The Enid Blyton Society

How come you can get all of the 70's series on DVD but the 90's ones are only available in Dutch and the two parter Smuggler's Top is missing from it? It's not even on YouTube, unlike all the other episodes. Why is this one left out/ not available compared to the others?

As an aside, does anybody know where to get a copy? I have it on video but I want to put it on my computer or a DVD. It seems impossible to track down!

I was lucky to buy the Northern Europe edition which features all 26 episodes on ebay. What makes me angry about it is the fact that the German station ZDF published them, they also published the German editions but left out the English dubbing.

Your best bet is to get the video transferred onto DVD. There are various places offering that service if you do a hunt (way cheaper than buying the equipment yourself. I have a DVD-from-video as Pippa-Stef has the video and had a copy made for me.

I have the whole series or 20 stories on video including the Smuggler's Top two parter - but I should get them all put on DVD! Does anyone know the book that wasn't dramatised? I'm too lazy to work it out!

All 21 stories were filmed and released on video - the only problem was that one of them was only released in a cardboard cover as a free give away! That is probably the hardest video to find now - Five on a Secret Trail.

The bits below are fine in my files but they may not look too good when pasted here!!

First Series (initially shown on HTV and Tyne Tees)
1. Five on a Treasure Island (part 1) [Sep 10 1995]
2. Five on a Treasure Island (part 2) [Sep 17]
3. Five Get Into Trouble [Sep 24]
4. Five Go Adventuring Again [Oct 1]
5. Five Fall Into Adventure [Oct 8]
6. Five Go to Demon's Rocks [Oct 15]
7. Five On Kirrin Island Again [Oct 22]
8. Five On Finniston Farm [Oct 29]
9. Five Go Off to Camp [Nov 5]
10. Five Have Plenty of Fun [Nov 12]
11. Five On a Secret Trail [Nov 19]
12. Five Go to Smuggler's Top (part 1) [Nov 26]
13. Five Go to Smuggler's Top (part 2) [Dec 3]

Second Series (initially shown on HTV)
1. Five Go Down to the Sea (part 1) [Nov 10 1996]
2. Five Go Down to the Sea (part 2) [Nov 17]
3. Five Run Away Together [Nov 24]
4. Five Have a Mystery to Solve [Dec 1]
5. Five Go to Mystery Moor [Dec 8]
6. Five (Go) On a Hike Together [Dec 15]
7. Five Have a Wonderful Time (part 1) [Jan 5 1997]
8. Five Have a Wonderful Time (part 2) [Jan 12]
9. Five Go Off in a Caravan [Jan 19]
10. Five Get Into a Fix [Jan 26]
11. Five Are Together Again [Feb 2]
12. Five Go to Billycock Hill (part 1) [Feb 9]
13. Five Go to Billycock Hill (part 2) [Feb 16]

Thanks Tony - I remember reading previously that one was released only as a free promotional video - I see it was Secret Trail - the only one I don't have!

You could buy it, because I did! It came with another one which I had already bought and I didn't want to buy it again just to get a freebie, but the 'freebie' could be bought for 99p!

To be honest I'm confused, Robert. As far as I know the Dutch collection only missed Smuggler's top and the Nordic version didn't miss any episode. Are you talking about videos published in Britain only?

The videos that were available here were indeed British, Wolfgang. I've got several of them, and looking at the one for Five on Kirrin Island Again/Five on Finniston Farm it says "First Independent Films Limited" and "Copyright 1996 Zenith North/Portman/Tyne Tees/HTV".

Wolfgang wrote:To be honest I'm confused, Robert. As far as I know the Dutch collection only missed Smuggler's top and the Nordic version didn't miss any episode. Are you talking about videos published in Britain only?

Now im confused! Did you miss reading a few of the entries above? In UK Five on a Secret Trail was released as a free promotional video...all the others were released in the regular way - 20 stories, as Tony has listed above!

The 'missing' video!

Thanks Tony - I've never seen that before. . I wonder...did they use real twins, or double exposure for the two boys?

I think they cut the twins out of the story in the 90s series and just had one boy, Guy.

Probably a good idea, as that's an aggravating part of the book for me, lol!

Robert Houghton wrote:

Wolfgang wrote:To be honest I'm confused, Robert. As far as I know the Dutch collection only missed Smuggler's top and the Nordic version didn't miss any episode. Are you talking about videos published in Britain only?

Now im confused! Did you miss reading a few of the entries above? In UK Five on a Secret Trail was released as a free promotional video...all the others were released in the regular way - 20 stories, as Tony has listed above!

Yes, I read it, and that's puzzling me. Why should foreign editions with original English sound track publish more episodes than the English themselves? And I also wonder why you haven't already acquired a complete set?