Look and Read: Shadow Play
Shadow Play is a unit of the BBC Schools TV series Look and Read from the 2000s, covering reading for primary school pupils.
A multi-layered, time travelling ghost story about Ben, a boy sheltering from a storm in modern times who uncovers several mysteries surrounding Hester, a Victorian girl living with her aunt and uncle. A ghostly woman in blue seems to draw Ben towards the historical events that he can see unfurling through the screen of his camcorder, and Ben finds a way to take himself back to Hester's time to help her.
As well as the fleeting glimpses of the woman in blue, the children investigate strange lights and noises in the cellar, secrets being kept by Hester's aunt and uncle and their housekeeper which lead Hester to run away, and whether a daring robbery is linked to the roguish inhabitants of a wherry boat docked nearby including Bob Trimby and friendly young Nathan.
Ben, Hester and Nathan all face their own issues with family and changing relationships.
Ben with his mum and new step-family
Ben and his camcorder
Nathan and Hester
In between the story sequences contemporary CBBC presenter Angelica Bell invites viewers to think about the story, and introduces stylised comic sequences called Vic and Dog in which Queen Victoria helps her servant Dogsbody to read using various strategies and cues. The pair of 'Vic and Dog' then sing a sing about the reading strategy they used, in music hall style.
During the credits at the end of each episode, real pupils who have seen the episode speculate in what might happen next in the story.
Angellica presenting
Vic and Dog
Background
This story was conceived first as "A Victorian Mystery", a historical drama like Look and Read's earlier Spywatch and linking clearly to the history curriculum, and it was advertised as A Victorian Mystery in previews sent to schools a year before the programmes were shown. From this premise author Sally Jones spun the ghostly layers of a story set in three different time periods to make the story into Shadow Play.
This was the last Look and Read serial produced by the BBC, almost 40 years after the series originated with Fishing for Fivers, and following the archive repeats of earlier serials on the CBBC Channel which started in 2003. Shadow Play is clearly aware of and honours its pedigree, including with a black-and-white opening logo reflecting the one used from 1974-92. The literacy songs in the middle of each episode were another feature of Look and Read in the 1970s, 80s and 90s which had been absent from more recent productions, and early in the production Shadow Play seemed unlikely to include them either as it is so difficult for the producers to find new songs that are good enough, catching and educationally useful - but these obstacles were overcome and the traditional Look and Read educational song was restored!
Omnibus Edition
An uninterrupted and extended version of the drama, known as the "Omnibus Edition", was broadcast on the CBBC Channel on Sunday 31st October 2004 at 4:30pm - Halloween night, for a general children's audience. Although this 'omnibus' format of repeating drama serials in longer movie-length versions was common on the CBBC Channel at the time, the Shadow Play drama has never been repeated since its original broadcast.
The omnibus edition lasts 77 minutes and includes around 8 minutes of additional footage not seen in the schools version of the story, made up of extended versions of scenes with more dialogue, rather than additional scenes or storylines[1].
Titles & theme music
The programmes begin with a new white-and-black animation of two blinking eyes, which become the letters "oo" in the middle of "Look and Read", revealed across the cover of a book.
Along with sound effects of the eyes blinking mechanically and the pages of the book unfolding, the music is the introduction from the 2003 S Club 7 single Say Goodbye.
Watch a clip on YouTube.
After an introduction from presenter Angellica the filmed story itself begins separately, with the title shown over footage of the locations and the atmospheric theme tune.
Locations
The story is set around the Norfolk Broads of the Victorian period and the turn of the 21st Century. And although it was "filmed on location in Norfolk" as noted in the programme credits, it took in a much wider area than just the Broads. Recording of the drama segments took place throughout November 2003.
The Moretons' home, which is also the empty Victorian house where Ben and his family take shelter, was
Barningham Hall
at Matlaske. The nearby
St Mary's Church, Barningham Winter is also seen as the location for a burial and a wedding.
Hester runs away and finds herself at the striking shingle banks of Cley-next-the-Sea Beach.
Scenes of sailing on the Norfolk Broads were based on the River Ant, and at How Hill in the heart of the Broads. The wherry boat seen in the story is a real one, called Albion, which is maintained by the Norfolk Wherry Trust and available for hire.
Ben and his family are seen by the striking, abandoned Brograve Mill near Sea Palling.
The travelling Victorian steam fair was filmed around the Victorian gallopers (merry-go-round) at Bressingham Steam Museum and Gardens and if you look carefully the name Bressingham appears atop the ride in some scenes of the drama.
According to contemporary reports other scenes were filmed at Holkham and Burnham Overy Staithe on the Norfolk coast[2].
