The Famous Five (1978 TV series)

Last updated

The Famous Five
Famousfive1978.jpg
Genre Adventure, Children's
Written by Enid Blyton
StarringMichele Gallagher, Marcus Harris, Gary Russell, Jennifer Thanisch
Theme music composerRob Andrews, Les Spurr
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series2
No. of episodes26
Production
Producers Don Leaver, Sidney Hayers
Camera setup Multi-camera
Running time25 minutes
Production companies Southern Television
Portman Productions
Original release
Network ITV
Release3 July 1978 (1978-07-03) –
8 August 1979 (1979-08-08)
Related

The Famous Five is a British television series based on the children's books of the same name by Enid Blyton. It was broadcast on ITV over two series in 1978 and 1979. It was produced by Southern Television in 26 half-hour episodes.

Contents

Cast

Production

Production for the series began in 1977, with filming commencing during the summer of that year. The series was produced by Southern Television in a co-production with a German company. The episodes were recorded on location and on film (rather than the more usual video tape), making it the most expensive children's television series ever produced at that point. [1] Each story was adapted from one of the original novels and featured the same main characters; George, Julian, Dick, Anne and Timmy the dog.

The first series was produced by Don Leaver, while the second was produced by Sidney Hayers. The executive producer was James Gatward. The stories were adapted for television by a number of writers and directors and starred many notable actors in guest appearances including Patrick Troughton, Cyril Luckham, Brenda Cowling, Geoffrey Bayldon, Brian Glover, Ronald Fraser and an early appearance by Rupert Graves. [2]

The television scripts were amended slightly from the books to give them a contemporary, 1970s setting, and the actors wearing contemporary fashions, such as jeans, polo shirts and Speedos, instead of 1950s style clothing as described in the books. Of the original 21 novels, three were never adapted; Five on a Treasure Island and Five Have a Mystery to Solve because the Children's Film Foundation still had the film and TV rights to the books, while Five Have Plenty of Fun didn't fit in the production schedule. [3] Due to the success of the series, Southern Television were keen to make another season of episodes, but the Enid Blyton estate forbade them to create original stories. [4] One criticism of the series was that many of the episodes featured scenes set at night-time which were badly lit to the point that it was difficult to see what was happening. These scenes were actually shot in daylight, but a heavy filter was placed over the camera to give the impression of darkness. [5] The series was filmed mostly on location in the New Forest and partly in Christchurch, with many of the indoor scenes filmed in Exbury House, where the house doubled as many different dwellings. [5] [6]

The title song was the only original composition by Rob Andrews (music) and Les Spurr (lyrics). The incidental music was mainly taken from library music and from Drama Montage vol 1 & 2 by Brian Bennett.

Broadcast

The Famous Five was first broadcast on ITV on Monday 3 July 1978 at 4:45 pm. This was a year after it had been filmed and during production of the second series. The first episode was Five Go to Kirren Island (an incorrect spelling of Kirrin), although it was not the first episode filmed (Five Go to Mystery Moor). [5] The first series proved popular and, to capitalise on its success, the first six episodes of the second series (which had been filmed in the summer of 1978) were broadcast on Sundays in November and December. The remaining seven episodes of the second series were broadcast on Wednesdays from June to August 1979 (again, a year after production). The Famous Five was sold to many overseas countries such as Ireland (where it was repeated in 1981, 1983 and 1985), Canada and Australia and was dubbed into many languages for the European market such as German (the series having been part-financed by a German company), French, Italian and Spanish.

The series made its Australian debut on ABC television on Tuesday 22 May 1979 at 5:30 pm, with the remainder of the first series screened on weekday evenings from that date. Thus the entire first series had been screened by early June. The second series premiered in Australia, again on ABC, on Tuesday 4 March 1980 at 5:00 pm, as part of an afternoon line-up of children's programming, with new episodes following weekly. Episodes from both series were regularly repeated in similar afternoon time-slots on the ABC in the early-to-mid-1980s, before moving to a morning time-slot. The series was still being repeated as late as 1989.

The series spawned many merchandise items such as jigsaws and annuals, while Look-in magazine ran a picture-strip story each week for nearly two years. [4] The theme music (contrary to popular belief, not sung by the cast but by the Corona Stage Academy choir) was released as a single in 1978, but failed to chart.

