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British Espionage: The Riddle of the Sands,
The 39 Steps, The Lady Vanishes, Rogue
Male & The Further Adventures of
Richard Hannay |
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At
the turn of 20th century, the public seemed ready for stories that
transcended the sedate and that postulated change. Four novels were to emerge
that tapped a fear of aggression between major powers and the newly emerging
art of espionage. Whilst two were written prior to WWI, with the other two
published between the wars, collectively they seem to have epitomised the notion
of British Espionage.
This quartet of books were: The Riddle of the Sands (1903), The 39 Steps
(1914), The Lady Vanishes (1936) & Rogue Male (1939) Highly
influential when released, they created vibrant public interest is spys,
spying and related espionage activity. They were to become the forerunner of
the modern spy novels of Ian Fleming and John le CarrŽ. Each
of these fabulous British espionage stories were the subject of excellent
full cast radio dramatizations - but more of that later É but firstly their
source: the books The
Riddle of the Sands Sailing
off the coast of Germany in 1901, two English yachtsmen (Davis and
Carruthers) who sail about Germany's Friesian coastline and stumble onto what
seems to preparations for a German invasion of Britain. Erskine Childers' 1903 novel The Riddle of the Sands is considered to be the prototype of the modern spy
thriller and a template for Ian Fleming's later forays with James Bond. The
book enjoyed immense popularity in the years before World War I and was
extremely influential. Winston Churchill later credited it as a major reason that the Admiralty decided to
establish naval bases at Invergordon, the Firth of Forth and Scapa Flow. The
book was turned into an engrossing film in 1979. The
39 Steps Childers'
work was a notable influence on John Buchan who was to publish The 39 Steps in 1915. Set in May 1914, with Europe close to war,
it tells of adventurer Richard Hannay who has just returned to London from Rhodesia in order to begin a
new life. When a freelance spy called Franklin P. Scudder calls on him to ask
for help, he reveals to Hannay that he has uncovered a German plot to murder
the Greek Prime Minister and steal British plans for the outbreak of war.
Scudder claims to be following a ring of German spies called the Black
Stone. A
few days later, Hannay returns to his flat to find Scudder murdered. If
Hannay goes to the police, he will be arrested for ScudderÕs murder. Hannay
decides to continue ScudderÕs work and his adventure begins. He escapes from
the German spies watching the house and makes his way to Scotland, pursued
both by the spies and by the police. Buchan's hero: Richard Hannay was to
feature in 4 further novels: Greenmantle (1916), Mr Standfast (1919), The
Three Hostages (1924) & The Island of Sheep (1936) - three of which have been dramatized for radio
(see The Further Adventures of Richard Hannay below). Alfred
Hitchcock's 1935 film of The 39 Steps was (very) loosely based on the Buchan's book. Two further film
adaptations followed in 1959 and 1978. Additionally, a two season TV series
(1988-89) titled Hannay
portrayed the further adventures of this incredible character (and drew on
Buchan's later Hannay works). The
Lady Vanishes Ethel
Lina White's novel The Wheel
Spins (1936) became known as The
Lady Vanishes after the success of
the 1938 Alfred Hitchcock directed movie on which it was based. The story
concerns a young Englishwomen, Iris Henderson who is vacationing in eastern
Europe during the inter-war period. On the train ride home she shares a
compartment with Miss Froy
returning home after working in the employ of an aristocratic family in
Europe. Iris falls asleep, and when she awakes the lady is gone and no one
else on the train recalls seeing her. Iris suspects foul play, and a
conspiracy of silence among some of her fellow passengers, but she cannot
persuade any other English passengers, who suspect that she is either
hallucinating due to illness (at best), or a pathological liar (at worst). It
turns out the Miss Froy is trying to get valuable secrets about the Nazi
build-up in Europe back to England. A further film adaptation appeared in
1979. Rogue
Male Rogue
Male (1939) marked Geoffrey
Household's breakthrough as a
thriller writer. The protagonist is a big game hunter, who is caught stalking
the sinister dictator of nameless state (Nazi Germany?) and perhaps trying to
alter the course of world history. He claims he had no intention of shooting
- he was just "stalking the most dangerous game" for the fun of it,
to see if he could be successful. The narrator-hero (who is never named) is
tortured and thrown from a cliff, apparently to his death, but he survives
miraculously and escapes back to England. However, his pursuers do not give
up the chase. The book was filmed in Hollywood in 1941 as Man Hunt, starring Walter Pidgeon and George Sanders, and as
Rogue Male in 1976 for BBC TV, starring Peter O'Toole and Alistair Sim. Note that each of films
mentioned above are available from this website - individually from the Adventure,
Mystery & Noir section and in
interesting combinations within the Classic Movie Combinations section. As well, the Hannay TV series is available from the TV
Series section of this website. Each
of these fabulous British espionage stories were the subject of excellent
full cast BBC dramatizations - please realize that these are dramatizations
of the story (not readings from the book): á
The Riddle of the
Sands in 1998 - 3 x 30 minute parts á
The 39 Steps in
2001 - 4 x 30 minute parts á
The Lady Vanishes
