''Dick Barton – Special Agent'' is a

radio Radio is the technology of communicating using radio waves. Radio waves are electromagnetic waves of frequency between 3 hertz (Hz) and 300 gigahertz (GHz). They are generated by an electronic device called a transmitter connec ...

thriller serial that was broadcast in the

BBC Light Programme The BBC Light Programme was a national radio station which broadcast chiefly mainstream light entertainment and light music from 1945 until 1967, when it was replaced by BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2. It opened on 29 July 1945, taking over the ...

between 7 October 1946 and 30 March 1951. Produced and directed by

Raymond Raikes Raymond Montgomery Raikes (13 September 1910 – 18th March 1999) was a British theatre producer, director and broadcaster. He was particularly known for his productions of classic dramas for BBC Radio's "World Theatre" and "National Theatre of ...

, Neil Tuson, and Charles Lefaux, it was aired in 15-minute episodes at 6.45 (later 6.15) each weekday evening. From 11 January 1947 an additional "omnibus" edition repeated all of the week's programmes each Saturday morning between 11.00 and 12.00. In all, 711 episodes were produced and the serial achieved a peak audience of 20 million.James Chapman (2006) ''Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television'' Vol. 26, No. 4, pp. 537–559 "‘Honest British Violence’: Critical Responses to Dick Barton—Special Agent (1946–1951)" Its end was marked by a leading article in ''

The Times ''The Times'' is a British Newspaper#Daily, daily Newspaper#National, national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its modern name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its si ...

''.''The Times'', 31 March 1951, p. 7 "The Last Instalment" The serial followed the adventures of ex-

commando A commando is a combatant, or operative of an elite light infantry or special operations force, specially trained for carrying out raids and operating in small teams behind enemy lines. Originally, "a commando" was a type of combat unit, as oppo ...

Captain Richard Barton MC (

Noel Johnson Noel Frank Johnson (28 December 1916 – 1 October 1999) was a British actor. He was the voice of special agent Dick Barton on BBC Radio and Dan Dare on Radio Luxembourg. Life Johnson was born 28 December 1916 in West Bromwich, England a ...

, later

Duncan Carse Verner Duncan Carse (28 July 1913 – 2 May 2004) was an English explorer and actor known for surveying South Georgia Island, South Georgia and for the portrayal of Special Agent Dick Barton on BBC Radio. Early life Carse was born on 28 July 1 ...

and Gordon Davies) who, with his mates Jock Anderson (

Alex McCrindle Alex McCrindle (3 August 1911 – 20 April 1990) was a Scottish actor. He was best known for his role as General Jan Dodonna in ''Star Wars''. Biography McCrindle was born in Glasgow. He began his acting career in 1937 starring in minor role ...

) and Snowy White ( John Mann), solved all sorts of crimes, escaped from dangerous situations, and saved the nation from disaster time and time again. The series was replaced from time to time by one about the adventures of an explorer. One episode was entitled "Plague on the Plateau". Beginning in 1948, the

Hammer A hammer is a tool, most often a hand tool, consisting of a weighted "head" fixed to a long handle that is swung to deliver an impact to a small area of an object. This can be, for example, to drive nail (fastener), nails into wood, to sh ...

film company made three ''Dick Barton'' films and, long after the radio series had been replaced by ''

The Archers ''The Archers'' is a British radio soap opera currently broadcast on BBC Radio 4, the corporation's main spoken-word Radio broadcasting, channel. Broadcast since 1951, it was famously billed as "an everyday story of country folk" and is now pr ...

'',

Southern Television Southern Television was the ITV broadcasting licence holder for the South and South-East of England from 30 August 1958 to 31 December 1981. The company was launched as Southern Television Limited. However, in 1966, during the application pr ...

made a television version in 1979. ''Dick Barton'' has also been adapted into a tongue-in-cheek stage play and a spoof radio comedy. Each version has featured the originals' memorable signature tune, "

Devil's Galop "Devil's Galop" is a piece of light music composed by Charles Williams. It became famous as the theme tune to the radio serial ''Dick Barton – Special Agent''. The word "galop" in the title refers to the galop dance (which, in turn, refers to a ...

