The Chronicles of Narnia (TV series)

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The Chronicles of Narnia
ChroniclesOfNarniaTV.jpg
Title screen
Genre Fantasy
Created by C. S. Lewis (novel)
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of series3
No. of episodes18
Production
Running time25–30 min per each episode
505 min total for series (estimate)
Original release
Network BBC
Release13 November 1988 (1988-11-13) 
23 December 1990 (1990-12-23)

The Chronicles of Narnia is a British BBC-produced television series that was aired from 13 November 1988 to 23 December 1990 and is based on four books of C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia series. The first series aired was The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe in 1988, the second series aired was Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in 1989 and the third series aired was The Silver Chair in 1990. This television series was produced by Paul Stone, with the teleplay by Alan Seymour. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe was directed by Marilyn Fox, while Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and The Silver Chair were directed by Alex Kirby.

Contents

Plot

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy Pevensie are siblings who are evacuated from London because of the air raids in World War II. Soon after arriving at their temporary home, the four children discover that a wardrobe in a spare room contains a portal to the magical land of Narnia. There, they become involved in a war against the White Witch, and help restore the true ruler, a lion called Aslan, serving as kings and queens under him for many years before returning to their own world through the wardrobe.

Prince Caspian and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader

The four Pevensie children are waiting at a train station when a magical force pulls them back into Narnia, where they help Prince Caspian overthrow his evil uncle, King Miraz, and take the throne.

Back in England, Edmund and Lucy visit their cousin Eustace Scrubb. All three are sucked into a painting of Prince Caspian's ship, the Dawn Treader. Caspian, who has grown into a young man since they last saw him, explains that he is on a quest to find seven lords who were friends of his late father. The quest requires them to sail through dangerous waters, encountering new islands where things are not what they seem, and finally to sail to the end of the world.

The Silver Chair

Eustace Scrubb, cousin of the Pevensies, is at a boarding school with a girl named Jill Pole. While running away from bullies, they pass through a doorway into Aslan's country. Eustace accidentally falls off a cliff, but is blown to Narnia. Alone, Jill encounters Aslan, who explains that in Narnia, King Caspian's only son and heir, Prince Rilian, disappeared some years earlier. Jill is told to memorise four signs that will lead her and Eustace to Rilian. Aslan sends Jill to Narnia, where she is reunited with Eustace near the castle of Cair Paravel and the two follow the four signs as they search for the lost prince. They finally rescue Rilian and return to Narnia with him shortly before the elderly Caspian dies.

Cast

Actor The Lion, the Witch
and the Wardrobe
Prince Caspian and the
Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The Silver Chair

Main cast members

Richard Dempsey Peter Pevensie
Sophie Cook Susan Pevensie
Jonathan R. Scott Edmund Pevensie
Sophie Wilcox Lucy Pevensie
David Thwaites Eustace Scrubb
Camilla Power Jill Pole

Recurring cast members

Jeffrey Perry Mr. Tumnus Mr. Tumnus
Ailsa Berk Aslan (puppet) Aslan (puppet)
Dragon
William Todd-Jones Aslan (puppet) Aslan (puppet)
Glenstorm
Aslan (puppet)
Centaur
Ronald Pickup Aslan (voice)
Big Mick Little Man Trumpkin
Barbara Kellerman White Witch Old Hag Green Lady
Martin Stone Maugrim Wolfman
Kerry Shale Mr Beaver
Lesley Nicol Mrs. BeaverGiant Queen
Jean Marc Perret Prince Caspian Young Caspian
Henry Woolf Dr. CorneliusDr. Cornelius
Michael Aldridge Professor Digory Kirke
Maureen MorrisMrs Macready
Bert Parnaby Father Christmas
Jill GoldstonYoung Squirrel
Hamish KerrFox
Ken Kitson Giant Rumblebuffin
Warwick Davis Reepicheep Glimfeather
Reepicheep
Jack PurvisDufflepudGolg
Samuel West King Caspian
John Hallam Captain Drinian
Geoffrey Russell King Caspian
Richard Henders Prince Rilian
Roy BoydLord Drinian
Tom Baker Puddleglum

Awards

The series were nominated for a total of 16 awards, including a nomination for an Emmy in the category of "Outstanding Children's Program". [1] The series won the BAFTA Award for "Best Video Lighting" (1988 [2] ), and was nominated for "Best Children's Programme (Entertainment / Drama)" (1988, [3] 1989, [4] 1990 [5] ), "Best Video Lighting" (1989, [6] 1990 [7] ), "Best Make Up" (1988, [8] 1989, [9] 1990 [10] ), "Best Costume Design" (1988, [11] 1989 [12] ), "Best Design" (1989, [13] 1990 [14] ), and "Best Video Cameraman" (1989, [15] 1990 [16] ).

