A BBC Radio Collection

The Dick Barton Casebook

Noel Johnson, Douglas Kelly, Duncan Carse and Gordon Davies star as Dick Barton in this exciting BBC Radio 4 collection set in the world of criminal masterminds, espionage and adventure! 
Dick Barton and The Secret Weapon 
 
In their very first adventure, Dick Barton and his army friend Snowey White join Colonel Gardiner of military intelligence to defeat the villainous Wilhelm Kramer. A new super-weapon has been stolen and Kramer plans to use it to hold the world to ransom. 
 
Dick Barton and the Paris Adventure 
In the second Dick Barton adventure, Barton and his friends join forces with the French police on the trail of an international smuggling operation. 
 
Dick Barton and the Cabatolin Diamonds 
The third adventure in the series sees Dick and Snowey’s holiday plans for a Mediterranean cruise curtailed, when they are asked to help Freddy Belfont from the Home Office break a gang of diamond smugglers. 
 
Dick Barton and the Smash and Grab Raiders 
Dick, Snowey and Jock assist Sir Alexander Morton to catch a group of audacious smash and grab raiders. 
 
Plus a bonus CD including three previously unreleased isolated episodes; the earliest surviving recording from the series and the final episode ever made. Also included is a documentary featuring interviews with the principle cast and an extract from the now lost Dick Barton and the Bonazio Gang.

A CD box-set of classic crime.  The adventures of special agent Dick Barton, set in an exciting world of criminal masterminds and espionage!

Edward J. Mason (Author) 
 The original idea for Dick Barton came from Norman Collins, Head of the Light Programme. In January 1946, he sent a memo to an assistant asking him to investigate the possibility of a daily 'cloak-and-dagger soap opera'. Matters quickly progressed and soon the fictional hero of the serial had a name - Bill Barton (later changed to Dick). Barton's history was very thoroughly researched. It was decided that he had been born on Tuesday 10 December 1912 at 5pm. The BBC went so far as to ascertain from the Town Clerk of High Wycombe and the Air Ministry exactly what the weather conditions were at the time of Barton's birth! At the time the series started, Barton was thirty-five years old. He had enjoyed a 'good' war and, in November 1945, was wondering whether he could face going back to the dutiful daily grind of the pre-war years. Having established their hero, the BBC needed to find an actor to play Barton. Noël Johnson fitted the bill perfectly: not only did he look exactly how the producers imagined Barton to be, but he was a good actor who learnt scripts accurately and quickly. However, the early days of Britain’s first daily serial were inauspicious. Within two weeks, the Daily Worker had condemned the programme as being ‘so bad as to be almost beyond criticism’. But the listeners proved the critics wrong and soon some fifteen million were tuning in to hear the adventures of Dick Barton and his pals Snowey and Jock. Although the series had been originally conceived as a fast moving cartoon strip aimed mainly at adults, the BBC soon realised that children were abandoning their homework in their thousands in order to tune in, and it was decided that all references to alcohol or girlfriends should be cut out of the script. It was still considered too exciting for some, however, as this headline from the time shows: ‘Dick Barton – Too Thrilling for Girls? Headmistress says “Yes”!’ The newly cleaned-up Barton went on to enjoy hundreds of adventures that enthralled listeners for six years. Noël Johnson left the series in 1949, largely due to money disputes, and was replaced by ex-boxer Duncan Carse. In the final year Gordon Davies played the hero. The series was written by Edward J. Mason and Geoffrey Webb. They later went on to write The Archers, which was to displace Dick Barton on the Light Programme, much to many people’s dismay – Terry Wogan has said he has never been able to enjoy the goings-on in Ambridge because they took Dick Barton away from him! 
 
B.D. Chapman (Author) 
 B. D. Chapman was an author and radio dramatist whose writing credits included Dick Barton and the sci-fi serial Orbiter X. 
 
Ronnie Colley, Arthur Colley (Author) 
 Ronnie Colley and Arthur Colley were writing partners who contributed scripts to the BBC serial Dick Barton - Special Agent.

Dick Barton Live

Dick Barton is back, in a special live recording! 
 
In the 1940s and 1950s Dick Barton - Special Agent rode the BBC radio airwaves triumphantly. In every thrilling instalment ex-Commando Dick faced peril and menace in the name of crime solving, ably assisted by his friends. 
 
In 2013, Dick Barton returned for a one-off show at Leicester's Y Theatre. The production used original radio scripts from 1951 and period equipment in order to present a faithful recreation of a vintage studio recording. The resulting adventure stars Tim Bentinck (David Archer in The Archers) as Dick with Terry Molloy (Mike Tucker in The Archers and Davros in Doctor Who) as his faithful companion Snowy White. 
 
With a supporting cast including David Benson, Lisa Bowerman, Barnaby Edward and Nick Scovell, this is the recording of a Special Agent’s very special event.

