Famous Five 90s Series

Discuss the television and film adaptations of Enid Blyton's stories.
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Machupicchu14
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Re: Famous Five 90s Series

Post by Machupicchu14 »

IceMaiden wrote:Hike is the most dissapointing of the 90's series in my opinion. By having the boat at the edge of the lake instead of sunk under the water, they removed the most exciting and imaginative part of the entire story of finding all the location marks and realising the boat was directly beneath the raft :x . It also felt incredibly rushed, all the single episodes did to an extent, but Hike in particular seems more rushed than any. A shame really as the book is one of the best and the episode just doesn't live up to it :( .
I have a memory of watching it and thinking the same, but then again, it seems like it happened a century ago. I will try and re watch this episodes.. :lol:
"All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love."
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Re: Famous Five 90s Series

Post by Wolfgang »

From Monday on the set "Enid Blyton: Fünf Freunde - Die komplette Serie" (4 DVD-Set) is available, unfortunately just with German dubbing. The price isn't too bad though, I spend for my 14 DVDs second hand on ebay much more.
What I consider a lie though is the statement that it is frequently bought together with "Enid Blyton - Fünf Freunde wittern ein Geheimnis / Fünf Freunde jagen die Entführer von Jemima Rooper" - these two episodes are already included with "die komplette Serie".
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Re: Famous Five 90s Series

Post by Machupicchu14 »

I never thought I would actually get to watch them all, but now that I'm finished with all the 1970s FF episodes and still haven't got enough of the Famous Five, I have started watching the 1990s series and thoroughly enjoying them! Thanks to the fact that the adaptations are different (1970s and 1990s), there's always something new and exciting to watch out in them! :D

I must say I still prefer the 1970s but the 1990s ones are just amazing too! And Paul Child is so goood as Dick Kirrin.
"All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love."
(все, что я понимаю, я понимаю только потому, что люблю)
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Re: Famous Five 90s Series

Post by Machupicchu14 »

I was a bit disappointed though in "Five go off to Camp" when it turns out she tied the string to her thumb and not her big toe. Why change the best part of the book!? :lol: :?
"All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love."
(все, что я понимаю, я понимаю только потому, что люблю)
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Re: Famous Five 90s Series

Post by Gary Russell »

Machupicchu14 wrote:And Paul Child is so goood as Dick Kirrin.
He is rather, isn't he. Damn him :lol:
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Re: Famous Five 90s Series

Post by Machupicchu14 »

Haha! :lol:
Although for me you are the one and only Dick Kirrin!!!

:D :D

PS: to be honest I personally don't think Dick K. could ever have blonde hair. :lol:
"All, everything that I understand, I understand only because I love."
(все, что я понимаю, я понимаю только потому, что люблю)
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Re: Famous Five 90s Series

Post by Chrissie777 »

Wolfgang wrote:From Monday on the set "Enid Blyton: Fünf Freunde - Die komplette Serie" (4 DVD-Set) is available, unfortunately just with German dubbing. The price isn't too bad though, I spend for my 14 DVDs second hand on ebay much more.
What I consider a lie though is the statement that it is frequently bought together with "Enid Blyton - Fünf Freunde wittern ein Geheimnis / Fünf Freunde jagen die Entführer von Jemima Rooper" - these two episodes are already included with "die komplette Serie".
Wolfgang, are you talking about the new FF movies or the 1990's TV series?
I added the 1990's TV series to my amazon.de queue:

https://www.amazon.de/Enid-Blyton-Freun ... dvd&sr=1-7" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Too bad it's only available in German dubbing! :roll:
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Re: Famous Five 90s Series

Post by Wolfgang »

Suitable for the thread it's the TV series of the 90s, Chrissie ;-).
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Re: Famous Five 90s Series

Post by Chrissie777 »

I thought so, but when I checked amazon.de, I was not sure which one you meant.
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Re: Famous Five 90s Series

Post by timv »

I have been looking online to see if there any clues as to where the 1990s TV series was filmed to complement my collection of info on the 1970s series, but so far have largely drawn a blank. The 'Kirrin village' scenes I recognise as Bossington in N Somerset , with 'Kirrin Cottage' as Lower House there, and 'Kirrin Beach' as Bossington Beach at the E end of Porlock Bay. (The locale also features in mild disguise in teenage authors Pamela Whitlock and Kathleen Hull's 1937 'ponies and camping' adventure story 'The Far-Distant Oxus'.)