in 2000 - 2 x 30 minute parts á
Rogue Male in 1989
- 3 x 30 minute parts Want
to check out an episode? - why not "taste & try"? Below is the
first 30 minute part of (the 3 part) The Riddle of the Sands adventure This
episode can be freely downloaded to your computer - just right button click
on any link below and chose "Download Linked File" (or words to
that effect). The file is on an average about 25Mb - download time will
depend on your (broadband) speed BBCRS1994-01-08
The Riddle of the Sands Part 1.mp3 Other
Dramatizations Whilst
the above would seem (in Trev's view) to be the definitive presentations, there were other dramatizations of
both Rogue Male and The 39 Steps: In
1951, film actor Herbert Marshall
starred in an expertly staged & performed 30 minute presentation of Rogue
Male for the Suspense Radio
Theatre. The
39 Steps has been dramatized for
radio an incredible 7 times in the last 70 years! The
first was a 1937 Lux Theatre
production starring Robert Montgomery & Ida Lupino in a story which closely follows (and promotes) the
Hitchcock version. Next up, a year later Orson Welles and his Mercury players contributed their version - an ambitious project
with Welles to the fore as Hannay. The Suspense Radio Show tried their hand in 1952, with starring Herbert
Marshall as the adventurous hero. Apart
from the BBC presentation listed
above, the BBC had previously
mounted a polished 90 minute
production in 1989 (told in 3 x 30 minute parts) as well as an earlier 1972
effort comprising five 30 minute parts. 2006
saw Glasgow's Radio Theatre Group
perform a 40 minute rendition of The 39 Steps in front of a live audience! The Further Adventures of Richard Hannay Have
Richard Hannay's other literary adventures been dramatized for radio? Thankfully,
the answer is a BIG YES! The
definitive The 39 Steps (above)
starred David Robb as Richard
Hannay, in a 4 part two hour BBC presentation which was dramatized by Bert
Coules and directed by Bruce
Young. Buchan's
second Richard Hannay novel, Greenmantle was dramatized by Patricia Hannah in 2005 and again starred David Robb as Hannay in a 4 part two hour BBC presentation
directed by Bruce Young. Its
the story of a German plot during WWI to start a Holy War in the East and
centres on a mythical prophet (Greenmantle) now become flesh who is rumoured
to be preparing to lead a great Islamic army. If an uprising takes place, it
could draw Allied troops away from the European front. Hannay is enlisted to
foil Germany's deadly plan, but to do so, he must cross war-torn Europe and
enemy territory. His companions on this venture are the Honourable Sandy
Arbuthnot, polyglot and master of
disguise, and John Scantlebury Blenkiron, a dyspeptic Bostonian. With Hannay playing the part of a German
sympathiser, all three go their separate and dangerous ways to penetrate the
heart of the conspiracy in Turkey. A
great story (some say better than The 39 Steps) and at one time considered by
Alfred Hitchcock for filming instead of The 39 Steps! Buchan's
third Richard Hannay novel, Mr. Standfast was dramatized by Bert Coules in 2008 with David Robb back as Hannay in a 4 part two hour BBC
presentation directed by Bruce Young. In
another thrilling adventure, Richard Hannay is recalled to London from the
trenches of Europe to hunt down the leader of a gang of German spies. Much to
his disgust, Sir Walter Bullivant orders
Hannay to pose as a pacifist and then sends him to Glasgow. Along the way, he
encounters a teenage British Secret Service agent who will change the course
of his life. The action moves to France as Richard Hannay and Mary
Lamington search for the German spy
Moxon Ivery. When the trail goes cold, Mary hatches a plan to flush him out,
using herself as the bait in a deadly trap. Buchan's
fourth Richard Hannay novel, The Three Hostages was dramatized by Bert Coules in 2003 with David Robb as Hannay in a 4 part two hour BBC presentation
directed by Bruce Young. In
another cracking adventure yarn, we find that with his wartime service at an
end, the newly-knighted Sir Richard Hannay now lives in quiet contentment on
his country estate. But an unexpected and unsettling communication arrives
from his old Secret Service boss Sir Walter Bullivant. What possible connection can there be between a
carefree young society woman, an aristocratic Cambridge undergraduate and a
ten-year-old boy? Why have all three suddenly vanished? And why have all
three disappearances been followed by the same mocking, cryptic letter to the
authorities? For some time the Secret Service and Scotland Yard have
suspected the existence of a vast, secret organisation of crooks and
conspirators bent on some as-yet-unfathomed diabolical goal - and with an
unknown genius at its head Buchan's
fifth Richard Hannay novel, The Island of Sheep has not, as yet been dramatized for radio -
hopefully, it will be É and soon É So
here is the summary of The Further Adventures of Richard Hannay, presented here in historical order to line up with
the chronology of Buchan's books: á
Greenmantle in 2005
- 4 x 30 minute parts á
Mr. Standfast in
2008 - 4 x 30 minute parts á
The Three Hostages
in 2003 - 4 x 30 minute parts The JOHN BUCHAN WEEKEND "Are you mad about John Buchan? Recreate your favourite moments from the world of Richard Hannay in appropriate surroundings. Book today for our John Buchan Weekend!" When
Richard (Hannay?) signs up for a murder-mystery weekend based on The
Thirty-Nine Steps, he does not
expect the drama to begin on his own doorstep. Is he delusional? É perhaps
its just a practical joke É or is he actually part of this "escapist
fantasy" that seems to be forming the plot of John Buchan's famous book?
