Just William (2010 TV series)

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Just William
Genre Sitcom [1]
Based on Just William
by Richmal Crompton
Written by Simon Nye
Directed by Paul Seed
Starring Daniel Roche
Rebecca Front
Daniel Ryan
Lily James
Caroline Quentin
Warren Clarke
Lottie Bell
Narrated by Martin Jarvis
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes4
Production
Producer John Chapman
Running time30 mins
Original release
Network BBC One, CBBC
Related
Just William

Just William is a United Kingdom television series first broadcast on BBC One in December 2010. The series is based on the book series of the same name by Richmal Crompton. The adaptation is written by Simon Nye. [2] It is the first adaptation of the books since a children's television series in the 1990s.

Contents

The series stars Daniel Roche as the title character, eponymous character William Brown, with Rebecca Front and Daniel Ryan as William's parents. Caroline Quentin and Warren Clarke appear as the parents of Violet Elizabeth Bott (played by Isabella Blake-Thomas), neighbours of the Brown family. [3] It is directed by Paul Seed and produced by John Chapman. [2]

Martin Jarvis, who voices the radio and audio CD adaptations of Just William, acts as the narrator. [2] Various sources suggest that the series will not be returning. [4] [5]

Background

British author Richmal Crompton had a series of books published between 1919 and 1969 about the adventures of schoolboy William Brown and his group of friends, also known as the "Outlaws". Crompton, a schoolteacher, wrote her first novel in 1922 and went on to sell over 12 million copies of her books in the United Kingdom. [3]

The first film adaptation of the novels, titled Just William , was released in 1940, and this was followed by two further films in 1948. A radio series was also broadcast on the BBC around the same period. The books were also adapted for television, firstly as William in the 1960s, then as Just William in the 1970s and again under the same title in the 1990s.

Production

The producers chose to set the film in the 1950s, just following the conclusion of World War II, despite many of the books being written in the preceding three decades. The series was filmed in the Home Counties. The screenplay was written by Simon Nye. Daniel Roche was cast in the title role as William Brown, the main character and leader of "The Outlaws" along with his friends Ginger, Douglas and Henry.

Ten year old Roche had received critical acclaim for his performances as Ben in the BBC comedy series Outnumbered . [3] Isabella Blake-Thomas, who appeared in the BBC Four television film Enid , got the part of Violet Elizabeth Bott, William's neighbour. Due to the setting of the series, Roche had to have his trademark curly hair cut short.

Cast and characters

Daniel Roche William.jpg
Robert A. Foster.jpg
Daniel Roche who plays William; Robert A. Foster who plays Henry

Broadcast

The series, which consists of four half-hour episodes, aired as part of the BBC's Christmas programming from 28 to 31 December 2010 on CBBC on BBC One.< The series was broadcast on CBBC from 8 to 16 January 2011.

DVD release

The first four episodes were released to DVD on 7 March 2011, under the title, Just William, Series One, although further series were not produced. [4] [5]

Related Research Articles

<i>Just William</i> Book by Richmal Crompton

Just William is the first book of children's short stories about the young school boy William Brown, written by Richmal Crompton, and published in 1922. The book was the first in the series of William Brown books which was the basis for numerous television series, films and radio adaptations. Just William is also sometimes used as a title for the series of books as a whole, and is also the name of various television, film and radio adaptations of the books. The William stories first appeared in Home magazine and Happy Mag.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richmal Crompton</span> English short-story writer and novelist (1890–1969)

Richmal Crompton Lamburn was a popular English writer, best known for her Just William series of books, humorous short stories, and to a lesser extent adult fiction books.

Martin Jarvis OBE is an English actor. Described by the BBC as "one of Britain's most distinguished and versatile actors", he has had a varied career in theatre, film and television, and is particularly noted for radio acting and voicing audiobooks.

Simon Nye is an English screenwriter, best known for television comedy. He wrote the hit sitcom Men Behaving Badly, and all of the four ITV Pantos. He co-wrote the 2006 film Flushed Away, created an adaptation of Richmal Crompton's Just William books in 2010, and wrote the drama series The Durrells.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Henry (illustrator)</span> English illustrator

Thomas Henry (1879–1962) was an English illustrator, best remembered for his illustrations of Richmal Crompton's William books.

