Yet Another Biggles Site (YABS)

Film / TV

Biggles the Movie

Biggles (Adventures in Time) Compact Yellowbill (1986)
Originally released with the simple title "Biggles", the US distributors added the "Adventures in Time" subtitle.

A very bizzare tale that tried to appeal to all audiences and probably failed to engage any. From IMDB:

One minute the New Yorker advertising expert Jim Ferguson is at a business party - the next he finds himself way back in 1917 in a plane fight during WW1. Mr. Raymond explains to him that he has a time-twin, to whom he's relocated in space and time whenever one of them is in trouble. So he has to help his twin, biplane pilot Biggles, in his attempt to destroy a Nazi-German super weapon, that could win the war.

Movie cast as follows:

  • Neil Dickson - Biggles
  • Michael Siberry - Algy
  • Daniel Flynn - Ginger
  • James Saxon - Bertie
  • Peter Cushing - Raymond
    (in his last film role - what a way to go!)
  • Marcus Gilbert - Von Stalhein

Through the wonders of the interweb (3 cheers for Youtube), a few snippets to enjoy.

The original trailer

A segment from Blue Peter (April 1986) all about the movie: footage, interviews and a competition to win tickets to the West End Premiere happening later that month.

A shorter (only 10sec) TV segment obviously to show on/before the cinema release.

Another short (but not as short as the last segment) TV spot; this one stretched to 20secs.

A bizarre (love the 80s) music video for one of the movie tunes. Includes some good film footage if you can get past the band wearing goggles and coloured flight scarfs.

More details on the movie at wikipedia.

Biggles The Untold Story Pan Books (1986)
The book to accompany the movie. Written by Peter James.

47pp, paperback, several colour illustrations.

Biggles The Movie Severn House Publishers (1986)
The other book to accompany the movie. Novelisation by Larry Milne (who must do this as a career - previous title mentioned for him is Ghostbusters).

192pp, hardback, red boards, dustjacket.

No illustrations, but an interesting article at the end of the book on how they got around to getting the film made. And a classic quote from Peter Cushing, the only real star in the movie:

I have a feeling that BIGGLES will do for its young men what "Star Wars" did for its principals; they all made it big.

Not quite.

Biggles Yellowbill Services (1986)
In a serious milking of the marketing potential of the film, another spinoff was this "Rainbow Theatre Readalong" edition. A highly abridged version of the story, illustrated with shots from the film, and accompanied by a cassette (sadly not sighted) that went beep when you needed to turn the page.

Produced by the Rainbow Theatre, this book (BOW576 in their catalogue on the inside back cover), is one of 30 such titles. Alongside versions for the classics of Star Wars and Ghostbusters (!), also a strong line in A-Team books.

24pp, paperback, several colour images of scenes from the film.

Biggles the TV Series

no image available (yet) Biggles Granada TV (1960)
43 episodes (30 mins each) were produced and shown in the UK in 1960. They were a mix of dramatisations of existing titles and new stories produced directly for TV. Capt Johns and Tony Warren shared writing credits.

The following is the full list of episodes, with their original broadcast date, taken from IMDB.

  • Biggles at the Home Front: Part 1 (1 April 1960)
  • Biggles at the Home Front: Part 2 (8 April 1960)
  • Biggles at the Home Front: Part 3 (15 April 1960)
  • Biggles Flies North: Part 1 (22 April 1960)
  • Biggles Flies North: Part 2 (29 April 1960)
  • Biggles Flies North: Part 3 (6 May 1960)
  • Biggles Flies North: Part 4 (13 May 1960)
  • Biggles Flies North: Part 5 (20 May 1960)
  • Biggles Follows On: Part 1 (27 May 1960)
  • Biggles Follows On: Part 2 (3 June 1960)
  • Biggles Follows On: Part 3 (10 June 1960)
  • Biggles Follows On: Part 4 (17 June 1960)
  • Biggles Follows On: Part 5 (24 June 1960)
  • Biggles Follows On: Part 6 (29 June 1960)
  • Biggles Takes Charge: Part 1 (1 July 1960)
  • Biggles Takes Charge: Part 2 (6 July 1960)
  • Biggles Takes Charge: Part 3 (8 July 1960)
  • Biggles Takes Charge: Part 4 (13 July 1960)
  • Biggles Takes Charge: Part 5 (15 July 1960)
  • Biggles Takes Charge: Part 6 (20 July 1960)
  • Biggles on Mystery Island: Part 1 (22 July 1960)
  • Biggles on Mystery Island: Part 2 (27 July 1960)
  • Biggles on Mystery Island: Part 3 (29 July 1960)
  • Biggles Baits the Trap: Part 1 (3 August 1960)
  • Biggles Baits the Trap: Part 2 (5 August 1960)
  • Biggles Baits the Trap: Part 3 (10 August 1960)
  • Biggles Baits the Trap: Part 4 (12 August 1960)
  • Biggles Baits the Trap: Part 5 (17 August 1960)
  • Biggles at World's End: Part 1 (24 August 1960)
  • Biggles at World's End: Part 2 (26 August 1960)
  • Biggles at World's End: Part 3 (31 August 1960)
  • Biggles Turns the Scale: Part 1 (2 September 1960)
  • Biggles Turns the Scale: Part 2 (7 September 1960)
  • Biggles Turns the Scale: Part 3 (9 September 1960)
  • Biggles Springs the Lock: Part 1 (14 September 1960)
  • Biggles Springs the Lock: Part 2 (16 September 1960)
  • Biggles Springs the Lock: Part 3 (21 September 1960)
  • Biggles in the East: Part 1 (23 September 1960)
  • Biggles in the East: Part 2 (28 September 1960)
  • Biggles in the East: Part 3 (30 September 1960)
  • Biggles on the Nile: Part 1 (5 October 1960)
  • Biggles on the Nile: Part 2 (7 October 1960)
  • Biggles on the Nile: Part 3 (12 October 1960)

The cast was apparently consistent across all episodes (so imdb says):

  • Neville Whiting - Biggles
  • John Leyton - Ginger
  • David Drummond - Bertie
  • Carl Duering - Von Stalhein

What? No Algy?