Alongside modelling hats, Bernadette O’Farrell (Maid Marian) also modelled swimwear. Meanwhile, her acting career continued to develop on the stage and screen.
8 July 1950
News of Bernadette O’Farrell’s marriage to film director Frank Launder.
4 August 1950
Bernadette O’Farrell in The Happiest Days of Your Life
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The Adventures of Robin Hood
Episode 10: Queen Eleanor
Introductory minstrel song: “Eleanor of Acquitane, to Nottingham for treasure goes; there to learn who are her friends, and those who are her foes!”
Regular Cast
Sir Robin of Locksley – Richard Greene
Maid Marian – Bernadette O’Farrell
The Sheriff of Nottingham – Alan Wheatley
Little John – Archie Duncan
Friar Tuck – Alexander Gauge
Original air date: 27 November 1955
Screenplay: Eric Heath (pseudonym of Ring Lardner Jr.)
Director: Dan Birt
Plot: Queen Eleanor arrives in Nottingham to collect funds for King Richard. With the Sheriff scheming against Eleanor, Lady Marian and Robin Hood give her safe passage through Sherwood Forest.
Standout scene: No standout scene in this episode. Instead, lots of screen time for Maid Marian, mainly with Queen Eleanor. Bernadette O’Farrell must have been pleased to read this script and firmly establish herself in the series.
Ballard Berkeley featured in this episode, as Count de Waldern. He is probably best remembered for his portrayal of the Major in Fawlty Towers.
Jill Edmond played Queen Eleanor in this episode. She also played the Queen Mother in The Bandit of Sherwood Forest (1946). An accomplished stage and screen actress, Jill Esmond was married to Laurence Olivier for ten years. She tolerated Olivier’s affairs, but agreed to a divorce when he wanted to marry Vivien Leigh, an actress who suffered with her physical and mental health.
Jill Esmond appeared in her final film, A Man Called Peter, around the time this episode of Robin Hood was filmed.
Coming soon, my Adventures of Maid Marian series
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For Authors
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Wearing a figure-hugging costume in brown and black check and carrying a large, black, shiny leather handbag, Christine Keeler made a three-minute appearance in court yesterday. With her chestnut hair hanging loosely on her shoulders, she discovered that the full hearing of charges against her would be made on 2, 3 and 4 October in Marylebone, London. Miss Keeler arrived at the court in a chauffeur-driven car. Crowds of office workers waited outside to see her leave.
The Miss United Kingdom dispute was settled yesterday and Diane Westbury was declared the winner. Organiser Mr Eric Morley explained that although Maureen Gay had received more first placing votes than Diane, Diane had received more second and third placing votes, so that made her the winner.
Readers write on the Beatles. “Not only have they created a new sound, but also a wonderful new craze in haircuts, suits and jackets.” “The Fab Beatles are handsome Mod boys who deserve every penny they get.” “Have we all gone mad allowing the Beatles to earn £5,000 a week for making a noise they have the cheek to call singing?” “The Beatles are fantastic. They could look like monkeys and dress like tramps, but their fans wouldn’t care. It’s the music that counts.”
“Executive” spectacles on sale in Mayfair, London – £206 5s. That’s £205 for the 18-carat gold frames and £1 5s for the National Health lenses.
Independent Television’s share of the viewing audience is on the increase. The latest TAM figures show a 62% share for ITV. Last week’s top twenty programmes were all broadcast by ITV.
Television highlights: Grandstand featuring the Battle of Britain flying display. Juke Box Jury with Anne Nightingale. Last Night of the Proms.
Radio highlights: Those Were the Days. There Goes That Song Again.
Weather: dry and sunny. Outlook – similar. 20c, 68f.
Sunday 15 September 1963
All out security precautions have been ordered when eight prisoners face charges on Tuesday arising from the Great Train Raid. Undercover detectives have heard an underworld whisper that a daring attempt will be made to disrupt the hearing.
A pipe-smoking competition held in Ombersley, Worcestershire was won by Mrs Winifred Connelly, the only woman participant among fifty men.
New on the market: a Scotch tape that is fully transparent and waterproof. Also, keep fit by flicking a switch and without even leaving your armchair; it’s done by an electric gadget with pads, which are placed on lax muscles that need tightening. In Holland they have developed a solution you spray on road surfaces to increase their resistance to heat, cold, wear and tear.
Jim Clark, the new world champion racing driver, nearly missed his presentation at Brands Hatch yesterday because of a bomb hoax. Just before he was due to leave Edinburgh for London an anonymous caller said there was a bomb aboard his plane. No device was found.
Get ready for the first of the female Beatles. Cilla Black is her name. She will make her television debut on Ready, Steady, Go! on 27 September. Her first disc is Love of the Loved, penned by the Beatles. Cilla is worrying whether she has done the right thing in giving up her job as a typist even though her disc sounds like a cert seller.
Recording manger George Martin’s latest disc is the Anvil Chorus by jazz trumpet-man Freddie Randall. Freddie was a top trad man ten years ago, now he’s making a comeback.
Television highlights: Sunday Night at the London Palladium. Living Your Life. South of Panama – the High Andes.
Radio highlights: World Top Pops. The Archers.
Weather: warm and sunny after early morning mist.
Monday 16 September 1963
Shocked parishioners in Kent have complained because the local vicar, Reverend Donald Lugg, wore an open-neck shirt and his wife, Dorothy, wore slacks at a church bazaar. Reverend Lugg responded to the complaints: “We at the vicarage are human beings. We aim to enjoy life like everyone else. But some people think we shouldn’t.”
Race hate flared into sheer horror in Birmingham, Alabama today when a time bomb blast killed four girls attending Sunday School in the basement of a Baptist Church. Sixteen other people were injured, some seriously. Fifteen sticks of dynamite were used. White extremists are suspected.
