The Vital Spark (1959–1974) User Reviews

Remembering Hogmanays past

[highlandland · 10/10 · 1 November 2006]

The stories of Neil Munro (written between 1905 and 1932) have been adapted for both the big and small screen several times. Fans should check out earlier adaptations and homages - the Ealing comedy "The Maggie" and the Scottish folk album "Highland Voyage", which are currently available on DVD and CD respectively.

The first TV series "Para Handy Master Mariner", starring Duncan Macrae, was broadcast in 1959 (with lots of location footage, apparently) but sadly - like a lot of BBC shows of that era - no film of these original six episodes exist today.

In 1965, "Para Handy", the second incarnation of Munro's tales, debuted as part of the "Comedy Playhouse" series of pilots - and two series (broadcast 1966) were commissioned. This time, Roddy MacMillan played the captain Para Handy (in the books, his real name is revealed as "Peter MacFarlane" - but he's never named that in this seres), with Alex McAvoy joining the cast as the (elderly looking) cabin boy "Sunny Jim". Again, all of these 1960s episodes have been wiped.

However, in 1973, "Para Handy" returned again - with an hour-long special remake of one of the older shows, featuring the 1966 cast now filmed in colour (to celebrate the BBC's 50th anniversary). This show proved popular, and so another six episodes (all colour remakes of older scripts) were made. Strangely, they were contemporary - based in the seventies - and filmed on a Clydeside that was visibly declining on-screen. Some of these episodes are still regularly shown as part of Hogmanay scheduling on BBC Scotland.

Earlier this year, a DVD was released on all five remaining "Para Handy" episodes from the seventies, along with a "promo" film for the "Highland Voyage" album. Couthy, cosy and kind - there's no denying, that with his crew of bitter, delusional and trapped puffer-men, Neil Munro had managed to create the perfect sit-com set-up a good fifty years before "Bilko" (whom Para Handy resembles at times).

The series was resurrected yet again in 1994, with Rab C. Nesbitt's Gregor Fisher in the role (arguably, the closest depiction of the Captain to the original stories). For more info see "The Tales of Para Handy".

Adventures At Sea

[Rabical-91 · 6/10 · 15 December 2015]

The famous puffer 'The Vital Spark' and its crew led by Para Handy was first created in 1905 by journalist Neil Munro ( under the pen-name Hugh Foulis ) in a series of short stories for the Glasgow Evening Times until 1923. It was in 1959 that the stories were adapted into a television series entitled 'Para Handy - Master Mariner' which had Duncan MaCrae in the role of Para Handy. I have never seen it, and unfortunately will never be able to as all six episodes of it have been wiped. In 1965, Bill Craig penned a second television adaption entitled 'The Vital Spark', with Roddy MacMillan this time in the title role.

Alongside MacMillan were Walter Carr as Dougie the mate, Alex McAvoy as Sunny Jim and the late, great John Grieve as engineer Dan MacPhail. In 1966, the steamer was moored until 1973 when Craig devised a new year special which was so successful that another series followed, this time in colour, though these episodes were remakes from the original series.

Out of a total of 21 episodes, only five are now known to be in existence. The rest were taped over during the BBC's policy of re-using film back in the '70's ( which in my opinion was a waste of time as I fail to see why any producer in their right mind would trust their expensive production to second-hand film ). All of the existing episodes were put onto DVD some years back and, while I enjoyed them on the whole, I felt that much of the humour had not aged well at all.

When John Grieve died in 2003, BBC1 screened the 1973 special 'The Wedding' as a tribute. A remake starring Billy Connolly was recorded in 1977 but did not get screened however in 1994, Gregor Fisher took on the leading role for a prequel entitled 'The Tales Of Para Handy' ( which was set in the 1930's ) which in my opinion was closer to the spirit of the short stories.