Raven (2002 TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Raven |
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Raven title card (2017–2018)
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| Genre | Children's game show |
| Presented by | James Mackenzie (2002–2010) Aisha Toussaint (2017–2018) |
| Starring | James Mackenzie |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 15 (12 regular, 3 spin-offs) |
| No. of episodes | 290 |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | CBBC CBBC HD (2017–2018) BBC Alba (2018) |
| Original release | Original series: 16 December 2002 – 11 March 2010 Revived series: 4 December 2017 – 12 June 2018 |
| Chronology | |
| Related shows | Raven: The Island Raven: The Secret Temple Raven: The Dragon's Eye |
Raven is an exciting adventure game show made by BBC Scotland for children. It first showed on CBBC in the United Kingdom from 2002 to 2010. There were ten main series and three spin-off shows.
In the first series, James Mackenzie played the main character, Raven. He guided six children, called warriors, through challenges over five days. The warrior who did the worst in challenges would leave. In the end, two warriors competed to become the Ultimate Warrior.
The show came back in 2017 with a new Raven, played by Aisha Toussaint. James Mackenzie's character also appeared, now called "Raven of Old". Two new series were made. The eleventh series started in December 2017, and the twelfth in June 2018. In these new series, Raven guided four warriors over three days. One warrior went to the final week to become the True Warrior.
Contents
How the Game Works
Original Series (1–10)
In these series, three groups of six warriors competed. They faced different challenges over three weeks. Each group played for five days. After the second day, the warrior with the fewest lives and rings had to face the "Way of the Warrior". This was a challenge to decide if they could stay in the game.
Only two warriors from each week made it to the final week. There, one warrior would become the Ultimate Warrior.
Each warrior started with a certain number of lives, shown as feathers on a special pole called a standard.
- From Series 1 to 3, warriors started with 7 lives.
- From Series 4 to 10, they started with 9 lives.
From Series 5 onwards, if a warrior had all their lives, they could earn more by collecting 9 gold rings. Warriors also got special symbols to guide them. If they failed a challenge, they lost a life. They could win lives back by getting 7 (Series 2–3) or 9 gold rings. If a warrior lost all their lives, they were out of the game.
At the end of most days, the warrior with the fewest lives and rings had to face the "Way of the Warrior". This was a very hard obstacle course. Only four warriors ever completed it: Ishal, Varna, Worjo, and Kinsa. If a warrior finished the "Way of the Warrior", they moved on to the next day. Then, the next warrior with the fewest lives and rings had to try. This continued until someone was eliminated. If there was a tie, they drew feathers to decide who would go. The one who picked the black feather faced the challenge.
New Series (11–12)
In the new series, Raven guided four groups of four warriors. These groups were called the Bears, Wolves, Wild Cats, and Stags. They played for three days and started with six rings. If a demon caught them, they lost a ring. Raven would rescue them using her staff.
The warrior with the fewest rings left the game at the end of the second day. The three remaining warriors then faced "The Last Stand" on the third day. The winner of "The Last Stand" went on to the "Grand Tournament".
The "Grand Tournament" was similar to the earlier rounds. The warrior with the fewest rings left on the second day. The final three then faced their version of "The Last Stand". The winner became a "True Warrior" and joined Raven's army to fight Nevar.
Characters
Raven (James Mackenzie): Raven is an ancient, powerful Scottish warlord. He guides the warriors on their quest. His name comes from his ability to change shape. He can read the warriors' thoughts using the Raven's Eye in his staff. He also tells the story of what has happened and gives or takes away lives.
Raven has a special way of speaking. Some of his famous sayings are: "Are you ready? Then let the challenge... begin," and "May the luck of the Raven's Eye be with you." When the eleventh series started, his character was renamed 'Raven of Old'. He passed his staff to the new Raven. He also used to comment on the challenges. In series 12, he watched the warriors using a special charm.
Raven (II) (Aisha Toussaint): In Series 11 and 12, Aisha Toussaint plays the new Raven. She was once one of Raven of Old's warriors. They fought Nevar together, and Nevar was banished. But Nevar used magic symbols to banish Raven of Old too. The new Raven found the symbols and Raven of Old's staff, becoming 'Raven'. She now leads the warriors. She can use her staff to call Raven of Old for advice.
