Sixty years ago today the radio serial Dick Barton - Special Agent was first broadcast. With its cliffhanger endings it soon became compulsive listening for children and adults alike and is still remembered with affection by many members of the older generations, including JAMES MARKS, of Yeadon, who is steeped in Barton-lore.

On October 7, 1946, BBC announcer Derek Birch uttered the immortal words: "This is the BBC Light Programme. The time - 6.45pm(dramatic pause)Dick Barton, Special Agent."

Ah, those halcyon days of radio, remembered even today by Barton aficionados all over the country. The serial ran throughout the winter months for 711 15-minute escapist episodes. During that time three actors played the part of Dick Barton.

Noel Johnson started it off until February 4, 1949, when Duncan Carse took over until October 2, 1950. After that, Gordon Davies played Barton until the final episode on March 31, 1951.

Barton's cohorts Snowy White and Jock Anderson were played throughout by John Mann and Alex McCrindle.

Before its launch various names for the hero were bandied about: Peter Fenton, Peter Drake, Rex Drake and Bill Barton, until producer Norman Collins decided on Dick Barton.

Then the signature tune had to be found. Neil Touson spend two days in the BBC Record Library before he came across Charles Williams's Devil's Gallop.

He recalled: "When I heard the tune and its drum roll I could hardly believe my ears. I lit a cigarette and relaxed. I had at last found the Dick Barton signature tune."

The daily serial soon became a firm favourite with us children, with playing-out suspended when our parents issued the clarion call "Dick Barton's starting!" and we dashed indoors to catch up on the latest fast-moving episode before re-emerging to discuss how Dick and Snowy would get out of their latest scrape and wonder if Jock would arrive in time to save them.

Although PC49 had a girlfriend and Paul Temple a wife, Dick Barton was deprived of female company apart from Jean Hunter, assistant to Colonel Gardner in the very first serial The Secret Weapon.

Of course not everyone took to the special agent. The Daily Worker (now the Morning Star) denounced Barton as a "crypto fascist" and Dick was blamed for juvenile crime. When two boys up in court for housebreaking blamed Barton, the judge told them "Dick Barton does not take other people's property."

On the other side of the coin, when a Sunday school teacher asked, "If God was in trouble, to whom would he turn?" one boy put his hand up and replied, "Dick Barton!"

When the BBC celebrated its 50th anniversary, that very first Dick Barton serial was re-recorded. The BBC had to bring together the original cast as the original recordings had disappeared, the serial was condensed from 20 episodes to ten, and for two whole weeks we were transported back in time. Sheer bliss!

Around this time Elwyn Jones (of Z-Cars and Softly Softly fame) transcribed three of the original scripts into story form for his book entitled (what else?) Dick Barton - Special Agent. These were The Secret Weapon (broadcast October 7-November 1, 1946), Cabatolin Diamonds (December 2-27, 1946) and The Lucifer Adventure (March 6-24, 1950).

The BBC's 60-year celebration was marked by a recording of Dick Barton and All That with snippets also from PC49, Paul Temple and The Man in Black. A Very Special Agent was another programme about Barton. Then the son of Edward J Mason, creator of Dick Barton, wrote a serial for radio, Richard Barton - General Practitioner in which Dick Barton stayed at his son's house to write his memoirs.

Three Saturday-matinee films were made featuring Dick Stannard as Dick Barton: Dick Barton - Special Agent (1948), Dick Barton Strikes Back (1949) and Dick Barton at Echo Bay (1950). Barton was brought to TV in 1978 by the former Southern TV channel. Tony Vogal played our hero, while Anthony Heaton was Snowy and James Cosmos played Jock. While it wasn't a success in some people's eyes, I admit that I enjoyed the four serials and keep hoping that some time they might be repeated.

From the outset of the radio serials Dick Barton was governed by 13 "Rules of Conduct" which included, as rule 5, "Barton's violence is restricted to clean socks to the jaw." - an unusual place to have clean socks!

The final, 711th episode of Dick Barton ended with Snowy receiving an envelope.

"If it's another someone wanting another job, I'm tearing it up," says Barton as Snowy passes it to him.

"No! No! No!" screams Snowy. "Don't! It's from the War Office. Have you forgotten? You're a Z-reservist. They're calling you up"

Will Dick Barton be heard again? Will ITV repeat the TV serials? Or - is it too late? Play the music...