[Arran]

Ron;
Interesting that you should mention the siblings' of the "People's Set". I did a little research and found out that while the model 444 uses this whacky PEN DD 61 tube there is another called a "People's Set De Luxe" also known as an A-537. The A-537 uses five tubes and dispenses with the PEN DD 61 tube in favor of a 42 and a 75, and they added a shortwave band. I have no idea if the set I ran into 10 years ago was one of these or the 444, but from what I could find the five tube version is definitely the better of the AC models to have. There were also series string AC/DC versions and battery operated version, both of which also had five tubes, and a battery version with only three tubes.
Strange that there isn't much interest over there in the other British Philco models, but then again it's just as well since that keeps the prices down on the rest. Maybe they like the "People's Sets" because they are the most British in design or it's a similar situation to the Sparton sets over here where people can't get beyond the mirrored models. There was someone on the other forum that turned down a Philco Empire 22 (basically a 38-690) simply because it wouldn't have fit in their upstairs room. If I were in that situation the TV would have been kicked out of the living room to fit it in, but Limey's are strange that way.
Regards
Arran