Nevar: Nevar is a mysterious enemy. He wears a black cloak and an iron mask. He was introduced in the second series. Nevar is described as the enemy of all good things and Raven's main foe. When magic returned to Raven's land, Nevar also appeared. His goal is to defeat Raven and take over the land. You can only see his red eyes and scarred skin.
Nevar is also behind the demons that try to stop the warriors. He only appears in person during "The Last Stand". There, he tries to stop the warriors from reaching a portal. In Series 9 and 10, he could even teleport! Nevar returns in Series 11 with a new staff and mask. He was banished but used his own symbols to banish Raven of Old. Now, he tries to escape and conquer the lands again, while Raven II tries to stop him.
Spin-off Characters
The Raven spin-off shows introduced other characters:
- In Raven: The Island, Princess Erina was Raven's childhood friend. She had a blue spirit friend named Haryad. Raven only appeared a little in this series. The show also explained Nevar's past. He used to be a normal human who became evil after stealing a magical tree.
- In Raven: The Secret Temple, Nevar cast a dark spell on Raven's homeland. Raven and the warriors traveled to a faraway land to find magical waters to break the spell. A new character, Satyarani, helped guide the warriors. At the end, Nevar seemed to be defeated, but he survived.
- In Raven: The Dragon's Eye, Nevar tried to find the powerful Dragon's Eye. Raven and his warriors wanted to destroy it before Nevar could get it. A new character, Ervan, helped Raven but often changed sides. It turned out he wanted the Eye for himself. Nevar was thought to be destroyed again, but he also survived this time.
The Warriors
Warriors were given short names made from letters in their real names. Each warrior had a special pole, called a standard, which showed their lives and rings.
From Series 2 to 10, there were six warrior symbols and colors:
- Red with a sun
- Beige with a cloud
- Yellow with a mountain
- Green with a tree
- Blue with a wave
- Dark grey with a moon
These symbols were introduced in the second series. In Series 1, warriors wore sashes of different colors instead of symbols. In the final week, each warrior who made it wore a different symbol and color.
The designs of the symbols changed a bit between Series 2 and 4, but the symbols themselves stayed the same. In Series 7, it was revealed that the symbols were made long ago from gold and special water. They brought light and magic back to the land before Nevar appeared.
From Series 11 onwards, there are four different colors for the warrior groups: blue, yellow, green, and red.
Ultimate and True Warriors
The winners of each series were called an Ultimate Warrior. Their prize was their "heart's desire," which was often a holiday. From the second series, the Ultimate Warrior also received a Staff of Power. The top three finalists all won a trophy. From Series 11, the title changed from Ultimate Warrior to True Warrior.
| Series | Winner | Emblem | Second | Emblem | Third | Emblem | Fourth | Emblem | Fifth | Emblem | Sixth | Emblem |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lamar | Intho | Brhea | Bryal | Halei | Hadan | ||||||
| 2 | Grema |  |
Varna |  |
Kinia |  |
Napat |  |
Ishal |  |
Ersca |  |
| 3 | Jaddo | |
Worjo | |
Brena | |
Cullin | |
Nosoo | |
Sharka | |
| 4 | Linma | |
Dejan | |
Kinsa | |
Wilga | |
Sarla | |
Wenra | |
| 5 | Arnor | |
Kyson | |
Molyn | |
Obra | |
Suhan | |
Sonlu | |
| 6 | Kenat | |
Nejad | |
Rohak | |
Tezan | |
Tonesh | |
Kerud | |
| 7 | Versad | |
Hanso | |
Danil | |
Sonos | |
Beron | |
Lenat | |
| 8 | Pargan | |
Phidel | |
Druan | |
Milex | |
Rimah | |
Sarpes | |
| 9 | Dyrel | |
Bertar | |
Tridic | style="text-align:center;"| |
Javmay | |
Reggos | |
Japul | |
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| 10 | Sarjed | |
Limonn | |
Coprov | |
Grolath | |
Norpal | |
Cleral | |
| Series | Winner | Heat | Second | Heat | Third | Heat | Fourth | Heat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 | Nantin | Wolves | Janra | Wildcats | Cersage | Stags | Larsai | Bears |
| 12 | Sotteo | Wildcats | Cahira | Wolves | Karpel | Bears | Axra | Stags |
*Replaced Yenja during Series 9, Week 3, Day 2, Episode 12.