The scriptwriters who adapted Enid Blyton's books for the first series (of thirteen episodes) were Richard Sparks, Gail Renard, Richard Carpenter and Gloria Tors.

Episodes

Series One

Series Two

Aftermath

Despite Southern Television's wishes to continue the series, no further episodes were made due to the Blyton estate's veto on the writing of new stories, although a new set of novels were published in France in 1981. These have been widely dismissed by fans of the original books, however. The four starring actors met up again in 1980 for a newspaper story on their progressing careers. By this time, only Gary Russell was continuing an acting career and he, too, soon gave it up. This was the last time the four met up although Russell, Harris and Thanisch have met a number of times since for interviews.

In 1996 the books were revived again for another British television adaptation by Harlech Television (HTV) and Tyne Tees Television. This time, unlike the 1970s series, it was set in the 1950s. [12] More recently, an animated version was made by the French company Marathon, which featured the children of the Famous Five. [13]

For many years, the series was not released on DVD due to confusion over the ownership of rights to the television episodes, as well as complexities with the Enid Blyton estate. [14] However, in October 2010, distributor Koch Media remastered the whole series and released it in Germany on Region 2 in a seven-disc DVD set (and on three Blu-ray Discs, respectively) with extensive bonus material including an interview with original cast members and their German counterparts who provided the voices for the German dubbed version. [15] France followed in November 2011 with two 3-DVD sets (but only with the French dubbed version and no bonus material), whilst the complete series was finally released on DVD in the UK in June 2012 by Koch Media. A new 45-minute interview (recorded earlier in 2012) with the original cast is featured on one of the Series 1 DVDs.

The series saw a previous DVD release in Australia in 2005 by Reel Corporation, when the company released this version with images from the 1995–1997 version (the "Five on a Treasure Island" episode from that version was also included). [16] The set was soon corrected (as a "revised edition") with images from the 1978 series, [17] and reissued again in 2011.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enid Blyton</span> English childrens writer (1897–1968)

Enid Mary Blyton was an English children's writer, whose books have been worldwide bestsellers since the 1930s, selling more than 600 million copies. Her books are still enormously popular and have been translated into ninety languages. As of June 2019, Blyton held 4th place for the most translated author. She wrote on a wide range of topics, including education, natural history, fantasy, mystery, and biblical narratives. She is best remembered today for her Noddy, Famous Five, Secret Seven, the Five Find-Outers, and Malory Towers books, although she also wrote many others, including; St. Clare's, The Naughtiest Girl, and The Faraway Tree series.

<i>The Famous Five</i> Series of childrens novels by Enid Blyton

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.

<i>Man from Atlantis</i> American science fiction television series

Man from Atlantis is an American science fiction/fantasy television series that ran for 13 episodes on the NBC network during the 1977–78 season, following four television films that had aired earlier in 1977. Ratings success by these movies led to the commissioning of a weekly series for the 1977–78 season, but it was canceled at the end of the first season due to a declining audience and high production costs.

Jennifer Thanisch is an English former child actress, most active during the 1970s.

<i>Five Go Mad in Dorset</i> 1982 episode of The Comic Strip

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.

<i>Five Go Adventuring Again</i> 1943 childrens novel by Enid Blyton

Five Go Adventuring Again is the second book in the Famous Five series by the British author, Enid Blyton.

<i>Five Run Away Together</i> 1944 childrens novel by Enid Blyton

Five Run Away Together is the third book in the Famous Five series by the British author Enid Blyton.

<i>Five Are Together Again</i> 1963 childrens novel by Enid Blyton

Five Are Together Again is a children's novel in The Famous Five series by Enid Blyton. It was first published by Hodder and Stoughton and in its first edition illustrated by Eileen Soper.

<i>Famous 5: On the Case</i> British TV series or program

Famous 5: On The Case is an animated television series which was broadcast in the United Kingdom, on the Disney Channel, France 3 in France, and in the United States. It is a British and French television co-production, loosely based on The Famous Five series of books created by Enid Blyton. At least some of the episodes have been developed for television by Douglas Tuber and Tim Maile, the writers of the former Disney Channel series Lizzie McGuire. On 21 June 2008, the show premiered in Italy and Australia on Disney Channel.

<i>Five Have a Wonderful Time</i> 1952 childrens novel by Enid Blyton

Five Have A Wonderful Time is a popular children's book written by Enid Blyton. It is the eleventh novel in the Famous Five series of books.

