The Enid Blyton Society

A topical thread, with a range of interesting facts, valid issues, insightful viewpoints, and enlightening links -

Timmy-the-dog wrote:

… I just wonder what response there would be today to a 100% accurate famous Five TV series? - original storylines, accurate charaterisations and set firmly in period - The BBC are still known world-wide for their excellent period drama adaptions so there is no doubt they coul;d come up with the goods … I'm sure I would love it

Julie2owlsdene added:

I would love to see an accurate 100% version of the Famous Five, set in the same period as the books, and as how Enid wrote them. A good history lesson for todays children surely, on how they had to behave, show respect for their elders and the use of the English language as it should be spoken.
"Now doesn't that sound wonderful my dears!!"

Find-Outer Fan, Moonraker, suggested:

Even more of interest to me would be a totally in-period historical dramatisation of a Find-Outer's novel. The sort of programme the BBC are famous for, showing in the Sunday tea-time slot. I would expect it to be serialised, maybe 4 parts of 50 minutes each. I also think that this would show the non-Blyton reading public that there was more to Enid than a wooden doll with a wonky head and the Famous Five. I think the Five have done pretty well over the years with film and tv adaptations. It is time now for Fatty & Co to hit the stage!

Pippa-Stef asked:

Can't we just make all her books into TV series?

LuckyStar commented:

Yes an FFO episode would be wonderful if it was done completely faithfully to the books. Sadly the chances of the TV company being able to resist meddling are small.

Tony Summerfield brought everyone back to earth with the reminder that:

There is a lot of wishful thinking in this thread, but sadly I think it is a bit of a pipe dream! I would love to see a six-part serialisation of an Enid Blyton book, but I would probably choose a stand-alone novel, such as The Boy Next Door. There is something slightly unsatisfactory about a book being condensed into half an hour and I'm afraid this is what would happen with something like the Find-Outers.

The reality is that these series don't go down particularly well. The second series of the 90s Famous Five got dropped by the ITV Network half way through as it had such poor viewing figures. …..

Moonraker commented:

I know Tony said that it was all wishful thinking, but this surely borders on the "it ain't ever gonna happen!"

He then added:

Which is why I tend to stick to reading the books, Steph. Enid wrote books - not TV films, as with Agatha Christie's appaling adaptations, film and tv adapters have massive egos. They haven't the skills to write novels, so they mess up existing ones. I still watch new adaptations, ever the optimist, but I am usually disappointed.

Why is there the need to watch these stories on a screen when you have a perfectly good one in your head? At least your imagination sees the stories as Enid wrote them.

Regardless of which Blyton series or stand-alone book you would prefer to see filmed, it seems to me that there are only three likely avenues by which a totally satisfactory TV and/or Movie Film version could just possibly be made:

• 1) by a major producer/director (able to at least partly fund the production) who is already a dedicated Blyton reader;
  2) after the copyrights expire, by a small but very talented group of amateur filmmakers, who (by a strange coincidence) are also committed to EB’s books;
  3) by the BBC, advised by some of the EB Society members, possibly but not necessarily by ones who post on these boards.

‘Pie in the sky’? Sadly yes, but think* of the avalanche of further productions that would follow just one historically correct, ‘true-to-the-text’ production of a Blyton film or TV series that was also a runaway blockbuster success.

And how many more kids, etc would then want to move on to reading the original text!

Feel free to rip me and my suggestions apart on this one. One can learn a great deal from other people’s reactions.

‘Aurélien Arkadiusz’

* Hey, why are some of you looking so ill?

Julie2owlsdene wrote:And I do agree with what Viv mentions in the article, those children would be the Fives, grandchildren, not their children. The famous five were active in the 1940's.

It's a funny thought that Julian, if 12 y.o. in 1942, would now be 79!

