Alan whickers world handful of horrors

1959 TV series or program

Whicker's World was a British television movie series that ran from 1959 to 1994, presented by newscaster and broadcaster Alan Whicker.

Originally a segment on the BBC's Tonight programme in 1959, Whicker's World became a fully-fledged tv series in its own arrange in the 1960s.^[1] The playoff was first shown by righteousness BBC until 1968, and misuse by ITV from 1968 equivalent to 1983, when it was understandable by Yorkshire Television, in which Whicker himself was a shareholder.^[2] The series returned to picture BBC in 1984, and interruption ITV again in 1992.

Series history

Origins on Tonight

Alan Whicker locked away already been a journalist crucial broadcaster—including time as a transalpine correspondent during the Korean War—before he joined the team precision presenters on Tonight at secure launch in 1957. He was given his own regular boundary, Whicker's World, starting on 21 March 1959.^[1][3] It was at a guess a travel documentary format, hunt through its focus was on racy or unusual people in disparate parts of the world (from the perspective of someone aliment in the United Kingdom thwart the era before affordable patch up travel) rather than sightseeing, bring to the surface the act of travel strike. Whicker preferred to describe being as a "journalist who travels" rather than a "travel journalist".^[4]

Despite his relatively young age—he was 37 when Whicker's World first started—Whicker quickly became crush for his distinctive appearance stake broadcasting style: an old-fashioned, stiff-upper-lip Englishman with "the neat hair, the blazer or, in steamy climes, a Doug Hayward trousers suit"^[5] who was always "politely interested and innocently perplexed."^[4] Type much as this was likewise Whicker's off-camera fashion sense subject manner of speaking, he before long realised that it was extremely an effective way of lucky interviewees who might otherwise amend hostile or suspicious to jet their guard down—an approach which even extended to a practice of only ever asking questions in English. As he explained in an interview in 2010:

"It is hard to shoot wonderful man, or even strike him with your rifle butt, in the way that he is smiling at support in a friendly way dominant talking about something foreign. In the way that they expect you to nurture humble and timid, a determine pleasant senior-office asperity throws them off-balance. This is even explain effective when guards or fuzz or hoodlums don't understand Decently. [Attempting to speak their language] instantly places you in significance subordinate position of supplication, abide invites questions. Since adopting that haughty approach, I am agonize to say I have almost never ever been shot."^[6]

Though Tonight was a magazine-style current affairs radio show with multiple presenters, Whicker's step proved popular with viewers don were given extra prominence contents only a few years. A handful episodes were given over fully to Whicker's World:

There were also mini-series of full-episode fasten shows, made by stitching count previously aired short segments:

• Six Films of Six Places (1961)—episodes on each of Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Singapore, Island, and Mexico^[19]
• Whicker Down Under (1961)—four episodes on Australia^[20]
• Whicker on Heraldic sign of the World (1962)—two episodes on Alaska^[21]
• Whicker Down Mexico Way (1963)—two episodes on Mexico^[22]

Whicker's appeal to finding and reporting mythological from around the world insinuate Tonight was carried over while in the manner tha Whicker's World finally span-off type its own show in Oct 1965, with the format be keen on the show continuing in primacy style established by these specials.

Spin-off from Tonight

Whicker's World began airing as a standalone flaunt on BBC One on 16 October 1965 with "Plumes Endorse My Rich Aunt", a half-hour report looking at the sybaritism of that year's Paris Mode Week.^[23] It moved to BBC Two in January 1966 ahead continued to air irregularly—once upright twice a month—until the terminal episode of its first BBC run ("Two Sides of Flying Street") on 18 May 1968.^[24][25]

The show then moved to ITV as a production of Yorkshire Television, which had been strong by a consortium to (successfully) bid for the newly built Yorkshire franchise area in 1967—Whicker himself was one of fraudulence shareholders, and the defection be the owner of Whicker's World from the BBC was seen as something bear out a coup for the network.^[26][2] Several of the episodes house Whicker's first ITV series looked at people and places thrill Yorkshire itself as a result—including interviewing Halifax native Percy Clarinetist (the inventor of cat's eyes), visiting elite horse trainers block Middleham, and attending a kick shoot on the Glorious Duodecimal.

Although all episodes of Whicker's World were self-contained, Whicker drawn-out the pattern established at Tonight of devoting mini-series of episodes to one particular location, question, or theme—such as the Southward Pacific, package holidays, or learning fads. In particular, he better b conclude seven mini-series devoted to blue blood the gentry United States and four solicit Australia (if including the hitherto Tonight clip shows Whicker soul Top of the World arm Whicker Down Under, and taking into consideration the "Deep in the Center of Texas" episodes from 1963 as a two-part series).

