Shadows (TV series) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Shadows |
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| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| No. of series | 3 |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Pamela Lonsdale (series 1 & 3) Ruth Boswell (series 2) |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Thames Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Original release | 3 September 1975 – 1 November 1978 |
Shadows was a British TV show made by Thames Television for ITV. It ran from 1975 to 1978. This series was an anthology, meaning each episode told a different story. It featured exciting ghost and horror dramas especially for children.
Many famous writers helped create the stories. These included J. B. Priestley, Fay Weldon, PJ Hammond, Joan Aiken, Jacquetta Hawkes, and Penelope Lively.
Contents
Who Was in Shadows?
Many well-known actors appeared in Shadows. These included John Nettleton, Gareth Thomas, Jenny Agutter, Pauline Quirke, Brian Glover, June Brown, Rachel Herbert, Jacqueline Pearce, and Gwyneth Strong.
The show also brought back a character named Mr. Stabs. He was played by Russell Hunter. Mr. Stabs had first appeared in another TV series called Ace of Wands.
Shadows: Episode Guide
Shadows had three different seasons. Each season featured new and exciting supernatural tales.
Series 1 (1975) Episodes
| Episode Title | Writer | Director | First Shown | |
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| The Future Ghost | Roger Marshall | Leon Thau | 3 September 1975 | |
| Julia is staying in a London hotel in 1875. She hears a girl's voice from a nearby room. Inside, she finds a sick girl in a modern 1970s room. A fire starts, burning Julia's own room. The next morning, Julia is safe. She believes a ghost from the future saved her.
Starring: Jane Wymark, Bernadette McKenna, Daphne Slater and John Nettleton |
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| After School | Ewart Alexander | Audrey Starrett | 10 September 1975 | |
| Two schoolboys get locked in their school in a Welsh mining village. Strange things happen. They find an old skull hidden away. After they give it a proper resting place, the doors open, and they can leave.
Starring: Gareth Thomas, Rhys Powys and Lyn Jones |
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| The Witch's Bottle | Stewart Farrar | Vic Hughes | 17 September 1975 | |
| Jill visits her uncle's house. She becomes very interested in the story of a witch who was killed there long ago.
Starring: Georgina Kean, Wendy Gifford, Neville Barber and Jasper Jacob |
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| The Waiting Room | Jon Watkins | Stan Woodward | 24 September 1975 | |
| Sue and Gerry get stuck in an old railway station waiting room. They suddenly find themselves in 1925. They witness a train crash. When they return to 1975, the same events start to happen again.
Starring: Jenny Agutter, Paul Henley, George Innes and Beth Harris |
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| An Optical Illusion | Tom Clarke | Peter Webb | 1 October 1975 | |
| Karen, Dawn, and Phil visit an old Tudor mansion. They decide to stay the night. They start acting strangely. It seems the spirits of the house's past owners are taking them over.
Starring: Pauline Quirke, Richard Willis, James Cossins and Susan Parriss |
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| Dutch Schlitz's Shoes | Trevor Preston | Stan Woodward | 8 October 1975 | |
| A man with strange powers, Mr. Stabs, arrives at a house. He finds an old bank robber's shoes. He starts to act like the robber. Then, the bank robber himself returns from the grave.
Starring: Russell Hunter, Barry Stanton, Gordon Gostelow, Ron Pember, Kenneth Caswell, John Abineri and Valentine Dyall |
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| The Other Window | Jacquetta Hawkes, J. B. Priestley | Darrol Blake | 15 October 1975 | |
| A man brings home a special lens. He puts it on his window. His children start seeing visions of the past through it. He thinks it's impossible. But then he sees it too. He tells the people in the vision to leave them alone. The lens then melts away.
Starring: Sophie Ward, John Woodvine, Roy Jacobs, Gwyneth Strong and Aimée Delamain |
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Series 2 (1976) Episodes
| Episode Title | Writer | Director | First Shown | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Dark Streets of Kimballs Green | Joan Aiken | Stan Woodward | 28 July 1976 | |
| A girl lives unhappily in a foster home. She looks for magical help from an ancient king of Britain.
Starring: Alex McCrindle, Barbara Keogh, Hannah Isaacson, Joan Scott, Karen Archer, Pat Beckett, Andrew Paul |
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| Time Out of Mind | Penelope Lively | Audrey Starrett | 4 August 1976 | |
| A girl imagines she is a maid. She works in a Victorian doll's house.
