 |
 Roberta Leigh
Creator, Writer & Co-Producer of Space Patrol
Author of romance and children’s ficton, also writing under the name of Janey Scott (believed to be her real name), Rachel Lindsay and (unconfirmed) Rozella Lake and Roumelia Lane.
The wife of Michael Lewin, whom she married in 1948, Roberta Leigh started her writing career in 1951, a couple of years after the birth of her son Jeremy, but which seemed to have had its origins in the stories she used to tell and sing for him while he was growing up.
Approached by the fledgling commercial television ITV in the mid-1950’s to pitch ideas for new programmes it was Roberta Leigh’s The Adventures of Twizzle, about a toy who gathers and befriends other unwanted toys, that started Gerry Anderson and his then business partner Arthur Provis in the puppet TV series business for which he would become famous.
This was followed by Torchy The Battery Boy before Anderson went on to produce series of his own. Roberta Leigh went on to make Sara & Hoppity, another puppet series about a young girl and her toy based on a series of books already written by her, with Anderson's ex-business partner Arthur Provis. This series formed part of a children’s hour called ‘Small Time’ (which had been running since the late 1950s) from 1962, although it did continue to be screened into the early 1970s.
 The next, and most ambitious, series was Space Patrol. Some follow-up pilots, such as Paul Starr and The Solarnauts were produced that regrettably did not sell, possibly due to a reshuffle of television franchises at the time.
Undaunted, Roberta Leigh did go on to do three further series, Send For Dithers and Wonderboy and Tiger as producer/writer, and Picture The Word, which she created and devised.
As well as writing the stories, Roberta Leigh also 'wrote' the music for her series, although this usually involved her humming or singing the tune into a tape recorder, after which someone else would arrange and write a score. Some of these, with Barry Gray, were published in the 1950s. She is also credited in the 1960s as having written and narrated an early sex education record , in two parts - one for youngsters and one for teenagers, called The Wonderful Way You Were Born.
‘Batchelor Heart’, written in 1992, refers to Roberta Leigh as ‘a workaholic, but loves every minute of it! How else could she have produced 150 romances, been columnist on a national newspaper, written 27 children’s books and created and produced 247 films for children? But romantic fiction has a special place in her life, and she was one of the first writers to introduce strong career-minded heroines who wouldn’t be bossed around by the hero. She lives in London, loves children, dogs and cats and, since the death of her husband, finds her romance in the books she loves writing.’
 The Works of
Roberta Leigh
Presented here is a bibliography of the books and work by Roberta Leigh, under that name and other pseudonyms. Confusingly, some books are issued under different pseudonyms (such as Love And No Marriage in 1980).
If you know of any we have missed, please contact us and let us know.
| •Romance Novels by Roberta Leigh |
•as Janey Scott |
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| •In Name Only |
1951
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•Memory Of Love |
1959
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| •Dark Inheritance |
1952
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•Melody Of Love |
1960
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| •The Vengeful Heart |
1952
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•A Time To Love (revised as
•Unwanted Wife by Rachel Lindsay) |
1960
/1976
|
| •Beloved Ballerina |
1953
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| •And Then Came Love |
1954
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•Sara Gay - Model Girl |
1961
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| •Pretence |
1956
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•Sara Gay in Mayfair |
1961
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| •Stacy |
1958
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•Sara Gay in New York |
1961
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| •My Heart’s A Dancer |
1970
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•Sara Gay in Monte Carlo |
1961
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| •Cinderella In Mink |
1973
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|
| •If Dreams Came True |
1974
|
•as 'Rachel Lindsay' |
| •Shade Of The Palms |
1974
|
|
| •Heart Of The Lion |
1975
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•The Widening Stream |
1952
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| •Man In A Million |
1975
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•Alien Corn |
1954
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| •Temporary Wife |
1975
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•Healing Hands |
1955
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| •Cupboard Love |
1976
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•Mask Of Gold |
1956
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| •To Buy A Bride |
1976
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•Castle In The Trees |
1958
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| •The Unwilling Bridegroom |
1976
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•House Of Lorraine |
1959
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| •Man Without A Heart |
1976
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•The Taming Of Laura |
1959
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| •Girl For A Millionaire |
1977
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•Business Affair |
1960
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| •Too Young For Love |
1977
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•Heart Of A Rose |
1961
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| •Facts Of Love |
1978
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•Song In My Heart |
1961
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| •Night Of Love |
1978
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•Lesley Forrest M.D. |
1962
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| •The Savage Aristocrat |
1978
|
•Moonlight And Magic |
1962
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| •Not A Marrying Man |
