Television series to show the Famous Five in middle age

[Ming]

For some reason this thread brings to mind Liz's fanfic Five Grow Very Old Together.

[Susie]

I am not keen on the idea at all. I say leave children as children. I think it will get out of hand, and in order to make it sell "rude words/ scenes," will have to be put in, otherwise who will watch it these days?

Lucky Star put in his post above a rude bit, if this is the way the movie will go, I for one will not watch it, as I do not view the Famous Five characters in this way. Whatever happens will be a come a down from the original. It will spoil it for everyone. Many children will want to watch it as they think this is the Famous Five, but really it's nothing like it at all. who really cares how they grow up? It's how are they were when they were children that matters. It's sacrilege!

Jo from the Chalet school, was also a tomb boy, she married and became a very good mother. She did adventurous things with her children.

J. M Barrie, had the children growing up, but then their children went with Peter Pan, it was the same story repeated over really. It did not go in to the line of grown ups.

[Viking Star]

For some reason this thread brings to mind Liz's fanfic Five Grow Very Old Together.

I think the reason is quite obvious Ming!

The fanfic was very good though. It's the best piece of writing in the style of Enid that I've read (in my humble opinion, that is).

[Susie]

I think Liz's is amazing, her writing is brill, as you can picture it as you go along, just like Enid's. I like the fact that Five are together again, on their own without their spouses. Just like it old times.

All though I am still not for the idea of Five at middle-age.
If they are going to use anything, they should use her writings and no one else's, regardless of the fact that it's set when they are 70. It could be done! It would probably be a bigger hit, as it is in the same vein.

[Tony Summerfield]

It's the best piece of writing in the style of Enid that I've read (in my humble opinion, that is).

Are you not reading our weekly serial?

[Kate Mary]

Just for the record, there was a full-page article in today's Daily Express about Enid Blyton entitled "Dark secrets of Blyton's jolly japes: ... we reveal the traumas that fuelled the author's idyllic children's world". It gave a passing mention to the possible forthcoming Five Grown-Up crime series but mostly it was the usual quotes taken from "A childhood at Green Hedges". If you don't read the Express you haven't missed much except for a lovely picture of Enid that I haven't seen before, sitting with her typewriter on her knee, head on hand, gazing into the distance. It made up for all the journalistic piffle.

[Viking Star]

I had the writers of serials in mind when I posted my last message. However I wanted the post to be positive, so I only referred to Lizfarau's work. That's also why I intentionally added "in my humble opinion".

The writers of continuation novels have done some great work and are to be congratulated. One could ask whether Lizfarau could maintain the quality of her Blyton-style writing over a full-length book. But at the moment I don't have any reason to doubt that she could.

Come on Lizfarau, write us a whole book!

[Petermax]

I'd like to see Marcus Harris (Julian), Gary Russell (Dick) and Jennifer
Thanisch (Anne) playing the characters again.

This may have been a good idea if circumstances been different, but using the surviving actors from the 1970s series would be like having a post 1980 Beatles reunion, it would just not be quite the same.

[lizarfau]

The fanfic was very good though. It's the best piece of writing in the style of Enid that I've read (in my humble opinion, that is).

Why, thank you, Viking Star!

I really enjoyed writing Five Grow Very Old Together and it's actually the only piece of fanfic I've ever completed. I had a go at a couple more, but couldn't get into them. I think writing about the Five as elderly people worked for me because at that age it's possible to leave out the complications of spouses - partners have often died by the time people reach their 70s. And retirement homes inflict the kind of restrictions that are usually more associated with children than adults - in real life you couldn't have a pet in a retirement home, so having George hiding him away the way she had hidden the original Timmy in the past seemed very natural.

Once or twice I've thought about trying to write a play of Five Grow Very Old Together, but I don't think Chorion would ever allow it to be staged.

Overall, though, I much prefer writing stories featuring original characters to writing fanfic, and that's what I'm concentrating on these days. I really admire those who write good fanfic, though - it's an art form all of its own, I think.

[Bannerman65]

I agree with many forum members, about the cartoon series. If it's going to be as bad as I've been reading, maybe it shouldn't go ahead.

Now, this other series I'm reading about. That DOES look promising. How though, can the series be done properly?

[Philip Mannering]

What become of this idea after all? Does anyone know? It's been more than a year since it was first reported.

[Dick Kirrin]

I'd like to see them as grown-up detectives, too. Did Jo and Dick get married? What happened to George? Is Anne still playing the housewife? Which career did Julian take - Successful businessman, police officer or even the Army?
All these are things I'd like to know. FF in their Midlife Crisis may be a bit different from the five we know, but if the script is careful not to end up as a parody or to get pathetic, I don't see why it shouldn't work out famously.