Famous Five 90s Series

[timv]

The shots of Kirrin island in the 1990s TV series seem to have been taken at a variety of sites, but 'Kirrin village ' itself with 'Kirrin Cottage' and adjacent locales were shot at Bossington in W Somerset, quite close to Dunster and a short distance from the mouth of the Horner Water stream/ river. Lower House at Bossington was 'Kirrin Cottage' and nearby Bossington Beach, where the Horner Water enters the Bristol Channel, was both 'Kirrin beach' and 'Kirrin Island beach', particularly in the first episode, Five On A Treasure Island.

The shots of George landing on Kirrin Island were done in two different locations; at the Eastern end of Bossington beach, by the headland (open beach shots with a high cliff), and some miles to the West at Widmouth Bay beach near Ilfracombe (shots of George rowing into a small cove with rocks to either side of the entrance, and George and Timmy on a beach with the two rocky headlands behind her ). The shots of a smallish cove on 'Kirrin Island' throughout the episodes seem to be of Widmouth beach; the shots of the children near or on rocks are ditto. But the distance shots of Kirrin Island with a castle on it (which seem a bit clumsy in modern days of CGI) are of Dunstanborough Castle' s gatehouse in Northumberland superimposed on an island, either an offshore 'stack' rock around Widmouth or in Northumberland - this reflects the use of both Somerset/ N Devon and of Northumberland for 1995 filming.

In some cases I can't work out which bits of the 1995 episodes are in which region, but most of the coastal scenes except Demon's Rocks ( St Mary's Island lighthouse, Whitley Bay, Northumberland and the harbour cottages at Newton-by-the-Sea, N) seem to be on the Bristol Channel coast in Somerset/ N Devon and were increasingly shot around Widmouth and Ilfracombe. The 'Whispering Island' featured in mystery To Solve is Broad Strand island at Berrynarbour beach , East of Ilfracombe; the coastal cliff shots of the Five with Jo in Fall Into Adventure are on the cliffs near the Valley of Rocks, outside Lynmouth. Parts of Mystery Moor also look as if they were shot around the Valley of Rocks. The one that I'm unsure about is the locale of Smugglers' Top, though the sand-dunes around the house seem to be those at Braunton Sands, near Barnstaple in N Devon unless there are any in Northumberland. The 'caves' scenes were shot at the Redcliffe Caves in Bristol close to the HTV studios.

[sayantani]

Thanks timv for the detailed information on locations. The 90s series is outstanding in its locale and period details. Keep watching and wishing they were longer in duration like the Castle of Adventure series

[FiveFanDownunder]

A huge thank you to everyone who has posted on this forum regarding the 90s FF series as I am a complete beginner with it. In reading here, it even seems that Tony visited at least once during filming to talk to the actors, gathering information that becomes more valuable as time marches on! I will come up to speed slowly. I don't think it was ever screened in Australia; even though I was a little older by then as far as the target audience is concerned, I no doubt would have noticed it.

Timv has passed on a few locations from the series that we are still trying to pin down and I am planning to spend a little time here and there having a look. I will post the locations related discoveries ( if I make any ) over on the locations forum. After a few successes with some 70s locations, hopefully I'm on a roll.

[Courtenay]

I don't think it was ever screened in Australia; even though I was a little older by then as far as the target audience is concerned, I no doubt would have noticed it.

Hi FFDU — it was definitely screened in Australia (where I grew up). I remember it being advertised, although I was also a bit older than the target audience and had "gone off" Blyton by then, so I didn't watch it, but I was interested to hear that it was set in the 1950s, unlike the earlier series that was on when I was really little. I don't know how big an impression it made in Oz in general, though — I don't think it was ever wildly popular. I just remember thinking the dog they used for Timmy looked far too small and skinny and weedy for the part!!

[FiveFanDownunder]

Hi FFDU — it was definitely screened in Australia (where I grew up).

I will defer to your memory in that case Courtenay! Goodness knows how I missed it, though at that time in my life I was throwing myself wholeheartedly into a new career which lasted me a good 20 years. Now that you mention it, I too remember being aware that the 90s series had gone for a period feel, but I always put that thought down to seeing material much later in the piece ... now I can’t be sure. Just can’t recall when it was that I discovered a later series had been made.

I am enjoying the contrast between the two series so far ... haven’t seen much yet. Quite like the music. I am only watching on YouTube, but it seems the whole thing might have been shot through a diffuser? Either that or my swanky 4K oled TV is throwing me off the scent.

From where in Oz do you hail if you don’t mind me asking?

[Courtenay]

From where in Oz do you hail if you don’t mind me asking?

Inverloch, on the Gippsland coast 150 km south-east of Melbourne. I mostly lived in Melbourne as an adult before moving to the UK 9 years ago, but Inverloch is where I grew up and my parents are still there, so that's my official hometown.

[FiveFanDownunder]

Inverloch, on the Gippsland coast 150 km south-east of Melbourne.

Just looked it up! My wife's uncle had a property for many years near the Coopracambra NP - this is in the East Gippsland region. It would sound nearby to your parents' place, but being Australia, you look at the map, and see that it's hundreds of kilometres apart!

[FiveFanDownunder]

In some cases I can't work out which bits of the 1995 episodes are in which region

Adds to the difficulty of solving the locations. I am working on a theory that the directors of episodes can be associated with either Tyne or HTV and this will at least improve on the 50/50 split! Some progress with 90s ST is being made. It looks like a single location manager was used for almost the entire series but I can't find a way to contact him. There are a few interviews on line. A production order would be nice but no sign of that yet.

I have probably jumped the gun and should have compiled my own notes on the 90s series before looking at a specific episode. Not enough hours. I'll catch up as I go along.

