Great British Railway Journeys

[52D]

The best thing about the film was the RAF rounded up its gate guardians and through this several have been returned to the air.
One in particular i am thinking of EP120 was at RAF Boulmer with an incorrect set of wings, that was remedied and i think she flew again before going to the USA.

[Bryan]

I did complain to whichever TV station it was in the 70s that produced "Family at War" Set during WW2.
They showed an usherette in a cinema escorting a couple to their seats using a torch to light the way as they did.
What was wrong with that I hear you say?

The torch was brand new from Ever Ready in the 70s I knew because I had just bought one.

[john coffin]

the flying thing gets more worrying when for instance in the guns of navarone, they use me 108's which were only ever training planes, and not gun platforms.

it is always frustrating to see the wrong train in the wrong section of a film, there is rarely any proper continuity but then on the basis of the recent report about the bbc and their attitude to the old, we have no chance

teak carriages in pre 1900 films on the southern railways are always my favourites

i think though we have to look in a different way at the portillo series, it is the first time for decades that someone has made a series on the railways which did not do them down, and also tied in the history. remember most kids are not even sure who churchill is (part from the bloody dog ) so anything that gets them to look at the various important changes the railways wrought is a good thing.


paul

[52D]

the flying thing gets more worrying when for instance in the guns of navarone, they use me 108's which were only ever training planes, and not gun platforms.

it is always frustrating to see the wrong train in the wrong section of a film, there is rarely any proper continuity but then on the basis of the recent report about the bbc and their attitude to the old, we have no chance

teak carriages in pre 1900 films on the southern railways are always my favourites

i think though we have to look in a different way at the portillo series, it is the first time for decades that someone has made a series on the railways which did not do them down, and also tied in the history. remember most kids are not even sure who churchill is (part from the bloody dog ) so anything that gets them to look at the various important changes the railways wrought is a good thing.



paul

Your points are well made and i wholeheartedly endorse them.

[Graham Boak]

Given the lack of real German WW2 fighters the use of the Bf108 is understandable, particularly given its close family resemblance. There's an entire book could be written on aircraft substitutions: Tiger Moths for SE5s and Fokkers, the humble T-6(Harvard) has appeared as Zeros, Fw190s, Typhoons, P-47s and heaven knows what else. Spending a little more time searching for more appropriate railway film is in a rather different league.

[john coffin]

personally i think there is no real family resemblence between 108 and 109 except for the manufacturer, the 108 being wider and having a totally different canopy, but i do understand. when bb was made there were a number of spits around at the time for about 5 grand, and i understood that the spanish airforce still had some 109's, maybe not enough, but the same number would have been around for navarone, maybe the budget wasn't big enough!!!!!!!!!!!

thing about the railway pictures is that the so called researchers think we are all old farts and it doesn's matter.
at least alfred hitchcock got some of the forth bridge scenes right in 39 steps pre war

paul

[Blink Bonny]

Ay up!

Don't forget the appearance of 108s in 633 Squadron. However, the Mossies are all bomber/PR planes apart from one FB6.

[JohnV]

Re: iPLayer abroad - Google "iportal". That'll solve it for you.

[52D]

john can you tell us a lttle more about google iportal please i have a friend in Oz who would like to see some programming from the beeb.

[JohnV]

iPortal offers you the means of accessing the various "on demand" services such as BBC iPlayer but the other main channels also. Basically, it opens up what would otherwise have been a closed service to non-UK residents. It's very good - we watch live programmes as well as catch-up, including sport. It costs about £5 a month - it used to be free but they're charging that as they're constantly developing their technology and they are aiming to allow access to Sky. Their customer service is fantastic. We pay via PayPal. (In case you're wondering, we have no links to them!!)

[third-rail]

bbc iplayer is also available on a WII games box