The BBC made a children’s television programme of Moondial with Helen Cresswell writing the script. Her method had been to write the book first and to keep the television script faithful to the book. The six episodes were filmed at Belton House and village, with local children taking part. The series was broadcast from February to March 1988 and was repeated in 1990. A DVD of the series can still be obtained. Moondial was very much the final flurry of a very particularly and beloved strain of British children’s television that had mainly flourished in the seventies. There were attempts to revive it, some successful (Tom’s Midnight Garden and a couple of the Nesbit Five Children adaptations), some not (Archer’s Goon) and Century Falls (which as a child I recognised immediately as a cynical attempt to emulate this era and hated with a passion. But Moondial was the final masterpiece: strange, eerie, unsettling and genuinely spooky - and strangely far more so than the book that it was adapted from

Moondial (1988) – Horrified Ghosts In Time: revisiting Moondial (1988) – Horrified

Minty Cane believes she is a witch - not that you would notice to look at her - it's just that she is quite used to seeing phantoms floating about the place, and thinks it is perfectly normal. She's a pretty determined sort of person as well, which is just as well because when she goes to stay with her aunt in the village of Belton she soon senses that she has a task to do. And, again - who was Miss Raven and what truly was her objective? With just that little bit more, this book could have had full marks from me. Regardless, I did enjoy it, and will probably gladly reread it at some point. And I will read further works by this author, time and availability permitting. :)Moondial is a British television six-part serial made for children by the BBC and transmitted in 1988, with a repeat in 1990. It was written by Helen Cresswell, who also wrote the 1987 novel on which the series was based. [1] [2] [3] [4] The west entrance to Belton House near Grantham in Lincolnshire, the setting for Moondial. Plot [ edit ] Minty is played by Siri Neil. Although Minty is supposed to be just thirteen years old, Neil is evidently a touch older than this. She’s hauntingly attractive and exactly the right sort of actress for this part, doing a terrific job in what was her first professional acting role. Neal has a confidence here that isn’t always seen in child actors, and is completely believable. Following Moondial, she went on to appear in a number minor roles in other television series and could have been a much bigger star than she ultimately became as her potential clearly stands out here. Unfortunately for viewers, she later retired from acting and moved on to a new stage of her life. Virtually the entire story rests on Neil’s shoulders – a big task for such a young actress – but she copes admirably. Tony Sands takes the supporting role of Tom, and is another really good performer who seems to have disappeared from the acting scene. The character of Old World is played by Arthur Hewlett, an actor who seemed to make a career out of playing elderly men. World is a wise old chap who seems to be partially psychic and is able to guide Minty in her investigations, imparting vital clues along the way. He believes that he sees and hears glimpses of the children from the past, and represents a link to the older time. ‘Moondial’ (1988) Photo: BBC/Second Sight Films Thankfully for nostalgia hounds, the series was released on DVD in its full original episodic format by Second Sight in 2015, and in 2018 this fondly-remembered series celebrated its 30th anniversary. Perhaps appropriately for a story whose business is time travel, you may find yourself wondering just where those thirty years went… The series was released on video in 1990, and reissued in 1995, but only in a shortened "movie edit". This was released on DVD in 2000, but has long since been deleted. The full episodic version was released in 2009 by Reader's Digest and later re-released on DVD by Second Sight in May 2015.

Moondial (TV serial) - Wikipedia

DVD Review: Moondial (1988)". Brutalashell.com. 28 April 2015. Archived from the original on 1 May 2015 . Retrieved 2 May 2015. Helen Cresswell is certainly one such hero. This is a novel reminiscent of Philippa Pearce's 'Tom's Midnight Garden', engaging with time slips and ghostly figures from the past and the future. Moondial’ by Helen Cresswell was first published January 1st 1987 by Puffin Books, and originally broadcast on BBC1, 10 February – 16 March 1988. Unfortunately upon re-reading, it's a bit *too* mysterious. Very few of the questions it sets up are answered, and some intriguing points that seem like a big deal are never again mentioned or explained. It feels more like someone telling an intriguing bedtime story that they're making up as they go along than like something that could be reality.Helen Cresswell, a BAFTA award winning children’s author, was passionate about developing the imagination and creativity of youngsters. She travelled all over the UK visiting schools to share her belief in the power of reading. In 1984 she approached the Educational Advisor for the National Trust to suggest that imaginative stories set in their properties could raise children’s interest in them. I recognised Helen Cresswell's name as writing the screenwriter for the excellent BBC adaptation of The Demon Headmaster so was interested to find out she had written some fiction for children. Children growing up in the 1980s had a superb roster of drama presented to them. The BBC, in particular, seemed to be experts at crafting engaging, thought-provoking stories that kept viewers entertained for up to six weeks at a time. The corporation was able to call on all of the talents and resources that any of the adult dramas were allocated, from composers to visual effects, from set designers to costume designers, to produce some truly memorable programmes. Even before she came to Belton, Minty Cane had known that she was a witch, or something very like it . . .

Moondial’ (1988): An Appreciation » We Are Cult ‘Moondial’ (1988): An Appreciation » We Are Cult

Forgotten the title or the author of a book? Our BookSleuth is specially designed for you. Visit BookSleuth A lovely ghost story with an emotional theme. But is written as a bit too mysterious and a lot of the questions I had throughout were left unanswered. Wouldn’t have minded this as a kid but I don’t like it as an adult.There’s a genuinely spooky, haunting feel to Moondial , and whilst perhaps modern viewers may turn away from a six-part adventure because of the pacing, the story is never less than interesting and raises plenty of questions in the mind of the viewer. Not all are always answered, and perhaps this is no bad thing – viewers don’t always need to be spoon-fed. This is a complex, layered story rather than your typical runaround adventure which caught the attention of children: some even being interviewed for the BBC’s Take Two programme to voice their opinions. Paul Stone also appeared, answering questions from Phillip Schofield on whether the serial was too scary for younger viewers.