Comments on: J.G. Ballard … you know, for kids

By: Simon Sellars

Simon Sellars — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 09:02:57 +0000

I suspected as much. But was Jackanory ever sold overseas? Maybe, just maybe a Swedish regional broadcaster has a decaying tape…

By: Mike H

Mike H — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 08:13:13 +0000

May well be impossible to find a copy, Simon. There was a brief discussion about this on Mike Moorcock’s forum a few months back, and it seems that the BBC’s INFAX service shows no episodes of Jackanory from 1966 surviving; (5 survive from 1965 and 2 from ‘67.)

See http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/catalogue_offline.shtml

By: Crashman

Crashman — Wed, 16 Apr 2008 15:41:16 +0000

We’ll only know if it’s accidental/incidental when a car flattens Rodney the Squirrel, or if he gets rescued from his Concrete Island by aircraft means…

By: Rick McGrath

Rick McGrath — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 20:52:32 +0000

JGB did one other children’s project few people have ever read — a book in collaboration with longtime Ambit Art Director Michael Foreman. The project was called Next Rocket To The Moon, and “It was about an old astronaut living in an overgrown and neglected Cape Canaveral”, according to Foreman. The year was 1973 and HarperCollins had indicated interest. According to Foreman the story was “Pretty much complete. It was to be a picture book so Jim’s text was short. I did a cover and a dummy and several pictures plus a complete layout.” Ironically, the project was never finished. “The book was on the launch pad but countdown never happened. Don’t remember why. Jim went onto bigger and better things, I guess.” Hmm… that was a busy time for JGB: Vermilion Sands and Crash were published in 1973, followed by Concrete Island in 1974. Without any squirrels.

JGB would certainly have written the Gulliver TV episode for his kids — in 1966 they were 11, nine and eight (depending on the birthdays). But by 1973 they would have been way too old for an illustrated kid’s book, even if it was about a Ballardian astronaut. I wonder if JG lost interest, or thought it bad branding, or if Harper got cold feet after Crash sent shockwaves through the big kids at Cape?

Regardless, good luck on yr hunt. 1966 is slightly before the invention of home video recorders.