British radio sci-fi programme (1953–1958)
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 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 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:
 ;templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" / ;Hats off to Charles Chilton, who has switched from "Riders of the Range" to "Journey Into Space" with masterly ease. I rate this space travel serial as the most exciting piece of radio material for years.
Midway through the original broadcast of "The Red Planet", a BBC Audience Research Report indicated that the series
 ;templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" / ;was described as "thrilling", "fascinating" and "most entertaining"... This is obviously very much a family occasion in many homes, the entire household following the adventures of Jet Morgan and Co. with great interest.
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:
 ;templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" / ;"Journey into Space" was a glorified interstellar 'horse-opera' with no coherent plot, which relied on odd musical arrangements to bolster up the stilted conversations of characters with no substance. There were no convincing word pictures of the new world: 'Jet' lacked tact and leader qualities and 'Lemmy' was an improbable space traveller, not to mention electronic engineer!
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.
 ;templatestyles src="Template:Blockquote/styles.css" / ;Today it still enjoys a huge fanbase, with active websites and keenly received repeats on digital radio channel BBC Radio 4 Extra.
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