A week after Manchester United fans wrecked a football special travelling from Birmingham, Manchester City fans wrecked a train travelling from Sunderland. Manchester City lost the match 2 – 0. The club deplored the violence.
In a poll of 2,000 people, eight-seven out of every hundred could identify Christine Keeler and Tommy Steele. Sixty-nine could identify Reginald Maudling, the Chancellor of the Exchequer.
Ken Irwin writes: Isn’t it time they pulled down Coronation Street? Haven’t we had enough of these dreary characters and their dreary backstreet? The stories are dismal and depressing. Doesn’t the show give an out of date picture of the North? Tony Warren, the creator of the series, said, “What goes on in the programme now bears very little relation to the original idea.”
Television highlights: Pit Your Wits – quiz. The Plane Makers – factory drama series. Discs a GoGo.
Radio highlights: Soccer is Sacred. The Canterbury Tales.
Weather: sunny and warm. Outlook – similar. 23c, 73f.
Tuesday 17 September 1963
Two more men were charged with taking part in the Great Train Robbery. They are Leonard Dennis Field of North London and Brian Arthur Field of Oxfordshire. The two men are not related.
The “colour bar” problem in America cannot be solved overnight. But President Kennedy has given a brave lead in the fight for racial justice. His countrymen are responding. His words and actions have given America a brighter image throughout the world. The extremist system, which resulted in the murder of four children in Birmingham, Alabama is on the way out.
More than 1,800 men were killed or seriously injured in the coal mines in 1962. The figure represents an increase of 100 compared to 1961. The coal industry’s first Safety Year was in 1962.
The first all-British steel bath. It has a luxury look that includes long, low lines and a broad ridge around for bath-salts and talc. Colours – in primrose, pink, blue, turquoise and green.
Football results: Aston Villa 2 Spurs 4, Blackburn 2 Chelsea 2, Blackpool 1 Manchester United 0, Liverpool 6 Wolves 0. Manchester United still lead the table, two points ahead of Blackburn and Spurs.
A kangaroo called Hullabaloo and her baby Custard will introduce viewers to the BBC’s new television channel, BBC2, which opens next April. One of the reasons Hullabaloo was chosen is that kangaroo rhymes with BBC2.
Television highlights: The Exporters – documentary. Animal Magic. Four Just Men.
Radio highlights: In Our Time. Keep Up Your French.
Weather: sunny and warm with a chance of thunder. Outlook – dry with sunshine. 23c, 73f.
Wednesday 18 September 1963
Electricity prices will go up this winter. Also, power cuts are forecast. This is despite the fact that the Electricity Council made a massive £42,500,000 profit. It is estimated that the electricity grid will not be equipped to meet severe weather conditions until 1967-68. A political storm is brewing over these announcements.
Two rival gangs of youths have brought trouble to a new town – Basildon New Town, Essex. On one side you have the “Rockers” on the other the “Mods”. The “Rockers” have long hair, tight trousers, leather jackets and high-powered motorcycles while the “Mods” wear modern clothes and ride motor scooters. There is considerable animosity between the two groups, which often erupts into violence. A popular taunt of the “Rockers” is to call the “Mods” geezers, hoping that will lead to a fight.
“Those people who objected to Rev Donald Lugg wearing an open-neck shirt and his wife appearing in slacks are a nasty narrow-minded lot of old cronies. Good luck to the vicar and his wife. If there were more people like them maybe the congregations would increase.” – F. Winser, Gloucestershire.
Everton go into their European Cup clash with Internationale Milan tonight knowing that their opponents are on a £300-a-man win bonus. The Everton players will receive £10 each, win or lose, the top bonus allowed by the Football League for this round.
The Light Programme on BBC radio is to launch a two-hours-a-night pop music show – ending at midnight. Music to Midnight will replace the BBC’s plan to play pop music early in the morning. That plan has been shelved because of copyright troubles. The new series, starting on 30 September will include the BBC Revue and Variety Orchestras, Dennis Lotis, Susan Maughan and Patsy Ann Noble.
Television highlights: Football Special – recorded highlights of Everton v Internationale Milan. Citizen 63 – a shop steward. A Nation in Doubt – debate on Britain.
Radio highlights: Date With a Disc. Always Give the Pubic What it Wants.
Weather: cloudy with rain, brighter later. Outlook – dry with sunny spells. 20c, 68f.
Thursday 19 September 1963
Experts considering whether a bridge or a tunnel should be built across the Channel have reported “very positively in favour of a tunnel”. A bridge would be very difficult and costly. However, the experts believe that a tunnel is feasible.
Prime Minister Harold Macmillan last night sent for his inner Cabinet to discuss what to do about the Denning Report. There is speculation that the report, a detailed investigation into the Profumo scandal, might bring down the government. However, Conservative sources say the report is “not too bad.”
A County Councillor, Douglas Aldridge, who criticised workmen for “leaning on their shovels too long” has been challenged to work with a pick and shovel gang himself for a week. Mr Aldridge said, “I’m not one to dodge a challenge, but I want to know more about the conditions before I accept. I’m not afraid of hard work.”
Guitarist Bruce Welch is quitting the Shadows, the group that backs Cliff Richard, because he can’t stop worrying. “I have always been nervous,” he said. “When you are on the stage the tension is tremendous.” Bruce plans to take a desk job, looking after the affairs of the company connected with Cliff and the Shadows.
Mr John Davies, chairman of the Rank Organisation, which has 355 cinemas in Britain, has hit out at the number of X certificate films being released. He claims that the film industry’s problems have been aggravated by the increase in X films and he urged producers to satisfy the demand for family entertainment.
Football Results: European Cup Qualifying Round First Leg – Everton 0 Internationale Milan 0. First Division – Bolton 6 Ipswich 0, Fulham 2 Burnley 1, Stoke 0 Sheffield United 2, WBA 3 Birmingham 1.
