Biggles

Story

Biggles, real name James Bigglesworth, is a pilot who appears in almost a hundred books published over forty years. His career in the Royal Flying Corps spans both the first and second world wars. Between the wars he was a charter pilot also working for MI6 and after the second world war he became a ‘flying detective’ for Scotland Yard.

Why we chose it

Though now dated, Biggles was a hero to a generation of children, particularly boys, growing up in the 1940s and 50s.

Where it came from

W E Johns was a pilot himself. During his flying career he was shot down, escaped from a prisoner of war camp, was recaptured and returned home years after his family had presumed him dead. He created Biggles for Popular Flying Magazine in 1932

Where it went next

A television series aired in the 1960s. In 1986 a film was released, though it was not a success.

Biggles has appeared in comics, annuals and on a Royal Mail stamp in 1994, part of a series celebrating characters from children’s literature.