I was checking my e-mails on 14th April and was stunned to see the name Angus Allan in my inbox, I recognised the name straight away. Angus was the man who wrote all the scripts, which the brilliant array of Look-in artists turned into pictures.
I opened the e-mail, it read:
"Angus Allan - I wrote 99 percent of the picture strips in Look-In. If anyone has any queries about anything, just drop me an e-mail. Nice to see a site devoted to the mag that gave me a life. By the way, did you know that founder/editor Alan Fennell died 10th December last? Tragic loss. My best and oldest friend. He visited me out here in France at least twice every year. We began as office boys together in Amalgamated Press.
Cheers - Angus."
To say I was chuffed was an understatement! I was so pleased that someone involved with Look-in had seen my site. I was also sad to hear about Alan Fennell without whom Look-in would probably never have begun. I took Angus up on his offer and asked him about his history, before he joined, and since he left Look-in.
I received this reply:
"Dear John,
Thought I'd enlarge a bit on the e-mail I
sent.
Basically, Alan Fennell and I started out
together as office boys in Amalgamated Press in 1952. I was scared stiff
of him, because he was a Teddy Boy, complete with light blue suit shot with gold
lurex threads, big brothel-creeper shoes, and a haircut containing 99% grease.
I imagined he carried a bicycle chain in his pocket with which to beat-up
blazer-and-flannels wearers like me.
Not so. We became mates, and after I'd
gone off to do National Service, he shed the Teddy Boy image. By the time
I came out of the army in November 1956 he was about to join me in harness.
We were co-editors of Cowboy Picture Library under Alf Wallace. The
magazine was one of those run by the formidable Len Matthews. Alan and I
wrote many scripts for the publication. We became firm friends, and I was
godfather to his twin girls. It's thanks to one of them that I can write
this - because she insisted I have his computer, which he'd just bought, and it
was one hell of an upgrade from my old 486, I can tell you! I lost no time
in getting on the net.
Anyway, Alan went his own way - TV Comic,
then as a freelance writing Stingray scripts for Gerry Anderson. Then
Thunderbirds. Then as editor of the newly created and wonderfully
successful comic, TV 21. I wrote plenty scripts for him, and when he
launched Penelope, he asked my wife, Gillian Allan (a very accomplished magazine
journalist) to edit it. Naturally, I wrote for that publication, too.
Gillian and I had met when working for Marty - 'The first all-photo
romance weekly' - published by Newnes and Pearson. I had been headhunted
from Amalgamated Press, and she had come down from a local paper in Lancashire.
She ended up as Chief Sub-editor for Woman's Own, when it was a real
magazine, and not the tripe it is today.
From TV 21, which was eventually sold to
Fleetway, Alan went on to found and edit Look-In. Of course,. he
asked me to write for it, and the first thing he gave me was a commission to
adapt Sir Walter Scott's 'Redgauntlet'. It was a hellish undertaking.
Transferring a convoluted Victorian book-plot into a smooth-running
picture-strip was well night impossible. After that, it was Timeslip, and
gradually I came to write more and more. The list is enormous. Flaxton
Boys, Catweazle, Space 1999, Buck Rogers, Six Million Dollar Man, Please Sir,
Kung Fu, Robin of Sherwood - hundreds and hundreds of them. The
Doctor series, Dangermouse (my personal favourite) A-Team, Knight Rider,
Chips...
I was especially pleased with the reactions
for Danger mouse. The artist, Arthur Ranson, and I were summoned to
Cosgrove-Hall in Manchester to receive "Good Grief Oh Crikey" awards.
Mine faces me now as I type. Brian Cosgrove liked the stuff I wrote
for Look-In so much, he had it converted for use on screen. I even got to
write two episodes for television myself. The second is notable for the
full-screen credit - "By Angus Allen", followed by another -
"from an original story in Look-In by Angus Allan".
Allen - then Allan. What will posterity make of that?
Look-In eventually went to the wall. I
like the second editor, Colin Shelbourne, very much indeed. But he was
totally anti violence. Of any kind. Well, he was the boss. But
to my view, kids like knock-about action, plenty of explosions, and lots of
shooting. Gore and mayhem aren't necessary. I don't agree with showing
blood and guts being spattered all over the place. It isn't subtle. Anyhow,
if I tell you that I wrote all of the A-Team series without once being allowed
to show any weapons, and had a row with Colin (luckily I won) when he wanted me
to write Robin of Sherwood without any bows and arrows, you'll understand that -
just in my opinion, mind - the comic was doomed. Kids yawn, and give up.
It became a vehicle for stuff like Scooby-doo and Inspector Gadget, and
slowly went down the pan. I concentrated on writing Garth for the Daily
Mirror, and doing this and that annual - 'Allo 'Allo, for example.
Then I decided to cut loose and quit South
West London for this beautiful, unspoiled and non-tourist area in the foothills
of the Pyrenees. When Garth closed, I found myself totally out of work,
and have been unemployed for the past five years. However, I have
survived, and since last July have had the pleasure of taking my old age pension
from HM Government! I couldn't live on it in the UK, but I can here - wine
included!
This has all been very sketchy and brief.
But all the bones are there. If you want to know anything else, just
ask me. Oh - I guess I should tell you how the stories in Look-In were
created. Once the decision had been taken to buy a TV series for
production as a comic strip, a preview showing of the pilot installment would be
arranged. Editor, myself and prospective artist would be there. Then
I'd go away and produce installment one and a synopsis of run-on. Usually
I had to do it by the next day - and these were original stories, remember, not
adaptations of the TV stuff. No sweat; that was my job. The result
would be okayed, either in the UK or in The States, depending on the property,
and the artist would then go ahead. Usually I'd written five episodes
before the show even got to the public via their TV screens.
I can tell you plenty about the office, the
people involved. Various anecdotes.
Just let me know if any of it might be of interest. Meantime, and until
the next time,
best wishes and very best regards!
Yours aye, Angus."
I would like to thank Angus for taking the time to do this, and I hope to be in touch with Angus more in the future. Meanwhile if you would like to ask Angus anything, his address is:
aangusallan@aol.com (N.B. the double 'a' is not a misprint)
Or better still e-mail me, and as well as asking Angus your question, I can print the reply on site for other Look-in fans to see.