Jane (BBC-2 1982, Glynis Barber, Robin Bailey)

Jane was a clever BBC series of the early 1980’s mixing cartoon backgrounds with live actors. Jane had been created by Norman Pett as a comic strip that appeared in the Daily Mirror during world war II and beyond.

Jane, played by the delectable Glynis Barber, had a charming habit of losing her clothes at the drop of a hat spending much of each ten minute episode in her “scanties”.

There were two four part stories made, with each serial stripped across five weeknights and an omnibus the next weekend. The second story was called Jane in the Desert.

There was a half hour film in 1949 called The Adventures of Jane and starring Christabel Leighton Porter who was the actual model for Norman Pett during the 1940’s. 1987 also saw the big screen outing Jane and the Lost City appear with Kirsten Hughes as Jane. This was actually quite an entertaining Indiana Jones style romp that co-starred Jasper Carrott and Sam Jones from Flash Gordon.

production details
UK / BBC One / 10×10 minute episodes / Broadcast 2-6 August 1982 and 3-7 September 1984

Writer: Mervyn Haisman / Drawings: Graham McCallum / Music: Neil Innes / Producer: Ian Keill / Director: Andrew Gosling

Jane cast
Glynis Barber as Jane
Robin Bailey as The Colonel
Max Wall as Tombs
Suzanne Danielle as Lola Pagoda
Bob Danvers-Walker as Voice
Dean Allen as Georgie
John Rapley as Professor Donner
Leonard Trolley as Major Dunlightly
Nancy Nevinson as Colonel’s Wife
Lionel Taylor as General
Clive Mantle as Smith
Derek Ware as Chemist
Alan Mason as Sentry
Jimmy Mac as Porter
Arnold Locke as Bert
Arthur Nightingale as George

Jane in the Desert cast
Glynis Barber as Jane
Frank Thornton as Commander L.
Max Wall as Tombs
John Bird as Casper Cutler
Bob Danvers-Walker as Voice Only
John Quayle as Freddie
John Savident as Count Boris Badinov
Dean Allen as Georgie
Fiona Hendley as Pola Pagola
Bob Todd as Professor Crankshaft