tommy Reilly and James Moody, was the jaunty Trade Wind Hornpipe and did much to contribute to the popularity of the series. The key to the show's popularity, though, was its irreverent but essentially gentle humour and, most of all, the many-voiced talents of its stars. As Leslie Phillips remarked in 1987, 'I caused more damage to Naval property than the Navy had done in two world wars'. The final episode was broadcast on 18 January 1976. However, the crew all jumped on board one last time for a Jubilee Special on 16 July 1977.

About this edition

• Publisher: BBC Physical Audio
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 1408469049
• ISBN 13: 9781408469040
• Binding: Audio CD
• Number of pages: 1