The Intruder (TV series)

Last updated

The Intruder
Starring James Bate
Milton Johns
Sheila Ruskin
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes8
Production
Producer Granada Television
Running time25 minutes per episode
Original release
Network ITV
Release2 January (1972-01-02) 
20 February 1972 (1972-02-20)

The Intruder is a British drama series made by Granada Television for the ITV network and was broadcast on Sundays from 2 January to 20 February 1972. There were eight episodes made, all of them running 25 minutes.

Contents

The series was based on the children's book of this same name by John Rowe Townsend, published in 1970. [1] The novel was well received, and won numerous awards, it was adapted for television in 1971, [2] before being shown on television the following year. The series was shot on location, predominantly in the Cumbrian village of Ravenglass with some scenes filmed in Manchester and Anglesey. [3]

Plot

The life of Arnold Haithwaite (James Bate) a sixteen-year-old English boy begins to change when an overbearing and sinister one-eyed stranger called Sonny (Milton Johns) arrives in the small seaside village of Skirlston, claiming to be the real Arnold Haithwaite.

Episodes

This episode guide features information which appears on the ITN Source website (http://www.itnsource.com/)

Episode One: The Stranger (broadcast: 2 Jan 1972)

Synopsis: Young Arnold Haithwaite's happy and uneventful life is turned around by a stranger called Sonny, claiming that he is the real Arnold Haithwaite. Arnold also meets two newcomers to his sleepy village, a 17-year-old girl and her younger brother Peter. [4]

Episode Two: Jane [5] (broadcast: 9 Jan 1972)

Episode Three: Norma (broadcast: 16 Jan 1972)

Episode Four: Miss Binns (broadcast: 23 Jan 1972)

Episode Five: Peter (broadcast: 30 Jan 1972)

Note: The character of Peter was played by musician, songwriter, composer, producer and actor Simon Fisher Turner. [6]

Episode Six: Jane Again [7] (broadcast: 6 Feb 1972)

Episode Seven: Mavis (broadcast: 13 Feb 1972)

Synopsis: Arnold discovers the secret of his identity, whilst the villainous Sonny finds the opposition getting tougher. [8]

Note: This episode features an early television appearance from Lynne Perrie, who plays Mavis.

Episode Eight: Me (broadcast: 20 Feb 1972)

Acclaim

When first broadcast, The Intruder won the top award as Britain's best TV show for children, and was repeated on Malaysia television in 1980. [9] In 1973, Peter Plummer, who worked as a writer on the show won a BAFTA TV award for his contribution to the series. [10] Speaking about the first episode in 2011 which had been released on DVD, Les Anderson wrote online: "Shot entirely on location on film this is not only atmospheric but also really creepy and unsettling. I look forward to seeing more." [11]

Commercial release

In 2010 Network included the first episode The Stranger as part of their DVD compilation Look-Back on 70s Telly - Issue 3. [12] They then released the complete series on Blu-ray in October 2022. [13]

Related Research Articles

<i>The Brady Bunch</i> American sitcom

The Brady Bunch is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz that aired from September 26, 1969, to March 8, 1974, on ABC. The series revolves around a large blended family of six children, with three boys and three girls. After its cancellation in 1974, the series debuted in syndication in September 1975. Though it was never a ratings hit or a critical success during its original run, the program has since become a popular syndicated staple, especially among children and teenage viewers.

<i>Skippy the Bush Kangaroo</i> Australian television series

Skippy the Bush Kangaroo is an Australian television series created by Australian actor John McCallum, Lionel (Bob) Austin and Lee Robinson produced from 1967 to 1969 about the adventures of a young boy and his highly intelligent pet kangaroo, and the various visitors to the fictional Waratah National Park, filmed in today's Waratah Park and adjoining portions of Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park near Sydney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Telly Savalas</span> American actor (1922–1994)

Aristotelis "Telly" Savalas was an American actor. Noted for his bald head and deep, resonant voice, he is perhaps best known for portraying Lt. Theo Kojak on the crime drama series Kojak (1973–1978) and James Bond archvillain Ernst Stavro Blofeld in the film On Her Majesty's Secret Service (1969).

<i>Bewitched</i> American television series (1964–1972)

Bewitched is an American fantasy sitcom television series that originally aired for eight seasons on ABC from September 17, 1964, to March 25, 1972. It is about a witch who marries an ordinary mortal man and vows to lead the life of a typical suburban housewife. The show was popular, finishing as the second-rated show in America during its debut season, staying in the top ten for its first three seasons, and ranking in eleventh place for both seasons four and five. The show continues to be seen throughout the world in syndication and on recorded media.

<i>The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour</i> American variety show

The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour is an American variety show that starred American pop singers Sonny Bono and Cher, who were married to each other at the time. The show ran on CBS in the United States, and premiered in August 1971. The show was cancelled in May 1974, due to the couple's divorce, but the duo reunited in 1976 for the similarly formatted The Sonny & Cher Show, which ran for two seasons, ending August 29, 1977.

<i>Its a Living</i> American television sitcom (1980–1982, 1985–1989)

It's a Living is an American ensemble sitcom television series set in a restaurant at the top of the Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles. The show aired on ABC from October 30, 1980 until June 11, 1982. After the series was canceled by ABC, new episodes aired in first-run syndication from September 28, 1985 to April 8, 1989. The series was created by Stu Silver, Dick Clair and Jenna McMahon and produced by Witt/Thomas Productions, later in association with Golden West Television (1985–86) and Lorimar-Telepictures (1986–89). The series is now distributed by Paul Brownstein Productions and Warner Bros. Television Distribution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zalman King</span> American director, writer, producer, actor (1941–2012)

Zalman King was an American film director, writer, actor and producer. His films are known for incorporating sexuality, and are often categorized as erotica.

