Journey Into Space

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Journey Into Space
The four main cast members of Journey Into Space: The World in Peril
Genre	Science fiction
Running time	30 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Language(s)	English
Home station	BBC Light Programme
Starring	Andrew Faulds Guy Kingsley Poynter Bruce Beeby Don Sharp David Williams David Kossoff Alfie Bass David Jacobs (plus others)
Creator(s)	Charles Chilton
Producer(s)	Charles Chilton
Air dates	21 September 1953 – 18 June 1958
No. of episodes	Journey to the Moon – 18 The Red Planet – 20 The World in Peril – 20 Operation Luna – 13 The Return from Mars – 1
Audio format	Monaural

Journey Into Space was a BBC Radio science fiction programme, written by BBC producer Charles Chilton. Three series were produced, which have been translated into 17 languages^[1] and broadcast worldwide.^[1] In the UK it was the last radio programme to attract a bigger evening audience than television.^[2]

The first series was created in 1953, soon after Riders of the Range (a popular Western, also written by Chilton) ended its six seasons 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.^[2]

Each half-hour episode would usually end with a dramatic cliffhanger (a popular plot device used to increase the audience's incentive to tune in to the next episode).

Chilton went on to write three best-selling novels based upon the radio series. From April 1956, the Express Weekly comic ran a full colour comic strip of Journey Into Space, with new stories written by Chilton (one story title was Planet of Fear), drawn first by Tacconi, and then by Bruce Cornwall and Terence Patrick.^[3]

Fans of Journey Into Space include Colin Pillinger,^[4] Kenny Everett,^[5] John Major,^[5] Stephen Hawking^[5] and Miriam Margolyes.^[5]

Contents 1 The main cast 2 The original three series 2.1 Journey to the Moon / Operation Luna 2.2 The Red Planet 2.3 The World in Peril 3 Moral issues 4 Music 5 Sound effects 6 Discovery of Transcription discs 7 The Return from Mars 7.1 Trivia 8 BBC releases on audio cassette and CD 9 Trivia 10 Other related series 11 External links 12 References

[edit] The main cast

	Captain Andrew "Jet" Morgan	Doc Matthews	Stephen "Mitch" Mitchell	Lemuel "Lemmy" Barnet
Journey to the Moon	Andrew Faulds	Guy Kingsley Poynter	Bruce Beeby (episodes 2 to 6)	David Kossoff
			Don Sharp (episodes 7 to 18)
The Red Planet			Bruce Beeby
The World in Peril			Don Sharp	Alfie Bass
Operation Luna			David Williams
The Return from Mars	John Pullen	Ed Bishop	Nigel Graham	Anthony Hall

[edit] The original three series

[edit] 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^[6]), and was first broadcast in 1953–1954 on the BBC Light Programme, which later became BBC Radio 2. The series was originally intended to have 12 episodes (one source claims 8 episodes^[1]), and 5.1 million people tuned in to the first episode, but the first four episodes (which took place on Earth) didn't prove very popular, and the audience soon shrank to less than 4 million. However, 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.^[2]

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.^[2]

In addition to the main cast, other cast members in Journey to the Moon were:^[2]

• Wilfred Walter – Sir William Morgan
• Robert Perceval – Mackenzie
• Deryck Guyler – The Time-Traveller ("The Voice")
• Mark Baker
• Errol McKinnon
• Jessica Dunning
• David Jacobs
• Duncan McIntyre
• Wyndham Milligan

Other cast members in Operation Luna were:^[2]

• John Cazabon – Earth Control
• Alan Keith – London correspondent
• Duncan McIntyre – Jet's great uncle, Hector
• Deryck Guyler – The Time-Traveller ("The Voice")
• David Jacobs – Miscellaneous characters

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.^[6] 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 fictional book carried on board the ship.^[6]

Andrew Faulds' 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.^[6]

The table below indicates the correspondence between the episodes of Journey to the Moon and Operation Luna.^[2]