" by Charles Williams.

Radio series

Stories

Style

The series was devised by producer

Norman Collins Norman Richard Collins (3 October 1907 – 6 September 1982) was a British writer, and later a radio and television executive, who became one of the major figures behind the establishment of the Independent Television (ITV) network in the ...

. The scripts were written by Edward J. Mason, Geoffrey Webb and Produced and directed by

. The programme gave rise to a popular catchphrase of the late 1940s "With one bound, Dick was free!" which made light of the fact that no matter how dangerous the cliffhanging situation Dick found himself in every evening, he would always escape easily. Early ideas for the character's name included "Bill Barton" and "Rex Drake". However, the production team finally settled on the more dynamic Dick Barton. After the series had been on the air for some time, the BBC (conscious that the biggest audience for the programme was schoolboys) wrote a strict code of what Dick and his chums could and couldn't do, one clause famously stating "Sex plays no part in his adventures."

Cast (British)

as Dick Barton (Story 1 - 23) *

as Dick Barton (Story 24 - 32) * Gordan Davies as Dick Barton (Story 33 - 39) * John Mann as Snowy White * Colin Douglas as Inspector Burke * William Fox as Colonel Gardiner *

as Jock Anderson * Margaret Robertson as Jean Hunter

Cast (Australian)

* Douglas Kelly as Dick Barton * William Lloyd as Snowy White * Patricia Kenedy as Jean Hunter * Moira Carleton as Betsy Horrock * With John Morgan, Robert Peach, Clifford Cowley and Richard Davies.

Cancellation

In 1951 ''

'' was first broadcast at 11.45 am on the

Light Programme The BBC Light Programme was a national radio station which broadcast chiefly mainstream light entertainment and light music from 1945 until 1967, when it was replaced by BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2. It opened on 29 July 1945, taking over the lo ...

. BBC management, led by drama head

Val Gielgud Val Henry Gielgud CBE (28 April 1900 – 30 November 1981) was an English actor, writer, director and broadcaster. He was a pioneer of radio drama for the BBC, and also directed the first ever drama to be produced in the newer medium of te ...

, had never felt comfortable with the

sensationalism In journalism and mass media, sensationalism is a type of editorial tactic. Events and topics in news stories are selected and worded to excite the greatest number of readers and viewers. This style of news reporting encourages biased or emoti ...

of ''Dick Barton''. ''The Archers'', which they considered more 'suitable', took ''Dick Barton'' place in the schedules from Easter 1951.

Revivals

In 1972 as part of the BBC's Golden Jubilee, the BBC broadcast a new, abridged, 10-episode version of the first Barton serial - "The Secret Weapon". The cast included many members of the original cast, including Noel Johnson, John Mann, William Fox, Alex McCrindle, and Margaret Robertson. From October 1997 to May 1998, BBC Radio 4 broadcast a six-part sequel/pastiche called ''Richard Barton: General Practitioner!'', in which Dick Barton's son Richard is a country doctor caring for his apparently senile father, who retreats into fantasies based on his past adventures, believing that there are devilish enemies lurking around him. The series was written by Edward Mason's son Lol Mason, and featured

Moray Watson Moray Robin Philip Adrian Watson (25 June 1928 – 2 May 2017) was an English actor from Sunningdale, Berkshire. Life Watson was born in Sunningdale, Berkshire, to Gerard Arthur Watson (1901–1940), a ship broker, who was killed during World ...

as old Dick Barton,

Robert Bathurst Robert Guy Bathurst (born 22 February 1957) is a British actor. Bathurst was born in The Gold Coast (British colony), The Gold Coast (now Ghana) in 1957, where his father was working as a management consultant. In 1959, his family moved to Ball ...

