Look and Read: Shadow Play
Shadow Play is a unit of the BBC schools TV series Look and Read from the 2000s, covering Language and Reading for primary school pupils.
This page about the Look and Read story Shadow Play is not yet finished.
But you can still read my old web pages about the story at the Internet Archive Wayback Machine on this link:
Look and Read.myby.co.uk - Shadow Play
A part-historical, part-contemporary story, a bit like Spywatch. The story will start with a present-day lad on a boating holiday on the Norfolk Broads with his new step family, getting caught in a storm and sheltering in an old manor house. The lad then becomes embroiled in a Victorian plot through an old diary he finds that comes to life.
Modern lad (Ben) and Victorian diary writer (Hester) then apparently meet up and go off for an adventure in nineteenth century Norfolk, which will involve Victorian wherries (canal boats), Victorian fairgrounds, Victorian technology and inventions including the beginnings of cinema (probably developed from the camcorder that Ben has with him) and all sorts of Victorian riverside goings-on.
The carefully researched Victorian stuff and local activities like reedcutting and those wherries will help link it in to the history curriculum in schools.
Ben's coming to terms with his step family will be contrasted with Hester's rights, responsibilities and education in the Victorian period - the experiences of the past used to reflect on the present blah, blah, blah. That links it in to the citizenship curriculum.
The whole thing will be a mystery adventure serial, but in a return to the traditional Look and Read format, there will also be distinct educational segments in each episode, including songs! It was originally thought that there wouldn't be any (like Zzaap and the Word Master didn't have any) because its so difficult to find new songs that are good and catching and useful and don't end up ruining the whole thing - these criteria have apparently now been met. Anyway, that content links it in to the literacy curriculum.
Episodes
Quick episode list
| # | Title | Broadcast |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | A Light at the Window | 1 Mar 2004 |
| 2. | The Girl in Blue | 8 Mar 2004 |
| 3. | A Flicker at the Fairground | 15 Mar 2004 |
| 4. | Phantoms and Photographs | 22 Mar 2004 |
| 5. | A Secret Comes to Light | 29 Mar 2004 |
| - | "Omnibus edition" | 31 Oct 2004 |
| Num | Title | Broadcast | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | A Light at the Window | 1 Mar 2004 | |
| When Ben and his family take refuge in an old mansion, he discovers that he can see into the Victorian world through his camcorder. | |||
| 2. | The Girl in Blue | 8 Mar 2004 | |
| Hester meets Nathan, who takes her to meet his family on board a big cargo wherry. Nathan helps Hester find out about the mysterious happenings at the house. | |||
| 3. | A Flicker at the Fairground | 15 Mar 2004 | |
| Ben follows Hester and the servant, Katie, to a local fair. Ben tries to talk to Hester about the Girl in Blue who seems to be haunting him. | |||
| 4. | Phantoms and Photographs | 22 Mar 2004 | |
| Ben helps Hester to escape from the Wherry after she makes a discovery. He finds out a bit more about the girl in blue. | |||
| 5. | A Secret Comes to Light | 29 Mar 2004 | |
| Uncle Augustus comes to the rescue of Nathan, who is in the clutches of Bob Trimby. | |||
| "Omnibus edition" | 31 Oct 2004 | ||
| An 85-minute long extended version of the story, shown on the CBBC Channel for a general child audience. | |||
Credits
| Starring | Jack Bannon as Ben Naomi Miller as Emma |
| Presenter | Angellica Bell |
| With | Doreen Mantle as Queen Victoria Paul Bigley as Dogsbody |
| Written by | Carolyn Sally Jones |
| Music by | Alan Coates Kim Coody |
| Executive producer | Sue Nott |
| Producer | Sarah Miller |
| Director | Dirk Campbell |
Broadcasts
Here is a list of all of the broadcasts of this story on the BBC. See the Schedules section for precise dates and times.
- Spring 2004, BBC2
- Autumn 2004, CBBC
- Spring 2005, BBC2
- Spring 2005, CBBC
- Spring 2006, BBC2
- Spring 2006, CBBC
- Autumn 2006, CBBC
- Autumn 2006, BBC2
- Spring 2007, CBBC
- Autumn 2007, CBBC
- Autumn 2008, BBC2
- Autumn 2009, BBC2
Links
- BBC Programmes page for Shadow Play
- Shadow Play on the Internet Movie Database
- British Film Institute Collections for Shadow Play
More
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