Home video releases

The series has been released in various formats:

In Australia the first DVD release was 1 October 2005 [17] as the 'Collector's Edition' Box Set which was a fold out package with 4 discs. Features Behind the scenes, Narnia trivia and more. There have been several later issues.

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>The Chronicles of Narnia</i> Series of childrens fantasy novels by C. S. Lewis

The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven portal fantasy novels by British author C. S. Lewis. Illustrated by Pauline Baynes and originally published between 1950 and 1956, The Chronicles of Narnia has been adapted for radio, television, the stage, film, and video games. The series is set in the fictional realm of Narnia, a fantasy world of magic, mythical beasts and talking animals. It narrates the adventures of various children who play central roles in the unfolding history of the Narnian world. Except in The Horse and His Boy, the protagonists are all children from the real world who are magically transported to Narnia, where they are sometimes called upon by the lion Aslan to protect Narnia from evil. The books span the entire history of Narnia, from its creation in The Magician's Nephew to its eventual destruction in The Last Battle.

<i>The Silver Chair</i> 1953 childrens fantasy novel by C. S. Lewis

The Silver Chair is a children's portal fantasy novel by C. S. Lewis, published by Geoffrey Bles in 1953. It was the fourth published of seven novels in The Chronicles of Narnia (1950–1956); it is volume six in recent editions, which are sequenced according to Narnian history. Like the others, it was illustrated by Pauline Baynes and her work has been retained in many later editions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Witch</span> Fictional sorceress

Jadis is a fictional character and the main antagonist of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (1950) and The Magician's Nephew (1955) in C. S. Lewis's series, The Chronicles of Narnia. She is commonly referred to as the White Witch in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, as she is the Witch who froze Narnia in the Hundred Years Winter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lucy Pevensie</span> Fictional character in The Chronicles of Narnia

Lucy Pevensie is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia series. She is the youngest of the four Pevensie children, and the first to find the Wardrobe entrance to Narnia in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Of all the Pevensie children, Lucy is the closest to Aslan. Also, of all the humans who have visited Narnia, Lucy is perhaps the one that believes in Narnia the most. She is ultimately crowned Queen Lucy the Valiant, co-ruler of Narnia along with her two brothers and her sister. Lucy is the central character of the four siblings in the novels. Lucy is a principal character in three of the seven books, and a minor character in two others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Pevensie</span> Fictional character in the Narnia universe.

Peter Pevensie is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia book series. Peter appears in three of the seven books; as a child and a principal character in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and Prince Caspian, and as an adult in The Last Battle. He is only mentioned in The Horse and His Boy in which he is away on the northern frontier fighting giants and in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in which he is studying under the tutelage of Professor Kirke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edmund Pevensie</span> Fictional character in the Narnia universe.

Edmund Pevensie is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia series. He is a principal character in three of the seven books, and a lesser character in two others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eustace Scrubb</span> Fictional character in the Narnia universe.

Eustace Clarence Scrubb is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia. He appears in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, and The Last Battle. In The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, he is accompanied by Edmund and Lucy Pevensie, his cousins. In The Silver Chair and The Last Battle, he is accompanied by Jill Pole, a classmate from his school.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jill Pole</span> Fictional character in The Chronicles of Narnia

Jill Pole is a major character from C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia series. She appears in The Silver Chair and The Last Battle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prince Caspian (character)</span> Fictional character in The Chronicles of Narnia

Prince Caspian is a fictional character in The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. He is featured in three books in the series: Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and The Silver Chair. He also appears at the end of The Last Battle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lady of the Green Kirtle</span> Fictional witch or sorceress, antagonist of The Silver Chair (Narnia, book 4)