as his son Richard,

Matilda Ziegler Matilda Ziegler (born 23 July 1964) is an English actress, best known for her roles as Donna Ludlow in ''EastEnders'', Irma Gobb in '' Mr. Bean'', and Pearl Pratt in '' Lark Rise to Candleford''. Television and film career Ziegler's first sc ...

as Richard's wife Sally,

Julian Dutton Julian Dutton is an English writer and performer. He is principally known for television and radio, whose work has won a British Comedy Award, a BAFTA, and a Radio Academy Gold Award for Best Comedy. He is the author of seven books. He is the ...

as young Dick Barton and

Iain Cuthbertson Iain Cuthbertson (4 January 1930 – 4 September 2009) was a Scottish actor and theatre director. He was known for his tall imposing build and also his distinctive gravelly, heavily accented voice. He had lead roles in ''The Borderers'' (19 ...

as Jock Anderson. The series was rebroadcast on

BBC Radio 4 Extra BBC Radio 4 Extra (formerly BBC Radio 7) is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It mostly broadcasts archived repeats of comedy, drama and documentary programmes, and is the sister station of Radio 4. It is the pri ...

in 2015 and again in 2019. In 2009, BBC Audiobooks released ''Dick Barton and the Mystery of the Missing Formula'' (), a reading of a novel based on the radio serials written by Mike Dorrell and read by

Toby Stephens Toby Stephens (born 21 April 1969) is an English actor who has appeared in films in the United Kingdom, United States, and India. He is known for the roles of Bond villain Gustav Graves in the 2002 James Bond film '' Die Another Day'', for whic ...

. In June 2013, The BBC produced a new live recording at the Y Theatre in Leicester of the original 1951 story ''Dick Barton and the Trail of the Rocket'', starring Tim Bentinck and Terry Molloy. It was released on CD by BBC Audio in July 2014, along with a number of bonus features.

Films

Beginning in 1948, the

film company made three Dick Barton films, which were intended to be the beginning of a long-running series.

Don Stannard Don Stannard (10 September 1915 – 9 July 1949) was a British actor. Born in Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, Stannard trained at RADA, graduating in 1935. He is best remembered for playing the secret agent Dick Barton in three Hammer films: '' Dick B ...

, the star, was killed in a car crash in 1949, and Hammer decided to discontinue the series after the production of only three films. Hammer shelved plans to film the next Dick Barton film, ''Dick Barton in Africa'' written by

John Gilling John Gilling (29 May 1912 – 22 November 1984) was an English film director and screenwriter, born in London. He was known for his horror film, horror movies, especially those he made for Hammer Films, for whom he directed ''The Shadow of the ...

. * '' Dick Barton: Special Agent'' (1948) * ''

Dick Barton Strikes Back ''Dick Barton Strikes Back'' is a 1949 British second feature ('B') spy film directed by Godfrey Grayson and starring Don Stannard. It was written by Elizabeth Baron and Ambrose Grayson and was the third of three films that Hammer Film Produc ...

'' (1949) * ''

Dick Barton at Bay ''Dick Barton at Bay'' is a 1950 British second feature ('B') spy film directed by Godfrey Grayson and starring Don Stannard. It was written by Ambrose Grayson and was intended to be the second of three films that Hammer Film Productions made ...

'' (1950)

Television

In 1979,

, one of the smaller ITV Network Companies, made a series of ''Dick Barton - Special Agent'' which ran in an early evening slot on the ITV Network. Like the original, it ran in 15-minute segments and was again accompanied by the familiar theme tune, the titles playing against an animated dagger and target motif. The production was blighted by financial troubles, though, and some critics said it was a mistake to try to resurrect the character. The cast of the show was

Tony Vogel Antony Leslie Vogel (29 June 1942 – 27 July 2015) was an English actor. He played Andrew in the mini-series of Franco Zeffirelli's ''Jesus of Nazareth'' (1977), Aquila in '' A.D. Anno Domini'' (1985) and the title role in the 1979 television ...

