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Journey to the Moon

The original series, recorded in 1953, was broadcast on the BBC Light Programme (which became Radio 2 in 1967).

The Cast

The cast of the first series was as follows:

Episode guide

First broadcast date Plot summary (from Wikipedia)
1 21 Sep 1953 The year is 1965, and Jet's father (Sir William Morgan) launches his A.24 rocket from the Rocket Research Station at Poker Flats. But something goes wrong, and the rocket heads towards Las Vegas, out of control.
2 28 Sep 1953 The rocket hits Las Vegas, killing at least 35 people, and the Poker Flats site is shut down. Meanwhile, Jet is invited by Mitch to join his Operation Luna project – a rocket to reach the Moon.
3 5 Oct 1953 Jet is appointed the rocket's pilot, and he and Lemmy travel to Australia to meet Mitch at the secret Operation Luna base. On arrival, Mitch takes them to meet Smitty, the team's doctor, but he is found dead.
4 12 Oct 1953 Doc Matthews replaces Smitty (who died from a coronary), and Lemmy is to be the radio operator. Mitch spots a plane flying around the launch site, suspects spies are active, and advances the launch date.
5 19 Oct 1953 The rocket "Luna" sets off for the Moon with Jet, Doc, Mitch and Lemmy aboard. Radio contact with Earth is lost. Lemmy hears odd 'music' on the radio, before contact is resumed, and a tiny meteor hits Luna.
6 26 Oct 1953 Luna is turned round for the Moon landing, and Lemmy hears the 'music' again during the final approach. The crew narrate their first moonwalk by radio to Earth. While exploring a crater, Jet vanishes.
7 2 Nov 1953 The crew experience strange things: Jet has visions of the past and the future; Lemmy is disturbed by the 'music' again; Doc sees a strange dome over a crater, and writes an odd diary entry without realising.
8 9 Nov 1953 Luna loses power just before taking off – the crew are stuck on the Moon. A UFO is seen on the televiewer, and strange noises are heard. Power is suddenly restored, and the UFO has landed outside.
9 16 Nov 1953 Mitch is inquisitive and enters the UFO, where he is temporarily possessed by an alien intelligence. Luna takes off and orbits the Moon; on the far side, the crew encounter a fleet of UFOs, which pursues them.
10 23 Nov 1953 The UFOs accelerate Luna to an incredible speed, and the crew blacks out. On recovering, they find themselves out in deep space, with no sign of the Earth or Moon. In the distance, a planet is approaching.
11 30 Nov 1953 The planet looks similar to Earth, and the crew land Luna on it. After studying the stars, Jet realises that they are on Earth, but they've travelled thousands of years through time.
12 7 Dec 1953 Jet discovers a prehistoric stone knife near Luna, proving that they've travelled back in time. A UFO lands nearby, and a voice is heard over the radio: "Hello Luna!"
13 14 Dec 1953 Continues from episode 12 (condensed into episode 8 of Operation Luna)
14 21 Dec 1953 The crew talk with 'the voice', which warns them that they are in great danger, and persuades them to enter the UFO, which then takes off. Eventually it lands again, in a city of domed buildings.
15 29 Dec 1953 The crew learn more about 'the voice' and his people (they are a peaceful, scientific race). They enter a domed building, walk down a long dark tunnel, and emerge in a huge underground city.
16 5 Jan 1954 The voice' tells the crew about the native 'forest creatures' (destructive animals), and promises to help the crew get back to their own time. The crew realise the 'forest creatures' are prehistoric humans.
17 12 Jan 1954 The voice' is not pleased to learn that the crew are descended from the 'forest creatures', but reluctantly helps them. Luna takes off and is accelerated by the UFOs; the crew blacks out.
18 19 Jan 1954 The crew return to the Moon in 1965, but with no memory of their adventure on prehistoric Earth. However, Doc's diary contains a detailed account, and there's also a prehistoric stone knife on board Luna...