I was checking my e-mails on 14th April 2003 and was stunned to see the name Angus Allan in my inbox, I recognised the name straight away. Angus was the man who wrote all the scripts, which the brilliant array of Look-in artists turned into pictures.

I opened the e-mail, it read:

"Angus Allan - I wrote 99 percent of the picture strips in Look-In.  If anyone has any queries about anything, just drop me an e-mail.  Nice to see a site devoted to the mag that gave me a life.  By the way, did you know that founder/editor Alan Fennell died 10th December last?  Tragic loss.  My best and oldest friend.  He visited me out here in France at least twice every year.  We began as office boys together in Amalgamated Press.  

Cheers - Angus."

To say I was chuffed was an understatement! I was so pleased that someone involved with Look-in had seen my site. I was also sad to hear about Alan Fennell without whom Look-in would probably never have begun. I took Angus up on his offer and asked him about his history, before he joined, and since he left Look-in.

I received this reply:

"Dear John,
     Thought I'd enlarge a bit on the e-mail I sent.
Basically, Alan Fennell and I started out together as office boys in Amalgamated Press in 1952.  I was scared stiff of him, because he was a Teddy Boy, complete with light blue suit shot with gold lurex threads, big brothel-creeper shoes, and a haircut containing 99% grease.  I imagined he carried a bicycle chain in his pocket with which to beat-up blazer-and-flannels wearers like me.  
     Not so.  We became mates, and after I'd gone off to do National Service, he shed the Teddy Boy image.  By the time I came out of the army in November 1956 he was about to join me in harness.  We were co-editors of Cowboy Picture Library under Alf Wallace.  The magazine was one of those run by the formidable Len Matthews.  Alan and I wrote many scripts for the publication.  We became firm friends, and I was godfather to his twin girls.  It's thanks to one of them that I can write this - because she insisted I have his computer, which he'd just bought, and it was one hell of an upgrade from my old 486, I can tell you!  I lost no time in getting on the net.
     Anyway, Alan went his own way - TV Comic, then as a freelance writing Stingray scripts for Gerry Anderson.  Then Thunderbirds.  Then as editor of the newly created and wonderfully successful comic, TV 21.  I wrote plenty scripts for him, and when he launched Penelope, he asked my wife, Gillian Allan (a very accomplished magazine journalist) to edit it.  Naturally, I wrote for that publication, too.  Gillian and I had met when working for Marty - 'The first all-photo romance weekly' - published by Newnes and Pearson.  I had been headhunted from Amalgamated Press, and she had come down from a local paper in Lancashire.  She ended up as Chief Sub-editor for Woman's Own, when it was a real magazine, and not the tripe it is today.
     From TV 21, which was eventually sold to Fleetway, Alan went on  to found and edit Look-In.  Of course,. he asked me to write for it, and the first thing he gave me was a commission to adapt Sir Walter Scott's 'Redgauntlet'.  It was a hellish undertaking.  Transferring a convoluted Victorian book-plot into a smooth-running picture-strip was well night impossible.  After that, it was Timeslip, and gradually I came to write more and more.  The list is enormous.  Flaxton Boys, Catweazle, Space 1999, Buck Rogers, Six Million Dollar Man, Please Sir,  Kung Fu, Robin of Sherwood - hundreds and hundreds of them.  The Doctor series, Dangermouse (my personal favourite) A-Team, Knight Rider, Chips...     
      I was especially pleased with the reactions for Danger mouse.  The artist, Arthur Ranson, and I were summoned to Cosgrove-Hall in Manchester to receive "Good Grief Oh Crikey" awards.  Mine faces me now as I type.  Brian Cosgrove liked the stuff I wrote for Look-In so much, he had it converted for use on screen.  I even got to write two episodes for television myself.  The second is notable for the full-screen credit - "By Angus Allen", followed  by another - "from an original story in Look-In by Angus Allan".
Allen - then Allan.  What will posterity make of that?  
      Look-In eventually went to the wall.  I like the second editor, Colin Shelbourne, very much indeed.  But he was totally anti violence.  Of any kind.  Well, he was the boss.  But to my view, kids like knock-about action, plenty of explosions, and lots of shooting. Gore and mayhem aren't necessary.  I don't agree with showing blood and guts being spattered all over the place.  It isn't subtle.  Anyhow, if I tell you that I wrote all of the A-Team series without once being allowed to show any weapons, and had a row with Colin (luckily I won) when he wanted me to write Robin of Sherwood without any bows and arrows, you'll understand that - just in my opinion, mind - the comic was doomed.  Kids yawn, and give up.  It became a vehicle for stuff like Scooby-doo and Inspector Gadget, and slowly went down the pan.  I concentrated on writing Garth for the Daily Mirror, and doing this and that annual - 'Allo 'Allo, for example.  
      Then I decided to cut loose and quit South West London for this beautiful, unspoiled and non-tourist area in the foothills of the Pyrenees.  When Garth closed, I found myself totally out of work, and have been unemployed for the past five years.  However, I have survived, and since last July have had the pleasure of taking my old age pension from HM Government!  I couldn't live on it in the UK, but I can here - wine included!
      This has all been very sketchy and brief.  But all the bones are there.  If you want to know anything else, just ask me.  Oh - I guess I should tell you how the stories in Look-In were created.  Once the decision had been taken to buy a TV series for production as a comic strip, a preview showing of the pilot instalment would be arranged.  Editor, myself and prospective artist would be there.  Then I'd go away and produce instalment one and a synopsis of run-on.  Usually I had to do it by the next day - and these were original stories, remember, not adaptations of the TV stuff.  No sweat; that was my job.  The result would be okayed, either in the UK or in The States, depending on the property, and the artist would then go ahead.  Usually I'd written five episodes before the show even got to the public via their TV screens.  
      I can tell you plenty about the office, the people involved.  Various anecdotes.  
Just let me know if any of it might be of interest.  Meantime, and until the next time,

best wishes and very best regards!  

Yours aye, Angus."

I would like to thank Angus again for taking the time to do this, meanwhile if you would like to ask Angus anything, you could try the address below which he supplied me at the time.

Angus Allan RIP

NEWS

HOME