The narrative both in the novel and the adaptation doesn’t offer a clear resolution or straight-forward explanations and appears to deliberately leave us with a fair degree of ambiguity. It's not all disappointing, of course, Tom and Minty's friendship has moments of joy, the narrative never fails to dawdle and, by the end of the serial, Minty has found redemption and is in a much clearer sense of mind than at the start. This was a favourite BBC drama of mine, a wonderfully atmospheric tale, and I have to confess Siri Neal in the lead role was a major attraction! Her most popular book series, Lizzie Dripping and The Bagthorpe Saga, were also the basis for television series.

Moondial by Helen Cresswell | Waterstones

Her relationship with Tom and Sarah, children from other times, were engaging enough although I suspect a more fruitful exploration would have come across in the T.

This does not take away from her vulnerability, and she is clearly hurting and lost amongst bereavement and tragedy. This is in stark contrast to Minty’s need to stop and have things, as they once were, back in her own lifetime. However, the story remains a potent one and examines the very impact that bereavement can have on a child whilst not requiring to give us all the answers. It was written in a way that didn't flow and I kept going back to wonder if I had read a sentence correctly as some struggled to make sense.

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

The story deals with a young girl, Minty ( Siri Neal), staying with her aunt after her mother is injured in a car accident. A beautifully written classic ghost story that doesn't quite stand up to today's standards of children's storytelling, but nonetheless has a place in many people's hearts. This was a highly nostalgic re-read for me - all the time travel fantasies of my childhood came flooding back. Moondialaired between Wednesday, 10th February 1988 and Wednesday, 16th March 1988 [4], on BBC One, closing the last part of Children’s BBC programming.In terms of scope, it's quite terrific as it takes in time travel and the supernatural, two genres which can be exhilarating in their own right, so the promise of greatness is set in the foundations. It did have really good gender balance, it dealt with issues in the modern world, loss, worry, bereavement, as well as having the spooky and fantastical element to it. Helen’s daughter, Caroline Rowe contacted Belton House in January 2017 and offered to lend some exhibits from her mother’s collection linked to the Moondial for the thirtieth anniversary. Tom is treated appallingly by the adults in his Victorian era, and also comes under threat from the mysterious Miss Raven – a ghost hunter from the modern day. It also featured on the children’s television review and comments programme Take Two on Wednesday, 20th April 1988 at 4.