Television highlights: It’s My Opinion – comment by Venessa Redgrave and John Arlott. The Saint. Champion Driver Jim Clark.
Radio highlights: Saludos Amigos! Swinging UK.
Weather: dry with sunny spells. Outlook – similar. 19c, 65f.
Friday 20 September 1963
Three British research scientists have scored a major breakthrough in the battle to perfect a vaccine against German Measles. This is good news for expectant mothers because their unborn babies can be affected by the disease. A doctor said, “When the vaccine is produced, it can be given to expectant mothers immediately they become pregnant.”
Twenty-one towns in Britain will follow Birmingham’s experiment and introduce a dipped headlights campaign for night driving. The Birmingham experiment halved the road death toll. Nevertheless, Transport Minister Ernest Marples dubbed it a failure.
Teenage crime figures since the War: up to 1951 there was a steady rise, then for four years a sharp drop. But since 1955 there has been a big increase, which shows no sign of tailing off. The percentage of young people found guilty of indictable offences is now more than twice as high for boys and three times as high for girls as it was before the War.
The thirty-one presenters on BBC radio – twenty-nine men and two women – have been told “make yourselves known on air”. For the first time since the War they have been told to introduce themselves and “make friends” with the listeners.
Prediction: supersonic jet passenger services between Britain and Australia will begin by 1970.
A tax inspector’s letter postmarked “Liverpool 5.45pm, 19 September 1963, arrived in Jersey at 8.45am yesterday, nine hours earlier.
Television highlights: For Deaf Children. The Keepers – French film. Ready, Steady, Go! with Acker Bilk and Stanley Baker.
Radio highlights: The Island – jazz opera. Peter Murray Show.
Weather: dry with sunny periods. Outlook – similar. 20c, 68f.
Available for order and pre-order, my Swinging Sixties Mystery Series
Christine Keeler has been accused of perjury and conspiracy. Providing she surrenders her passport, she will be allowed £3,000 bail. Her arrest concerns the “Lucky” Gordon assault case. Two male journalists provided sureties of £1,000 each for Miss Keeler.
The West Indies cricket team proved so popular this summer that they have been invited to tour Britain again in 1967 instead of having to wait until 1971. However, due to the South African government’s racial segregation policies, there is some consternation that they are due to tour in 1966.
More British drivers have been stranded on the Continent. Around 300 cars were denied access to ferries in Boulogne and Calais. The problem is centred on British holidaymakers who failed to make return bookings.
Greengrocer Peter Elcombe found two piglets apparently dead amongst a litter of fifteen on his farm in Kent. He saved them with the kiss of life. “I thought that if it worked with humans it should work with animals,” he said.
The Mayor of Blackpool, Alderman John Symthe, has been called to a crisis meeting to resolve a dispute over the result of the Miss United Kingdom beauty contest. The organiser of the contest, Eric Morley, gave the first prize to model Diane Westbury, even though the judges didn’t vote for her. Mr Morley said, “I see no reason for the decision to be changed.”
It’s going to be all cleavage at parties this winter – Dior says so. He’s plunging the neckline to waist level. However, acres of cleavage can become wearisome. The party girl who cottons on to that fact and goes for the cover-up look could well end up smiling at the end of the evening.
Television highlights. Cricket – Worcestershire v Sussex, knockout cup final. Juke Box Jury with Shirley Anne Field and Jane Asher. Wish You Were Here! – Eric Sykes in Stockholm.
Radio highlights: British Open Brass Band Championship. Remembrance of Things Past.
Weather: sunny spells then rain. Outlook – showery. 18c, 64f.
Sunday 8 September 1963
James Hussey, 30, a painter, was charged in Aylesbury yesterday with taking part in the Great Mail Train Robbery. He is the tenth person to be arrested in connection with the raid.
Forget about the seven-year itch, it’s the twelve-year mark in a marriage that’s important. Three doctors, who have researched the subject, also found that differences between husbands and wives in religion, social class, nationality and education were unimportant, but an age gap of more than five years could lead to difficulties.
An appeal is being made by the RAF Benevolent Fund during Battle of Britain Week. Cash is needed for future welfare work.
Prediction Spot. Two for the top – Searchin’ by the Hollies and Then He Kissed Me by the Crystals. This week’s number one – She Loves You by the Beatles.
The latest dance craze is The Machine. It’s all the rage in the Hertfordshire jazz clubs, and it will hit London soon. The idea is to imitate a robot with mechanical movements of your arms, head and legs.
Cricket Knock-Out Cup Final: Sussex 168 all out. Worcestershire 154 – 7, innings closed. Sussex won by 14 runs. Jim Parks top scored for Sussex with 57.
Football Results: First Division – Arsenal 4 Bolton 3, Blackburn 7 Spurs 2, Chelsea 1 Liverpool 3, Everton 3 Burnley 4, Stoke 3 Leicester 3, West Ham 2 Sheffield United 3. Current league leaders – Manchester United.
Television highlights: Service for the hard of hearing from St Katherine’s Cree, London. Double Playbill – See the Pretty Lights and Wedding Bells with Julia Foster and Wanda Ventham. Robin Hood – A Bushel of Apples.
Radio highlights: British Folk Songs. Join in and Swing.
Weather: dull and cloudy with rain and drizzle.
Cricket table
Monday 9 September 1963
The Great Beauty Queen Rumpus concerning Diane Westbury and Maureen Gay – the judges voted for Maureen, but contest organiser Eric Morley gave the prize to Diane – is to be put to a national vote. Hughie Green is arranging for both girls to appear on his Double Your Money programme. Diane won £1,500 in the original contest, Maureen £150.
A “University of the Air” is being planned by the Labour Party. People would study at home via radio and television. Educationalists would set the courses and mark the papers.
Since the new year, 14,500 people have left Britain to settle in Australia. Australia wants as many migrants as it can get, but an official said, “There’s a limit to the number of sea berths and plane tickets we can book.” A million Britons have left for Australia since 1947.