Starring: Coral Atkins, Sally Lahee, Neville Barber, Brenda Cowling, Elaine Button, Katrina Rose, Craig McFarlane |
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| The Inheritance | Josephine Poole | Peter Webb | 11 August 1976 | |
| A retired gamekeeper tells his grandson about a special "horn dance".
Starring: John Barrett, Priscilla Morgan, Dougal Rose |
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| Dark Encounter | Susan Cooper | Leon Thau | 18 August 1976 | |
| A man was sent away from London during World War II. He returns to the countryside to face his old fears.
Starring: Alex Scott, Shelagh Fraser, Brian Glover, Hugh Morton, Margot Field, Carolyn Courage, Graham Kennedy |
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| Peronik | Rosemary Harris | Vic Hughes | 25 August 1976 | |
| A schoolboy relives the journey of a Grail knight.
Starring: Paul Aston, Zelah Clarke, Ann Lynn, Tim Barrett, Norman Rossington, Chris Cregan |
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| The Eye | Ewart Alexander | Neville Green | 1 September 1976 | |
| A house is haunted by a blind Greek man named Stratos.
Starring: John Sanderson, Julia Lewis, Murray Brown |
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Series 3 (1978) Episodes
| Episode Title | Writer | Director | First Shown | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eleven O'Clock | Ewart Alexander | Joe Boyer | 20 September 1978 | |
| A man and his daughter wait for a homing pigeon in a French farmhouse.
Starring: Ronald Hines, Tina Heath, Anna Korwin, Stephen Galloway |
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| The Rose of Puddle Fratrum | Joan Aiken | Neville Green | 27 September 1978 | |
| A TV producer visits a village in Dorset. He is looking for a former ballerina.
Starring: Christopher Lillicrap, Joan Greenwood, Bryan Pringle, June Brown, Duncan Lamont, Vicky Spencer, Noel Johnson |
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| And Now For My Next Trick | PJ Hammond | Michael Custance | 4 October 1978 | |
| An old magician learns a brand new trick.
Starring: Clive Swift, Caroline Embling, Jacqueline Pearce |
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| The Boy Merlin | Stewart Farrar (story by Anne Carlton) | Vic Hughes | 11 October 1978 | |
| Young Merlin is in danger from a Saxon lord.
Starring: Donald Houston, Rachel Thomas, Archie Tew, Margaret John, Cassandra Harris, Ian Rowlands |
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| The Man Who Hated Children | Brian Patten | Neville Green | 18 October 1978 | |
| An old man plans to damage a park. He wants to blame it on children.
Starring: George A. Cooper, Brian Wilde, Paul Watson, William Smoker, James Ottaway, Charles Morgan, Niall Padden |
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| The Silver Apple | Roy Russell (story by Philip Glassborow) | Gabrielle Beaumont | 25 October 1978 | |
| Two princes are sent on a quest. They must find magic to save their kingdom.
Starring: Peter Duncan, Prue Clarke, Simon Turner, Rachel Herbert, George Claydon, Brian Peck, Olaf Pooley |
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| Honeyann | Fay Weldon | Pamela Lonsdale | 1 November 1978 | |
| A girl gets a job as a maid in a manor house. A very strict nanny controls the house.
Starring: Madge Ryan, Gwyneth Strong, Adrienne Posta, Jeanne Watts, George Waring, Paul Angelis, Joshua White, Julia Swift, Timothy Stamp |
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Awards and Recognition
In 1976 and 1977, Shadows was nominated for a special award. This was the Harlequin BAFTA TV Award. It was for the Drama/Light Entertainment category. However, the series did not win either time. Ballet Shoes and The Multi-Coloured Swap Shop won instead.
Other Shows and Books
Spin-off TV Series
A TV series called The Boy Merlin was made in 1979. It was based on an episode from the third season of Shadows with the same name.
Books About Shadows
A book called The Best Of Shadows was released in 1979. It was a "tie-in" book, meaning it was connected to the TV show. It included stories from seven different episodes. These were The Dark Streets of Kimball's Green, The Inheritance, Eleven O'Clock, And Now For My Next Trick, The Rose of Puddle Fratrum, The Eye, and The Man Who Hated Children.
