Horizon: Percy Pilcher's Flying

Machine (BBC2)

THE makers of this documentary went to great lengths to prove - but not, I fear, conclusively - that the Wright brothers weren't the first men to fly.

No, that honour should have gone to a Brit, Percy Pilcher. According to the programme, he constructed his own aeroplane four years before the brothers' flying machine took to the skies.

Never mind that his plans have been lost in the mists of time, or that the Horizon team couldn't be sure that he would have made the "small refinements" they made. They reckoned the evidence was strong enough to prove he could've been one of the greatest names in aviation history. I'm still not convinced, but his story did make for a good programme.

Pilcher was 28 when he designed and built what he hoped would be the world's first powered aircraft, in 1899. If his scheme had taken off, he would have beaten the Wright brothers by four years.

But it's a big "if". That this naval apprentice engineer got so far was remarkable, as he didn't know about the science of aerodynamics. He observed birds, building gliders with names like The Beak and The Beetle. Step by step, his designs improved. The Hawk flew - well, glided - a record 250 yards in a field in Kent.

The arrival of the internal combustion engine was perfect, being both powerful and lightweight, to provide a suitable engine for his proposed plane. Stacking several small wings on top of each other, he hoped to gain the lift he needed to get off, and stay off, the ground.

The result was The Duck, a four-wing multi-plane. He never built it. The Horizon experts pieced together data and drawings to build the flying machine they thought Pilcher was planning.

They tried out a scale model to see if it would fly. The problem of lift persisted. Modifications were made, although the team diverted from the historical facts on the pretext, as one expert declared, that: "I think there's a flying machine in there somewhere".

Back in the dying days of the 19th century, a debt-ridden Pilcher decided to fly his new aircraft in front of wealthy backers. Disaster struck days before the maiden flight when the engine broke down.

Rather than disappoint potential backers, he put on a display of his glider The Hawk. It crashed, leaving pilot Pilcher unconscious. Two days later, he died, and four years later, two Americans became the first people to fly.

Aladdin, Billingham Forum

FLYING carpets, magical genies, puffs of smoke and more than a little audience participation. Kids will love this performance of Aladdin, which is full of surprises, dazzling costumes and plenty of well-known singalongs.

All the old favourites are on top form - the evil Abanazar, the bizarre Widow Twanky and of course Wishee Washee, played excellently by Duncan Norvelle.

Due to illness, Jeremy Spake from TV's Airport did not appear as The Emperor and will be replaced for the rest of the show's run by Johnny Leeze - who performs extremely well, dressed in one of the most dazzling costumes of the performance.

There are some very funny moments, particularly during Wishee Washee's on-stage interview of some of the children. Tears were running down the faces of many in the audience - though equally, that could have been down to the repeated drenching from the on-stage water pistols.

The dancers, members of the Justine Kavanagh Dancers and the Forum Theatre School of Performing Arts, were excellent and added colour, fun and great movement to the show.

One of the most memorable moments must have been the fluorescent flying carpet routine, complete with huge green snakes, birds and many special effects. And the unexpected rapping of the Genie of the Lamp, Adrian Russell, went down well with children and parents alike. A very entertaining show.

Michelle Hedger

l Runs until January 11, 2004. Box Office: (01642) 552663