Fans wreck soccer train. Railway chiefs and police are investigating the destruction of a weekend football special. Nine times the train screeched to a halt as the emergency cord was pulled on the 100 mile journey from Birmingham to Manchester. Girls and women were involved in the ruckus, forming a screaming and shouting mob on the ten-coach special. Four-letter words were scrawled on windows and mirrors in lipstick. Tables were ripped loose and windows smashed. Light fittings and lamps were torn out. In the match, Birmingham and Manchester United drew 1 – 1.
The Big Beat. Music that throbs and pulsates. Music that has taken the disc fans of Britain by the ear. Music made by young British groups with voices as well as instrumentals. From tomorrow, an in-depth look into this phenomenon, starting with the Beatles.
Television highlights: Outlook Europe – France. Hockey – Unicorns v SD Dickens XI. Survival SOS – Rhino.
Radio highlights: In a Sentimental Mood. Historic Performances on Record.
Weather: sunny periods, showers. Outlook – rain at first, brighter later. 18c, 64f.
Tuesday 10 September 1963
The villagers who live near “Banknote Farm” in Oakley were furious last night with their MP, Mr Roger Gresham Cooke. The MP said that the villagers should have caught the Great Train Robbers. He told the Young Conservatives, “Too often, people are content to phone the police. Instead, they should revive the ‘hue and cry’. I very much blame the people of Oakley for their negligence.”
Village publican, Wilf Welford replied, “If the MP would like to come down to the village hall we would welcome a debate on this. He’d be lucky to get out without being lynched. This is a very public-spirited village.”
Two men wearing nylon masks escaped with jewellery worth £4,000 after coshing a jeweller in Golden Square, London, yesterday.
Mr Royston Attwood pleaded guilty at Bristol to stealing 3,500 gallons of top quality petrol from the Esso depot at Avonmouth. Mr Attwood was a fuel tanker driver. He was sacked and fined £100.
It’s been called the Liverpool Sound, the Mersey Sound, Rhythm and Blues, Beat with a Drive and Pop with a Beat. In Liverpool alone 250 groups are producing this music. The leaders of this movement are the Beatles. They are pleasing to look at, friendly and well-mannered.
What about fame? Paul McCartney said, “My auntie went to a holiday camp this summer and they asked her to judge a beauty competition.” Ringo said, “My dad’s gone right off his nut with excitement over it.” George Harrison said, “We’re quite a normal bunch really.” John Lennon said, “You know the way people begin to look exactly like their dogs. Well, we’re beginning to look like each other.”
Football results: West Ham 0 Nottingham Forest 2. Wolves 1 Liverpool 3. Manchester United still lead the First Division.
Television highlights: The Sky at Night – moon base. Play of the Week – A Question of Morals. Animal Magic with Tony Soper.
Radio highlights: Boxing from the Empire Pool, Wembley. A Scrapbook for 1953.
Weather: early sunshine then rain. Outlook – changeable. 16c, 61f.
Wednesday 11 September 1963
Detectives believe that two of the Great Train Robbers – Bruce Reynolds and Thomas Daly – may try to get new faces from plastic surgeons. Interpol have been asked to look out for them, especially in Austria, Germany, Denmark and Sweden. Another theory is that Reynolds and Daly have already had their face-lift operations and are in hiding while their scars heal. A third man the police want to interview – Roy “the Weasel” James – is believed to be in South America.
Tory MP Ian Gilmour said that Lord Denning’s report on the Profumo Scandal should not be published. “It’s a boring business,” he added. “What has the interviewing of prostitutes got to do with national security? What has the Argyll case got to do with security? This is more akin to compiling a sort of Kinsey Report than looking into matters of national security.”
Twenty-two top fashion models were involved in high drama over the English Channel when their plane developed a technical fault and had to return to London. The models had been on their way to Zurich to show off British autumn fashions. Blonde Veronica Carter said, “It was frightening.”
Melody Maker Readers’ Poll. Top singer – Cliff Richard. Top vocal group – The Beatles. Top vocal disc – From Me To You. Top instrumentalist – Jet Harris. Top comedian – Norman Vaughan. Top disc jockey – David Jacobs.
No one can predict how long the Group craze will last. Billy J Kramer, like many others, recognises that the Beat Bubble could burst overnight. For now, Billy is content. He said, “I’ve been all over the place touring, I’ve got some smashing suits and everything is swinging.” Billy J Kramer – he can now join kippers, bloaters and multi-coloured rock as the pride and joy of Great Yarmouth.
Football Results: Arsenal 3 Aston Villa 0 (Baker hat-trick), Burnley 4 Fulham 1.
Television highlights: Citizen 63 – a rebellious teenager. Is Wresting Phoney – interview with Mick McManus. Glamour 63 – the final.
Radio highlights: The Navy Lark. Writers on Themselves.
Weather: rain or drizzle. Outlook – changeable. 17c, 63f.
Thursday 12 September 1963
George Harrison has lost his job as a beetle trapper. He’s been using a traditional method of trapping beetles, up to seventy daily, for eight years. The beetles are trapped because they can destroy new trees. However, George will now be replaced by DDT.
The eleventh arrest has been made by detectives investigating the Great Train Robbery. Bookmaker Thomas Wiseby was charged with taking part in last month’s robbery at Sears Crossing.
Another 2,000 people in Britain slipped into the caviar and yacht set last year. A Government report shows that 16,000 people now earn more than £6,000 a year – £115 a week. The number of people taking home less than £10 a week stands at 10,940,000. Landlords, in particular, saw their income rise. Britons spend £92,000,000 a year on drinking and smoking.
“I can’t understand all the recent fuss about choosing beauty queens. I think there are far too many of these silly contests anyway.” – (Mrs) Clark, Hitchen, Herts.
Jessica Mitford’s The American Way of Death will be published on 30 September, price 25s.