The Lady of the Green Kirtle, also called Queen of Underland and Queen of the Deep Realm, is the main antagonist in The Silver Chair by C. S. Lewis. She is sometimes called briefly the Green Lady, and she is known also as the Emerald Witch; neither name, however, appears in Lewis's text. She enslaved Prince Rilian of Narnia and a horde of gnomes by her witchcraft, and planned to use them to take over Narnia. She is foiled by three friends of Aslan: Eustace Scrubb, Jill Pole, and Puddleglum, and is finally killed by Rilian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rilian</span> Fictional character in The Chronicles of Narnia

In C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia fictional series, Rilian (2325-?) is the son of King Caspian and the grandson of Ramandu the star. Rilian appears in two of the seven books, The Silver Chair and briefly in The Last Battle.

The Chronicles of Narnia is a fantasy film series and media franchise based on The Chronicles of Narnia, a series of novels by C. S. Lewis. The series revolves around the adventures of children in the world of Narnia, guided by Aslan, a wise and powerful lion that can speak and is the true king of Narnia. The children heavily featured in the films are the Pevensie siblings, and a prominent antagonist is the White Witch. The franchise also includes short films, digital series, and video games.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Trumpkin</span> Fictional character in The Chronicles of Narnia

Trumpkin is a fictional character in C. S. Lewis' fantasy novel series The Chronicles of Narnia. Trumpkin is an intensely practical and skeptical dwarf who lives during the reigns of King Miraz and King Caspian X. He is a major character in Prince Caspian, briefly mentioned in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, and is a minor character in The Silver Chair.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aslan</span> Fictional lion, a deity in The Chronicles of Narnia

Aslan is a major character in C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia series. Unlike any other character in the Narnian series, Aslan appears in all seven chronicles. Aslan is depicted as a talking lion and is described as the King of Beasts, the son of the Emperor-Over-the-Sea, and the King above all High Kings in Narnia.

<i>The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader</i> 2010 film by Michael Apted

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is a 2010 high fantasy adventure film directed by Michael Apted from a screenplay by Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely, and Michael Petroni, based on the 1952 novel The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, the third published and fifth chronological novel in the children's book series The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. The sequel to The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008), it is the third and final installment in The Chronicles of Narnia film series. It is the only film in the series not to be distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, which was replaced by 20th Century Fox. However, Disney would eventually own the rights to all the films in the series following the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney in 2019.

Prince Caspian and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is the second series of The Chronicles of Narnia that ran from 1988 to 1990. The series, which was shown on BBC television in 1989, is an adaptation of two of C. S. Lewis's The Chronicles of Narnia novels: Prince Caspian (1951) and The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952).

The Chronicles of Narnia is a series of seven fantasy novels for children written by C. S. Lewis. It is considered a classic of children's literature and is the author's best-known work, having sold over 100 million copies in 47 languages. Written by Lewis between 1949 and 1954, illustrated by Pauline Baynes and published in London between October 1950 and March 1956, The Chronicles of Narnia has been adapted several times, complete or in part, for television, radio, the stage, film, in audio books, and as video games.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Narnia:

Magical creatures are an important aspect of the fictional world of Narnia contained within The Chronicles of Narnia book series and connected media originally created by C. S. Lewis. Throughout the seven books of the series, the protagonists encounter a variety of these creatures as they travel throughout Narnia and the surrounding lands and seas, including Archenland, Calormen, and the Great Eastern Ocean.

References

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  2. "BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  3. "1989 Television Children's Programme – Entertainment/Drama | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  4. "BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  5. "BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  6. "1990 Television Craft Video Lighting | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  7. "1991 Television Craft Video Lighting | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  8. "BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  9. "1990 Television Craft Make-up | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  10. "1991 Television Craft Make-up | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  11. "BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  12. "1990 Television Craft Costume Design | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  13. "1990 Television Craft Design | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  14. "1991 Television Craft Design | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  15. "1990 Television Craft Video Cameraman | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  16. "1991 Television Craft Video Cameraman | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
  17. "Chronicles of Narnia | Boxset, The". Sanity. Retrieved 5 September 2019.