as Dick Barton, Anthony Heaton as Snowy White,

James Cosmo James Ronald Gordon Copeland (born 1947), known professionally as James Cosmo, is a Scottish actor. Known for his character work, he has played supporting roles in films such as '' Highlander'' (1986), ''Braveheart'' (1995), '' Trainspotting' ...

as Jock Anderson and John Gatrell as Sir Richard Marley. The 32x15 minutes episodes were transmitted by most of the ITV network on Saturdays and Sundays between January and April 1979. Southern, however, screened the show across consecutive nights from Mondays through to Thursday in the radio series's original timeslot of 6.45 to 7.00pm. * Adventure One written by

Clive Exton Clive Exton (11 April 1930 – 16 August 2007) was a British television and film screenwriter who wrote scripts for the series '' Poirot'', ''Jeeves and Wooster'' and '' Rosemary & Thyme''.Fiona Fullerton Fiona Elizabeth Fullerton (born 10 October 1956) is a British actress and singer, known for her role as Alice in the 1972 film ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' and as Bond girl KGB spy Pola Ivanova in the 1985's James Bond film ''A View to a ...

) and son Rex (Kevan Sheehan). They come up against master criminal, Melganik played by John G. Heller. * Adventure Two written by Julian Bond, in eight parts. At a late night celebration at the "Blue Parrot", Barton and his colleagues rescue a young girl, Lucy Cameron (

Debbie Farrington ''The Black Panther'' is a 1977 British crime film directed and produced by Ian Merrick, his first feature, and stars Donald Sumpter, Debbie Farrington and Marjorie Yates. Its subject is the real life ex-military criminal Donald Neilson, know ...

) from being attacked. She tells them that her father, George Cameron (Colin Rix) has been kidnapped by the evil Muller (

Guy Deghy Guy Deghy (born Gedeon Aladar Istvan Deghy; 11 October 1912 – 25 February 1992), was a Hungarian-born actor who appeared largely in British films and television. Career He appeared in the 5th episode of the first season of'' The Saint'' dep ...

) who is after the deadly poison he has developed. * Adventure Three written by Clive Exton, in six parts. Celebrating from the last adventure, Dick's Aunt Agatha (Stella Kemball) rings up and tells him that her house has vanished. A further phone call from Sir Richard Marley reveals that scientist, Harold Jenkins ( Peter Godfrey) has perfected his ultimate weapon and Barton and comrades soon find themselves up against Melganik again. * Adventure Four written by Julian Bond, in eight parts. Dandy Parkes (Terence Seward), a middle-aged playboy and Amanda Aston (

Marsha Fitzalan Lady Marcia Mary Josephine Fitzalan Howard (born 10 March 1953), known as Marsha Fitzalan, is an English actress. Personal life Born in 1953, Marcia Fitzalan-Howard was the third daughter of Major-General Miles Fitzalan-Howard, 17th Duke of No ...

), wife of a respected Whitehall official are threatened by the Drew Brothers (Ernie Drew by

Bernard Kay Bernard Frederic Bemrose Kay (23 February 1928 – 25 December 2014) was an English actor with an extensive theatre, television, and film repertoire. Early life Kay began his working life as a reporter for the ''Bolton Evening News'', and a s ...

). The complete series was released on DVD in March 2009, and in 2010 re-runs of ''Dick Barton'' were shown on the British satellite television channel Film 24. By 2016 it had reappeared on

Talking Pictures TV Talking Pictures TV (TPTV) is a British free-to-air vintage film and nostalgia television channel. It was launched on 26 May 2015 on Sky. Later it also became available on Freeview, Freesat and Virgin Media. It is on air 24 hours a day and fe ...