Journey to the Moon		Operation Luna		Brief plot summary
Episode	First broadcast	Episode	First broadcast
1	21 Sep 1953	–	–	The year is 1965, and Jet's father (Sir William Morgan) launches his A.24 rocket from the Rocket Research Station at Poker Flats. But something goes wrong, and the rocket heads towards Las Vegas, out of control.
2	28 Sep 1953	–	–	The rocket hits Las Vegas, killing at least 35 people, and the Poker Flats site is shut down. Meanwhile, Jet is invited by Mitch to join his Operation Luna project – a rocket to reach the Moon.
3	5 Oct 1953	–	–	Jet is appointed the rocket's pilot, and he and Lemmy travel to Australia to meet Mitch at the secret Operation Luna base. On arrival, Mitch takes them to meet Smitty, the team's doctor, but he is found dead.
4	12 Oct 1953	–	–	Doc Matthews replaces Smitty (who died from a coronary), and Lemmy is to be the radio operator. Mitch spots a plane flying around the launch site, suspects spies are active, and advances the launch date.
5	19 Oct 1953	1	26 Mar 1958	The rocket "Luna" sets off for the Moon with Jet, Doc, Mitch and Lemmy aboard. Radio contact with Earth is lost. Lemmy hears odd 'music' on the radio, before contact is resumed, and a tiny meteor hits Luna.
6	26 Oct 1953	2	2 Apr 1958	Luna is turned round for the Moon landing, and Lemmy hears the 'music' again during the final approach. The crew narrate their first moonwalk by radio to Earth. While exploring a crater, Jet vanishes.
7	2 Nov 1953	3	9 Apr 1958	The crew experience strange things: Jet has visions of the past and the future; Lemmy is disturbed by the 'music' again; Doc sees a strange dome over a crater, and writes an odd diary entry without realising.
8	9 Nov 1953	4	16 Apr 1958	Luna loses power just before taking off – the crew are stuck on the Moon. A UFO is seen on the televiewer, and strange noises are heard. Power is suddenly restored, and the UFO has landed outside.
9	16 Nov 1953	5	23 Apr 1958	Mitch is inquisitive and enters the UFO, where he is temporarily possessed by an alien intelligence. Luna takes off and orbits the Moon; on the far side, the crew encounter a fleet of UFOs, which pursues them.
10	23 Nov 1953	6	30 Apr 1958	The UFOs accelerate Luna to an incredible speed, and the crew blacks out. On recovering, they find themselves out in deep space, with no sign of the Earth or Moon. In the distance, a planet is approaching.
11	30 Nov 1953	7	7 May 1958	The planet looks similar to Earth, and the crew land Luna on it. After studying the stars, Jet realises that they are on Earth, but they've travelled thousands of years through time.
12	7 Dec 1953	8	14 May 1958	Jet discovers a prehistoric stone knife near Luna, proving that they've travelled back in time. A UFO lands nearby, and a voice is heard over the radio: "Hello Luna!"
13	14 Dec 1953
14	21 Dec 1953	9	21 May 1958	The crew talk with 'the voice', which warns them that they are in great danger, and persuades them to enter the UFO, which then takes off. Eventually it lands again, in a city of domed buildings.
15	29 Dec 1953	10	28 May 1958	The crew learn more about 'the voice' and his people (they are a peaceful, scientific race). They enter a domed building, walk down a long dark tunnel, and emerge in a huge underground city.
16	5 Jan 1954	11	4 Jun 1958	'The voice' tells the crew about the native 'forest creatures' (destructive animals), and promises to help the crew get back to their own time. The crew realise the 'forest creatures' are prehistoric humans.
17	12 Jan 1954	12	11 Jun 1958	'The voice' is not pleased to learn that the crew are descended from the 'forest creatures', but reluctantly helps them. Luna takes off and is accelerated by the UFOs; the crew blacks out.
18	19 Jan 1954	13	18 Jun 1958	The crew return to the Moon in 1965, but with no memory of their adventure on prehistoric Earth. However, Doc's diary contains a detailed account, and there's also a prehistoric stone knife on board Luna...

More detailed information on the series can be found in the comprehensive booklet accompanying the CD boxset of Operation Luna.

[edit] 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.^[7]

In addition to the main cast, other cast members in The Red Planet were:^[7]

• David Jacobs – Frank Rogers and miscellaneous characters
• Anthony Marriott
• Miriam Karlin
• John Cazabon
• Madi Hedd
• Don Sharp

Sound control and special effects throughout the series were provided by Brian Willey and Joe Young.

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.

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.^[7]

In the table of episodes below, the numbers marked with # refer to the numbered freighters of the Mars fleet.