1978
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•Design For Murder |
1964
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| •Love In Store |
1978
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•No Business To Love |
1966
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•No Time For Marriage (seemingly
•also issued as by 'Rachel Lindsay') |
1980
|
•Love And Lucy Granger |
1967
|
•Rent A Wife (seemingly
•also issued as by 'Rachel Lindsay') |
1980
|
•The Price Of Love |
1967
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•Wife For A Year (seemingly
•also issued as by 'Rachel Lindsay') |
1980
|
•Love And Doctor Forrest |
1971
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| •Love Match |
1980
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•The Latitude Of Love |
1971
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| •Confirmed Batchelor |
1981
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•A Question Of Marriage |
1972
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| •No Time Fo Marriage |
1985
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•Cage Of Gold |
1973
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| •Maid To Measure |
1987
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•Chateau in Provence |
1973
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| •Impossible Man To Love |
1987
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•Food For Love |
1974
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| •Too Bad To Be True |
1987
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•Affair In Venice |
1974
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| •A Racy Affair |
1987
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•Love In Disguise |
1975
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| •Storm Cloud Marriage |
1988
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•Innocent Deception |
1975
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| •Not Without Love |
1989
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•Prince For Sale |
1975
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| •No Man’s Mistress |
1989
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•The Marquis Takes A Wife |
1976
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| •Man On The Make |
1989
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•Roman Affair |
1976
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| •A Most Unsuitable Wife |
1990
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•Secretary Wife |
1975
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| •One Girl At A Time |
1990
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•Tinsel Star |
1976
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| •Two-Faced Woman |
1991
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•A Man To Tame |
1976
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| •It All Depends On Love |
1991
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•Forbidden Love |
1977
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| •Not His Kind Of Woman |
1992
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•Prescription For Love |
1977
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| •Batchelor At Heart |
1992
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•Unwanted Wife |
1978
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| •Two-Timing Man |
1993
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•Rough Diamond Lover |
1978
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| •Give A Man A Bad Name |
1994
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•An Affair To Forget |
1978
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| •The Wrong Kind Of Wife |
1995
|
•Forgotten Marriage |
1978
|
|
•Brazilian Affair |
1978
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| Children's Books by Robert Leigh |
•Man Out Of Reach |
1979
|
|
•Designing Man |
1979
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| The Adventures of Twizzle |
1960
|
•My Sister's Keeper |
1979
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| More Adventures of Twizzle |
1960
|
•Man Of Ice |
1980
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| Torchy And The Magic Beam |
1960
|
•Rent A Wife |
1980
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| Torchy In Topsy-Turvy Land |
1960
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•Love And No Marriage |
1980
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| Torchy And Bossy-Boots |
1962
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•Untouched Wife |
1981
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| Torchy And His Two Best Friends |
1962
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•Wife For A Year |
1981
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| Torchy And The Twinkling Star |
1962
|
•Substitute Wife |
1982
|
| The Torchy Gift Book (5 editions) |
1960-64
|
|
| Sara And Hoppity |
1960
|
|
| Sara And Hoppity Make New Friends |
1960
|
Miscellaneous Robert Leigh works |
| Sara And Hoppity Find A Cat |
1961
|
|
| Sara And Hoppity Get Lost |
1961
|
•Riding My Bike
•(music score w/ Barry Gray) |
1955
|
| Meet Sara And Hoppity |
1961
|
•Sleeping Time
•(music score w/ Barry Gray) |
1955
|
| The Big Book of Sara And Hoppity |
1962
|
•Why? (music score w/ Barry Gray) |
1955
|
| Tomahawk |
1960
|
•The Wonderful Way You Were Born
•(educational record) |
1960?
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| Tomahawk and the Magic Arrow # |
1960
|
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| Tomahawk and the River Of Gold |
1960
|
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| Tomahawk and the Animals of the Wild |
1961
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| Tomahawk and the Tomb of White Moose |
1961
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| The Adventures of Mr Hero |
1961
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| Mr Hero and the Raggler Children |
1961
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| Storky |
1961
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| #This is mentioned as the second Tomahawk book on the back of the first two Sara and Hoppity books but on no other publications. It is not known if it was ever published, or was retitled as one of the other Tomahawk books. |
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