Biggles: Difference between revisions

James Bigglesworth, [[Only Known by Their Nickname|universally known as "Biggles"]], is a character in a long-running series of books originally written by "Captain" W.E. Johns (the rank was self-awarded; Johns retired from the RAF as a Flying Officer, equivalent to a Lieutenant in the army) between the 1930s and the 1960s.

'''''[[Biggles''']]'' originated in a series of short stories that Johns (himself a former airman) wrote for ''Popular Flying'' magazine, and the original intention was to provide the fighter pilots of the future with an entertaining way to remember the "tricks of the trade" learned the hard way during [[World War I]].

''Biggles'' holds a place in British popular culture comparable withto ''[[Flash Gordon]]'' in the US, and it's probably not too much of a stretch to suggest that, if ''Biggles'' had been an American series, there would have been numerous screen adaptations by now. As it is, only a short-lived 1960s TV series and the [[So Bad It's Good]] 1986 ''[[Biggles --: Adventures in Time]]'' movie (in which Biggles is joined by a time-travelling American salesman) have been made.

''Biggles'' was referenced multiple times on ''[[Monty Python's Flying Circus]]'' (thus paying homage both to Biggles' importance as British pop hero and to underline/mock the show's supposed "aviatorial" nature); he was also featured as "cardinal" in the infamous "Spanish Inquisition" sketch. It's been heavily deconstructed and subverted -- most egregiously in the character of foul-mouthed alcoholic working-class Brummie Major Wooley, in [[Derek Robinson]]'s trilogy of [[WW1]] fighter pilot sketchesnovels.