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I was initially excited to hear the news...right until the moment that someone broke the news to me that Biggles was in the series, Ginger was in the series, Bertie was in the series, Erich was in the series...
BUT ALGY WAS NOT.
From that moment on, I pretty much lost all interest in the proceedings. What? Are you joking? No Algy? How did this TV series ever come to be? Even if there wasn't money to hire another actor (which I believe was the reason for this ludicrous state of affairs), at least hire some high school kid to stand in part-time so that Algy can "answer the phone" or "man the plane" in the background. Get someone to voiceover him on phone conversations. Don't just not have him!
Anyway, I don't see just why Algy had to be the one they didn't have money for....Algy should have been the first one they hired.
*sulks*
Maybe, just maybe, Soppy, it's because that htey couldn't find an actor awesome enough to play Algy :)
ReplyDeleteI totally agree Sopwith that having a voice over Algy would have been better than nothing (giving Biggles encouragement or the like); even the 1986 movie had an Algy presence in it.
ReplyDeleteWhat I'm curious about is why did they pick Bertie over Algy. Looking at pictures from the show none of the guys look like a "Bertie" to me (no monocles in sight).
I am never going to be a 'fan' of this TV series. Not only no Algy and YOU CANNOT HAVE BIGGLES WITHOUT ALGY - it's like having the sun set but not rise - but also because the characters don't look right, I've only seen the picture on the front so far but - hey TV casting guys, why didn't you read some of the books first???!!! Not only is Algy Biggles' no. 1 person (and vice-versa), Biggles has fair hair - see a number of WW1 story descriptions, and Swastika, and Secret Agent, and ...
ReplyDeleteTV casting people are like book illustrators - ignorant.
According to David Drummond, who played Bertie, TPTB decided Algy sounded rather too posh for the egalitarian 1960s. For the same reason, they did away with Bertie's monocle.
ReplyDeleteI am curious to see the show. The pictures don't look all that bad, although not like the characters of course.
How on EARTH did they work out that "Lord" Bertie Lissie was less posh than "Honorable" Algy Lacey???? And isn't biggles "posh" too in a way? And come on, Erich has some money in the bank too, he's hardly a working class baddie. In fact, EVERYONE in there is fairly posh save for Ginger. Who did they think they were fooling?
ReplyDeleteAnd why does poshness matter in any case? They weren't casting for EastEnders here....
It's like watching a Sherlock Holmes TV series without Watson...
I agree. But that was the sixities for you. There was a social revolution going on and people were demanding a classless society. Why on earth they couldn't tell it like it was I have no idea. As for why they decided not to have Algy instead of Bertie beats me but I'm glad that Bertie got a look in even though he didn't have his monocle.
ReplyDeleteBut is it Bertie who's getting a look in, though? Or is it just "some bloke" conveniently named Bertie Lissie? The DVD's not out yet so it's hard to tell, but judging from what I've got on the table now, I'm not exactly brimming with hope.
ReplyDeleteNor am I Soppy.
ReplyDeleteIf it was all on account of the classless society - that was wishful thinking if you like. If I remember rightly, the Wilson government was going to solve everything by education... Foolishly, I even believed in this at the time. No logic in missing out the Hon Algy and leaving in Lord Bertie.
As for the missing monocle, maybe they couldn't find a classless-looking actor who was competent enough to keep one in...
I can't think how WEJ could have agreed to it really - he surely wasn't that short of money by then. WEJ objected to the inclusion of a female in the Australian radio series in the '40s/'50s, but that was trivial in comparison with leaving out the chap who had been with Biggles all his adult life, through adventure and peril and two world wars...
Sounds like no one was listening to WEJ about his wants and don't wants (I have heard a few episodes of the Australian show, and that girl gets on my nerves).
ReplyDeleteMaybe someone will make a WWI Biggles movie for 2014 and have lovely lovely Algy and maybe lovely lovely Mark.
Just interested, if a Biggles TV series/movie was made, whom might you envision playing the Biggles characters? Granted, the best option would be to use unknowns who fit perfectly (thus we would have no preconceived notions about them). However, are there certain actors, past or present, whom you think could play the Biggles team? I'm sure even among Biggles fans the mental image varies. Perhaps Algy was left out of the 1960s series because no suitable candidate presented himself? :P (after all, if they had a very unAlgy-like Algy we might right now be bemoaning his existence rather than the lack of it!)
ReplyDeleteFor myself, other than the younger Hugh Laurie for Bertie, I haven't really found any actor of whom I could say "hey, he could be Biggles/Algy/Ginger!" Though I recall that I used to think that Edward Fox as he appeared in The Battle of Britain might be in the running for Algy, though I imagine Algy having a different look. :P Your thoughts?
I second the notion of Hugh Laurie as Bertie, and I've always been a fan of Stephen Fry as Raymond.
ReplyDeletePrimarily, I don't think it's how the actor "looks" that matters. I don't care if they have someone with dark hair playing Ginger, or someone with red hair playing Biggles, as long as they get the personality right at least! The problem with THAT film is that "Biggles", apart from carrying the name, had very little in common with our Biggles. The other three also didn't get enough screen time to show any personality. If I hadn't read the books before I wouldn't have been able to tell any of them apart. What's the point in including Algy, Ginger AND Bertie (in WWI!!) if none of them comes across as real people?
I can never understand why so many film and programme makers upon deciding to adapt a popular and much-loved book or series of books, then proceed to change not only all of the characters,but the plot, the location and sometimes even the time setting beyond all recognition.
ReplyDeleteThey then seem to wonder why the whole thing is a huge flop!
Why take on a winning formula and change it?
You'd think they'd just write their own story if they wanted something so different.
A Biggles series without Algy - humph! Don't think I'll be rushing out to buy it.
I KNOW! I absolutely agree with you--it's unbelievable what film makers will do to a good book. Adding in romance where there was none is the most common (note the existence of Marie in THAT film), as in including people at random just to keep the fans happy (and then not having said people do anything other than stand around).
ReplyDeleteIf you liked the book so much why not just go with the book, eh? Seriously. JJ's right. If you want a different story all that badly, Hollywood people, why not write one of your own.
And don't not put in crucial people to a TV series because you don't think anyone will notice either...