Stage musical

A stage musical, ''Dick Barton Episode I, Special Agent'', written by Phil Willmott, directed by Ted Craig. Musical direction was by Stefan Bednarczyk. It premièred at the

Warehouse Theatre The Warehouse Theatre was a professional producing theatre in the centre of Croydon, England. Based in an oak-beamed Victorian former cement warehouse, it had 100 seats. The theatre closed in 2012 following withdrawal of funding and the disc ...

in December 1998 to great acclaim. It was revived in 1999 and productions then toured Britain between 1998 and 2001. Following its success, further "episodes" were written and performed at the

: * December 1999 was ''Dick Barton Episode II, The Curse of the Pharaoh's Tomb'' by Phil Willmott. Musical direction was by Stefan Bednarczyk. This was commissioned by and premièred at the

. * December 2001 was ''Dick Barton Episode III, The Tango of Terror'' by Phil Willmott. Musical direction by Stefan Bednarczyk. Commissioned by and premièred at the

. It later toured to

Yvonne Arnaud Theatre The Yvonne Arnaud Theatre is a theatre located in Guildford, Surrey, England. Named after the actress Yvonne Arnaud, it presents a series of locally produced and national touring productions, including opera, ballet and pantomime. The theatre ...

, Guilford &

Swan Theatre Swan Theatre may refer to: * The Swan (theatre), an Elizabethan playhouse * Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, a theatre belonging to the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon, England * Swan Theatre, Worcester The Swan Theatre is a t ...

, Stratford-upon-Avon. * December 2002 was ''Dick Barton Episode IV, The Flight of the Phoenix'' by

Duncan Wisbey Duncan James Wisbey (born 16 December 1971) is an English actor, voice over artist, musician, writer and impressionist. He is often credited as simply Wisbey. Recordings and appearances From 2001, Wisbey collaborated with Jonny Trunk, founde ...

and Stefan Bednarcxyk, directed by Ted Craig. Commissioned by and premièred at the

. * December 2003 was ''Dick Barton Episode V, The Excess of Evil'' by

and Stefan Bednarcyk, directed by Ted Craig. Commissioned by and premièred at the

. * December 2006 was ''Young Dick Barton'' by

, lyrics by Stefan Bednarczyk and directed by Ted Craig. Commissioned by and premièred at the

. * December 2008 was ''Young Dick Barton Episode II, The Devil Wears Tweed'' by

. Music and lyrics by Stefan Bednarczyk. Commissioned by and premièred at the

. * December 2009 was ''Dick Barton, Quantum of Porridge'' by

. Music and lyrics by Stefan Bednarczyk. Commissioned by and premièred at the

. * December 2010 was ''Dick Barton, A Fist Full of Barton'' by Kit Benjamin and Philip Ives, musical director was Stefan Bednarczyk. Commissioned by and premièred at the

CD releases

The BBC's 1972 remake of the very first Dick Barton serial has been available to buy on BBC CD and tape for many years. For some time, this was the only Dick Barton radio material that was commercially available, having been recovered from a recording made by a member of the public, but this has now changed. In February 2011, BBC Radio 4 and a number of national newspapers reported that 338 episodes of Dick Barton recorded in the late 1940s had been found in Australia's

National Film and Sound Archive The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (NFSA), known as ScreenSound Australia from 1999 to 2004, is Australia's audiovisual archive, responsible for developing, preserving, maintaining, promoting, and providing access to a national c ...

. These re-recordings, using the original BBC scripts and music cues, starred Douglas Kelly as Barton with Moira Carleton, Clifford Cowley, Richard Davies, William Lloyd and Patricia Kennedy. BBC Worldwide's audio arm have released a number of these on CD. The Dick Barton radio series was later relaunched in the UK on

(formerly

BBC Radio 7 BBC Radio 4 Extra (formerly BBC Radio 7) is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It mostly broadcasts archived repeats of comedy, drama and documentary programmes, and is the sister station of Radio 4. It is the pri ...

