A 60th anniversary celebration from the much-loved nautical comedy, featuring seventeen vintage episodes plus reward material

On 29 March 1959, The Navy Lark sailed the airwaves for the first time. Starring Leslie Phillips, Jon Pertwee and Stephen Murray, with regular appearances from Ronnie Barker and Heather Chasen, it shortly became a radio most liked, and went for 18 years – among the longest-running radio sitcoms.

This 60th wedding anniversary collection comprises seventeen amusing shows – about The Navy Lark: 60th Anniversary Special Model one from every group of the show, plus the pilot event and the particular Jubilee edition. We start with Procedure Fag End (5 Apr 1959), The Hank of Heather (17 May 1959), The Lighthouse Lark (29 January 1960), A Deliberate Bashing (19 Apr 1963), When Sub Lt Phillips Was at Dartmouth (29 October 1967) and The Jubilee Navy Lark (16 July 1977). The additional eleven shows included are: Commodore Goldstein (22 February 1961), The Northampton Hunt Ball (6 Oct 1961), Chasing the Kepeac (29 November 1963), Let Loose having a Chopper (22 August 1965), Mr Phillips’ Advertising (30 October 1966), The Redundancy Drive (20 Oct 1968), The Forbodians Hijack Troutbridge (8 March 1970), Impressions For Survival (23 May 1971), Friday the 13th (11 Jun 1972), Povey – An Admiral at Last (9 Sept 1973) and NANA (16 November 1975).

Bonus items add a mini-episode from The Light Entertainment Display and two episodes from spin-off series The Embassy Lark: National Grumpshnog Week (Series 1, 12 Apr 1966) and Sub-Lt Phillips Drops In (Series 3, 16 Apr 1968). Plus, which conversation from Bob Holness Presents: Farewell to the Paris, which sees Leslie Phillips and Jon Pertwee reminiscing about the producing of The Navy Lark. And a ‘dropped’ event from season 2 of The Navy Lark; Return to Potarneyland, initial broadcast on 26th Feb 1960.

So step aboard HMS Troutbridge for laughs ahoy!

Made by Alastair Scott-Johnston

A BBC Studios production