Doofus Of The Day #138

Today's Doofus award goes collectively to the production team at the BBC responsible for their new film version of John Buchan's classic novel, "The 39 Steps".

A certain amount of 'artistic license' is always acceptable in such an adaptation. However, when dealing with so historic a work, with legions of fans all over the world, and with such superb forerunners as Alfred Hitchcock's magnificent 1935 film as yardsticks, one can go only so far.

The BBC team clearly forgot this. According to one report:

The BBC’s remake of The 39 Steps was meant to be a highlight of the Christmas schedule.

But no matter how replete with festive fare viewers may have been, many were quick to spot that the drama contained a string of historical errors.

In a climactic sequence, star Rupert Penry-Jones was seen being chased across the Scottish moors and attacked by a biplane with twin machine guns.

Yet at the time the drama was set, in June 1914 at the start of the First World War, no one had managed to fit a machine gun to an aeroplane without shooting off the propeller.




Other errors included using a steam train built in 1927 pulling British Rail carriages from the Fifties, key scenes taking place in an Art Deco building not designed until the Twenties, and the BBC using a 1924 Morris Oxford and a 1927 Wolseley in the car chases because 1914 models did not go fast enough to make it exciting.

One viewer even complained that a submarine surfaced in a freshwater loch instead of in one connected to the sea.

. . .

Some fans were also disappointed that the female spy Victoria Sinclair, played by Lydia Leonard, was invented by the BBC.

Classic car expert Willie Bennie, who sourced the cars, said he had found vehicles of the correct period but they were not able to go fast enough to satisfy the BBC’s appetite.

He said: ‘I knew they were wanting to include car chases to make the drama much more exciting to watch. The trouble was that the cars of this era weren’t very fast.’

A BBC spokesman admitted they received complaints but declined to comment further.

Let that be a lesson to you, BBC. Mess with the Master's work at your peril! People will notice!

As for having a submarine surface in a Scottish loch that doesn't connect to the sea at all . . . I mean, really, old chap! Are we supposed to assume it got there by osmosis, through the famous Scottish peat bogs? Or had your production planning team been overdosing on another famous Scottish product?



Peter