Raven (1977 TV series)

Last updated

Raven
Written by Trevor Ray
Jeremy Burnham
Directed byMichael Hart
Starring Phil Daniels
Michael Aldridge
Shirley Cheriton
Patsy Rowlands
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes6
Production
Producer Colin Shindler
Running time25 minutes
Production company ATV
Original release
Network ITV
Release19 September (1977-09-19) 
24 October 1977 (1977-10-24)

Raven is a British children's television drama series made for ITV by ATV in 1977. [1] [2] The series starred Phil Daniels in the title role.

Contents

Story

A orphan and former borstal inmate sent on a rehabilitation programme, assisting an archaeology professor in his excavation of a system of caves and who subsequently is compelled to fight a plan to build a nuclear waste disposal plant on the site. The man-made cave system is underneath an ancient stone circle, and contains 5th-century rock carvings which may be connected to the legend of King Arthur and Arthurian lore. [3] The professor believes that "Arthur" may not have been a single individual but an inherited office and he emphasises the notion of Arthur and his knights slumbering below the West Country landscape awaiting the call to return to action in a time of peril, more as an idea than a physical reality. [3] The programme consistently featured the sign of Pluto (referencing Plutonium as a by-product of a nuclear reactions), a symbol for Raven's quest.

The core of the story is the central sage/apprentice hero relationship between Professor Young and Raven, representing the legend of Merlin and King Arthur, both characters having avian projections: Young as a merlin (a bird which often accompanies Raven throughout the story), and Raven (protected by his namesake bird raven at birth when abandoned by his parents). [3]

Cast

Production

Other cast members in the serial included Michael Aldridge, Patsy Rowlands, James Kerry, Shirley Cheriton and Tenniel Evans. [4]

Reception

Television historians Alistair McGown and Mark Docherty praised Burnham and Ray's script for Raven, adding that although the story was fantasy, "it is the realist elements of the drama that continue to surprise". [2] They also compared Raven with other fantasy TV programs of the era, including Sky , The Changes and King of the Castle . [2]

Novelisation

A novelisation of Raven by Burnham and Ray was published by Carousel Books (an imprint of Corgi Books) in 1977. [2] The novelisation was republished by Fantom Publishing in 2014. [5]

Release

An episode of this series is available to view at the National Media Museum in Bradford, UK.

The whole series of six parts was long been believed to be incomplete in the archives, until Network DVD, an independent DVD publishing company that specialises in classic British television, unearthed the original 2" VT tapes. Network released the series on DVD in 2010. [6]

Related Research Articles

<i>Children of the Stones</i> 1976 television drama series for children

Children of the Stones is a British television fantasy drama serial for children, produced by HTV in 1976 and broadcast on the United Kingdom's ITV network in January and February 1977. The serial was produced by Peter Graham Scott, with Patrick Dromgoole as executive producer. A novelisation by the serial's writers, Jeremy Burnham and Trevor Ray, also appeared in 1977. In the United States, it was broadcast on the Nickelodeon television channel in the early 1980s as part of the series The Third Eye.

<i>Catweazle</i> British childrens television series (1970–71)

Catweazle is a British children's fantasy television series, starring Geoffrey Bayldon in the title role, and created by Richard Carpenter for London Weekend Television. The first series, produced and directed in 1969 by Quentin Lawrence, was screened in the UK on ITV in 1970. The second series, produced and directed in 1970 by David Reid and David Lane, was shown in 1971. Each series had thirteen episodes, most but not all written by Carpenter, who also published two books based on the scripts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patsy Rowlands</span> British actress (1931–2005)

Patricia Amy Rowlands was an English actress who is best remembered for her roles in the Carry On films series, as Betty Lewis in the ITV Thames sitcom Bless This House, and as Alice Meredith in the Yorkshire Television sitcom Hallelujah!.

<i>Juliet Bravo</i> British police procedural TV series (1980–1985)

Juliet Bravo is a British television police procedural drama series, first broadcast on 30 August 1980, that ran for six series and a total of 88 episodes on BBC1. The theme of the series concerned a female police inspector who took over control of a police station in the fictional town of Hartley in Lancashire. The lead role of Inspector Jean Darblay was played by Stephanie Turner in series 1 to 3, but in series 4 to 6 she was replaced by Anna Carteret for the role of Inspector Kate Longton. Carteret remained with the series until its demise in 1985.

<i>Angels</i> (TV series) British TV drama series (1975–1983)

Angels was a British television seasonal drama series dealing with the subject of student nurses, which was broadcast by the BBC between 1975 and 1983. It was described as the "Z-Cars of nursing".