Episode	First broadcast	Brief plot summary
1	6 Sep 1954	April 1971. Jet and Mitch travel from Earth to the Moon by rocket. The Mars fleet (the flagship Discovery, 8 freighters and 20 men) begins its journey. During an EVA, Mitch's safety line fails, leaving him adrift.
2	13 Sep 1954	Jet manages to rescue Mitch, using a miniature rocket unit. Frank tells Lemmy he's not getting on at all well with Whitaker, his shipmate. Whitaker starts behaving very strangely while Jet is questioning him.
3	20 Sep 1954	While Whitaker is in a strange deep sleep, both Frank and Lemmy have nightmares. Radar suddenly reveals a huge meteor swarm ahead of the fleet, blocking its path. A large meteor destroys #7.
4	27 Sep 1954	Control discovers very odd information about Whitaker (apparently born in 1893, disappeared in 1924, etc). The fleet changes course twice to avoid the meteor swarm, but both times it moves to block their path again.
5	4 Oct 1954	The fleet enters the swarm. Peterson reports an emergency on board #6 with Whitaker. On leaving the swarm, #6 is nowhere to be seen, and the swarm is now blocking radio contact with Control.
6	11 Oct 1954	A radio message (apparently from Control) orders the fleet to return home, but the message is later found to be a fake. #6 is sighted ahead of the fleet, and Discovery draws up alongside it.
7	18 Oct 1954	Whitaker is found badly injured in #6, but Peterson has vanished. Jet has a strange dream, and Whitaker dies, suddenly transforming into an old man. Recordings reveal Whitaker faked the radio message.
8	25 Oct 1954	Peterson's suicide recording is found, and radio contact with Control is restored. The fleet enters orbit round Mars, and Discovery lands at the North Pole, but a strange soporific noise troubles the crew.
9	1 Nov 1954	#1 lands alongside Discovery, and Jet and Mitch explore outside, but they soon get lost in a dense fog. They see a mysterious orange light, and a soporific noise causes them to lose consciousness.
10	8 Nov 1954	Doc and Frank rescue Jet and Mitch, and Jet says he dreamed of a ruined city in a valley. Discovery's crew begin the exploration of Mars in the land trucks, but #2 hears the soporific noise and crashes.
11	15 Nov 1954	During the night, Discovery's crew see a moving white light in the direction of #2. Once they reached the crashed freighter, there's no sign of its crew, and there are strange marks in the ground nearby.
12	22 Nov 1954	While #1's crew is occupying #2, a 'sphere' (spherical UFO) arrives and its crew (three humans) attempt to enter the freighter. Discovery's crew reach a valley which is identical to the one in Jet's earlier dream.
13	29 Nov 1954	Discovery's crew explore the valley's ruined city, but Lemmy vanishes, and experiences a hypnotic dream. He's later found with McClain (pilot of #2), who is now mysteriously able to breathe the Martian air.
14	6 Dec 1954	Doc realises that Whitaker and McClain had been 'conditioned' (hypnotised), allowing them to be controlled. Mitch becomes separated from the others, and meets a man who claims to be a dingo hunter in Australia.
15	13 Dec 1954	McClain, pretending to be Mitch, enters the land truck and tries to overpower Lemmy. Meanwhile, Mitch comes across a house inhabited by a man and woman who claim to be sheep farmers living in Australia in 1939.
16	20 Dec 1954	Jet, Doc and Lemmy discover the same house, and find Mitch inside it. But Mitch is now 'conditioned' to believe he's in Australia, and doesn't recognise the others. He refuses to rejoin them, and attacks Jet.
17	27 Dec 1954	A 'flying doctor' arrives in a sphere, and manages to capture Doc and Lemmy. He tries to 'condition' them using the soporific noise, but they manage to resist. Meanwhile, Jet escapes back to the land trucks.
18	3 Jan 1955	The sphere arrives at Lacus Solis (the Martian capital), and the flying doctor reveals the Martian plan to invade the Earth in 1986. Frank, flying in #1, hears the soporific noise and his freighter crashes.
19	10 Jan 1955	Doc and Lemmy overpower the flying doctor, and escape in the sphere with Mitch, who recovers from his 'conditioning'. Jet is contacted by Webster, a man trying to return to Earth, and learns more about the Martians.
20	17 Jan 1955	Jet, Lemmy and Webster try to rescue Frank, but they fail, and Webster is injured and dies. The crew return to Discovery at the North Pole, and take off for home, escaping a pursuing fleet of spheres.

