Malory Towers TV series

[Anita Bensoussane]

If I remember correctly, another member of staff in the TV series has sympathy for the horse and a vet does come out.

[Katharine]

Such a shame that the producers felt that Enid's original story line wasn't good enough for a modern audience, and had to sully it by bringing in toilet 'humour'.

I wonder whether the children of today really are incapable of enjoying something without bringing it down to that level.

[Judith Crabb]

I tend to agree with you, Katharine, but fans of toilet humour are (I suspect) in the majority and cannot understand those who don't find it funny. Enid Blyton tends to by-pass realism - her characters may over-eat and feel sick but that's about as far as she goes. The other day I was reading one of the more Blytonesque novels by Noel Streatfeild - 'The House in Cornwall' - when I was very surprised to read that the sound of his vomiting reveals the hiding place of her character John. It was only then that I recollected that I was not in fact reading an Enid Blyton.

[Wolfgang]

Yes, it could have been done without toilet humour- but we know that Enid Blyton never ever cared much about the consequences of digestion and drinking (soft drinks).

[Katharine]

I think this has been discussed in another thread, but I don't think Enid Blyton was alone in omitting mention of toilets.

I certainly can't recall them being mentioned in books such as the Chalet school books, Arthur Ransome, Angela Brazil and Ethel Talbot, all of whom I've read quite a bit of.

I appreciate that such humour is probably enjoyed by the majority of people these days, but it's the inclusion of it in Enid Blyton's work that is making me so angry. Surely there are plenty of modern authors who could write something from new along those lines?

Apart from my annoyance of 'ruining' Malory Towers, how are children going to react if the TV series inspires them to buy the books - they are surely going to disappointed when they read the real thing?

[Debbie]

I agree with you Katherine.

I remember watching Blue Peter with my dc, only time they did, I think. And they had a huge snake (I think) on. A good deal of time was spend on giggling about was was being produced out of the far end. It felt like a huge dumbing down from what I remembered.

I think that some adults think children enjoy toilet humour more than they do. For my dc, one has always hated toilet humour, another is totally indifferent, but even the one who loves it felt that they'd have rather had more information about the snake than the presenters giggling and making silly comments.

I don't think many authors mention toilets unless they are directly relevant to the plot. Like in Harry Potter you have the troll in the toilets, but the toilets was an obvious place for Hermione to go and cry, but it could have been another room. I can't think of a mention of someone going to the toilet in most adult books either.

[Anita Bensoussane]

The "fresh manure" incident in the TV series isn't my favourite part by any means, but it only lasts a few seconds. What's more interesting is how the different characters react to the horse's illness during the course of the episode, and what it reveals about them.

I must admit I was never a fan of toilet humour even as a child and I wouldn't have gone for a book with a word like "poo" or "knickers" in the title. As far as humour was concerned, I liked the dark, clever humour of cautionary verse for children by writers like Hilaire Belloc and Heinrich Hoffmann - or stories full of mishaps and misunderstandings like Enid Blyton's Mr. Meddle and Mr. Twiddle tales, where the person who causes the mayhem is actually quite an endearing and sympathetic character in many ways. Puns and parodies appealed to me too - Lewis Carroll's "Alice" books are full of that kind of thing. I was entranced by Dr. Seuss's verse as well, playful and witty but often thought-provoking.

The Malory Towers TV adaptation strays far from the books, especially after the first series, but the main characters are portrayed so well that I still find the programme enjoyable, even though some details make me groan. I only ever regard TV versions of books as imaginative interpretations. They may be interesting to watch, if only to see how the material is reworked and presented, but they're ephemeral and their impact soon fades, while the books are the genuine article and will live on.

[Wolfgang]

I must admit I was never a fan of toilet humour even as a child and I wouldn't have gone for a book with a word like "poo" or "knickers" in the title.

I wonder if Winnie-the-Pooh falls into this category as well...

[Anita Bensoussane]

The 'H' at the end makes all the difference!

Click on the link below to see a teaser for the fourth Malory Towers series, though I can't find any information about when it's being broadcast. The clip introduces us to June and Clarissa, and Susan is mentioned but not seen. Felicity also features, but we already knew she was joining Malory Towers.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/cbbc/watch/malory ... -sp-s04e01

[Colette]

There's also a trailer on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbGtJPxXPeY
and apparently it will be airing on CBBC from 8th May; https://www.bbc.com/mediacentre/mediapa ... ies-4-cbbc

[Debbie]

That clip looks more like a Chalet School plot!

[Anita Bensoussane]

Thanks, Colette! I'm glad we're getting Ruth and Connie, and it's interesting that the twins and Clarissa are in the first form in the TV series, rather than the fourth form. The idea of the older girls being role models for the younger ones is clearly a major theme, and it's good to read that that was echoed in real life, with the older girl actors treating the newcomers like younger siblings.

I was interested to learn more about the locations too, and about what the filming involves (a five-week shoot in the UK and a seven-week shoot in Canada).

I agree with Rachel Flowerday and Sasha Hails (the writers of the TV series) that "Blyton’s astute psychology still has so much to teach us" and I also like Ella Bright's (Darrell's) remark that "What makes Malory Towers such a special show is the power of friendship. It runs deep through all the seasons and I hope that message continues to resonate in series four."

Jo Sargent, Executive Producer, says, "The original cast have made such a big impact on the audiences and set extremely high standards in performance, so the bar was very high to find a new group of younger actors to take on their share of the storylines. Luckily, through working with the UK casting director, Rob Kelly, we have discovered some exciting new talent, who will not only shine in series four, but will continue the Malory Towers experience through future series." I'm pleased to hear that further series are being planned!

[Moonraker]

Looks promising! I try to forget the book plots when watching this, and just enjoy the episodes - if I can!

By the way, no-one else has comment on this, so I hesitate to ask!

I remember watching Blue Peter with my dc

What is a 'dc'?

[Fiona1986]

Dear or darling child/ren, Nigel.

[Machupicchu14]

I am quite excited about this new season! I do enjoy watching this show, even when it stopped resembling the books some time ago

I'm quite sad we won't have Minti Gorne playing Felicity for this season though! In many ways she was how I had always imagined the character to look and be like. But I'm sure the new actress will be great too in this role