The Box of Delights - BBC Television Adaptation

BBC Television Adaptation

The Box of Delights was adapted for television by the BBC in 1984, featuring Patrick Troughton and Robert Stephens. It was broadcast November–December, in six parts, with the last episode transmitted on Christmas Eve. Starring Devin Stanfield as Kay and directed by Renny Rye, it used an innovative mixture of live action and animation, with Quantel Paintbox and chroma key effects to bring the adventure alive. Noted for its yuletide atmosphere (it is set during Christmas), the series has become something of a nostalgic treat for followers of cult TV. The seasonal theme music is Victor Hely-Hutchinson's orchestral arrangement of "The First Nowell" from his Carol Symphony. The railway station scenes were filmed at Bewdley and Arley on the steam heritage Severn Valley Railway and the exterior shots of Abner Brown's theological college were filmed at Eastnor Castle, near Ledbury, Herefordshire.

The episodes are:

1. "When the Wolves Were Running"
2. "Where Shall the 'Nighted Showman Go?"
3. "In the Darkest Cellars Underneath"
4. "The Spider in the Web"
5. "Beware of Yesterday"
6. "Leave Us Not Little, Nor Yet Dark"

The serial was repeated in 1986, edited into three 50-minute episodes. For this transmission the episodes were entitled:

1. "When the Wolves Were Running"
2. "The Spider in the Web"
3. "Fire and Flood"

The television version was shown by PBS in the USA for three years in the late 1980s. BBC Worldwide released the serial on DVD in 2004. In 1985, a 120-minute version was released for sale in the USA on VHS video by Simon & Schuster Video (NTSC format).