An
original and intriguingly gripping piece of radio drama powered along by the
same Bernard Herrmann score that
was used to such fabulous effect in Alfred Hitchcock classic: North By Northwest (1959). Dramatized
in 1990 by Robin Brooks, The John Buchan Weekend runs for 57 minutes and stars Alan Cox as Richard
and Emily Woof as The Girl. These
2 MP3 CDs consists of The Riddle of the Sands (3 x 30 minutes), The 39 Steps
(4 x 30 minutes), The Lady Vanishes (2 x 30 minutes)& Rogue Male (3 x 30
minutes). Also included are the Suspense Radio Show versions of Rogue Male
and The 39 Steps (both starring Herbert Marshall) as well as the other radio
versions of The 39 Steps as detailed below. The
Further Adventures of Richard Hannay utilizes the same team as the definitive
(ie 4 x 30 minute) version of The 39 Steps and consists of (in historical,
rather than production order) Greenmantle (4 x 30 minutes), Mr. Standfast (4
x 30 minutes) & The Three Hostages (4 x 30 minutes). Rounding out this
superb set is The John Buchan Weekend (57 minutes). A.
The Riddle of
the Sands (3 x 30 minute parts) 1.
1994-01-08 The Riddle
of the Sands Part 1 2.
1994-01-08 The Riddle
of the Sands Part 2 3.
1994-01-08 The Riddle
of the Sands Part 3 B.
The 39 Steps (4
x 30 minute parts) 1.
2001-03-18 The Thirty
Nine Steps Part 1 2.
2001-03-18 The Thirty
Nine Steps Part 2 3.
2001-03-25 The Thirty
Nine Steps Part 3 4.
2001-03-25 The Thirty
Nine Steps Part 4 C.
The Lady
Vanishes (2 x 30 minute parts) 1.
2000-12-24 The Lady
Vanishes Part 1 2.
2000-12-24 The Lady
Vanishes Part 2 D.
Rogue Male (3 x
30 minute parts) 1.
1989-12-26 Rogue Male
Part 1 2.
1989-12-26 Rogue Male
Part 2 3.
1989-12-26 Rogue Male
Part 3 E.
Rogue Male -
Suspense Episode 1.
1951-12-31 Rogue Male F.
The Thirty Nine
Steps - Other Versions 1.
A Lux Theatre production with Robert Montgomery (42 minutes) 1937-12-13
The 39 Steps 2.
A Mercury Theatre production with Orson Welles (2 x 30 minute parts) 1938-08-01
The Thirty Nine Steps Part 1 1938-08-01
The Thirty Nine Steps Part 2 3.
A Suspense Radio Show with Herbert Marshall (30 minutes) 1952-03-03
The 39 Steps 4.
A 1972 BBC production with Frazer Kerr (5 x 30 minute parts) 1972-08-13
Episode No. 1 1972-08-13
Episode No. 2 1972-08-20
Episode No. 3 1972-08-20
Episode No. 4 1972-08-27
Episode No. 5 5.
A 1989 BBC production with David Rintoul (3 x 30 minute parts) 1989-12-29
The Thirty Nine Steps Part 1 1989-12-29
The Thirty Nine Steps Part 2 1989-12-29
The Thirty Nine Steps Part 3 6.
A Glasgow's Radio Theatre Group production (40 minutes) 2006-06-07
The 39 Steps G.
The Further
Adventures of Richard Hannay (each 4 x 30 minute parts) 1. Greenmantle a)
2005-12-26 Episode No.
1 b)
2005-12-26 Episode No.
2 c)
2005-12-27 Episode No.
3 d)
2005-12-27 Episode No.
4 2. Mr. Standfast a)
2008-03-09 Episode No.
1 b)
2008-03-09 Episode No.
2 c)
2008-03-16 Episode No.
3 d)
2008-03-16 Episode No.
4 3. The Three Hostages a)
2003-09-07 Episode No.
1 b)
2003-09-07 Episode No.
2 c)
2003-09-14 Episode No.
3 d)
2003-09-14 Episode No.
4 H.
The John Buchan
Weekend (57 minutes) 1.
1990-02-27 The John
Buchan Weekend |