Gardener Leslie Leadbetter has grown a cabbage, 5 foot 2 inches across. He explained, “I give it a regular bottle of beer.”
Agony Aunt: “My boyfriend’s trousers are so tight, he can hardly sit down. What should I do?” Jane Adams’ advice, “Why don’t you make a standing joke of it?”
Football Results: Birmingham 0 WBA 1, Everton 2 Bolton 0, Leicester 2 Sheffield Wednesday 0, Manchester United 3 Blackpool 0, Sheffield United 4 Stoke 1.
Television highlights: The Good Old Days. Double Your Money. Prayers, weather, road works, closedown.
Radio highlights: Masters of the Keyboard. A Slight Case of Obscenity.
Weather: sunny periods. Outlook – rain, showers, brighter. 18c, 64f.
Friday 13 September 1963
Stolen loot from the Great Train Robbery may be concealed in an isolated farm property 150 miles from London. An informant has told police about the location. Meanwhile, police are looking for a former London club owner and ex-boxer, Christopher Edwards, known as Buster. Police believe that Buster Edwards can help them with their inquiries.
A Government report reveals that 5,000 people in Britain now earn at least £20,000 a year before tax. In 1954 only 2,000 earned that amount. Hundreds soar well above the £20,000 mark – some are earning £30,600 apiece.
In Britain, a disaster is countered with a “nice cup of tea”. But now something very un-British is going on – we are becoming a nation of coffee drinkers. We are drinking twice as much coffee as we did five years ago. The reasons for the British coffee habit? Expresso bars and holidays abroad.
Jimmy Gault, Britain’s all-time biggest pools winner with £300,684 has died aged 53 at home near Belfast.
BBC bosses have ordered “no more smut”, especially on the That Was The Week That Was show. The BBC are also hoping to screen programmes of major appeal at about 6.35pm because most of the country is back home by then. They also plan to screen two or three major programmes after the 9pm news.
Television highlights: Adventure – the riddle of Easter Island with Thor Heyerdahl. International Film Season from Sweden – A Doll’s House. Ready, Steady, Go! with Roy Orbison and Freddie and the Dreamers.
Radio highlights: Chamber Music. Speedy Disc Show.
Weather: sunny periods, mainly dry. Outlook – dry with sunny periods. 18c, 64f.
Available for order and pre-order, my Swinging Sixties Mystery Series
Great Train Robbery. Detectives are looking for Bruce Reynolds, his wife Frances, and Barbara and John Daly. Frances and Barbara are sisters. Reports suggest that Mrs Daly, who is pregnant, and her husband stayed at a seaside hotel. They arrived in a racing green Jaguar and paid their bill, £99 18s, all in fivers.
The Daily Mirror asked its readers where they would hide £250,000 in fivers. The most popular answers: in Steptoes’ junk yard; under wallpaper; in a churchyard; under concrete; in the deep freeze; in dustbins; up the chimney.
In the near future, Britain will have its own “switchboard” in Space. Communication satellites should be launched by 1970. The satellite plan will cost £200,000,000. Post Office experts believe that the number of transatlantic calls, now about 1,800,000 a year, will increase fourfold by 1970 and elevenfold by 1980.
Bristol Council wants to install 2,500 parking meters in the city. The Motorists’ Protection Association described the plan as an example of the “increasing persecution of motorists”.
The Mods – the really with-it teenagers – are ditching the Twist for a hip-swinging dance called the Blues. Marie Cartmell, professional dance demonstrator, said, “You relax all over, put on a deadpan face and drift into a blues beat. No touching your partner. Then you swing your hips and start twitching – hands, feet and head. You could call it the St Vitus dance.”
Cricket: Yorkshire have won the County Championship. Glamorgan, Somerset, Sussex and Warwickshire are in the top five with one round of matches left.
Television highlights: Sir Francis Drake. Grandstand. Juke Box Jury.
Radio highlights: The Future of Spain. The Music Men.
Weather: rain, windy and cool. Outlook – little change. 17c, 63f.
Sunday 1 September 1963
Great Train Robbery. Scotland Yard are tracking down clues found at Leatherslade Farm. In particular, they are keen to trace the origins of six lots of curtains. Detectives are also looking for seven people – four men and three women, including Roy John James, aka The Weasel.
Violence at the latest Rangers v Celtic football match has led to calls for automatic jail sentences of at least six months, possibly a year. Police were showered with cans and beer bottles. Fighting, swearing, drunken soccer fans are becoming a blight on the game.
The decline in the Co-op is due to drabness and mediocrity, an article in the Socialist Commentary said. Too many societies are ignoring the increasing affluence and sophistication of members, and the fact that not only capitalists buy and drive cars.
The Bow Group of Young Tories recommends that the retirement age should be abolished. Employment Exchanges should have jobs specifically for the elderly because work is the best occupational therapy for old people, the Young Tories insist.
Over 50,000,000 ties are sold in Britain each year. The majority are bought for men by women.
Football: Match of the Day – Leicester 7 Arsenal 2. Other results – Liverpool 1 Blackpool 2, Manchester United 5 Everton 1, Spurs 4 Nottingham Forest 1. Top three after three games – Leicester, Manchester United, Spurs. No team has a 100% record.
Television highlights: The Frank Ifield Show. Deaf Sunday – a service of dedication. Play – Plain Jane.
Radio highlights: Race Horse Doping Feature. Guitar Recital.
Weather: sunny spells, showers and thunder.
Monday 2 September 1963
Great Train Robbery. In their search for John Daly and Bruce Reynolds, detectives have switched their attention to Scotland. Reports suggest that the men have been seen with their wives. An underworld tip-off revealed that Daly and Reynolds would leave their wives, if necessary. Daly’s wife has an eighteen month old daughter, and is expecting another child this month.