Dick Barton is back, in a special live recording!

The original idea for Dick Barton came from Norman Collins, Head of the Light Programme. In January 1946, he sent a memo to an assistant asking him to investigate the possibility of a daily 'cloak-and-dagger soap opera'. Matters quickly progressed and soon the fictional hero of the serial had a name - Bill Barton (later changed to Dick). Barton's history was very thoroughly researched. It was decided that he had been born on Tuesday 10 December 1912 at 5pm. The BBC went so far as to ascertain from the Town Clerk of High Wycombe and the Air Ministry exactly what the weather conditions were at the time of Barton's birth! At the time the series started, Barton was thirty-five years old. He had enjoyed a 'good' war and, in November 1945, was wondering whether he could face going back to the dutiful daily grind of the pre-war years. Having established their hero, the BBC needed to find an actor to play Barton. Noël Johnson fitted the bill perfectly: not only did he look exactly how the producers imagined Barton to be, but he was a good actor who learnt scripts accurately and quickly. However, the early days of Britain’s first daily serial were inauspicious. Within two weeks, the Daily Worker had condemned the programme as being ‘so bad as to be almost beyond criticism’. But the listeners proved the critics wrong and soon some fifteen million were tuning in to hear the adventures of Dick Barton and his pals Snowey and Jock. Although the series had been originally conceived as a fast moving cartoon strip aimed mainly at adults, the BBC soon realised that children were abandoning their homework in their thousands in order to tune in, and it was decided that all references to alcohol or girlfriends should be cut out of the script. It was still considered too exciting for some, however, as this headline from the time shows: ‘Dick Barton – Too Thrilling for Girls? Headmistress says “Yes”!’ The newly cleaned-up Barton went on to enjoy hundreds of adventures that enthralled listeners for six years. Noël Johnson left the series in 1949, largely due to money disputes, and was replaced by ex-boxer Duncan Carse. In the final year Gordon Davies played the hero. The series was written by Edward J. Mason and Geoffrey Webb. They later went on to write The Archers, which was to displace Dick Barton on the Light Programme, much to many people’s dismay – Terry Wogan has said he has never been able to enjoy the goings-on in Ambridge because they took Dick Barton away from him!

B.D. Chapman

John Carson

Andrew Crawford

Full Cast

Barrie Gosney

A BBC Radio sci-fi adventure

A sensational sci-fi serial from the birth of space exploration 
 
First broadcast in 1959, a fortnight after the Soviet Luna 2 space probe crash-landed on the Moon, Orbiter X thrilled radio audiences with its gripping and topical story of plucky British astronauts and their bold plan to conquer space. The original recordings were presumed lost, but fortunately a set of discs made for overseas broadcast survived to be found and remastered by Radio 4 Extra in 2016. Included here are all 14 episodes of the rediscovered serial. 
 
The road to the stars begins with the prefabricated components of a space station being rocketed into orbit. Shaped like a giant wheel and codenamed 'Orbiter X', the platform will boast synthetic gravity, produced by the rotation around the central hub, and is designed to circle the Earth in a rapid polar orbit. Equipped with a laboratory, observatory and living accommodation for the crew, it will enable mankind to explore the solar system and perhaps even set foot on the Moon... 
 
But before construction can begin, the first assembly ship, Orbiter 1, loses contact with mission control following an apparent collision. A second craft, Orbiter 2, piloted by Captain Bob Britton, is sent out to rescue the first crew, but finds Orbiter 1 deserted and the ship's log missing. Orbiter 2 has been led into a trap - and before they can escape, Britton and his team find themselves under attack... 
 
Written by prolific dramatist BD Chapman, whose credits included Dick Barton - Special Agent, this tense, suspenseful space serial stars John Carson as Captain Bob Britton, Andrew Crawford as Captain Douglas McClelland and Barrie Gosney as Flight Engineer Hicks. 
 
 
 
Produced by Charles Maxwell 
 
Cast 
Captain Bob Britton - John Carson 
Captain Douglas McClelland - Andrew Crawford 
Flight Engineer Hicks - Barrie Gosney 
Colonel Kent - Donald Bisset 
Captain Jack Bradley - John Witty 
UFO Commander - Arthur Lawrence 
Control Officer Camm - Francis Hall 
Radio Operator - John Matthews 
Gelbin - Arthur Lawrence 
Max Kramer - Gerik Schjelderup 
Greta Ravel - Irene Prador 
Sir Charles Day - Leslie Perrins 
Control Officer Brown - Peter Noel Cook 
Neasen - Ian Sadler 
Letmann - John Cazabon 
Captain Knight - John Graham 
 
First broadcast BBC Light Programme, 28 September-28 December 1959

B.D. Chapman

Orbiter X

Select a format:

Retailers:

Summary

More books from this author