Reviews

My father Sam Kydd was in this, playing Charlie's assistant in an illusionist cabaret act that involved explosions. After the run through, and before the live transmission Charlie decided the explosions needed to be 'beefed up' as he felt they weren't big or loud enough. The consequence was that he and my dad, when the explosions went off, were actually knocked unconscious by the explosions and both taken to hospital and the show had to be abandoned.

This children's series, a spin off from the hugely successful adult programme 'Crane' had the highest ratings of any children's programme at the time and probably since, with seven million households watching it. There were huge debates as to whether it should become an adult show, it was so popular. The character Orlando was never a "lighthouse keeper" but a private investigator. Sam Kydd's connections as a top well loved actor of the period meant that the standard of cast was far superior to other kids' TV. Ronnie Stevens, Penelope Keith, Clive Dunn, Michael Gough and many others were all happy to be involved, especially as the scripts were so excellent, written by adult script writers like David Yallop, Dennis Butler and Paddy Manning O'Brine.