French riot police were called in at Calais last night when hundreds of angry British holidaymakers hammered at the quayside gates demanding space for their cars on cross-Channel ferries. The chaos was caused by “chance it” motorists who hoped to find space on the ferries – which were already fully booked. The AA said bad weather on the Continent was to blame.
Two hundred and fifty tourists were “sealed off” in a Hungarian hotel yesterday because of a smallpox scare. The Hungarian authorities are not releasing any details about the scare. Two Britons are believed to be at the hotel.
Fashionable women will adopt the Glistening Look this autumn. They will wear anything as long as it sparkles. If you are planning to be a femme fatale go for gold thread woven into a low-cut black camisole dress.
New Zealand is doubling its charges to British migrants. The fare for a single man is £50 instead of £25, and for families £100 instead of £50. Single women, who previously went free, will pay £50.
Personal Advertisement: Ladies and Gentlemen’s Wigs. For transformations, toupees and scalpettes, contact the Midland Hair Manufacturing Co, Ltd, Nottingham.
Television highlights: Pit Your Wits – quiz. Outlook Europe – Italy. William Tell.
Radio highlights: Poetry Reading. Music for Dancing.
Weather: showers and bright intervals. Outlook – similar. 18c, 64f.
Tuesday 3 September 1963
Great Train Robbery. Detectives are doing fingerprint checks on two Burgundy wine bottles served at a pub party. A police spokesman said, “This could be one of our strongest leads. We are making extensive investigations.” The landlord’s wife, Mrs Allard, said, “It was a very odd dinner party. The men sat apart from the women. Every time a waiter approached, the men stopped talking. One of the men – I think it was Reynolds – hid his face in his hands. He kept changing his spectacles, from horn-rimmed to rimless ones. They left a child in a car – they arrived in three cars. They talked about motor racing. They were very polite and grateful. They spent £5 on a meal and another £35 on gin and tonics at the bar.”
Four Britons are to spend the next fortnight “jailed” in Budapest’s Hotel Royal – with all expenses paid. They must not leave the hotel, not even for a minute, until smallpox quarantine regulations are lifted. Over 350 guests are also at the hotel. Austria has declared Hungary an “infectious area”.
Police are hunting “The Stockbroker” a gunman in a bowler hat who threatened a jeweller in Stepney and escaped with thirty diamond rings worth £3,000.
Doctors, scientists and policemen flit across our television screens in haloes of glory. Engineers never do. There should be a tv series on Dr Livewire, a consulting engineer, as an antidote to Dr Kildare.
Football: in the Wolverhampton Wanderers v Stoke City match, Wolves kicked-off at the start of the game and again after half-time. Wolves won 2 – 1. Stoke said they are unlikely to lodge a complaint.
Television highlights: Swallows and Amazons – serial. A Sort of Paradise – Guatemala with Alan Whicker. Here and Now – extra-sensory perception.
Radio highlights: In Our Time – recorded memories of the Second World War. Manx Grand Prix.
Weather: cloudy with showers. Outlook – more showers. 18c, 64f.
Wednesday 4 September 1963
Great Train Robbery. Detectives have established that the people who attended a pub party, reported yesterday, were not members of the mail gang. Inquires have also revealed that mail bags recently found were not from the train robbery.
Mankind may be facing a deadly silent terror – chemicals from pesticides sprayed to increase crop yields. Biologists and wild life specialists have discovered that these pesticides are harming birds and fish. Britain is now using 100 different types of pesticides, even though not a lot is known about them.
The Government was warned that if they keep on harrying motorists they will grab “a tiger by the tail”. A spokesman for the RAC said, “It should be evident by now that the motor car is vital to our social and economic life, yet the Government implement more and more restrictions.” He added that the idea of fitting road-pricing meters to cars, charging motorists by the mile, will force people to abandon driving in despair.
Disc sales in Britain top 77 million a year. However, to prevent the “saucer effect”, you must store them properly. Records should be placed in racks, upright, away from heat. Many secondhand shops are rejecting records because they are “dished”.
The last London Transport petrol-engine bus was taken out of service in November 1950. Since then the fleet has been 100% diesel.
Football results: First Division – Ipswich 2 Manchester United 7. Nottingham Forest 0 Liverpool 0.
Television highlights: Chipperfield’s Circus with Shaw Taylor and Noele Gordon. Citizen 63 – the life of a police inspector. Scarlet Pimpernel.
Radio highlights: Ancient Civilisations – Mexico and Peru. Parade of the Pops.
Weather: sunny spells, rain later. Outlook – unsettled with rain. 20c, 68f.
Thursday 5 September 1963
Singing stars Lonnie Donegan, Max Bygraves and David Whitfield were puzzled last night over the case of the mixed-up beauty queen result. The three stars who judged the Miss United Kingdom final in Blackpool say that the girl who was awarded the title was not voted for by them. According to them, the winner should have been Maureen Gay, a showroom assistant from Bristol. However, organiser Eric Morley declared Diane Westbury the winner and awarded her the 1,000 guineas first prize.
Britain’s mothers are going to get Government help to trim their waistlines. Scientists in Aberdeen have discovered that the average woman had an 8Ib spare tyre after pregnancy. The scientists are trying to discover an ideal diet to avoid the unwanted fat.
Tourist officials estimate that 19,000,000 holidaymakers – two for every three Spaniards – will be flooding into Spain by 1967. This year 10,000,000 tourists are expected to visit the country, one and a half million more than in 1962.
Mrs Veronica Yates fancied a steak and kidney pudding. So she opened a tin bought at a supermarket and discovered that it contained dog food. It appears that the label had come loose and a wrong label had been stuck on the tin. The supermarket was fined £5. Mrs Yates said, “It really put me off. I don’t fancy steak and kidney pie anymore.”
Football: Match of the Day – Tottenham 4 Wolverhampton 3. Other results – WBA 4 Arsenal 0; Bolton 1 Everton 3; Blackburn 2 Sheffield United 2; Birmingham 2 Leicester 0.