The Challenges
The challenges in Raven have changed over time. Some challenges appeared in every series, like "Deep Loch", "Leap of Faith", "Riddle Bridge", and "Way of the Warrior". All challenges test different skills, such as strength, agility, and teamwork.
Warriors play challenges to win treasure rings. If they fail a challenge, they lose any rings they gained and also lose one of their lives. There were some exceptions where warriors could keep rings even if they failed the challenge. However, the main rule was that failing a challenge always meant losing a life.
Way of the Warrior (Series 1–10)
The "Way of the Warrior" was an elimination challenge in the first ten series. It was faced by the warrior with the fewest lives and rings at the end of most days. The warrior had to stay on a golden path. If they fell off or were hit by obstacles, they lost a life.
The course had many obstacles to knock the warrior off. These included:
- Swinging dummies
- Falling rocks pushed by demons
- A swinging gate
- A spinning boulder carousel
- A narrow beam with sharp objects falling down
Warriors then released a drawbridge to the next part. This section had three (sometimes four) shields, followed by a spiky swinging barrel with golden ropes to crawl across. The last part had swinging blades or axes. From the third series, "gnashing jaws" were added at the end. If a warrior completed the challenge, they passed through a golden portal and continued their quest. The next warrior with the fewest lives and rings would then have to try. This continued until one warrior was eliminated.
When the show moved filming to Aviemore in Series 8, the challenge changed a lot. It became brighter and had new obstacles:
- A falling balance walkway with falling rocks
- Skull shields
- Spinning sharp blades
This challenge was not used in the revived series.
Victors
It was very hard to complete the "Way of the Warrior". Only four warriors ever managed to finish it:
- Ishal (Series 2, Week 3, Day 4)
- Varna (Series 2, Week 4, Day 5)
- Worjo (Series 3, Week 4, Day 5)
- Kinsa (Series 4, Week 4, Day 2)
No one completed the challenge after Series 4.
The Last Stand (Series 2–12)
Series 2–10
This challenge started in the second series. At first, the top two warriors raced to collect and build four parts of a key. They had to avoid Nevar's lightning. If blasted, they lost a life. Losing all lives meant elimination. The first to open the portal won. Then, the loser of the first round raced against the third-place warrior. Only two warriors would move on. This format was also used in Series 3.
From Series 4, "The Last Stand" became an obstacle course for the three remaining warriors. Their remaining lives and rings decided when they started. Warriors had to:
- Get a lever to knock down inflatable objects.
- Use the lever to defeat the first demon.
- Collect a circular disk.
- Climb a wall and crawl through a maze.
- Match symbols on a podium.
- Get a cylinder with symbols and attach it to a rope.
- Climb a waterfall and slide down.
- Place the cylinder correctly to open the portal.
After one warrior finished, Nevar would attack the other two. When two warriors went through the portal, Nevar's next shot would instantly eliminate the last warrior. In the final, the first warrior through the portal won, and the other two were blasted by Nevar.
The challenge changed again from Series 5 to 7. Warriors had to drag a key through an overhead maze to unlock a cage. The cage held puzzle pieces to defeat a demon. The rest of the challenge was similar, but a cylinder of symbols replaced the circular disk.
From Series 8 to 10, when filming moved to Aviemore, "The Last Stand" looked much brighter. It had new features:
- Two large ramps to carry letters for a word puzzle (later a shape puzzle).
- The shape puzzle formed a bridge to a shield. The shield protected from Nevar's fire.
- A framework with ropes to crawl through.
- Two more emblem shape pieces to collect.
- Two diamond walls to smash through with a battering ram.
- A different ram to burst open a final gate to the portal.
Warriors held the shield up to protect themselves from Nevar as they ran through the portal.
Series 11–12
In Series 11 and 12, two versions of "The Last Stand" were built. The first version, used in the early rounds, was much like the Series 9-10 version. Some differences included:
- Pieces for the ramp were already on the other side.
- Shields protected from demons, not Nevar directly.
- Diamond walls were replaced by a three-spiked gate.
- A talisman was collected after the final door to drop a boulder blocking the portal.
The second version was used for the final challenge in the Grand Tournament. This course was completely new. It was built over a large pool of water. Warriors had to collect 8 out of 12 pieces scattered around the course. They put these pieces into a wheel to make Nevar leave the arena. Warriors could collect pieces in any order but could only carry two at a time.
