Dan Dare on the cover of an issue of Radio Parade, a free weekly guide to the Radio Luxembourg programme schedule produced by Radio Luxembourg Advertising Ltd., distributed through Currys shops.
downthetubes has just added a new “guide page” to The Adventures of Dan Dare radio show, which aired on Radio Luxembourg in the 1950s, which includes cast details, information on surviving episodes, the music and more.
Aired on Radio Luxembourg between July 1951 and May 1956, The Adventures of Dan Dare radio show, based on the first Dan Dare comic story from Eagle, was produced in London by John Glyn-Jones, recorded at Star Sound Recording Studios and made on acetate discs (and later, on tape) that were then sent to Luxembourg to be broadcast.
Broadcast five nights a week at 19:15, the show starred Noel Johnson as Dan, who took on the role after starring as Dick Barton – Special Agent for the BBC. As far as we know, only two episodes of this much sought-after series have survived into the modern age, although rumours persist of more – and some scripts are now known to still exist.
The Adventures of Dan Dare (as it was described in the pages of the Radio Luxembourg 208 Magazine) was sponsored by drinks company Horlicks, who encouraged young listeners to enrol in the Horlicks Spaceman’s Club, and then marketed a series of related items that could be bought – usually for six pence and a label from a Horlicks jar.
Today, of course, Dan Dare has recently returned to radio thanks to B7 Media with the Dan Dare Audio Adventures, recently aired on BBC Radio 4 Extra and available to buy.
• Find out more about about The Adventures of Dan Dare here on downthetubes
• Check out our Dan Dare Character Profile Page
• Dan Dare books on Amazon UK (Affiliate Link)
John Freeman
The founder of downthetubes, which he established in 1998. John works as a comics and magazine editor, writer, and on promotional work for the Lakes International Comic Art Festival. Working in British comics publishing since the 1980s, his credits include editor of titles such as Doctor Who Magazine, Star Trek Explorer (previously known as Star Trek Magazine) and more. He also edited the comics anthology STRIP Magazine and edited several audio comics for ROK Comics. He has also edited several comic collections, including volumes of “Charley’s War and “Dan Dare”. He’s the writer of "Pilgrim: Secrets and Lies" for B7 Comics; “Crucible”, a creator-owned project with 2000AD artist Smuzz; and “Death Duty” and “Skow Dogs” with Dave Hailwood.
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