) and further Dick Barton CDs have been announced by AudioGO (using the NFSA recordings). The following Dick Barton dramas are now available to buy on CD (or as downloads) via BBC Audio: 1 ''STORY 1'': 'Dick Barton and the Secret Weapon' (AKA 'Dick Barton: Special Agent) written by Edward J. Mason and originally broadcast 1946. The serial was re-recorded in November 1972 with much of the original cast. This is the 1972 version. (RELEASED: 1989) (RE-RELEASED: 2001 and 2009) 2 ''STORY 2'': 'Dick Barton and the Paris Adventure' (which takes place right after "The Secret Weapon") written by Edward J. Mason. This recording was originally broadcast in Australia 14 March - 14 April 1949; original United Kingdom transmission dates are unknown at this time. (RELEASED: April 2011) 3 ''STORY 3'': 'Dick Barton and the Cabatolin Diamonds' (which takes place right after "The Paris Adventure") written by Geoffrey Webb. This recording was originally broadcast in Australia 18 April - 19 May 1949; original United Kingdom transmission dates are unknown at this time. (RELEASED: April 2011) 4 ''STORY 6'': 'Dick Barton and the Smash and Grab Raiders' written by Ronnie and Arthur Colley. This recording was originally broadcast in the United Kingdom 24 February - 12 March 1947 and in Australia August - September 1949. (RELEASED: 3 November 2011) 5 ''STORY 7'': 'Dick Barton and the Tibetan Adventure' (which takes place right after "The Smash and Grab Raiders") written by Edward J. Mason. This recording was originally broadcast in the United Kingdom 24 March - 18 April 1947 and in Australia 19 September - 14 October 1949. (RELEASED: 3 November 2011) 6 ''STORY 9'': 'Dick Barton and the Affair of the Black Panther' written by Geoffrey Webb. This recording was originally broadcast in the United Kingdom 10–31 May 1947 and in Australia 3 November - December 1949. (RELEASED: 5 January 2012) 7 ''STORY 10'': 'Dick Barton and the Vulture' (which takes place right after "The Affair of the Black Panther") written by Edward J. Mason. This story was first broadcast in the United Kingdom 29 September 1947 – 24 October 1947. Australian broadcast dates are unknown. (RELEASED: 5 January 2012) 8 ''STORY 13'': 'Dick Barton and the Li-Chang Adventure' written by Edward J. Mason. This story was first broadcast in the United Kingdom 22 December 1947 – 23 January 1948. Australian broadcast dates are unknown. (RELEASED: 5 APRIL 2012) 9 ''STORY 14'': 'Dick Barton and the Case of Conrad Ruda' (which takes place right after "The Li-Chang Adventure") written by Basil Dawson. This story was first broadcast in the United Kingdom 26 January 1948 – 20 February 1948. Australian broadcast dates are unknown. (RELEASED: 5 APRIL 2012) 10 ''STORY 16'': 'Dick Barton and the Firefly Adventure' written by Edward J. Mason & Produced by Morris West. This story was first broadcast in the United Kingdom sometime in 1950; actual transmission dates are unknown at this time. Australian broadcast dates are unknown. (RELEASED: 3 SEPTEMBER 2015) Dick Barton - Special Agent: LIVE: 11 ''STORY 39'': 'Dick Barton and the Trail of the Rocket' written by Bertie Chapman. (RELEASED: July 2014) All of the above, including the BBC Radio documentary "Dick Barton: Still a Special Agent", have been released together for audio download as "Dick Barton: Special Agent - The Complete BBC Radio Collection" by

Audible Audible may refer to: * Audible (service), an online audiobook store * Audible (American football), a tactic used by quarterbacks * ''Audible'' (film), a short documentary film featuring a deaf high school football player * Audible finish or ru ...

References

{{Reflist

External links

Dick Barton
at Thrilling Detective
The special agent 'killed' by the Archers
on

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

BBC Light Programme programmes Barton, Dick 1946 radio programme debuts Radio programs adapted into films Radio programs adapted into television shows Barton, Dick ITV television dramas 1979 British television series debuts 1979 British television series endings 1970s British children's television series British film series British English-language television shows Television shows produced by Southern Television Barton, Dick BBC Radio 4 programmes BBC Radio 4 Extra programmes British spy television series 1940s British radio programmes 1950s British radio programmes