The Navy Lark!

Welcome to this page, I hope you give you information about a radio comedy program I like! Would you believe it, it was first put on air in 1959 and ended in 1977. Yes both of these dates were before I was born, but the good old people at the BBC decided to put some of the classic capers onto tapes. I am now the owner of the complete set which is comprised of 11 volumes each the four 30 min stories. But maybe you want to know more about what this radio program was all about, sitting comfortably, then I'll begin:

In 1958 a writer by the name Laurie Wyman announced his intention to create a series around the actor Jon Pertwee (he was a Doctor Who). Once Pertwee had agreed to play the role, Wyman went off to look for the rest of the crew. He said 'I felt we needed an idiot, and there was no one better at playing idiots than Leslie Phillips - so we got him'.

On the 29th of March 1959 the first episode was broadcast and, from the start, the light hearted and affectionate spoof on the Senior Service won many fans - some of the highest order! When the 21st anniversary of the show came up, they were asked to put on a special performance by the WRNS. They did put the show on, and in the audience that night at the Royal Festival Hall was Her Royal Highness the Queen Mother. Sir Charles Lambe, who was the First Sea Lord at the time (the real one of course), had also visited in the rehearsal.



The program is based on a ship in the Royal Navy called HMS Troutbridge. The crew are about the worst possible crew, but they are funny! The ships number one was played by more than one person over the entire time it was on the air. Dennis Price started as the almost sane number one but was later to be replaced by Stephen Murray later on. The number one has the job of trying to keep the rest of the crew in check. However this was not an easy job as his CPO (played by Jon Pertwee) was more than just a bit crafty. When he was not at the helm trying to understand their navigating officer, he was in charge of the company stores. Which he had turned into his own store. The stores were usually rather bare as CPO Pertwee found that money could be made by selling these goods to other people and relatives he knew. In fact his entire family are quick to make a deal. However the number ones job of keeping an eye on the CPO's dealings was made easier when he was assigned a slightly dumb assistant who was played by the young Ronnie Barker (now famous for his roles in comedy's such as porridge). The number one was watched over by the people high up in the navy, mostly by a Commander Povey. Povey (played by Richard Caldicot) was able to keep him and his secretary Heather (played by Heather Chasen) very busy with the paper work provided by Troutbridges vague chinless wonder Sub-Lieutenant. Sub-Lieutenant Phillips (played by Leslie Phillips) is the ships navigating officer who knows as much about the art of navigation as the teletubbies know about fashion sense. He constantly runs aground, hits other ships or finds himself on the 8th sea. His actions are always closely watched by the Welsh promotion hopeful Starboard lookout Goldstein (played by Tenniel Evans). Guest stars take on some other roles and Michael Bates played many different characters on a regular basis (e.g. Commander Shaw or the Mayor). Sub-Lieutenant Phillips interesting style of navigation orders has now become a catch phrase, in case you don't know it's 'Left Hand Down a Bit'.

The Navy Lark was the second longest running comedy show in the UK and was able to grip the nation for the best part of twenty years. It is in my opinion a piece of comic history that should never be forgotten, that's why I made this page! It had a signature tune, composed by Tommy Reilly and James Moody, which is hard to forget. It was the jaunty Trade Wind Hornpipe and did much to contribute to the popularity of the series. The key to this shows popularity though, was its irreverent but essentially gentle humour and, most of all, the talent of its stars (who could all do more than one voice). Leslie Phillips once said: "I caused more damage to Naval property than the Navy had done in two world wars".

On the 18th of January 1976 the final episode was broadcast. However the program was not fully buried until the 16th of July 1977 when the crew gathered for the final time to do a Jubilee Special.

Well that's the Navy Lark!

To buy any of the navy larks on tape, you can order them directly by contacting VPD:

VPD,
19-23 Manasty Road,
Orton Southgate,
Peterborough,
Cambridge - PE2 6UQ
Tel: 0181 576 2236 (I think 0181 has changed!)
Fax: 01733 2306128

Or E-mail

Contact me if you have any questions by