Television highlights: Summer in Salzburg. Barn Dance – new series. Compact – serial.
Radio highlights: Frankly Speaking – racing driver Jim Clark talks about his life. Listeners Answer Back.
Weather: sunshine and showers. Outlook – similar. 18c, 64f.
Friday 6 September 1963
Christine Keeler was arrested by Scotland Yard detectives last night and taken to a London police station. Christine, wearing a green suede jacket over a grey skirt, tripped down the stairs and got into a waiting police car. The arrest was apparently in connection with the “Lucky” Gordon assault case.
Builder Ronald Biggs, 34, accused of taking part in last month’s Great Train Robbery, allegedly told the police, “Get on with it. You’ll have to prove it all the way. I’m admitting nothing to you people.” Biggs is the ninth person to be charged over the robbery. He told the court, “It’s all lies.”
Two hundred married women under forty who have already had one or two children are needed to try out a new pill to stop them becoming pregnant. The new-type pill will be the eighth to be officially tested by the Family Planning Association.
British scientists have made a new drug to fight smallpox. In Madras, India 1,100 people who had intimate contact with the disease were given the new drug, and only three developed – mild – symptoms of smallpox.
Five years ago there were only a handful of liquid detergents on the market. Today, there are over 100, and they account for twenty percent of the whole detergent market. In future, expect more liquid detergents to replace packet powder.
Today’s Thought: While we are asleep, we are all equal – Cervantes.
Television highlights: Adventure – Kon-Tiki, a voyage across the Pacific on a raft. The Marriage Lines – domestic comedy. Germany, Fathers and Sons – the barrier of silence between Germans who lived under Hitler.
Radio highlights: Records You’ll Remember. Medieval History and the Romantic Imagination.
Weather: mainly dry with sunny periods. Outlook – similar. 19c, 66f.
Available for order and pre-order, my Swinging Sixties Mystery Series
An underworld squealer has informed Scotland Yard detectives that £1,000,000 of stolen train loot is hidden away in one fantastic hoard. The robbers only expected to steal a million, not £2,600,000, and the squealer said the gang fell out after the share-out. Members of the gang, who wanted a bigger share of the money, are threatening to shop the leaders.
Meanwhile, Mr Big, the man who planned the train raid, has left the country. The squealer told the Yard Mr Big’s name, and the Yard informed Interpol. Mr Big’s fingerprints were found at the gang’s hideout, Leatherslade Farm.
A 40 mph boat will set out from Plymouth to Torquay on Thursday to try to prove that the roads are so dangerous and crowded it’s quicker to go by sea.
Cricket – Fifth Test Match at the Oval. England 275 and 223. West Indies 246. England failed to capitalise on their slender first innings lead, allowing the West Indies back into the game. Roared on by the crowd – the West Indies must have thought they were playing at home – their quick men Hall, Griffith and Sobers, took wickets at regular intervals, setting up a thrilling finale.
Football – Match of the Day: Sheffield Wednesday 3 Manchester United 3. Champions Everton got off to a winning start, defeating Fulham 3 – 0. Neighbours Liverpool beat Blackburn away, 2 – 1, while Tottenham Hotspur suffered a surprise 2 – 1 defeat at Stoke City.
John Charles celebrated his return to British football with a goal in Cardiff’s 3 – 1 win over Norwich. Charles scored with a kick from ten yards inside his own half which bounced over the goalkeeper’s head into the net. Overall, attendances were down – 745,000 compared to 811,597 on the opening day last season.
Television Highlights: Robin Hood – Bride for an Outlaw. This Nation Tomorrow – advertising and society. Fireball XL5.
Radio Highlights: Pick of the Pops. The Jazz Scene.
Weather: sunshine and showers.
Monday 26 August 1963
Detectives believe that the mail train robbers have sent their share of the loot to hideaways outside London by train. The detectives are looking for large packing cases bought in the past ten days. They are also looking for Roy John James – The Weasel, Bruce Reynolds and James White.
Meanwhile, police have released six-foot Gordon Goody, 32. Goody is a hairdresser who lives with his mother. Mr Goody’s sister, Joan, said, “Gordon had nothing to do with the robbery. He came home from the police station, had a couple of cups of tea, then went straight out.”
Eleven women footballers shut themselves in their dressing room half-way through a match yesterday and refused to play any more. The players, from Howard Harlequins of Newcastle upon Tyne claimed their hosts, the Fife Dynamites, were too rough. Fife were leading 3 – 1 at half-time. Harlequins manager, Alec Morton said, “My players are injured. And they have to go to work tomorrow. The match is off.”
Fifth Test Match, at the Oval. Rain and wind on the rest day should make the West Indies target of 253 tomorrow even trickier. In these conditions, England have a good chance of winning the match and squaring the rubber. Whatever the result, it will be a grandstand finish to a grandstand series.
Side by side, England and West Indian fans will watch the closing stages of this great test series. They will display that harmony can exist, regardless of a person’s background. They will demonstrate that people can get along together. Cricket fans have taught the nation a lesson, one we would do well to heed.
Television highlights: Outlook Europe – Belgium. Boxing from Birmingham. Love Story with Maxine Audley.
Radio highlights: London v Dublin Quiz. The Corruption of the Exotic – talk.
Weather: cool and showery. Outlook – similar. 17c, 63f.
Tuesday 27 August 1963
Great Train Robbery: Scotland Yard detectives seeking “The Weasel”, racing driver Roy John James, think he might have gone to Vienna. Interpol are conducting a search. The Weasel might be with his girlfriend, believed to be named Lillian.
South Africa has banned Peter Sellers’ latest comedy Heavens Above! because it shows people of different races mixing normally.
