Journey Into Space

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Actors who became Politicians

A chance remark on BBC radio about actors becoming politicians, brought up in a discussion on the new Governor of California, chanced on the name of Andrew Foulds. I at once thought of 'Journey into Space' and was happy to find on your site that this series of my youth had not been forgotten.

I too listened enwrapped, and a little nervous to each episode in the 1950's.
Keep up the good work.

CC

CD release of "Journey into Space"

I have just received an email from the BBC and they tell me that all three series of Journey into Space will be released on 27 CDs in July 2004.

At present, “The Red Planet” is being broadcast every Sunday on BBC7 and I have been recording the episodes to Minidisc and I now realise that quite a lot of music and dialogue has been edited from the commercial cassette tapes as well as the opening and the endings.

“Journey into Space” needs to be divided into episodes to be truly appreciated, as each instalment has its own rhythm, building up to the cliff-hanger. On the BBC tapes, the story just goes on and on without any shape to it.

Only for this website, I would not have been made aware of the BBC7 broadcasts, so 'Thanks a lot, Wongawolla'! I have no doubt that the “World in Peril” will follow so I hope to record all the episodes! And I’ll still probably wind up buying the CD set if it is not edited!

Michael Foley
Ireland

A PC game of journey into space?

Here is a letter for your sites guestbook! If you think its a bit long winded, especially the bit about X-com at the end, then feel free to edit it down!

Hi, how great is this, i thought i was the only person who listened to Journey Into Space. I'd never even heard of it, then my girlfriend brought home some old tapes from work. She said they were throwing them out so she grabbed them to copy music on to. But before doing this i checked the tapes, and found a copy of a radio broadcast of Operation Luna, probably the one from the 80's. I listened to the first couple of episodes and that was it! I've been addicted ever since. I must have listened to The Red Planet about a thousand times! My favourite scene being the bit where Frank is holed up in Freighter No.2 after it crashed and the martian sphere lands outside. That was so ahead of its time it's unreal!

One thing I am missing from my collection though is, of course, The Return From Mars. Anyone know where i can get it? or any of space force for that matter?

Honestly, try it!

Thanks, allan

PS: One last thing, ever wanted to play a PC game of Journey Into Space?? Try this, find a game called X-com - enemy unknown (also known overseas as UFO) on the Internet. I think it's available at http://www.oldgames-fr.com/ Then play it and rename your men after Jet and co, including say Frank and McLane to make up the numbers. Play it for a half hour and you'll see what I mean. It starts to feel very similar to Journey Into Space.

Well, bye then...

Allan

A crush on Jet Morgan

One of my most vivid memories is of sitting in my parent's kitchen, chills running up my spine as I listened to the weird, other-worldly music of the spheres surrounding "Luna" in the first of the JIS series. A couple of years ago I discovered that cassettes of the three radio plays were available and spent a week with earphones clamped to my head, reliving the voyages of "Luna" and Discovery" and seeing it all come to life so clearly in my mind, there being no special effect as good as one's own imagination. I loved the series as a little girl and am delighted that it now has its own website. It deserves it.

Interesting to note that at age 10 I had my first huge, whopping crush on Jet Morgan, a man with a strong nose, light coloured eyes (grey), thick black hair and a beautiful speaking voice. Fifteen years later I married a man with a strong nose, light coloured eyes (green), thick black hair and a beautiful speaking voice. Coincidence? Perhaps, and perhaps not.

Keep up the good work. There's a surprising number of us JIS fans lurking out here.

Lynette Chamas Sydney
Australia

2004 CD Release (quite possibly)

Hi,

Just some info from another long-time fan regarding your reply to a previous question:

>> It would take 27 CDs for the series to be released in full CD quality.

You are not wrong. I've just checked with the BBC shop. According to their records, Journey Into Space is being released in a regular 27 CD box set in February 2004. The formula is: Luna 7 discs, Red 10 discs, World 10 discs. And it'll set you back a cool Ł100 (roughly).

No information on whether they will be uncut episodes, but I guess this is the logical assumption looking at the disc allocation.

Best wishes
Matt C

Amazing Site

Dear Control

I've just found this amazing site and have ordered the CD's. I cannot wait to hear again the dreaded voice (of David Jacobs?) introducing each episode of "Journey into Space"! And the scary "music" heard by Lemmy!

