Janey Scott Lewin well known as Roberta Leigh is a British author and artist. She wrote romance fiction and children's stories as Roberta Leigh, Rachel Lindsay, and Janey Scott.

She published her first novel in 1950 and is still actively creating new titles. She created the puppet series Sara and Hoppity

Sara and Hoppity

Sara & Hoppity was a children's puppet television series created and produced by Roberta Leigh. It was based on a series of four books written by Leigh and illustrated by Marion Wilson....

, Torchy the Battery Boy

Torchy the Battery Boy

Torchy the Battery Boy was the second television series produced by AP Films and Gerry Anderson, running from 1958–1959. It was another collaboration with author Roberta Leigh and was directed by Anderson, with music scored by Barry Gray, art direction from Reg Hill and special effects by...

, Wonder Boy and Tiger and Send for Dithers. She was the first author to write a children's fiction series about space; It was called Space Patrol and was shown around the world.

Biography

Born Janey Scott in London, England in 1927, She married with Michael Lewin in 1948, and began writing years before having their son, Jeremy.

She published her first romance novel in 1950 as Roberta Leigh, she also published children books and romances under the pseudonyms: Janey Scott, Rachel Lindsay and Rozella Lake. Since the death of her husband, she has ended writing romance books.

She created the puppet seriesSara and Hoppity

Sara and Hoppity

Sara & Hoppity was a children's puppet television series created and produced by Roberta Leigh. It was based on a series of four books written by Leigh and illustrated by Marion Wilson....

, Torchy the Battery Boy

Torchy the Battery Boy

Torchy the Battery Boy was the second television series produced by AP Films and Gerry Anderson, running from 1958–1959. It was another collaboration with author Roberta Leigh and was directed by Anderson, with music scored by Barry Gray, art direction from Reg Hill and special effects by...

, Wonder Boy and Tiger, Send for Dithers, and Space Patrol which chronicled the adventures of Captain Larry Dart aboard his spaceship "Galasphere 347". Later followed an attempt at a similar series Paul Starr. A live action colour space show The Solarnauts followed in 1967. Both unfortunately never went beyond pilot episodes.

Paul Starr

Though made in 1964, Paul Starr looked to be a decade ahead of Space Patrol. A 25 minute puppet series in the same vein, it was in full colour. Agent Paul Starr and his crewman, Lightning work for the Space Bureau Investigation. They have a squat rocket SBI-5 which can travel through space, in air and even underwater (SBI uses an undersea base). Convincing looking jets fly it through the air but in space it switches to Solar Energy. It is armed with various weapons including nuclear missiles. Robots in the series are far more intricate looking and Space Patrol fans will notice similar sound effects used. Movements of the characters are "less wooden" and there is no sign of "strings".

The puppets were made by Martin and Heather Granger who with Joan Garrick operated them. Realistic mouth movements were used long before Anderson's Terrahawks

Terrahawks

Gerry Anderson & Christopher Burr's Terrahawks, simply referred to as Terrahawks, was a British science fiction television series produced by Anderson Burr Pictures and created by the production team of Gerry Anderson and Christopher Burr. The show was Anderson's first in over a decade to utilize...

. Voices were Edward Bishop

Ed Bishop

Ed Bishop was an American film, television, stage and radio actor based in Britain.-Early life:Bishop served in the US Army from 8 October 1952 to 24 September 1954, working as a disc jockey with the Armed Forces Radio at St. Johns in Newfoundland...

 who voiced Paul Starr, Patricia English, Dick Vosburgh

Dick Vosburgh

Richard Kennedy "Dick" Vosburgh was an American-born comedy writer and lyricist working chiefly in Britain....

 and Peter Reeves. The series was created and written by Roberta Leigh who also wrote the title song and lyrics (sung by Jerry Dane). Director of Photography and co-producer was Arthur Provis

Arthur Provis

Arthur Provis is an English cinematographer and producer, best known for co-founding AP Films with Gerry Anderson.As a former Navy photographer forging a career operating rostrum cameras, he met Anderson filming a series called You've Never Seen This about unusual circus acts...

.

In this adventure, Starr's boss sends him to Mars where five atomic power stations (used to pump water) have been destroyed by fire. Starr and Lightning work as security guards to try and find the cause. Chief suspect is General Darynx. The Martians are shown as non-human fish people.

The Solarnauts

This was a colour live action space show, produced in 1967. Like Paul Starr, it still exists. Details:

• http://homepages.tesco.net/~space.patrol/SpacePatrol/After2.htm[The Solarnauts]

