The Navy Lark: Starring Leslie Phillips, Jon Pertwee & Stephen Murray (BBC Radio Collection)

These comic gems, originally broadcast more than a decade before I was born, stand the test of time far better than one might expect. It is a tribute to the actors involved, and to the writing of Lawrie Wyman, that these are as good as they are. 'Troutbridge Goes Dutch', in which HMS Troutbridge accidentally captures a German submarine fifteen years after the end of the war, is brilliant. In another story, Jon Pertwee's Chief Petty Officer is selling off mulitple duplicates of the - non-existent - figurehead from HMS Victory, lovingly carved by Ronnie Barker. Leslie Phillips does his usual star turn as the bird-brained Lieutennant, and Stephen Murray is as firm as the rock of Gibraltar.

For heaven's sake, don't just buy this cassette to have a bit of a laugh and then toss in the bin. This is light entertainment, certainly. Sometimes, however, that's the very best, isnt' it? Buy it for a lark, if you will, and laugh again and again.


Seagoing shenanigins of the highest order!   March 8, 2001
 4 out of 4 found this review helpful

The Navy Lark always manages to raise a smile! Unlike its modern counterparts, it is pure, honest and simple character based comedy. This tape features four fab episodes, listen to the trials and tribulations as they approach Clodwilly Rock Lighthouse, and my favourite characters of all, the ever sick "Lad" and his cheif engineer. Jon Pertwee and Leslie Phillips are seriously silly and never fail to produce laughs. Buy it, enjoy it and laugh.