Today’s show: Little Nellie and the Robot Zoo!

April 26, 2009 — Resonance FM broadcast

Today on Resonance FM
Little Nellie and the Robot Zoo

Illustration of Little Nellie by Edgar Aromin

To coinicide with the current “Bond and Beyond” season at the BFI Southbank / IMAX, Alex Fitch talks to Wing Commander Ken Wallis MBE, RAF (ret’d) about building the famous yellow gyro copter “Little Nellie” featured in You only live twice (1967). Ken also performed as Sean Connery’s stunt double in the film by flying the ‘copter and created a machine for the TV miniseries The Martian Chronicles (1980). [You only live twice is showing at the BFI Southbank 25th / 28th April / 20th May, plus at the BFI IMAX on 3rd May…]
Also, in an interview first podcast at Sci-Fi London, Alex talks to Jo Hatton, keeper of the Robot Zoo at the Horniman Museum in Forest Hill which presents a collection of robotic and animatronic animals to the public and mixes education with the feel of a traveling carnival.
4.30pm Monday 27th April, Resonance 104.4 FM (London), streamed at www.resonancefm.com, extended podcast (of Ken Wallis interview) 29/04/09 at www.sci-fi-london.com/audio
(extended podcast of Jo Hatton interview online now)

Links: Ken’s homepage
Wikipedia and fan tribute pages on Ken Wallis
www.gyroplanepassion.com
Flixton Aviation Museum
IMDb pages on You only live twice (1967), Dick Smart 2.007 (1967), The Pathfinders (1976) and The Martian Chronicles (1980)

For more info about The Robot Zoo, please visit www.horniman.ac.uk
Wikipedia page on The Horniman Museum