Sorry about the battered appearance of my copy of Secret Seven on the Trail! But the reprinted series in the early 1980s featured cover photographs of actual children in the roles of Peter and the gang. But there was never a television series, was there? So were they just child models who had to pose for scenes in the books? Does anyone know who they were and what they do now?
I had some of these editions as a child. I was always under the impression that they were from a TV series of the Secret Seven, but I haven't seen any information on it.
First off this is my 1st ever post so I would just like to say hello to everyone I remember reading one of the 80's editions of the secret seven and on the cover it had the photos of the children with a small caption in red that said "As Seen On TV". Has anyone ever seen this series??
I've seen these editions around and often wondered the same thing. I certainly dont recall a TV series and I used to watch them all, Famous Five, Just William etc. I am inclined to think that the answer may, as Stephen suggested, be that a group of child models were hired to pose for cover pics. Or perhaps a TV series was made in some other country?
"What a lot of trouble one avoids if one refuses to have anything to do with the common herd. To have no job, to devote ones life to literature, is the most wonderful thing in the world. - Cicero
There definitely wasn't a TV series of the Secret Seven. The annuals that came out at the same time as the books you are referring to, showed the same seven children - a sullen looking bunch with hardly a smile on offer. I think they were simply trying to draw a parallel with the Famous Five TV series which was showing at the time.
In the 90s, Granada did take out an option for the TV rights for the Secret Seven as well as other Blyton series such as Malory Towers. For a while there were plenty of rumours circulating, such as the two Mam'zelles being played by French and Saunders, but nothing ever came of any of it.
Belly wrote: Perhaps even Emma Watson for Darrell?
Emma as Sally, would probably be better. She's had practice at being a swot!
"You're so sharp you'll cut yourself one day!" Hunchy said going to the door
"So my Mother told me that when I was two years old!" said Julian and the others giggled.
burnsy1983uk wrote:First off this is my 1st ever post so I would just like to say hello to everyone I remember reading one of the 80's editions of the secret seven and on the cover it had the photos of the children with a small caption in red that said "As Seen On TV". Has anyone ever seen this series??
Interesting post!!!
I still have some of these editions and had forgotton that at the time I got them in the 80's I often wondered why there were real children on the covers and why there didn't seem to be an accompanying TV show.
I don't think there was any caption proclaiming 'As seen on TV', perhaps burnsy you might be mixing it up with the Famous Five covers as each of them had a caption alright!
Tony - I totally agree, I do remember that they were all a very sullen lot, although I think I remember thinking at the time that they were probably just playing it cool!
It was fairly common practice in the 1970's/80's for childrens paperbacks to have photographic covers, regardless of as to whether the story was televised or not. I do not recall the Secret Seven covers though.
I remember being utterly confused as an eight year old by the photographic covers on some Jennings books that I discovered in my school library. Here was a TV series that I had never heard of! (There was a 1960s's Jennings TV series apparently.) Once I deducted that the covers were indeed just posed models, I then proceeded to read about the joys of 1950's life in Lindbury Court Prep School. The fact that the covers depicted 1970's schoolboys with long hair did not bother me in the slightest!
I did have one 1980's paperback of 'Secret Seven Adventure' with a photograph on the front: modern children playing indians.
The covers I most remember on S.S paperbacks were drawn by Derek Lucas (as were the internal illustrations). I 'borrowed' most of them from my older sister. To me, these illustrations will always 'be' the Secret Seven. Lucas's illustrations still seem far superior to the 'original' illustrations in the hardback versions. Lucas somehow managed to give the members of the Seven an individualism lacking in the original pictures.
'Oh voice of Spring of Youth
hearts mad delight,
Sing on, sing on, and when the sun is gone
I'll warm me with your echoes
through the night.'
i have the complete series of the secret seven of this print
they were printed in 1981 and where 65p each !!
none of them have "as seen on tv"
there has not been any tv adaptions of the secret seven.
the children where just models
I remember reading one of the 80's editions of the secret seven and on the cover it had the photos of the children with a small caption in red that said "As Seen On TV". Has anyone ever seen this series??