<i>Special Branch</i> (TV series) British television crime drama series (1969–1974)

Special Branch is a British television series made by Thames Television for ITV and shown between 1969-1970 and 1973-1974. A police drama series, the action was centred on members of the Special Branch counterintelligence and counterterrorism department of the London Metropolitan Police. The first two series starred Derren Nesbitt, before the programme went through an overhaul, with George Sewell taking over as the new lead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Gipps-Kent</span> English actor (1958–1987)

Simon Gipps-Kent. 20th-century English theatre and film actor in the 1970s–80s, known for his teenage portrayals of British royalty and nobility. He was born into a show business family in Kensington, London. His television debut was on the BBC in 1971 followed with a London West End theatre debut in 1972. He continued to act on stage, film and television until the year before his death in 1987.

<i>King of the Castle</i> (TV series) British TV series or programme

King of the Castle is a British children's television fantasy drama serial made by HTV for ITV in 1977.

The Moon Stallion is a British children's television serial made by the BBC in 1978 and written by Brian Hayles, who also authored its novelization.

<i>The Changes</i> (TV series) British TV series or programme

The Changes is a British children's science fiction television serial filmed in 1974 and first broadcast in 1975 by the BBC. It was directed by John Prowse and is based on the trilogy written by Peter Dickinson: The Weathermonger (1968), Heartsease (1969), and The Devil's Children (1970).

Shirley Cheriton is an English actress and performer, best known for her roles as Debbie Wilkins in the BBC soap opera EastEnders and her portrayal of Miss Prescott in the Are You Being Served? follow up, Grace & Favour.

<i>Holding On</i> (TV series) British TV series

Holding On is an eight-part British television drama series, created by screenwriter Tony Marchant, that first broadcast on BBC2 on 8 September 1997. The series follows the life of a seemingly unconnected group of people living in London, whose lives are strangely affected by the murder of a young woman in the city. While some of the group are able to take a newfound hope from the remains of the tragic event, others including food critic Gary Rickey simply watch on as despair begins to unravel in the light of the aftermath. Proving popular with both critics and viewers alike, the series won a Royal Television Society award for Best Drama Serial in 1998.

Trevor Ray was a British actor, writer and script editor. As an actor he gained credits in many television series. As a writer and script editor he worked on series such as Doctor Who, Paul Temple and Children of the Stones. He died in December 2019.

John Richard Jeremy Burnham was a British television actor of the 1960s and 1970s, and a screenwriter.

<i>The Squirrels</i> (TV series) British TV series or program

The Squirrels is a British television sitcom created by Eric Chappell. It was produced by ATV for the ITV and broadcast from 1974 to 1977 running for 3 series and 28 episodes. Chappell later created the Yorkshire Television sitcoms Rising Damp, among other series.

Katharine Levy is a British actress and television producer.

<i>The Feathered Serpent</i> (TV series) British TV series or programme

The Feathered Serpent is a British children's serial costume drama television series made for ITV by Thames Television, set in pre-Columbian Mexico and starring Patrick Troughton as the scheming High Priest Nasca. It is an adventure story about good and evil. Two series were first broadcast in 1976 and 1978.

Joy Harington was an English television actress, writer, producer, and director.

The All Electric Amusement Arcade is a seven-part British children's television serial aired on ITV in 1983. The show is a musical drama, with nearly every episode featuring an original song performed by in-universe band Electric Arc.

Thursday's Child is a British television series adaptation of Noel Streatfeild's 1970 children's historical novel of the same name. Consisting of six episodes, the series aired on BBC One between December 27, 1972 and January 31, 1973. The series stars Claire Walker as Margaret Thursday, Gillian Bailey as Lavinia Beresford, Simon Gipps-Kent as Peter Beresford, David Tully as Horatio Beresford, Caroline Harris as Miss Snelston, Althea Parker as Matron, Kit Daniels as Jem, Maxine Kalli as Susan, Anne Pichon as Miss Jones, Jill Riddick as Clara, Cindy O'Callaghan as Winifred, Edwin Brown as Filbert, Susan Field as Ma Smith, Joy Harington as Mrs. Tanner, Anne Ridler as Lady Corkberry, Peter Williams as Lord Corkberry, Will Stampe as Captain Smith, and Arthur Blake as PC Perkins. The series was entered into the 1973 Monte-Carlo Television Festival; placing third in the children's television program category.

References

  1. "BFI Screenonline: Children of the Stones (1977)". www.screenonline.org.uk.
  2. 1 2 3 4 McGown, Alistair D. & Docherty, Mark J. (2003) The Hill and Beyond: Children's Television Drama - An Encyclopedia, BFI Publishing, ISBN   978-0-85170-879-9, p. 111
  3. 1 2 3 "Raven Review" . Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  4. "Episode Two (1977)". BFI. Archived from the original on 5 January 2019.
  5. "Cult Classics", Vortex Magazine, April 2015. (p.4)
  6. "RAVEN - The Complete Series / Review".