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Red-Headed
12-08-2009, 04:42 AM
Did anyone read any of W.E. John's Biggles (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biggles) books when they were young? I read a few of these when I was about seven or eight & quite enjoyed them even though they were dated.
mal4mac
12-08-2009, 07:58 AM
I enjoyed them. But I was more into his "Kings of Space" series. Professor Branestawm was another favourite.
Red-Headed
12-08-2009, 08:01 AM
I enjoyed them. But I was more into his "Kings of Space" series. Professor Branestawm was another favourite.

I never got around to those. He wrote a lot of books, that's for sure.
Noisms
12-08-2009, 04:37 PM
Funnily enough a friend and I watched the Biggles film the other night after we found it selling for 2 quid in a used bookshop. Terrible stuff, but at least semi-entertaining for it.

I used to read some of the books and loved them as a kid. I'd be amazed if anybody alive has read all of them; there are dozens and dozens of the things.
Red-Headed
12-08-2009, 04:47 PM
Funnily enough a friend and I watched the Biggles film the other night after we found it selling for 2 quid in a used bookshop. Terrible stuff, but at least semi-entertaining for it.

They've made a Biggles movie? It appears they have! (http://akas.imdb.com/title/tt0090729/)


I used to read some of the books and loved them as a kid. I'd be amazed if anybody alive has read all of them; there are dozens and dozens of the things.

I think there were 98 Biggles books in all.
Noisms
12-08-2009, 04:51 PM
Yes, I'm living proof that at least two people have actually seen it.

It's pretty forgettable fare. They made the mistake of tampering with the basic plot of Biggles books in general by introducing time travel, helicopters, and so on. Would have been so much easier and more effective to just have made a straight WWI romp.
Red-Headed
12-08-2009, 04:55 PM
Yes, I'm living proof that at least two people have actually seen it.

It's pretty forgettable fare. They made the mistake of tampering with the basic plot of Biggles books in general by introducing time travel,

Hmmm... Biggles meets Dr Who & the Daleks? *Shudders* :eek::

You don't recommend it as a film then, obviously? I just want to watch it now just to see how bad it is. Maybe not.
Noisms
12-08-2009, 04:59 PM
Heh. It's very bad, but good for a laugh especially if you have company and/or alchohol.
Red-Headed
12-08-2009, 05:15 PM
I'll have to remember it. The weirdest thing is I just can't ever remember seeing it. Maybe it was that bad! :eek:
mal4mac
12-09-2009, 08:11 AM
Professor Branestawm was not the invention W.E. Johns, I just remember him with about as much affection as Biggles. I can't remember anything about these books, it was so long ago, except a vague memory of neat covers. I'll not be re-reading them. I recently tried re-reading "The city and the stars" by Arthur C. Clarie, one of my other favourite memories (it had a *really* neat cover!) But re-reading was a sad experience! Children will put up with anything :)
Red-Headed
12-09-2009, 06:39 PM
I recently tried re-reading "The city and the stars" by Arthur C. Clarie, one of my other favourite memories (it had a *really* neat cover!) But re-reading was a sad experience! Children will put up with anything :)

I read Against the Fall of Night (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Against_the_Fall_of_Night) when I was at school. I had it in a paperback which I bought from the school bookshop.