The National Theatre Of Brent Presents.... Image shows from L to R: Desmond Olivier Dingle (Patrick Barlow), Raymond Box (John Ramm)
The First Man On The Moon And How They Done It

The First Man On The Moon And How They Done It

  • Radio comedy
  • BBC Radio 4
  • 2019
  • 1 episode (1 series)

The National Theatre of Brent celebrate the extraordinary events of 1969, with a look at the first Moon landings. Stars Patrick Barlow and John Ramm.

Key details

Genre
Comedy
Broadcast
2019
Channel
BBC Radio 4
Episodes
1
Stars
Patrick Barlow and John Ramm
Writers
Patrick Barlow, John Ramm and Martin Duncan
Director
Martin Duncan
Producer
Liz Anstee
Company

The award-winning National Theatre of Brent celebrate the extraordinary events of 1969, with a glorious comedy about when Neil Armstrong became the First Man on the Moon.

In the words of Desmond Olivier Dingle, artistic director and chief executive...

It seems only yesterday when the moon was just a mysterious light in the unknown depths of the night sky that man could only guess at the purpose of and no one knew anything about whatsoever.

Then, all of a sudden in 1969, something remarkable occurred.

The famous Space Race began literally out of the blue and the infamous President Nixon, on the run avoiding investigation for dodgy dealing, ordered the US space race to begin with the famous words, "Let the Space Race begin!" - or words to that effect.

And, as if that weren't enough, besides this historic and - we believe first ever - reconstruction of a historic astronomic event ever done on radio as it almost certainly probably happened, we will also delve controversially into the often stormy on-board relationships of the space men themselves and also - even more controversially perhaps - glimpse into their often stormy domestic lives too, in particular what it meant and how it felt to be Mrs Armstrong and Mrs Aldrin.

Did they support their space men husbands, or were they in fact deeply divided and bitter about it having to stay at home basically and do the laundry and dusting?

These fascinating and hitherto un-probed events - and many more - will be revealed in this pioneering, historic, spectacular, authentic, yet unashamedly controversial BBC radio drama.

Additional details

Production
Studio

Broadcast details

First broadcast
Saturday 13th July 2019 at 2:30pm on BBC Radio 4
Episode length
1 hour
All previous repeats
  • Wednesday 27th October 2021 at 2:15pm on Radio 4

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