Garry Halliday

Having just seen Elwyn Brook-Jones in 'Odd Man Out' it took my mind back to Gary Halliday, the first UK TV series to make a real impression on my young mind. I've never seen any repeats or articles on the series but the fact that it had an aviation basis and the mysterious 'Voice' was enough to hook me. Perhaps it's best that it remains a vivid, if slightly scary, memory as its production values may not stand up today? Of course Terence Alexander went on to be a television staple whereas Terence Longden and Elwyn Brook-Jones became rarer commodities. Anyway it remains stronger in my memory than all its contemporaries like Ivanhoe, Robin Hood and William Tell.

I had no idea anyone other than my brother or myself even remembered Garry Halliday or the Voice.. We were avid fans during 1959 ,1960 and 1961 I was 6-8 and my brother was 10-12 years old. Our family went to Cyprus for 18 months and by the time we came home in Aug 1962 it was no longer on air. However we continued our love for the show by writing little illustrated stories of the adventures of Garry, Bill and of course The Voice. I still have these crude but very funny stories written in pencil . I would like to know if there is any way I would be able to get hold of a copy of the only episode available? I now live in Australia, but my brother is in the UK. We had a favourite saying from the show, that is from "The Voice" "Its not only the end of THAT Mr Dodds.. but the end of you" August 08 : Wow guys, it seems that Garry, Bill and The Voice are well remembered. That's great.

The focal point of the week for me and my friends. Bored with Captain Pugwash, we wanted some real drama and Gary delivered. A testament to the impact of this series is that not only do I remember it, more than half a century later I also recall how I took over the family's Saturday routine to ensure I watched it. In 2015 I can still whistle the theme tune. Stellar television. This series represented the first real quality drama written for children and broadcast nationally. Whilst its replacement in Dr Who has developed to cover a generation of televisión, I would compare it to perhaps 'Blakes Seven' in the audience gap it filled.

This was my all-time favourite children's TV programme, essential viewing after Grandstand on a Saturday afternoon. The episodes opened with a shot of whirling propeller blades and a voice-over giving a brief introduction to The Halliday Charter Company and a synopsis of the current story to date. The chief characters were the urbane Garry Halliday, played by Terence Longdon, and his "silly ass" co-pilot, Bill Dodds, (Terence Alexander). They were in constant pursuit of their sinister arch-enemy, "The Voice" (Elwyn Brook-Jones), a master criminal who protected his identity by never letting his face be seen. I wrote to Terence Alexander some years ago to express my appreciation and he wrote back to tell me that he is amazed by how many people still mention "Garry Halliday" to him. Apparently there is only one episode of the programme still in existence, the BBC had the practice of "wiping" old tapes.

For some reason this series popped into my head this morning... I was thinking back to early experiences that may have influenced my own writing! Saturday evenings were 'Garry Halliday' (just as Friday evenings were 'Dr Kildare'). I was always anxious to get home to watch and staying for tea at Granny's inevitably meant I would miss an episode in the days before video recorders! Terence Longdon must have been my first TV heartthrob - it was probably the uniform, although possibly having a much older brother who was doing National Service in the RAF may have been a factor too! I was so enthralled that we even used to recreate the action in the garden until the next episode came along! So pleased to see that I am not the only one who remembers this exciting series!