Plot
Siblings Julian and Dick Kirrin have been given a four-day weekend from their boarding school, coinciding with the mid-term break of their sister Anne and cousin George, so they arrange to go hiking together. Julian plans to spend their first night at a bed and breakfast called Blue Pond Farm. On the way, George's dog, Timmy, injures his leg when being pulled out of a rabbit burrow. Consequently, Julian and George go to the residence of Mr Gaston, a local expert on animals, while Dick and Anne head for the farm. Mr Gaston treats Timmy's injured leg and Mrs Gaston then insists Julian and George stay for a meal, after which they walk to Blue Pond Farm.
Dick and Anne have taken a wrong turn and are confused by ringing bells. They head toward a light, where they encounter an elderly deaf woman. Assuming they have reached Blue Pond Farm, Dick and Anne go in, but the woman, Mrs Taggart, tells them to leave because her son, Dirty Dick, would not accept them. She eventually agrees to let Anne sleep in a loft, whilst Dick makes do with sleeping in a barn.
During the night, Dick is awakened by a voice calling his name. He is given a cryptic message and a piece of paper. The next morning, Mrs Taggart’s son is back and chases Dick away. He and Anne get directions to Blue Pond Farm and are reunited with Julian and George for breakfast, where they tell the story of the message and the bells, which Julian says will signal an escape from the local prison.
The children report the incident to a village policeman, but he accuses them of lying and informs them the escapee has been caught. Julian decides they should hike to a ruined house called Two-Trees, located at Gloomy Water, a marshy lake higher on the moors. That night, Julian deduces that the message is instructions to find stolen goods from a robbery by a prisoner called Nailer and that the loot is hidden in a boat called the Saucy Jane.
The following day, Dirty Dick arrives at Gloomy Water with a woman called Maggie, to search for the loot and are annoyed to see the children there. The Five paddle into the lake on a raft but do not find anything. They conclude that “Tall Stone”, one of the clues written on the paper given to Dick, is a landmark that will help guide them to the location of the Saucy Jane. The next morning, they locate the Saucy Jane at the bottom of the lake, at which point Maggie and Dirty Dick appear in a boat but row back to shore after Julian says the children will be returning to school tomorrow. Julian dives to the bottom of the lake and finds a bag of loot, but cannot remove it. The Five return on the raft near midnight, and Julian and Dick dive to the boat to haul up the loot, which is jewellery stolen from the Queen of Fallonia.
After recovering the jewels, the Five evade Maggie and Dirty Dick and walk to the village of Reebles to call Mr Gaston, who then drives them to a police station, where the children hand over the jewels and tell their story. Maggie and Dirty Dick, stuck in the marshland, are arrested and the police promise to drive the children back to their schools.
The Famous Five is a series of children's adventure novels and short stories written by English author Enid Blyton. The first book, Five on a Treasure Island, was published in 1942. The novels feature the adventures of a group of young children – Julian, Dick, Anne, George and their dog Timmy.
Five Go Mad in Dorset was the first of three Five Go Mad specials from the long-running series of The Comic Strip Presents... television comedy films. It first aired on the launch night of Channel 4, and was written by Peter Richardson and Pete Richens, and directed by Bob Spiers. It was entirely filmed in Devon rather than Dorset.
Five on a Treasure Island is a popular children's book by Enid Blyton. It is the first book in The Famous Five series. The first edition of the book was illustrated by Eileen Soper.
Five Go Adventuring Again is the second book in the Famous Five series by British author Enid Blyton.
Five Run Away Together is the third book in the Famous Five series by the British author Enid Blyton.
Five Go to Smuggler's Top is the fourth book in the Famous Five series by the British author Enid Blyton.
Five Go Off In A Caravan is the fifth book in the Famous Five series by the British author, Enid Blyton and published by Hodder and Stoughton. The book includes a circus boy character named Nobby, whose name was changed to Ned when publisher Hodder Children's Books made extensive editorial revisions to the Famous Five series of books.
Five Get into a Fix is a children's novel written by Enid Blyton and published by Hodder and Stoughton in 1958. It is the seventeenth book in the Famous Five series.
Five Go to Mystery Moor is a popular children's book written by Enid Blyton. It is the thirteenth novel in the Famous Five series of books.
Five On Kirrin Island Again is the sixth novel in the Famous Five series by Enid Blyton. It was first published in October 1947.
Five Go Off To Camp is the seventh novel in the Famous Five children's adventure series by Enid Blyton. It was first published in 1948, and was followed by a number of reprints and translations. The story revolves around mysterious "spook trains" that the Five hear about on a lonely moor. The book has been adapted to two television series.
Five Get into Trouble is the eighth novel in The Famous Five series by Enid Blyton. It was first published in 1949. In this novel, Dick gets kidnapped, mistaken for another boy whose name is Richard.
Five Fall Into Adventure is the ninth novel in The Famous Five series by Enid Blyton. It was first published in 1950.
Five Have Plenty Of Fun is the 14th novel in The Famous Five series by Enid Blyton. It was first published in 1955 by Hodder & Stoughton.
Five on a Secret Trail is the fifteenth novel in the Famous Five series by Enid Blyton. It was first published in 1956.
Five Go to Billycock Hill is the sixteenth novel in the Famous Five series by Enid Blyton. It was first published in 1957.
Five on Finniston Farm is the eighteenth novel in the Famous Five series by Enid Blyton. It was first published in 1960.
Five Go to Demon's Rocks is the nineteenth novel in The Famous Five series by Enid Blyton. It was first published in 1961.
Five Go Down To The Sea is the twelfth novel in The Famous Five series by Enid Blyton. It was first published in 1953.
Famous Five is a 2012 German children's film. Directed by Mike Marzuk, it is a film adaptation of The Famous Five series by Enid Blyton, which is based primarily on the 1947 book Five on Kirrin Island Again.
