''Para Handy as Master Mariner'' is a series produced and broadcast by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

, set in the western isles of

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

in the 1930s, based on the

Para Handy Para Handy is a character created by the journalist and writer Neil Munro in a series of stories published in the ''Glasgow Evening News'' between 1905 and 1923 under the pen name of Hugh Foulis. He is the crafty Gaelic skipper of the '' Vital ...

books by Neil Munro. It starred Duncan Macrae as Peter "Para Handy" MacFarlane, captain of the puffer '' Vital Spark''. The series followed the ''Vital Spark's'' adventures around the coastal waters of

Inner Hebrides The Inner Hebrides ( ; ) is an archipelago off the west coast of mainland Scotland, to the south east of the Outer Hebrides. Together these two island chains form the Hebrides, which experience a mild oceanic climate. The Inner Hebrides compri ...

and the various schemes that Para Handy would get himself and his crew involved in. The series was first broadcast in 1959, in

black-and-white Black-and-white (B&W or B/W) images combine black and white to produce a range of achromatic brightnesses of grey. It is also known as greyscale in technical settings. Media The history of various visual media began with black and white, ...

. Having been subsequently discarded, it is no longer available in the

archives. The series was the first of several dramatizations of the "Para Handy" stories, being followed by ''

The Vital Spark ''The Vital Spark'' is a BBC Scotland television series set in the western isles of Scotland in the 1930s, based on the Para Handy books by Neil Munro. It starred Roddy McMillan as Peter "Para Handy" MacFarlane, captain of the puffer '' Vita ...

'' in 1965–1966 (remade in 1973–1974) starring

Roddy McMillan Roddy McMillan OBE (23 March 1923 – 9 July 1979) was a British actor and playwright, possibly most famous for his comedy role as Para Handy for BBC Scotland's television series, ''The Vital Spark''. He also played the lead role in Edwar ...

in the title role, and by ''

The Tales of Para Handy ''The Tales of Para Handy'' is a Scottish television series set in the western isles of Scotland in the 1930s, based on the Para Handy books by Neil Munro (Hugh Foulis), Neil Munro. It starred Gregor Fisher as Captain Peter "Para Handy" MacFarla ...

'' in 1994–1995, starring

Gregor Fisher Gregor Fisher (born 22 December 1953) is a Scottish comedian and actor. He is best known for his portrayal of the title character in the comedy series '' Rab C. Nesbitt'', a role he has played since the show's first episode in 1988. He has also ...

Cast

* Duncan Macrae as Captain Peter "Para Handy" MacFarlane * John Grieve as Dan Macphail, the engineer *

as Dougie Cameron, the mate *

Angus Lennie Angus Wilson Lennie (18 April 1930 – 14 September 2014) was a Scottish film, television and theatre actor with a 50-year career. His numerous credits include the character of Flying Officer Archibald Ives in '' The Great Escape'', and Shugh ...

as Davie "Sunny Jim" Green

Episodes

External links

* 1959 Scottish television series debuts 1960 Scottish television series endings Scottish television sitcoms BBC television dramas 1950s Scottish television series 1960s Scottish television series Lost BBC episodes Television shows set in Scotland 1950s British drama television series 1960s British drama television series {{UK-tv-prog-stub