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 |
Broadcasts
| Year | Term | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Channel | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003-04 | Spring 2004 | 10:50am | BBC2 | 1-29 March | ||||
| 2004-05 | Spring 2005 | 10:30am+ | BBC2 | 21 Feb 10:30-12:10 | ||||
| 2005-06 | Spring 2006 | 11:00am+ | BBC2 | 27 Feb & 6 Mar | ||||
| 2006-07 | Autumn 2006 | 10:30am | BBC2 | 21 Sep-19 Oct | ||||
| 2008-09 | Autumn 2008 | 11:20am | BBC2 | 3 Nov-1 Dec; not NI | ||||
| 2009-10 | Autumn 2009 | 11:40am | BBC2 | 10 Nov-1 Dec |
CBBC Channel
Also broadcast on the CBBC Channel 'Class TV' service of schools programmes:
- 2004-05: Autumn 2004 & Spring 2005
- 2005-06: Spring 2006
- 2006-07: Autumn 2006 & Spring 2007
- 2007-08: Autumn 2007
2004
2009
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 |
| Sketch writer | Peter Corey |
| Sketch music | Big George |
| Graphics | Adams Trainor |
| Series consultants | Sue Palmer Sallie Purkis |
| Executive producer | Sue Nott |
| Producer | Sarah Miller |
| Director | Dirk Campbell |
Resources
Story Book
The extended story, designed for pupils to read to accompany the TV episodes and containing expanded detail to explain more about what is happening than can be seen on TV.
ISBN 0-563-54850-9
Written by Carolyn Sally Jones, illustrated by Guy Readhead.
Video Plus Pack & DVD Plus Pack
The five episodes were available on both VHS video and DVD from the BBC, packaged into a "Plus Pack" also containing the Teacher's Activity Book.
The episodes are complete and unedited, but on video the original widescreen programmes are presented in 14:9 ratio with little black bars at the top and bottom and some of the picture missing from the sides.
Video Plus Pack
DVD Plus Pack
Teacher's Activity Book
Teachers' notes on the story from each episode, including photocopiable activity sheets with extracts from the story and Victorian background work, and suggestions for things to talk or write about and teaching strategies.
The book was only available as part of the Video Plus Pack or DVD Plus Pack, and was accompanied by two posters, one about reading strategies like those Dogsbody learns in the middle of the programmes, the other showing full colour illustrations from the story book (the story book being printed in greyscale).
ISBN 0-563-50350-5
Written by Sue Palmer, illustrated by Guy Redhead
Links
- Look and Read .myby.co.uk - Shadow Play (archived 2007)An original fan website, written by me in 2003-4 when the story first went out.
- BBC Programmes page for Shadow Play
- Shadow Play on the Internet Movie Database
- British Film Institute Collections for Shadow Play
Sources & References
- Baker, Rafaella (2003) 'Free Range' in Country Life November 20, 2003. p.104
- BBC Norfolk Kids (2003) 'Look and Read: Norfolk boy given starring role'. http://www.bbc.co.uk/norfolk/kids/look_and_read.shtml (archived 2007)
- BBC Schools Primary Catalogues 2003-2004
- Norfolk County Council (2004) 'Literacy Across the Curriculum' in Norfolk EsiNet: Education. http://www.norfolkesinet.org.uk/pages/viewpage.asp?uniqid=202 (archived 2004)
- Palmer, Sue (2004) Shadow Play: A Victorian Mystery teacher's activity book.London: BBC Worldwide
- Pullinger, Stephen (2003) 'TV wherry trip far back in time' in Eastern Daily Press November 5, 2003. (available online) accessed 05/11/2003, no longer available
- ↑ The episodic schools version of Shadow Play includes around 69 minutes of drama - measured at 14:00, 13:40, 13:45, 13:15 & 14:15 per episode not including recaps but including the first opening titles and last end credits. The omnibus edition was broadcast on the CBBC Channel from 16:34 to 17:51 on 31st October 2004 according to the public version of the BBC Programme Catalogue (no longer available), making it approximately 77 minutes long and a difference of approximately 8 minutes compared to the schools version. I have unfortunately lost my recording of the omnibus edition, and a copy was not available from the BBC digital archive when I requested it in 2023, but some audio snippets confirm that the familiar schools scenes were extended rather than extra scenes added.
- ↑ BBC Norfolk (2003) said "The crew have been filming in Bressingham, Holkham and How Hill, as well as on the River Ant." ~ Pullinger (2003) describes recording on the wherry at How Hill "yesterday", i.e. on 4th November 2003, and says " How Hill was the first stop in what would be a showcase of Norfolk beauty spots. After three days of shooting on the River Ant, the 45-strong crew will move on to Holkham tomorrow and Horsey on Friday. Bressingham will also feature on their hectic schedule, while several days of filming will be at a secret location inside a private Norfolk manor house." ~ Norfolk County Council (2004) says "Shot on location in Norfolk during November 2003, (including Salthouse, Holkham, Burnham Overy Staithe, Bressingham Steam museum... and more!)" ~ Palmer (2004) p.13 says "An illustrated book about the wherry featured in the programme, Albion - the Story of a Trading Wherry by Martin Kirby, is available from the Norfolk Wherry Trust website." ~ Other locations have been identified visually based on what is seen on screen, including the private Barningham Hall which was never named in publicity but is a clear visual match to the house in the story, for example in the photograph accompanying the Eastern Daily Press 5th July 2018 article Farmers are ‘world’s biggest optimists’ but will need to plan for the world market
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