Days Like These is a British TV remake of the American sitcom That '70s Show. Directed by Bob Spiers, it was broadcast Fridays at 8.30 pm on ITV in 1999 and used many of the same names, or slight alterations. It was set in the real-life town of Luton, England, in the 1970s. It was cancelled after six episodes and only 10 of the 13 produced episodes were aired, although the entire series was eventually aired in a very late night weeknight slot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edwin Richfield</span> English actor (1921–1990)

Edwin Richfield was an English actor.

Kraft Music Hall is an umbrella title for several television series aired by NBC in the United States from the 1950s to the 1970s in the musical variety genre, sponsored by Kraft Foods, the producers of a well-known line of cheeses and related dairy products. Their commercials were usually announced by "The Voice of Kraft", Ed Herlihy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shabir Ahluwalia</span> Indian actor and host

Shabir Ahluwalia is an Indian actor and host who works in Hindi television and films. He is best known for portraying Abhishek Prem Mehra in Zee TV's romantic drama series Kumkum Bhagya. He won the third season of Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi and hosted Nach Baliye, Guinness World Records – Ab India Todega and Dancing Queen.

<i>The Intruder</i> (Townsend novel) 1969 childrens novel by John Rowe Townsend

The Intruder is a 1969 children's novel by John Rowe Townsend. It was well-received, being shortlisted for the Carnegie Medal and winning the Horn Book Award in 1970 and the Edgar Award in 1971. The book was adapted for television in 1971.

<i>A Bunch of Fives</i> British childrens TV series (1977–1978)

A Bunch of Fives is an English children's television show from ATV, broadcast for two series of seven episodes each in 1977 and 1978 on ITV. A precursor of Grange Hill, it starred Andrew Rinous, Lesley Manville and Jamie Foreman as fifth formers who start a school newspaper. The show spawned one paperback tie-in.

Ethan Jordan Bortnick is an American pianist, singer, songwriter, record producer, musician and actor. He has been featured on The Tonight Show, Oprah Winfrey Network, Good Morning America, Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, and his award-winning concert specials on PBS. Ethan has had over 4 national television concert specials. On October 3, 2010, Bortnick was listed in the Guinness World Records for "The World's Youngest Solo Musician to Headline His Own Concert Tour".

<i>Family Guy</i> season 3 Season of television series

The third season of Family Guy first aired on the Fox network in 22 episodes from July 11, 2001, to November 9, 2003, before being released as a DVD box set and in syndication. It premiered with the episode "The Thin White Line" and finished with "Family Guy Viewer Mail #1". An episode that was not part of the season's original broadcast run, "When You Wish Upon a Weinstein", was included in the DVD release and later shown on both Adult Swim and Fox. The third season of Family Guy continues the adventures of the dysfunctional Griffin family—father Peter, mother Lois, daughter Meg, son Chris, baby Stewie and Brian, the family dog, who reside in their hometown of Quahog.

The Witness is an American television show broadcast on the CBS network in the United States within the 1960–61 television season, in which a fictional "Committee" of lawyers cross-examined actors portraying actual people from the recent past of the United States who had been considered criminal or suspicious.

<i>The Flaxton Boys</i> British childrens TV series (1969–1973)

The Flaxton Boys is a British historical children's television series set in the West Riding of Yorkshire and covering a timespan of almost a century. The series was made by Yorkshire Television and was broadcast on ITV between 1969 and 1973, running for 4 series and 52 episodes, each of 30 minutes duration.

<i>Friends</i> season 9 Season of television series

The ninth season of the American television sitcom Friends aired on NBC from September 26, 2002 to May 15, 2003.

<i>The Intruders</i> (1969 film) 1969 Australian film

The Intruders is a 1969 Australian film directed by Lee Robinson. It is a spin-off of the popular Skippy the Bush Kangaroo TV series.

Eurocops is a European television crime TV-series produced between 1988 and 1992. It is a co-production between seven European TV stations in which each station produced a number of episodes which were then pooled, dubbed and otherwise adapted when needed and broadcast by all participating stations, a format used earlier in the German crime series Tatort. The participating networks were ZDF from Germany, ORF from Austria, SRG from Switzerland, RAI from Italy, Televisión Española from Spain, Antenne 2 from France and Channel 4 from the United Kingdom.

References

  1. Townsend, J.R. (2001). The Intruder. Oxford University Press. ISBN   9780192750563 . Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  2. "Error - debate.org/reference". debate.org. Retrieved 8 July 2015.[ dead link ]
  3. Pixley, Andrew (2022) The Intruder - booklet included with the blu-ray release of the series by Network
  4. "THE INTRUDER (THE STRANGER)". itnsource.com. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  5. "The Intruder (TV Series 1972) - IMDb". IMDb .
  6. http://acme.highpoint.edu/~whood/sftacting.html>
  7. "The Intruder (TV Series 1972) - IMDb". IMDb .
  8. "THE INTRUDER (MAVIS)". itnsource.com. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  9. "New Straits Times - Google News Archive Search" . Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  10. "The Intruder - Awards - IMDb". imdb.com. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  11. Les Anderson, The Digital Fix. "Film @ The Digital Fix - Look-Back on '70s Telly - Issue 3". film.thedigitalfix.com. Retrieved 8 July 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  12. http://networkonair.com/shop/1264-look-back-on-70s-telly-issue-3.html Archived 2013-11-09 at the Wayback Machine >
  13. "Network ON AIR > Intruder". networkonair.com. Archived from the original on 14 April 2015. Retrieved 8 July 2015.