Having lived in North America since the 1960's, I have slightly bored my Canadian-born wife and family with tales of these remarkable science-fiction shows I used to hear on BBC radio. I still remember listening to the shows with my body shaking in fear, but equally afraid to miss any of them.

It will be nostalgia time for me, whether or not my Canadian family listens to "Journey into Space" or enjoys the CD's. I can always tell them that Doc was a Canadian!

Thank you for some wonderful memories.

John Cobby
Guelph, Ontario
Canada
Email

Greetings from Earth

Hello!

I was beginning to think I was the only one left in the universe who remembers "Journey into Space"! I have just been reading the letters in the Guest page and am delighted to find so much of interest. I was seven years old when the very first episode went out in 1953 and I can recall a mysterious voice describing outer space and I had no idea what he was talking about! It was not until the "Red Planet" started that I became totally involved - and was even able to hear the repeat of the first series in 1958.

I notice one or two letters mentioning the abridged cassette versions of the series. "Operation Luna" came out on cassette in 1989, I think, and it was shortened in a lot of places, but I can assure anyone that the current versions on sale are not abridged. The three series are available from the BBC and they are complete. The only difference from the original broadcasts is the fact that they are not divided up into episodes. For example, "The World in Peril" ran for twenty half-hour episodes which in total runs to ten hours. The cassette runs to eight hours - and that can be accounted for by the absence of twenty opening and ending sequences.

I also have the three novelised versions of the series so I am quite sure that anything missing from the new cassette versions is neglible.

Michael Foley

Journey Into Space without the cliffhanger's just isn't the same.

Back to boyhood

Listening again to those familiar voices. Real drama,fantastic music and my brother hiding behind the sofa when tension rises, (and he's 55) Just wonderful.

Sensible Web Address

It's so good to see that someone has gone to the troube to put up a dedicated website for JIS (including a sensible web address, bravo for that especially!).

I must have been no older than 12 when I was wandering around my dad's study and I came across a tape box set, black with silver writing on it. This, of course, was the first journey into space story. Soon after that I stole my parents kitchen radio/tape set (much to their chargrin - it was meant for mornings) and went to sleep listening to Jet and his crew go off on their adventures. I was delighted to find out that there was a second series - mission to mars. And even more happy to find out that a third series was made.

JIS seemed to be part of my childhood. Memories are still fresh - Lemmy's scream when he first met the martian, the first time that dreaded violin music hit the crew in mars orbit, Lemmy's hallucinations in that mars 'village', the evil Whittaker, Mitch's encounter with the 'farmer' on mars and many more. No sounds I have ever heard have managed to chill me to the bone quite like the sounds from JIS. Sometimes it became too much and I turned the tape off and crawled under the duvet, my head awash with images of martians and Whittaker-like drones.

The fact that the series was made in the early fifties surprised me. I thought something so accomplished on radio could ony be acheived, for some reason, with better technology.

Now I'm 20 and I still have fond memories of JIS. I hope the BBC does something this September to honour what must be the best radio show ever made. Keep up the good work, the site looks really good.

Regards

Roy Threadgall

Journey Into Space in Holland

Hello

There Here a message from Holland.

I first heard JIS in 1976 on dutch radio (it was a rerun of 'The World in Peril' in dutch 'Mars slaat toe' ) In that same period Dr. Who (with Tom Baker) was shown on TV.

In 1985 they reran 'Het Mars mysterie' ('The Red Planet') with the notorious character of Whitaker. (Noticed that the actor playing Whitaker was the same who did Paddy Flynn.)

I'm curious about the original/english version though, I don't know if we can receive BBC 7 over here. (I have missed the broadcast from 1989-1991 on Radio 4.)

On Yahoo I also had a club called 'The Francis Edward Whitaker Society' but since I'm the only member there isn't much activity... Dutch radio had their own SF plays with the adventures of Matt Meldon, most famous for me was the adventure about The Blue Seeds ( 'De Blauwe Zaden' with music by Pink Floyd! The intro to 'shine on you crazy diamond' - when I hear that score I think of 'The Blue Seeds' )

Greetings from Jacqui

Jacqueline Muntjewerf
The Netherlands