More detailed information on the series can be found in the comprehensive booklet accompanying the CD boxset of The Red Planet.

[edit] The World in Peril

Series 3, The World in Peril, also consisted of 20 episodes and was broadcast for the first time on September 26, 1955. Mitchell was once again played by Don Sharp. Kossoff, who left to pursue a stage career, was replaced by Alfie Bass.

Series Summary: The third segment of the Journey Into Space series, World In Peril, completed the story left unfinished in The Red Planet Mars. Opening with a retrospective journal entry of Doc's, as Chilton did often, we learn that the remaining freighters and crewmen are struggling back towards Earth. The weakened ships were easy prey for the Martians. Jet, Doc, Mitch, and Lemmy awake aboard one of the Martian's asteroidal ships. While on board, they are free to roam the ship - but have no way to leave. They have also been unable to find one of the Martians - the only people aboard the ship seem to be "conditioned" humans. Several of these conditioned humans are familiar to the intrepid astronauts. They are happily reunited with Frank Rogers and learn, to their horror, that the auspicious Lunar Controller is in the pay of the Martians. The crew finally meet a Martian - but he is not what they expected! With the controller captured, Jet is able to lead his crewmen off of the asteroid. A frenzied dash for Earth is made, but once again their efforts are fruitless. Though Jet managed to contact Earth, his unlikely tale of a televised hypnotic attack on Earth is not accepted. Jet and his crew are confronted by the last remaining Martian. With each hour, as they soar closer to Earth, Lemmy and the others switch the television on, hoping that the signal is gone. But Earth hadn't listened. It was not until the Martian fleet squatted directly in the Earth's skies that the televisions were switched off. The Last Martian concedes defeat, releases his conditioned humans, and sets off towards a new planet, to start a new Earth. To Jet's surprise, many of the formerly "conditioned types" choose to follow. He states that the world was an oppressive, cruel place for those in the minority - thus, few wish to return. However, the peaceful Martian allows those who do wish to return home to board his smaller ships and descend to Earth.

[edit] Moral issues

Although Journey Into Space was primarily an entertaining science-fiction adventure, it often touched on deeper moral issues, many of which were very thought-provoking. A recurring theme throughout all three series was the lack of respect which humans often demonstrate towards the Earth and each other. At times, a non-human intelligence (such as the Time-Traveller or the Martian), being much older and more advanced than mankind, would rebuke the main characters for mankind's selfish and destructive tendencies.

In Operation Luna, a good example is the diary entry which Doc unintentionally writes while being influenced by the Time-Traveller on the Moon:

... We should never have come. Man has no right here, no right to carry the secrets of this planet back to Earth, back to terrestrial beings who can neither understand them nor appreciate them, and in consequence will only attempt to destroy them, rip them to pieces, tear them apart, as they have already begun to destroy their own planet ...

Another example is Mitch's speech while possessed by the Time-Traveller on the Moon:

... Why do you interrupt the peace of your sister planet? ... Already you are tearing your own planet to pieces, destroying it, and now you mean to do the same here ...

Later, when the crew are living on prehistoric Earth, they meet the Time-Traveller, whose race is being driven off the Earth by destructive animals known as the 'forest creatures'. The crew eventually realise that these creatures are actually prehistoric humans, and when the Time-Traveller learns of this connection between the creatures and the crew, he gains a better understanding of humanity's behaviour:

You have witnessed the basic force that drives the forest creatures – the uncontrollable desire to destroy things they do not understand; the incredible selfishness of their nature ... When one of them has a piece of food, does he share it with his companions? No, he goes away and hides, and gorges himself until he is sick, then buries any that's left over. And if one of his kind sees him with that food, he tries to get it away from him. Not part of it, all of it. And then they snarl and fight, and draw each other's blood, until one lies dead so that the other can keep more than he needs ... It takes a long time for such things to be driven out of a being's nature. A long, long time, probably longer than your kind have inhabited this planet.

[edit] Music

Van Phillips composed and conducted the music for all three series.^[1] The music was initially recorded beforehand, and played from acetate discs during the recording sessions.^[2] Later, an eight-piece orchestra was actually present in the studio, and played the music live.^[8] 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.^[8]

In 1955, Decca released a 78rpm record of the Journey Into Space theme, performed by Frank Weir and his orchestra (catalogue number F.10435). 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).