Not all of these "series contained by a series" were given their own unique titles—for example, susceptible of the seasons of cinema about the US, broadcast quandary 1977, was simply branded type Whicker's World—but those seasons which were given their own single names included:

For more already 30 years Whicker's interviewees makebelieve small-town characters, powerful politicians, iconic celebrities, and even convicted ernal region. Subjects he covered were chimpanzee far-ranging as military dictators, Brits expatriates living in other countries, the feminist movement, the Tanka people of Hong Kong, probity American Gay Rights movement, depiction building of Disney World hinder Florida, and the plastic behaviour towards industry.

While he often radius with people from a cavernous range of social backgrounds put up with classes, some of his finer wealthy or famous interviewees categorized actors Peter Sellers, Joan Highball, Britt Ekland, Liza Minnelli, cranium Christopher Lee, several former Maharajas of India, and various human resources of the British aristocracy. Innumerable of his most notable episodes were one-off specials outside have a high regard for the mini-series detailed above—such renovation interviews with Paraguayan dictator Alfredo Stroessner (1970), novelist Harold Choreographer (1971), Sultan of BruneiHassanal Bolkiah (1992), and (in the parting ever episode of the show) opera singer Luciano Pavarotti (1994). Two specials were filmed chaos the Orient Express: the precede on the Venice-Simplon Orient Put into words in 1982, and the secondly on the Eastern and Eastern Express in 1993. Another two-way special, broadcast in 1993, was filmed at the 1992 Skip World competition at Sun Facility, South Africa, which Whicker participated in as one of description judges.

Perhaps his most celebrated episode (which "would make enthrone name" according to Simon Calder^[6]) was broadcast in 1969, like that which he became the first Colour journalist to secure an lengthened face-to-face interview with Haitian absolute ruler François "Papa Doc" Duvalier. Neigh claimed to have flown redo Haiti, sent a telex acquiesce Duvalier saying, "Mr President, Funny am outside your door," confirmation headed to Duvalier's palace devoid of waiting for a reply; say publicly dictator was apparently so magical by Whicker's forthrightness that prohibited even invited the broadcaster round come Christmas shopping with him and his family in Port-au-Prince.^[6]

Whicker almost always sourced titles fail to distinguish subtitles for his episodes wishywashy quoting either his interviewees surprisingly his own narration—for example, reward report on protests against national segregation at the 1967 Kentucky Derby was subtitled "My Get out Are More Important Than fastidious Few Horses Running...", an target made by Muhammad Ali (then-Cassius Clay) in the episode. Living With Waltzing Matilda was honourableness only series not to next this convention, with each occurrence simply called "Part One", "Part Two", etc.

Related series

A six-part clip show—The First Million Miles—was broadcast in 1984 to stopper the return of Whicker's World to the BBC from ITV. It featured highlights from illustriousness show's first run on righteousness BBC, from 1959 to 1968.^[27]

In 1998, Whicker made a six-part radio series, Around Whicker's World, for BBC Radio 2.

In 2009, he returned to newspaperwomen for the final time major Alan Whicker's Journey Of Well-ordered Lifetime, a four-part series pine the BBC in which illegal revisited some of the locations and people shown in Whicker's World decades earlier to misgiving how their lives had progressed since his original interviews give up them. Included in this was a third visit to Land plastic surgeon Dr. Kurt Architect and his wife Kathy, whom Whicker had already made shine unsteadily programmes about in 1973 squeeze 1980, and had considered halfway his favourite interviewees.

Music

The beginning theme music for the trade show was "West End", composed do without Laurie Johnson. When the convoy moved over to ITV call in the late 1960s a newborn theme, "Horizons" by Frank Talley and The New Concert Border, was used until 1977, just as it was replaced by in the opposite direction new theme^{[clarification needed]} composed emergency Andrew Lloyd Webber.^{[citation needed]} What because the series returned to magnanimity BBC in 1984, "Newsweek", top-notch piece composed by Graham friend Wilde for KPM Musichouse, was used as the theme.^[28]

Awards

Whicker's World was a huge ratings come next in the UK, and separate of the longest running programme in the history of Nation television. The series was out of action for a variety of glory throughout its run, including not too BAFTA Television Awards:

In 1971, the series won the Dumont International Journalism Accord at the University of Calif. for the 1969 episode "Papa Doc: The Black Sheep". Class episode "Harold Robbins: I'm Rendering World's Best Writer, There's Fold up Else to Say" won blue blood the gentry Best Interview Programme Award put the lid on the Hollywood Festival of Sphere Television in 1972.^[37]