Music experts gathered in a London hotel to predict the sounds of 1964. They believe that the twang and gzing will go, to be replaced by the meaty thwong. The Midlands might still favour the twang, but Scotland and the North are likely to go for the more modern thwong. London is half twang, half thwong with a bit of gzing thrown in. And what about 1965? Listen out for the waaaaaang.
Cricket: the West Indies won the Fifth Test at the Oval by eight wickets, and the series 3 – 1. However, mere statistics do not convey the brilliance of the West Indies play and the joy of their spectators. Was this the greatest series of all time? Possibly. We should all give thanks to the West Indies and their supporters for making this a summer to remember.
The programme Look No People on ITV was so unusual. No sex, no violence, no swearing, just teapots by the dozen. – R Mumford, Kingston, Surrey.
Football: Aston Villa 1 Stoke City 3. After two games, newly promoted Stoke City are top of the First Division.
Television highlights: The Targa Florio – Sterling Moss comments on the Sicilian motor race. Radio-controlled Models. On Safari – the Herons of Nairobi.
Radio highlights: Workers’ Playtime. People Today – Laurie Lee.
Weather: sunny periods and showers. Outlook – similar. 19c, 66f.
Wednesday 28 August 1963
Police hunting the Great Train Robbery loot have found another £10,000 in fivers, in Dorking, Surrey. The police made more than thirty raids yesterday. Meanwhile, detectives have released new pictures of Roy “The Weasel” James and Bruce Reynolds. It’s suspected that the men have gone on the run in a “hotted up” car.
The British actors trade union, Equity, has barred Christine Keeler from membership. She was going to play herself in a film, The Christine Keeler Story. Yvonne Buckingham will now play the title role. John Barrymore will play Stephen Ward. No one will play John Profumo.
The 2,500 Austin cars produced each week at the new fully-automated assembly plant at Longbridge, Birmingham, are untouched by hand until driven out of the factory.
Transport Minister Ernest Marples has rejected the idea of drivers using dipped headlights when driving by night. Even though an experiment in Birmingham was hailed as a success, Mr Marples has written it off as a failure. Last year, 72,241 pedestrians were killed by cars in Britain.
A new sink will do the washing up for you. You put the dirty dishes in hot water, turn on the machine and high pressure bubbles come up through holes in the bottom and clean the dishes. The machine will also boil clothes. Cost: £99 7s 6d.
Television highlights: Citizen 63 – inside stories of people’s lives. Stars and Garters – pub entertainment. The March on Washington – Telstar relay.
Radio highlights: Ancient Civilisations – China. The Freedom March.
Weather: cloudy with rain. Outlook – sunnier, warmer. 18c, 64f.
Thursday 29 August 1963
Great Train Robbery: Scotland Yard remains convinced that most of the stolen loot is still in Britain. The police now have four-fifths of the serial numbers of the fivers stolen. Meanwhile, detectives are keen to interview Cherry aka Sherree White and her husband James.
Two housewives out of every five in Britain go out to work. Around 5,000,000 housewives now go out to work, an increase of 2,000,000 in five years. Working wives are the main reason for an increase in spending on TV sets, washing machines, fridges and “ready to cook” foods.
The average male manual worker receives £16 3s 1d for a forty-seven hour week. Women receive £8 3s 9d for thirty-nine and a half hours.
Britons drank nine half pints of beer a head every week last year. This places Britain fifth on the world beer-drinking table.
Two out of the five prisoners who escaped from Nottingham jail last week during a cricket coaching session have been recaptured at Lincoln.
Nearly 200 viewers phoned the BBC last night to complain about a scene in Sid James’ series Taxi! The viewers felt that a scuffle between a young taxi driver and three seamen was too violent.
Football Results: First Division – Liverpool 1 Nottingham Forest 2, Manchester United 2 Ipswich 0, Wolves 1 Tottenham 4.
Television highlights: The Marriage of Figaro (two and a half hours). Don’t Say a Word – charades with Spike Milligan and Billie Whitelaw. Cricket – Kent v West Indies.
Radio highlights: It’s Cool, It’s Hot. Book at Bedtime.
Weather: cloudy, sunny intervals. Outlook – rain then brighter. 19c, 66f.
Friday 30 August 1963
The road accident figures are getting worse. In June, 595 people were killed. The number of injured was 32,578. In the first six months of this year 156,916 people have been killed or injured. However, accidents were greatly reduced on roads subjected to the 50 mph speed limit.
A pleasure cruiser, Wee Moppie, took only four minutes longer than a 120 mph Jaguar to travel from Plymouth to Torquay yesterday. It is 32 miles by car, 40 by sea. The car, held up in traffic jams, took one hour thirty-nine minutes.
Birmingham Council is considering offering young couples “build it yourself” house-kits. The kits, for a three-bedroomed house, would cost £2,200. Gas, plumbing and electricity would be installed by corporation workmen.
Letters: West Indies captain Frank Worrell deserves a knighthood. This act of chivalry would be applauded, not only in Britain and the West Indies, but throughout the Commonwealth. Meanwhile, callers are still calling UMP for Test Match reports, even though the series has finished. The GPO estimates that over 6,000,000 calls have been made to UMP since the series started in June.
Racehorse Relko was doped when it won the Derby on 29 May. He won the race by six lengths. The Jockey Club have asked the police to investigate. The Relko investigation is part of an inquiry into widespread horse doping at race meetings.
For the first time in light comedy on the BBC, a young married couple will share a bed. The bed scene opens the episode of The Marriage Lines starring Richard Briers and Prunella Scales. Heavier dramas such as Z Cars and Maigret have already featured double-bed scenes.
Television highlights: Ready, Steady, Go! with Tippi Hedren and the Springfields. Michael Shayne – detective series. Points of View.
Radio highlights: Comment – The Edinburgh Festival. Sing and Spin – folk music.
Weather: cloudy with rain, cool. Outlook Rain clearing. 18c, 64f.
Available for order and pre-order, my Swinging Sixties Mystery Series
Hannah Howe 