Ace of Wands (TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Ace of Wands |
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| Genre | Children's television Contemporary fantasy Science fiction |
| Created by | Trevor Preston |
| Directed by | Pamela Lonsdale John Russell |
| Starring | Michael MacKenzie |
| Theme music composer | Andy Bown |
| Opening theme | "Tarot" |
| Ending theme | "Tarot" |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 46 |
| Production | |
| Running time | c. 25 mins |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV Network |
| Audio format | mono |
| Original release | 29 July 1970 – 29 November 1972 |
Ace of Wands was a cool British fantasy TV show for kids. It aired on ITV from 1970 to 1972. Trevor Preston and Pamela Lonsdale created it. The show was made by Thames Television. There were three seasons in total. After Ace of Wands ended, a new show called The Tomorrow People started in 1973.
Contents
Meet Tarot, the Magician!
The show's name, Ace of Wands, comes from a tarot card. The main character is named Tarot, played by Michael MacKenzie. Tarot is a special person who uses both amazing stage magic tricks and real supernatural powers. He uses his skills to fight against different bad guys. Tarot also has a pet owl named Ozymandias, who was played by an owl called Fred.
Tarot's Friends and Helpers
In the first two seasons, Tarot had two helpers. One was Sam Maxstead, played by Tony Selby, who used to be a convict but changed his ways. The other was an orphan girl named Lillian "Lulli" Palmer, played by Judy Loe. Lulli had a special telepathic link with Tarot. This meant they could talk to each other with their minds, even when they were far apart!
For the third season, Sam and Lulli had to leave the show. They were replaced by a brother and sister team: Chas, played by Roy Holder, who was a photographer, and Mikki, played by Petra Markham, who was a journalist. Mikki also shared a telepathic link with Tarot, just like Lulli.
Another helpful character was Mr. Sweet, played by Donald Layne-Smith. He owned an old bookshop and often had the answers to Tarot's questions. In the last season, Mr. Sweet worked at a university.
Meet the Cast
- Michael MacKenzie as Tarot
- Tony Selby as Sam Maxstead
- Judy Loe as Lulli Palmer
- Roy Holder as Chas Diamond
- Petra Markham as Mikki Diamond
Episodes of Ace of Wands
Lost Episodes
Sadly, many of the early episodes from the first two seasons of Ace of Wands are now missing. This happened because the old video tapes were erased, or "wiped," to be used again. But don't worry! All the episodes from the third season are still around and you can even find them on DVD. You can also listen to audio recordings of some episodes from Series Two here on YouTube.
Series 1 (July 29 – October 21, 1970)
"One and One and One are Four"
(3 episodes) Tarot is trying to find a cure for paralysis. But this cure is very powerful and could be dangerous in the wrong hands. Madame Midnight and her helper, Teddy Talk, want to use it for bad things.
"The Mind Robbers"
(4 episodes) Tarot's old enemy, Senor Zandor, has kidnapped two important government ministers. Tarot tracks them to a strange house where he meets some unusual characters and creatures.
"Now You See It, Now You Don't"
(2 episodes) A bank robbery leads Tarot to a bad guy who thinks he's super important. This villain lives on a houseboat filled with computers and has some strange ideas.
"The Smile"
(4 episodes) A master art thief named Tun-Ju and his helper, Mrs. Kite, are planning to steal the famous Mona Lisa painting! Tarot must stop them.
Series 2 (July 21 – October 13, 1971)
"Seven Serpents, Sulphur and Salt"
(3 episodes) Mr. Stabs, an evil magician, wants to steal a missing part of something called the "Secret Seven Serpents" from Tarot. He works with Polandi and his servant Luko to get it.
"Joker"
(3 episodes) Children are acting strangely and going a bit wild! Tarot investigates and finds a creepy character named Uncle Harry and his weird group of traveling entertainers.
"Nightmare Gas"
(3 episodes) Thalia and her brother Dalbiac steal a dangerous gas called H23. This gas makes people fall into a deep sleep and have terrible nightmares. After 23 minutes, they could die from the shock!
"The Eye of Ra"
(4 episodes) Ceribraun wants to steal a huge diamond called the Eye of Ra. People say this diamond can turn others into chalk! Tarot chases him and gets trapped by a talking computer. The computer plans to crush him with giant chess pieces!
Series 3 (July 19 – November 29, 1972)
"The Meddlers"
(3 episodes) Tarot's new helpers, Chas and Mikki, live in a flat that looks over a street market. This market seems to be under a curse! A local prophet of doom, Mockers, is involved.
"The Power of Atep"
(4 episodes) After meeting a medium named John Pentacle, Tarot and his friends start having strange dreams. These dreams lead them to Egypt, where they find Atep's tomb and encounter a High Priest.
"Peacock Pie"
(3 episodes) Mr. Peacock has an amazing power: he can make people do things they don't want to do, and even make torn paper strips look like real money!
"Mama Doc"
(3 episodes) One of Mr. Sweet's friends disappears. Tarot traces him to a very strange Doll's Hospital. Here, Mama Doc and her assistant Bobby are turning people into dolls!
"Sisters Deadly"
(3 episodes) Chas comes back from a photography job with no memory of it. He also can't remember robbing a post office! This leads Tarot into a plot to kidnap a NATO Commander-in-Chief.
"The Beautiful People"
(4 episodes) Two beautiful girls, Dee and Emm, stop Mikki from entering a small town fair. This makes Tarot investigate. He discovers that some strange extraterrestrials with unusual powers are involved.
Other Appearances
The character Mr. Stabs, played by Russell Hunter, was defeated by Tarot in Series 2. But he returned in other TV shows! Russell Hunter played Mr. Stabs again in a 1975 episode of a horror show for kids called Shadows. This episode was also written by Trevor Preston, who created Ace of Wands. Mr. Stabs appeared one more time, but this time he was played by David Jason. This was in a 1984 story for another children's show called Dramarama. This episode, simply called "Mr. Stabs," was also written by Trevor Preston.
