Posted by
Riklaa on September 14, 2009 at 7:22pm
Biggles: Adventures Through Time
Broadcast Thursday 3 September 2009, 11:30
Alexander Armstrong explores the lasting appeal of Biggles, one of the most enduring figures in children's fiction and popular culture.
160/44; 32.2 MB; sound quality excellent
Created by Captain WE Johns, Captain James Bigglesworth is a fictitious character that could easily have been found in any Royal Flying Corps mess during those grand days of 1917 and 1918, when air combat had become the order of the day and air duelling was a fine art. As Johns himself wrote: "Biggles represents the spirit of the Flying Corps - daring and deadly when in the air, devil-may-care and debonair when on the ground."
This "spirit" of Biggles still exists today and his influence and impact can still be seen on screen, in music and in numerous comedy parodies. His adventures through time total almost 100 books, which have seen his journey through two World Wars - finally ending with the special air police. He first took to the skies in 1916 in his "FE 2" Pusher and made his final descent, 50 years later, in a Hawker Hunter.
Alexander, whose own popular television series with Ben Miller parodies life in the Royal Air Force, looks at the origins of Biggles and how this character contrasts with that of his creator, WE Johns. Alexander reveals why the Biggles books were also surprisingly enjoyed by women, as they had a negative portrayal in them. He also asks whether some of Biggles's stories, with their perceived imperialist and alleged racist content, are still acceptable reading in public libraries and schools today.
Producer: Stephen Garner
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David Brown, Radio Times reviewer: A top-hole half-hour as Alexander Armstrong recounts the career of debonair fighter pilot James Bigglesworth and his creator, the equally adventurous Captain WE Johns. Transporting you back to an era of chivalry, derring-do and an unfortunate line in imperialism and sexism (Biggles preferred cigarettes to women), we hear how the enduring hero was able to survive firing-squads and hangings...but not the wrath of some indignant librarians. Yet despite a shift in attitude to race and ethnicity, Biggles has remained a popular figure in children's fiction. His profile was originally raised thanks to a high-flying Children's Hour radio serial, but it seems that - with many of the books still in print - young readers still have a soaring desire to buckle up and take to the skies.
To see all the vintage covers from Biggles Books click this link: http://www.biggles.info/doc 090903 Biggles-Adventures Through Time.mp3
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