With regard to the cartoon series, I firmly believe that kids who watch it, will not be induced to read Blyton at all. Ther is absolutely NO connection between the original books and this cartoon. Who are the characters in the Famous Five? I learnt them as Julian, Dick, George, Anne and Timmy. Why then, are they allowed to call the characters Max, Dylan, Allie, Jo and the dog (I can't remember his name) the Famous Five? A cartoon series set in the 2000s, in which the characters use laptops and mobile phones, is not the same as a book series in the 1940s, where the characters drink ginger pop and exclaim 'Oh, I can't wait for the hol's' at the start of each book.

In my opinion, this cartoon will never capture the magic that EB created with the Famous Five.It won't even come close to the other series', for me.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Famous_5:_On_the_Case
has anyone mentioned this before? My kids love it, (and I'm kind of addicted myself)
sorry if it has, I havn't been here in a while.

Edit: I've merged your new topic with an older one on the same subject - Anita.

I absolutely hated the new series. I watched to episodes and turned my tv off. I can't get used to it - they haven't kept the essence of Blyton in it at all - It's like Inspector gadget or something, so why even call it the Famous five? The only thing I recognize is the character's names!

Merged with the cartoon thread, because the books are based on the cartoons.

I am ALMOST sure this topic has been discussed before but for some reason the search facility isn't throwing up any results.

I looked into the school library where I work and saw quite a few slim paperbacks called, I think, "The New Famous 5" (or it might just have been Famous 5). Because they appeared as smaller volumes the librarians told me the children tend to borrow these first and the actual Famous Five later. I was a bit surprised to see the covers of Famous 5, I remember a black girl being featured!

George, Anne, Dick or Julian (even poor Timmy) don't appear since the books are modern adventures starring the children of the original Five. I cannot remember their names but one of them was Dylan. I must confess I don't like this name.

Today I took a substitute class in the 3rd grade and one person was reading a book with Enid's signature prominently displayed on the spine and cover and I asked to take a look - it was a new Famous 5. I asked her what she thought of it; she hummed and hawed and said it was okay. The boy behind her immediately sprung up to say, "I HATE the Famous Five! These books are horrible! I shall never read an Enid Blyton again!"

I explained to him that these books are nowhere near the originals, nor were they Enid's work, but I am fairly certain that it was a lost case.

Has anyone else experienced something with the new Famous 5?

I can't help but wondering whether these kids will progress on to real EB from these shams or just turn away because they hated the new stuff so much.

Are you referring to Famous Five: On the Case? Scroll down just over half-way...

I too have searched the forums, but can't find any posts! I know we did discuss this topic, but the search facility is very user-unfriendly!

Yes those were the ones! I didn't look in the Cave, silly me! I meant the search facility on the forums.

Thanks Anita! You are a gem!

Moonraker wrote:I too have searched the forums, but can't find any posts! I know we did discuss this topic, but the search facility is very user-unfriendly!

I find it works best if you search for an unusual word. I found the thread by searching for "Dylan" rather than for words like "case" or "famous", etc.

Ming, I think you're right that if children come to the 'Famous Five on the Case' books first and don't like them, they're less likely to try Enid Blyton's original series. And if they do like the 'Famous Five on the Case' books, they may be disappointed by Blyton's originals because they're so different.

Thanks Anita. I have just wasted ten minutes searching! I found the thread then saw you had now merged Ming's post on to it!

In Germany there's a DVD-set with all 26 episodes available, unfortunately without English audio track (as usual ). Is there a DVD-set in English available?

It was interesting to read back over this thread...

Wow. I think the fact that this series has been released on DVD over there just underlines again how popular Enid Blyton is in Germany. I don't think any of the episodes have ever been released in English on DVD and the only things that I have seen connected with the series are the tie-in books and some jigsaw puzzles.

They published a comic album in French with a new story, it's not based on any of the 26 episodes that were aired. They're introducing Polly and Constatine as new persons, so this is not in line with the TV-episodes. Unfortunately you get hardly any information about the comic book, the online-link they've given doesn't provide any information about the series (any more).