'Kirirn Island cove' appears to be Widmouth Bay further along the Bristol Channel coast, and the awkwardly photo-shopped castle on 'Kirrin Island' to be the gatehouse of Dunstanburgh Castle in Northumberland, presumably chosen as near Tyne Tees TV who made the series. The lighthouse in 'Demons Rocks' may be that on St Mary's Island, Whitley Bay, Northumberland, with some 'photo-shopping'. But I cant' find any references to, or recognise, plenty of other places like 'Smugglers Top' and 'Finniston Farm' though the houses look like Somerset - which I don't know as well as Hants, Dorset or S Devon. Does anyone have any useful info on the locations?

The main interior rooms open at Hurst Castle, the 1978 series 'Demons Rocks', have had to be closed after parts of the foundations on the seaward side of HC were apparently damaged in the 100 mph winds last weekend. (The shingle beach outside is feet from the walls and being undermined by the sea.) .This would seem to include some rooms used in indoor shots for the episode. It isn't open much at this time of year anyway, but I will keep an eye on this as it may take months to resolve and affect fans wanting to look inside next holidays. The lighthouse is well away from the beach and unaffected.
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Re: Famous Five 90s Series

Post by Chrissie777 »

Sorry, I couldn't comment on your post sooner.
Did you check this out, Tim?

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0126745/lo ... tt_ql_dt_5" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: Famous Five 90s Series

Post by timv »

Thanks for that, Chrissie. I'm working my way through the 1995 FF episodes in between doing the proofs for one of my history books that is due out in the New Year - which ironically features one of the 1978 FF series sites, ie Hurst Castle (as where King Charles I was imprisoned by the Parliamentary army in 1648).

I know Bath pretty well, but I haven't found any recognisable bits of Bath in the 1995 series yet after checking five or six episodes . Of course it may just have been used for interior shots in a studio. Bristol I think probably refers to the use of Redcliffe caves there for the assorted 'underground tunnels' shots, and to use of the HTV studios for interior shots; Cheddar refers to the use of Cheddar gorge for the 'campsite' and 'circus camp' scenes in Go Off In A Caravan. You can see the Cheddar cliffs behind the campsite in the episode. I presume the opening shots of Caravan where the Five meet Nobby (who. like Yan, is older in this series than he is in the 1978 one or in the books - due to changing regulations on child actors?) as his circus goat is rummaging inside their caravan are on one of the hilly lanes near Cheddar.
The scene that has me at a loss for the moment is the harbour setting in Demons' Rocks; it is not one of the well-known harbours in Cornwall or Somerset.
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Re: Famous Five 90s Series

Post by Chrissie777 »

timv wrote:The scene that has me at a loss for the moment is the harbour setting in Demons' Rocks; it is not one of the well-known harbours in Cornwall or Somerset.
Tim, being a big Daphne DuMaurier fan I went 3 times to Cornwall, but am only familiar with the Helford River area, greater Fowey area (Par Sands included) and Padstow.
We are watching "Doc Martin" season 3 right now and I couldn't guess where the real Portwenn is located.
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Re: Famous Five 90s Series

Post by Boatbuilder »

Chrissie777 wrote: We are watching "Doc Martin" season 3 right now and I couldn't guess where the real Portwenn is located.
It's filmed in Port Isaac, Chrissie - just a few miles up the coast from Padstow.

Doc Martin's Surgery is even marked on Google maps. :D

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Re: Famous Five 90s Series

Post by Chrissie777 »

Thank you, John! :D
I've never been to Port Isaac.
It's amazing what Google Maps mentions now on their maps (and also what they skip like the little fishing village Erbalungha (sp?) on Corsica's Northeast coast which I've just searched in vain this morning for a friend who's on her way to Corsica).
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