Single Novels

• In Name Only (1950)
• Beloved Ballerina (1952)
• Dark Inheritance (1952)
• The Vengeful Heart (1952)
• And Then Came Love (1954)
• Pretence (1956)
• Stacy (1958)
• Storky (1962)
• My Heart's a Dancer (1970)
• Cinderella in Mink (1973)
• Shade of the Palms (1974)
• If Dreams Came True (1974)
• Temporary Wife (1975)
• Man in a Million (1975)
• Cupboard Love (1976)
• To Buy a Bride (1976)
• Too Young to Love (1976)
• Man Without a Heart (1976)
• Unwilling Bridegroom (1976)
• Girl for a Millionaire (1977)
• Flower of the Desert (1977)
• Wrong Man to Love (1977)
• Not a Marrying Man (1977)
• Forgotten Marriage (1978)
• Night of Love (1978)
• Savage Aristocrat (1978)
• Facts of Love (1978)
• Love Match (1980)
• Wife for a Year (1980)
• Rent a Wife (1980)
• Love and No Marriage (1980)
• Heart of the Lion (1980)
• Confirmed Bachelor (1981)
• Love in Store (1983)
• No Time for Marriage (1985)
• Maid to Measure (1986)
• No Man's Mistress (1987)
• Too Bad to be True (1987)
• A Racy Affair (1987)
• An Impossible Man to Love (1987)
• Storm Cloud Marriage (1987)
• Not Without Love (1989)
• Man on the Make (1989)
• A Most Unsuitable Wife (1989)
• One Girl at a Time (1990)
• It All Depends on Love (1990)
• Two-faced Woman (1991)
• Not His Kind of Woman (1992)
• Bachelor at Heart (1992)
• Give a Man a Bad Name (1993)
• Two-timing Man (1993)
• The Wrong Kind of Wife (1994)
• Misunderstood (2007)

Omnibus In Collaboration

• Night of Love / Shy Young Denbury / Lifetime to Love (1978) (with Audrey Blanshard and Ann Dabney)
• Facts of Love / Beth / Island Lovesong (1980) (with Louise Bergstrom and Barbara Hazard)

Tomahawk Series

1. Tomahawk (1960)
2. Tomahawk and the River of Gold (1960)
3. Tomahawk and the Animals of the World (1961)
4. Tomahawk and the Tomb of the White Moose (1961)

Sara and Hoppity Series

1. Sara and Hoppity (1960)
2. Sarah and Hoppity Make New Friends (1960)
3. Sara and Hoppity Find a Cat (1961)
4. Sara and Hoppity Get Lost (1961)
5. Meet Sara and Hoppity (1962)
6. Sara and Hoppity go to the Fair (1961)
7. Sara and Hoppity go to the Seaside (1961)
8. Sara and Hoppity stay on a Farm (1961)
9. Sara and Hoppity spring clean their house (1961)
10. Sara and Hoppity on a big Ship (1961)

Torchy Series

1. Torchy and the Magic Beam (1960)
2. Torchy in Topsy Turvy Land (1960)
3. Torchy and Bossy Boots (1962)
4. Torchy and His Two Best Friends (1962)
5. Torchy and the Twinkling Star (1962)

Mr. Hero Series

1. The Adventures of Mr. Hero (1961)
2. Mr. Hero meets the Raggler Children (1961)
3. Mr. Hero and the Pearly Queen
4. Mr. Hero and the Animal
5. Mr. Hero in Bongo Island
6. Mr. Hero and Puss the Octo
7. Mr. Hero helps a family
8. Mr. Hero in Iceland

Single Novels

• The Widening Stream (1952)
• Alien Corn (1954)
• Healing hands aka Love and Dr. Forrest (1955)
• Mask of Gold (1956)
• Castle in the Trees (1958)
• House of Lorraine (1959)
• The Taming of Laura (1959)
• Business Affair (1960)
• Heart of a Rose (1961)
• Song in My Heart (1961)
• Moonlight and Magic (1962)
• Design for murder (1964)
• Second Best Wife (1970)
• No business to love aka Brazilian Affair (1966)
• Price of Love (1967)
• Love and Lucy Granger (1967)
• Second Best Wife (1970)
• The Latitude of Love aka Rough Diamond Lover (1971)
• A Question of Marriage (1972)
• Cage of Gold (1973)
• Shade of the Palms (1974)
• Food for Love (1974)
• Innocent Deception (1975)
• Love in Disguise (1975)
• Affair in Venice (1975)
• Prince for Sale (1975)
• Secretary Wife (1976)
• Roman Affair (1976)
• Tinsel Star (1976)
• A Man to Tame (1976)
• The Marquis takes a wife (1976)
• Forbidden Love (1977)
• Prescription for Love (1977)
• Unwanted Wife (1978)
• Forgotten Marriage (1978)
• An Affair to Forget (1978)
• Designing Man (1978)
• Man Out of Reach (1979)
• My Sister's Keeper (1979)
• Man of Ice (1980)
• Love and no Marriage (1980)
• Wife for a year (1980)
• Untouched Wife (1981)
• Substitute Wife (1982)

Single Novels

• Memory of Love (1959)
• Melody of Love (1960)
• A time to love (1960)

Sara Gay Series

1. Model girl (1961)
2. Model Girl in Monte Carlo (1961)
3. Model Girl in New York (1961)
4. Model Girl in Mayfair (1961)

Single Novels

• Chateau in Provence* (1973)
• If Dreams Came True* (1974)

(* also edited as Rachel Lindsay)

External links

• Roberta Leigh's Official Homepage (paintings)
• Harlequin Enterprises Ltd Website
• Roberta Leigh's Webpage and Rachel Lindsay's Webpage in Fantastic Fiction's Website
• http://homepages.tesco.net/~space.patrol/SaraHoppity/SaraIsHome.htm Sara and Hoppity website.