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.^[2] "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.^[7] Other popular music used in The Red Planet included:^[7]

• "Flat Foor Floogie", by Bulet Galliard, Leroy Stewart and Bud Green, performed by the Benny Goodman Orchestra
• The theme tune to the Billy Cotton Band Show
• "Somebody Stole My Gal", by Lee Wright
• "Friends and Neighbours", by Marvin Scott and Malcolm Lockyer
• "Selection of Hebrew Dances Part 2", by Ambrose and his orchestra
• Banjo music by Billy Bell

[edit] 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.^[8] 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".^[8] Other sound effects were created at Battersea Power Station, and the sound made by the televiewer on board Luna was actually a naval ASDIC.^[2]

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".^[8]

[edit] 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 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 is unknown, so for many years, it was believed that all the episodes had been lost forever.^[9]

However, in 1986, a set of mis-filed 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.^[9]

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.^[9] The BBC took the opportunity to re-broadcast all three series on Radio 2 between 1989 and 1991,^{[citation needed]} and abridged versions were released on audio cassette.

In 1998, he digitally remastered the recordings for new abridged releases on audio cassette, and releases of the unabridged remastered recordings on CD began in 2004. The three series have also been broadcast on BBC 7.

[edit] The Return from Mars

As part of a special science fiction season, a 90-minute special (scripted by Chilton) was broadcast on Radio 4 on March 7, 1981, entitled The Return from Mars.

[edit] Trivia

There is a slight Continuity Error in the The Return from Mars which incorrectly names the ship that the crew return to earth in as the Discovery even though in The World in Peril the crew return to earth in one of the freighters as the Discovery was lost on the surface of Mars.

[edit] BBC releases on audio cassette and CD

Series	Format	Abridged?	Release date	Released by	ISBN	Extras
Operation Luna	4 cassettes	Yes	1989	BBC Enterprises Ltd	0-563-22632-3	None
	6 cassettes	Yes	1996	BBC Worldwide Ltd	0-563-38893-5	None
	4 cassettes
	7 CDs	No	5 Jul 2004	BBC Audiobooks Ltd	0-563-52489-8	Journey Into Space... Again documentary Excerpt from Journey to the Moon
The Red Planet	6 cassettes	Yes	1991	BBC Enterprises Ltd	0-563-40992-4	None
	4 cassettes
	10 CDs	No	3 Jan 2005	BBC Audiobooks Ltd	0-563-52494-4	Charles Chilton interview, Round Midnight
The World in Peril	? cassettes
	4 cassettes	Yes	1998	BBC Worldwide Ltd	0-563-55762-1	None
	CD	Planned release 4 Oct 2006, now delayed			0-563-52499-5
The Return from Mars
	2 cassettes	No	2000	BBC Worldwide Ltd	0-563-55361-8	Journey Into Space... Again documentary

[edit] Trivia

• 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.^[6]

• 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!"^[2] On another occasion, some of the actors smeared mustard on his lip microphone, causing him some difficulties during the recording session!^[6]

• Originally, Chilton had chosen John Glen to play Jet, but later decided to use Andrew Faulds instead, because Chilton's secretary fancied him!^[6]

• 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.^[7]

• David Jacobs' ability to play a wide variety of characters, each with their 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 which were played by David.^[6]

[edit] 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...

[edit] External links

CD boxsets and Internet downloads

• BBC Shop: Operation Luna – temporarily unavailable; Internet Archive has an archived copy
• BBC Shop: The Red Planet – temporarily unavailable; Internet Archive has an archived copy
• BBC Shop: The World in Peril – not yet available
• BBC Radio Collection: Release of Operation Luna
• BBC Radio Collection: Release of The Red Planet
• Operation Luna on the iTunes Store
• The World in Peril on the iTunes Store

Informational booklets and audio clips

• The Red Planet 16-page BBC booklet
• Two-minute clip of Operation Luna

Other significant sites

• www.journeyintospace.co.uk – An excellent website about the series
• Zeta Minor CD Review: Operation Luna – A very comprehensive review of Operation Luna and its new CD boxset
• Zeta Minor CD Review: The Red Planet – A very comprehensive review of The Red Planet and its new CD boxset
• Journey into Space - The World in Peril - not on CD?

[edit] References