[Courtenay]

Just looked it up! My wife's uncle had a property for many years near the Coopracambra NP - this is in the East Gippsland region. It would sound nearby to your parents' place, but being Australia, you look at the map, and see that it's hundreds of kilometres apart!

Too right — I'm from West Gippsland. It's a very big region!!

[Nair Snehalatha]

Somehow tv shots of the Famous Five will be nowhere compared to the books.the entire charm of the story will have gone..Anyway, theres nothing like taking up an Enid Blyton book and being immersed in it,.whether its famous five, find outers or short story for that matter. Marvellous Enid Blyton
.

[Gary Russell]

Somehow tv shots of the Famous Five will be nowhere compared to the books.the entire charm of the story will have gone..Anyway, theres nothing like taking up an Enid Blyton book and being immersed in it,.whether its famous five, find outers or short story for that matter. Marvellous Enid Blyton.

This isn't the first time you've made a post along these lines. And obviously whilst I respect your right to have the opinion, it seems odd and counter-productive to keep posting in the part of the forum dedicated to, and *specifically* enjoyed by, people who DO like Enid Blyton adaptations on TV and film, that you don't approve of the concept of them being made. Not to say, a little bit rude.

It'd be like me posting in the Noddy* part of this forum just to say "I don't like Noddy, why do you keep talking about Noddy on a forum section decicated to appreciating Noddy".



* = I do actually like Noddy before all the Noddy fans string me up...

[Courtenay]

It'd be like me posting in the Noddy* part of this forum just to say "I don't like Noddy, why do you keep talking about Noddy on a forum section decicated to appreciating Noddy".

Isn't that just what Anita does all the time???

(for those who don't know, this is a long-running joke on the forums and I mean absolutely no offence to Anita or to anyone else, whatever their opinion of Noddy )

[Anita Bensoussane]

Although the Noddy stories aren't my favourite, I'm very happy that plenty of others appreciate them. Believe it or not, I once wrote a Journal article supporting the original stories as compared with the abridged editions that came out in the 1980s!

Regarding television and film versions of books, they're never going to replicate the images that a reader has formed in his/her imagination. Books conjure up such different visions for different individuals. However, TV and film adaptations can be enjoyed on their own terms and, if you've read the book beforehand, it's interesting to see how characters are portrayed, what locations are chosen, which aspects of a story are highlighted or altered, how pacing and tension are handled, etc. It's lovely that a book (or set of books) can inspire a myriad of creative responses and that some of these creations, such as the 1970s and 1990s Famous Five TV series, become loved in their own right.

[Debbie]

For me the most important thing in televising a book is that it is in keeping with the spirit of the book.
Both the 70s version, as a (then) current version, and the 90s version, set in the earlier era, keep the spirit of the books very well, which is why I like them both.
Both have aspects that aren't as I pictured, but because the spirit is right, I can go with those parts and lose myself when watching them

As comparison, the latest Swallows and Amazons version was a reasonable children's spy movie if you disconnect it from the books. However they veered so far from the spirit of the book, that I wouldn't want to watch it again. (My son hasn't forgiven them for using a 1950s seaplane in a story that was set in the 40s!)

I'd love to set up a film company that does children's stories with the aim of keeping to the spirit, and characters/plot of the book as much as possible. Yes, some things need to be changed for film, but not make unnecessary changes.

[Courtenay]

Believe it or not, I once wrote a Journal article supporting the original stories as compared with the abridged editions that came out in the 1980s!

She obviously wasn't feeling well at the time.

For me the most important thing in televising a book is that it is in keeping with the spirit of the book.
Both the 70s version, as a (then) current version, and the 90s version, set in the earlier era, keep the spirit of the books very well, which is why I like them both.
Both have aspects that aren't as I pictured, but because the spirit is right, I can go with those parts and lose myself when watching them

As comparison, the latest Swallows and Amazons version was a reasonable children's spy movie if you disconnect it from the books. However they veered so far from the spirit of the book, that I wouldn't want to watch it again. (My son hasn't forgiven them for using a 1950s seaplane in a story that was set in the 40s!)

I'd love to set up a film company that does children's stories with the aim of keeping to the spirit, and characters/plot of the book as much as possible. Yes, some things need to be changed for film, but not make unnecessary changes.

Well said, Debbie. I remember watching the trailer of the newer Swallows and Amazons film and thinking, for a minute or so, "Wow, this looks lovely!"... until it became clear they were introducing a spy plot that was totally unconnected with anything in the book. The new version went straight on my DO NOT TOUCH WITH A BARGEPOLE list and remains there to this day. (My family are Arthur Ransome fans, especially Mum, and we all love the older film version.)

I've never watched either of the two TV versions of the Famous Five extensively, but I do remember the '70s version from when I was really little and how much fun it all was, although I was too young to understand the plots. And from the little I have seen of both as an adult, they're very much in keeping with the books overall, even when they change bits here and there. I would still put the books first and foremost as the "real" Famous Five, but I'm glad there have been two adaptations that are deservedly well-liked and that have probably helped to introduce a lot of new young readers to these characters and the original books and other works by the same author!

Talking of adaptations (a bit off topic now), I'm also a member of the NarniaWeb discussion forums, and there's a lot of buzz at the moment about the fact that Netflix acquired the rights to all 7 Narnia books (my favourite children's books of all) a couple of years ago — and, although nothing official has been announced since then, there have been hints dropped that there's a complete series and maybe even spin-offs in the pipeline. As you can imagine, we fans are having some lively discussions about what we do and don't want to see, what the previous film and TV versions got right or wrong, and how a new adaptation could do justice to the original stories, if at all!