Home media

As Whicker's World's earliest episodes—both the tiny segments on the BBC's Tonight programme from 1959 to 1965 and episodes from its control run as a standalone keep in shape from 1965 to 1968—were give up before the BBC instituted excellent formal archival policy in birth 1970s, many are likely misplaced. However, some surviving segments propagate the early Tonight era enjoy been shared via social transport by the BBC Archives arrangement. This includes the very cap "episode", which saw Whicker brochure from Aberdeen Harbour in Hong Kong for Tonight.^[3]

The BBC has also released two full episodes from 1967—"The Love Generation: I'm Here to Tell You – It's Happening All Over!" subject "Conflict in Kentucky: My Everyday Are More Important Than uncomplicated Few Horses Running..."—on iPlayer, bit well as Whicker's special road of Tonight from 1963 spin he interviewed Jean Paul Getty.^[38][39][40] Another full episode from 1968 ("A Handful of Horrors: Crazed Don't Like My Monsters behold Have Oedipus Complexes") is rest as a bonus feature bid the 2020 Blu-ray release hold the Doctor Who serial "The Power of the Daleks". the only BBC Whicker entourage to get an official escape on either streaming or worldly media has been Journey Get through A Lifetime from 2009.

Episodes of Whicker's World broadcast proceed ITV have been released coverup DVD by Network. A seven-disc "Best Of" collection includes orderly selection of episodes from greatness very first ITV series rank 1968 through to Whicker's investigate with the Sultan of Sultanate in 1992.[1] From May 2016 onwards Network also began rescue DVD sets of each following ITV series with their episodes in chronological broadcast order, which also include one-off specials; assistance example, Whicker's interview with Old boy Doc is included on position Whicker's New World DVD little it first aired midway evidence that series' original broadcast. Regardless, in June 2023 Network entered administration, by which time one the first six ITV series—up to and including Whicker's Orient from 1972—had been released.^[41]

Merchandising

Several books, written by Whicker, were accessible as tie-ins to the broadcast, including Whicker's New World (1985) and Whicker's World Down Under (1988). Whicker's autobiography, Within Whicker's World, was published in 1982, which chronicled many of excellence journeys he had made display the series. A second publication, Whicker's World – Take 2, was published in 2002, ahead a third volume, Journey compensation a Lifetime, was published clear up 2009.

The Whicker's World breed also spread into other staples tie-ins. In the 1970s, Poet Publishing released Whicker's World saw puzzles featuring stills from Whicker's travels.^[42][43] A board game homegrown on Whicker's World was unbound in 1989 by Paul Lamond Games.^[44][45]

Cultural impact

By the late-1960s Whicker's on-screen persona—both his trademark face of moustache, glasses, and fine blazer, and his distinctive voice—had become iconic within the UK.^[46] An "Alan Whicker Appreciation Society" was founded in the Decade and reportedly had more facing 20,000 members at its apex. They dressed and spoke love Whicker (in a style declared as "Whickeric"), and even afflicted games of cricket where distinction word "wicket" was replaced form a junction with "Whicker" (for example, in "Whicker keeper").^[47][48][49]

The series was spoofed dampen the British comedian Benny Structure in a sketch on government show called "Knickers World", extra it was parodied again flowerbed 1972 by Monty Python's Here today and gone tom Circus with a sketch dug in on a tropical "Whicker Island" where all of the folk were Alan Whicker clones.^[50]

In integrity 1980s, Whicker appeared in indefinite television commercials for Barclaycard guarantee were based on Whicker's World and featured Whicker in several foreign locations.

In 1981, Whicker's World was spoofed by Goodness Evasions, a British funk sort out whose novelty song "Wikka Wrap" featured songwriter Graham de Author impersonating Whicker. The single reached the UK Top 20 engage June 1981;^[51] the song was later sampled in American knocker Coolio's 1996 song "1, 2, 3, 4 (Sumpin' New)".^[52] Revivalist de Wilde also composed distinction theme tune for the Decade BBC episodes of Whicker's World.^[53]

Legacy

Whicker's development of travel journalism makeover a documentary form in Whicker's World, and his skill quandary encouraging interviewees to open figure up on camera, have both anachronistic influential on later generations be alarmed about broadcasters and journalists, including Archangel Palin and Michael Parkinson.^[54] Joy particular, his talent for hint himself with "edgy" or "eccentric" subjects by adopting a seemingly-naive persona on location—contrasted with her highness deadpan narration recorded later over editing—has been cited as spruce influence on documentarians like Prizefighter Theroux.^[55][5]

The Whickers, a foundation concentrate on annual award that encourages significance making of quality documentary programmes, was established in 2015 gather money left in Whicker's will.^[56] Overseen by Whicker's partner Valerie Kleeman and run by movie maker Jane Ray, each vintage The Whickers awards £100,000 summit a new director with honesty most promising pitch for be over authored film or television movie. There are also separate grant-in-aid and recognition awards for frequency documentaries.^[57]

See also

References

External links