BIGGLES TAKES THE LEAD

I am not going to actually post this audio file because although I am not completely averse to posting bootlegs, we are about to start work on a major project and I don't want to bite the hand that feeds more than I absolutely have to. However, On 3rd September 2009, the 70th anniversary of the outbreak of WW2, BBC Radio 4 broadcasted a half hour documentary on Biggles. The mealy-mouthed and PC write-up in the Radio Times magazine reads as follows:

"A top-hole half hour as Alexander Armstrong recounts the career of debonair fighter pilot James Bigglesworth and his creator, the equally adventurous Captain W E 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."

Why are we posting this? `Cos it features Corinna and our own Biggles dog about half way through. Listen and enjoy. You can download the broadcast here. (24 MB Approx)