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The show is based on the popular book of the same name by author Mary Norton, first introduced in 1952. The books are fantastic, setting a high standard for the show to follow, and for once the televised adaptation actually lives up to its original!
The story follows the adventures of ... Read review
Advantages: Great children's show Disadvantages: None
...children's series originally aired on the channel in 1992 and is repeated occasionally over the years. I recently saw the whole first few series during a marathon of it on the digital cable CBBC channel.
The show is based on the popular book of the same name by author Mary Norton, first introduced in 1952. The books are fantastic, setting a high standard for the show to follow, and for once the televised adaptation actually lives up ... ...adventures of three Borrowers, the tiny people who live under the floorboards (or any other nook and cranny they can conceivably build a home in). They 'borrow' small things that the human residents won't miss to turn into their own household essentials. These three borrowers (the Clocks) believe they are one of the few of their kind left, leaving them worried about their own and their kinds' survival.
This BBC children's series originally aired on the channel in 1992 and is repeated occasionally over the years. I recently saw the whole first few series during a marathon of it on the digital cable CBBC channel.
The show is based on the popular book of the same name by author Mary Norton, first introduced in 1952. The books are fantastic, setting a high standard for the show to follow, and for once the televised adaptation actually lives up to its original!
The story follows the adventures of three Borrowers, the tiny people who live under the floorboards (or any other nook and cranny they can conceivably build a home in). They 'borrow' small things that the human residents won't miss to turn into their own household essentials. These three borrowers (the Clocks) believe they are one of the few of their kind left, leaving them worried about their own and their kinds' survival.
Homily, the mother Borrower, is a fretful creature. She worries every time Pod (the father) goes out to borrow, stressing to him and their daughter Arrietty of the dangers of borrowing, especially since Pod's "accident" where he was spotted by a "human bean". Pod reminds her that although borrowing is dangerous, Arrietty needs to learn the ways of borrowing to carry on the way of life. At the same time as being overly-protective, Homily sometimes lets her fanciful nature get the better of her when she sites nice things that could be borrowed for the house, such as new blotting paper for a rug. Arrietty is nothing like her mother and yearns to go borrowing like her father. She often spends her time wistfully dreaming by the grate in the wall that leads to the outdoors, where she can see the outside world she longs to venture in.
Arrietty's keen sense of adventure gets the better of her when one borrowing session with her father leads her astray to the outdoors. There she is seen by George, a human boy. He becomes very curious over Arrietty and they become friends, however his friendliness isn't at first welcomed by Pod and Homily. They have right to fear as soon enough he is taking things from the house himself to give to the borrowers, leading him to be seen "talking to the floorboards" by the housekeeper, Mrs Driver. The Borrowers decide to flee from their home to preserve their safety. Aided by the wilder borrower and friend of Arrietty's, Spiller; the three try to find their field-residing relatives they thought they had lost. This series is based on the books The Borrowers and The Borrowers Afield.
Series two sees the Borrowers moving once more, this time to a model village called Little Fordham. They've been promised it's a safe place to live, and all is well until the owner spots smoke coming from their working chimney. Although he's amazed at the spectacle, he doesn't want them to move out, however rival model village owners, the Platters, want the Clock family for their own attraction. The Clocks are resultantly kidnapped and kept in a loft, fed and taken care of by the Platters, who are building a house with a transparent glass front to put them in. What they don't know is that the Clocks are working away too, building an experimental hot-air balloon using resources from the loft, inspired by an idea of Arrietty's. The series draws to a dramatic climax where the borrowers escape in their make-shit air balloon just in time to see the Platters' alarmed faces running to the loft window. Eventually the Clocks navigate their way back to the model village where Spiller is waiting from them. They're disappointed when they learn that since they departed, their home has been transformed into a dolls' house looking picture of frills and wallpaper that only the assuming mind of a human would decide how the borrowers live. With this and the growing danger of being found again, the Clocks decide they must flee once again.
This series is one I remember with fondness as a child that I can still enjoy and appreciate today. The special effects applied add realism to the scenes, but the script and acting make the show what it is. The series deservedly won two BAFTAs and a Royal Television Society award. There's also a movie spin-off that I found tries too hard to modernise the tale and strays too much from the original magic, making it quite frankly an insult to the book and series. But that's another review...
CAST
Homily Clock - Penelope Wilton Pod Clock - Ian Holm Arrietty Clock - Rebecca Callard George May - Paul Cross 'Dreadful' Spiller - Daniel Newman Mrs Driver - Sian Phillips Mild Eye - Tony Haygarth Eggletina - Victoria Donovan Uncle Hendready Harpsichord - Stanley Lebor Aunt Lupy - Pamela Cundell Ditchley - Ben Chaplin Ilrick - Ross McCall Miss Menzies - Gemma Jones Mr Pott - Richard Vernon Mabel Platter - Judy Parfitt Sidney Platter - Robert Lang
CREDITS
Based on the novels by Mary Norton Screenplay by Richard Carpenter Produced by Grainne Marmion Directed by John Henderson
PLEASE NOTE: This was actually shown on BBC 3, I did put that on my Product Proposal but Ciao have stuck in the BBC 1 category anyway!
This particular series of the Baby Borrowers first came to my attention at the end of last year when the Producers advertised on a Parenting Forum I am a member of for parents willing to hand their babies over for a few days to the "baby borrowers". Obviously there wasn't a chance in hell I would hand Harry over but it piqued my attention towards wanting to watch this. I just had to see how these teenagers were going to cope with a baby. But this time around it wasn't just babies...oh no, they were going to get a bit of a shock!
The Baby Borrowers aired its first series last year to a surprising success. So this year, the BBC decided there would be a bit of a change to its previous format. Before ...
Advantages: Good magazine about wildlife worldwide. Disadvantages: none.
BBC WILDLIFE
I occasionally read this magazine sometimes buy it sometimes borrow it from the library .I borrowed Decembers issue from the library over Christmas and have just found time to read it today.
This magazine is published monthly.
BBC wildlife contains articles about wildlife from all over the world as well as some articles about British wildlife.
This month has an article of several pages about polar bears with some great photos. There is also an article about Eagle owls.
Each month has a highlight section with information about what wildlife to look for It describes how in December mountain hares have a white coat to camouflage against the snow, how you might glimpse one in the Cairngorms.
There is a discoveries section each month about new discoveries in the natural world.
The articles are on individual ...
Advantages: Simple concept, occasionally laughably stupid contestants, the world famous "ick-urrrr!" sound effect Disadvantages: Les Dennis, whole concept is looking decidedly dodgy 17 years on.
Poor Les. He's looking tired now. Since 1987 he's been presenting the same thing, week in, week out. And now recently, it seems to be on more than ever. Of course, the game format IS good, although half of the questions are probably made up. But now, after 18 years on our screens, it's getting worn now. Les has came up with the saaaame gags ad nauseum (if it's there, I'll give you the money myself... AAAAGH! NO YOU WOULDN'T! YOU KNOW IT ISN'T THERE! YOU HAVE THE ANSWERS IN FRONT OF YOU, etc.) and it's disastrously slow mechanical scoreboard thing, which was probably 'borrowed' from a train station somewhere.... at least back in the 80's they attempted with a colour video wall, with a fesh-faced Les, rather than the saggy-chinned balding shadow of his former self we have on there now.
Watch the old re-runs on Challenge TV on tips ...