<i>Five on Kirrin Island Again</i> 1947 childrens novel by Enid Blyton

Five On Kirrin Island Again is the sixth novel in the Famous Five series by Enid Blyton. It was first published in October 1947.

<i>Five Go Off to Camp</i> 1948 childrens novel by Enid Blyton

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.

<i>Five Get into Trouble</i> 1949 childrens novel by Enid Blyton

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.

<i>Five Have Plenty of Fun</i> 1955 childrens novel by Enid Blyton

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.

<i>Five Go to Demons Rocks</i> 1961 childrens novel by Enid Blyton

Five Go to Demon's Rocks is the nineteenth novel in The Famous Five series by Enid Blyton. It was first published in 1961.

<i>Five Go Down to the Sea</i> 1953 childrens novel by Enid Blyton

Five Go Down To The Sea is the twelfth novel in The Famous Five series by Enid Blyton. It was first published in 1953.

The Famous Five is a British television series based on the children's book series of the same name by Enid Blyton. It was first broadcast on Tyne Tees and Harlech Television (HTV) from 10 September 1995 onwards, and on CITV from 1 July 1996 onwards; there were two series between 1995 and 1997, produced by Zenith North and Tyne Tees in 26 twenty-five-minute episodes.

<i>Famous Five</i> (film) 2012 German childrens film directed by Mike Marzuk

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.

<i>Five on a Treasure Island</i> (film) 1957 British film

Five on a Treasure Island is an 8-part 1957 British film serial made by the Children's Film Foundation, based on the novel of the same name by Enid Blyton. The author herself helped cast the film. It was filmed in Dorset, UK, at Corfe Castle, in Corfe Castle Village, the Jurassic Coast, Lulworth Cove and Stair Hole near Lulworth Cove which served as the Kirrin Island landing spot for the rowing boat in the film. The antique store from the beginning of the film was filmed at Oliver's in 5 West Street, Corfe Castle Village, Dorset, UK.

The Famous Five is a British television series, an adaptation of the Enid Blyton series of books of the same name for the BBC and ZDF by Nicolas Winding Refn.

References

  1. ↑ "Famous Five Reunited - Sunshine Hospital Radio, Weston Super Mare". Sunshinehospitalradio.co.uk. Retrieved 29 September 2011.
  2. ↑ "Folgenübersicht -". fuenffreundefanpage.at. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  3. ↑ "Gary Russell's ('Dick') memories about being Dick -". fuenffreundefanpage.at. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Enid Blyton's Famous Five". 150m.com. Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  5. 1 2 3 "Gary Russell's ('Dick') memories about being Dick -". arcor.de. Archived from the original on 15 February 2009. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  6. ↑ "South-Central Region - Film -TV Production History". south-central-media.co.uk. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  7. ↑ Waite, Debbie (8 June 2006). "Memories revived of Famous Five". The Oxford Times .
  8. ↑ "Councillor relives TV stardom". The Oxford Times . 3 September 2014. Archived from the original on 4 June 2017.
  9. ↑ Presseportal.de: "Famous Five II: SamFilm Making a Film of the Most Famous Friends in the World! Cinematic release: January 31, 2013.". Retrieved 23 November 2012.
  10. 1 2 Bild: Actor Marcus Harris: What is "Julien" of the "Famous Five" doing today?. 28 January 2012. Retrieved 30 October 2012
  11. ↑ The Enid Blyton Society: "Marcus Harris talks about The Famous Five". Retrieved 30 October 2012.
  12. ↑ "襄阳蘸低美容美发化妆学校". www.aggedor.com. Archived from the original on 6 January 2009.
  13. ↑ "Gosh! Famous Five get 21st century makeover". Reuters. 20 March 2008. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  14. ↑ "Besonderheiten der Serie von 1978 - Die Suche nach den TV- und Videorechten". fuenffreundefanpage.at. Retrieved 2 October 2015.
  15. ↑ e.g. Fünf Freunde 1978/79 TV-Serie kommt jetzt auf DVD und Blu-ray
  16. ↑ "The Search for the Rights of the 78' TV series -". www.fuenffreundefanpage.at.
  17. ↑ "Characteristics of the series of 1978". www.fuenffreundefanpage.at.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.