The Just William series is a sequence of thirty-eight books written by English author Richmal Crompton. The books chronicle the adventures of the unruly schoolboy William Brown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tyger Drew-Honey</span> British actor

Lindzi James Tyger Drew-Honey is an English actor and television presenter. He is best known for his role as Jake Brockman in the British sitcom Outnumbered, in Citizen Khan as Richard Scab before later appearing in Horrid Henry: The Movie and the television series Cuckoo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel Roche</span> English actor

Daniel Peter Roche is an English actor, he is best known for playing Ben Brockman in the BBC One sitcom Outnumbered.

William was a BBC television series based on the Just William series of books written by Richmal Crompton. It ran for two series from 1962 to 1963. 12 episodes were made in all, each of half an hour long. It was filmed in black and white.

<i>Just William</i> (1977 TV series) British childrens TV series (1977–1978)

Just William is a British television series based on the Just William series of books by Richmal Crompton. It aired for two series, between 1977 and 1978, on ITV. The series starred child actors Adrian Dannatt as William and Bonnie Langford as Violet, as well as established film star Diana Dors as Mrs Bott.

<i>Just Williams Luck</i> (film) 1947 film by Val Guest

Just William's Luck is a 1947 British comedy film directed by Val Guest and starring William Graham, Garry Marsh and Jane Welsh. It was written by Richmal Crompton and Guest, based on Crompton's Just William series of books. Crompton was impressed with the film and wrote a novel Just William's Luck based on the events of the film. The following year a second film, William Comes to Town, was made.

<i>Just Williams Luck</i> 1948 book by Richmal Crompton

Just William's Luck (1948) was a novel in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton. The story revolves around the attempts of William Brown and the other Outlaws to get their older brothers married, in order to appropriate wedding presents that they plan to exchange for things of their own desire. After a series of unlikely adventures, the boys serendipitously foil a gang of fur coat smugglers, and receive a reward from the police.

Just William is a 1990s BBC Radio series based on the Just William series of books by Richmal Crompton. They are produced by Pete Atkin and read by Martin Jarvis and have become one of the most well-known adaptations of the books. The series has been released on cassette and CD. Beginning in 2000, the theme music for the series has been the piano piece "Won't You Be My Ginger?" by pianist/composer, Richard Dworsky.

Just William is a British television series based on the Just William series of books written by Richmal Crompton. It ran for two series from 1994 to 1995 on BBC. The series starred Oliver Rokison as William and Jonathan Hirst as Ginger.

<i>William the Pirate</i> Book by Richmal Crompton

William the Pirate is the fourteenth book in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton. It was first published in 1932. It contains eleven short stories, one of which features the odious "Anthony Martin" who is often cited as a parody of A.A. Milne's Christopher Robin.

<i>William Comes to Town</i> 1948 film by Val Guest

William Comes to Town is a 1948 British comedy film directed by Val Guest and starring William Graham and Garry Marsh. It was based on the Just William series of novels by Richmal Crompton. It served as a loose sequel to 1947 film Just William's Luck. It is also known by its U.S. alternative title William Goes to the Circus.

<i>Still William</i> Book by Richmal Crompton

Still William is the fifth book in the Just William series by Richmal Crompton. It was first published in 1925.

Just William is a 1940 British comedy film directed by Graham Cutts and starring Richard Lupino, Fred Emney and Basil Radford. It is based on the Just William series of books by Richmal Crompton.

Suzanne Neve is an English actress. She appeared regularly on British television during the 1960s, including the lead role of Isabel Archer in the BBC's 1968 adaptation of Henry James's The Portrait of a Lady, for which she won Outstanding Television Personality in the Pye Colour Television Awards.

Isabella Rose M. Blake-Thomas is an English actress, known for her roles as Princess January in Secret Society of Second-Born Royals, Young Zelena in Once Upon a Time, Peggy Kendall in Game Shakers and Sam in Maybe I'm Fine.

References

  1. ↑ "Just William – BBC1 Sitcom". British Comedy Guide . Retrieved 23 November 2010.
  2. 1 2 3 "Just William – Production Details & Cast and Crew". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 23 November 2010.
  3. 1 2 3 "Outnumbered actor Daniel Roche to star in Just William". BBC News . BBC. 18 July 2010. Retrieved 23 November 2010.
  4. 1 2 Brown, Maggie (14 February 2011). "The BBC is producing great drama – but not enough of it". The Guardian . Retrieved 13 May 2013.
  5. 1 2 Fletcher, Alex (17 February 2011). "BBC has no plans for more 'Just William'". Digital Spy . Retrieved 13 May 2013.
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