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"The setting is a naval detachment of a fair size on a small island off Portsmouth. Between the offices and men of the detachment and their HQ on the mainland, a total but cunning war exists as far as the avoiding of work and the gaining of comforts is concerned," wrote Lawrie Wyman in a two page series proposal headed 'The Navy Lark (working title)' in April 1958. Wyman had been discussing a series format for Jon Pertwee with BBC Light Entertainment producer Alistair Scott-Johnson. With ITV enjoying the success of its National Service sitcom The Army Game, Wyman chose the Senior Service - in which Pertwee had served - as a vehicle for the star, who would 'be used as an actor and not a comic'. This outline proposed a cast of Michael Denison as a First Lieutenant 'whose interests are more on horses and women than on the Navy', Leslie Phillips as 'a sub-lieutenant recently commissioned, veru naļ¶„ and terribly keen' (Wyman later remarked that 'There was no one better at playing idiots!'). Jon Pertwee as 'Chief Petty Officer i/c Stores - prime organiser of the most monstrous fiddles yet seen', and Thora Hird as 'a rather formidable Commandant' of the WRNS. By early October 1958, Wyman had crafted a trial script with Scott-Johnson's help. The Thora Hird character had been dropped, and Dennis Price, with whom the producer had worked on The Frankie Howard Show, was considered as the Number One instead of Michael Denison. A 'Trial Recording' was made at the Paris Studio in Lower Regents Street at 6.15pm on Wednsday 7 January 1959, with the three stars - Price, Phillips and Pertwee - joined by a group of actors who were to form a regular 'repertory' cast for future episodes. This was to have comprised Richard Caldicot (Commander Povey), Fennella Fielding (Wren Joyce), Michael Bates (Commander Shaw and AB Ginger), Tenniel Evans (AB Taffy Goldstein and some of Pertwee's many uncles) and Ronnie Barker (whom Scott-Johnson had used on Floggits, as Lieutenant Commander Stanton and AB Johnson). However, Fielding proved unavailable and was replaced by Pamela Buck. On 23 January, the Light Programme confirmed that it wanted ten editions of The Navy Lark (with an option on six more) to run on Tuesdays from late April, although within a fortnight the show was pulled forward and given a Sunday slot instead. A new first episode would be taped and the pilot would be broadcast second. Regular recordings began on Sunday 15 March, and Scott-Johnson selected Heather Chasen - who had performed some sketches with Vic Oliver for him on Variety Playhouse - as the new Wren. The team assembled at the Paris in the afternoon, rehearsed in the Narrator's Studio at 5pm, and recorded with the audience from 8.30pm to 9.15pm. The BBC Announcer was usually Robin Bolye, although David Geary was heard on the first show broadcast. All the music came from the Conroy music library and was performed by the Canadian classical harmonica player Tommy Reilly; the theme was Trade Wind Hornpipe, composed by Reilly and James Moody under the pen-name 'Dwight Barker' in 1958. Accompanied by photographs of the cast in Naval uniforms, the series was promoted in Radio Times as 'A weekly and surely fictitious accounts of events in a naval detachment only loosely connected with the Senior Service'. Even before broadcast, film producer Herbet Wilcox approached the BBC to acquire the rights to make a movie version. The shows were scheduled for broadcast on the BBC Light Programme at 7pm on Sunday, with repeats from the fourth show onwards at 8pm the following Tuesday. After only two editions had gone out, Scott-Johnson booked the six further editions to run through to July, and by the start of May the BBC Home Service decided that they too would repeat the first season at 1.10pm on Saturdays starting on 13 June With the fourth episode, Wyman introduced the Island Detachment's frigate, HMS Troutbridge, which was to become a prominent ingredient of the series. This was named after HMS Troubridge, the 1943 naval frigate which Scott-Johnson and Wyman visited in Plymouth for reasearch purposes in 1958. Concurrent with recording the series, the cast were also busy on other projects during the week. Leslie Phillips was filming Carry On Teacher during March and early April, after which he snatched a holiday in Italy but still flew back to London at weekends for The Navy Lark. Ronnie Barker was contracted into a run of Irma La Douce at the Lyric Theatre. Tenniel Evans was in The Unexpected Guest at the Duchess, and Heather Chasen was the leading lady The Mousetrap at the Ambassadors. In addition to its introductory item, Shore Station Saga, on 27 March, Radio Times ran a piece about Heather Chasen on 15 May, as well as a further item about the Light Programmes's new success on 5 June. This Latter piece also announced the film version, which was to star Leslie Phillips but not Dennis Price or Jon Pertwee. In the issue dated 26 June, T.A.R. Scott of Bournemouth enthusiastically wrote in to congratulate the BBC, declaring that The Navy Lark was a 'a wonderful show, and gets better every week. It is already the funniest thing the BBC has produced for a long, long time'. Recording completed with the final two shows on Sunday 28 June, and the following day Scott-Johnson confirmed he wanted a further season of sixteen to run from October. However, Price was offered a part on the New York stage in Shaw's Heartbreak House - this would clash with the recordings planned for the autumn. With a regular audience of 1.3 million and some excellent audience appreciation scores, The Navy Lark quickly established itself as a hit. Some characters came and went, Commander Shaw was slowly phased out, whilst Chasen also played Cynthia, Povey's posh secretary. Meanwhile a gin-soaked Admiral, played by Evans, proved popular enough to become a regular. Phrases like 'Grand morning isn't it?', 'Everybody Down!' and 'Left hand down a bit?' cemented the foundation of the new show's success with the listening public. Programme note, episode synopses and cast biographies researched and written by Andrew Pixley. |
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