Look and Read: Spywatch
Spywatch is a unit of the BBC schools TV series Look and Read from the 1990s and 2000s, covering Language and Reading for primary school pupils.
This page about the Look and Read story Spywatch 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 - Spywatch
Look and Read's modern era begins with this thoroughly satisfying story which successfully blends the classic L&R format with topical curriculum requirements. Seriously.
The story bits are skillfully balanced with the in-between bits, and both segments share the main narrative: In modern times (the in-between bits) 60-something Norman Starkey returns to the village to which he was evacuated in the Second World War, and writes the story of his previous adventures with the help of the librarian, Miss Lee. These adventures (the story bits) involve Starkey and two other evacuees, Dennis and Mary, plus a local girl called Polly. Between them they have to keep Polly's gran's farm running in tough times, and keep out of the way of the bullying owner of the local Hall and his strange housekeeper. They think they're on the trail of spies when a suspicious-looking woman arrives in the village, but also have to deal with prisoners-of-war, downed enemy pilots, rationing and the black market.
Also in the in-between bits was Professor C. D. Rom, a computer program whose grammar knowhow and arrogance was more than a little reminiscent of Wordy, and some nice character-based educational songs.
I really like Spywatch.
Episodes
Quick episode list
| # | Title | Broadcast |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sent Away | 15 Jan 1996 |
| 2. | Grainger Danger | 22 Jan 1996 |
| 3. | Spies All Around | 29 Jan 1996 |
| 4. | Trouble For Mary | 5 Feb 1996 |
| 5. | The Poster Comes To Life | 12 Feb 1996 |
| 6. | Bombs in the Country | 26 Feb 1996 |
| 7. | Surprise | 4 Mar 1996 |
| 8. | The Pilot | 11 Mar 1996 |
| 9. | The Secret Quarry | 18 Mar 1996 |
| 10. | Captured | 25 Mar 1996 |
Episode listings from the old BBC Online Schedules.
| Num | Title | Broadcast | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | Sent Away | 15 Jan 1996 | |
| Starkey goes to Westbourne Library and Museum to do some research for a book he is writing about his experiences as an evacuee in World War II. | |||
| 2. | Grainger Danger | 22 Jan 1996 | |
| The evacuees are finding it hard to settle down and Mary has to earn her keep by working as a maid. In the present day, Starkey explains rationing to Miss Lee and discusses why children were evacuated from the towns. | |||
| 3. | Spies All Around | 29 Jan 1996 | |
| Amy's cows have escaped and it looks as if the fence has been cut deliberately. Polly thinks Grainger wants to drive them off the farm, but Norman reckons he's a spy. | |||
| 4. | Trouble For Mary | 5 Feb 1996 | |
| An Italian POW arrives to help on the farm and Starkey looks back on some wartime posters. Miss Millington accuse Mary of stealing. | |||
| 5. | The Poster Comes To Life | 12 Feb 1996 | |
| Norman goes fishing and befriends an American GI called Mike Johnson. Polly and Dennis make contact with Mary at Westbourne Hall, and then meet Vivienne Belling, who looks just like the spy on the poster. Joan the goat has got loose and has eaten Amy's vegetables. Meanwhile, Norman gets a letter from his mum and feels homesick. | |||
| 6. | Bombs in the Country | 26 Feb 1996 | |
| Belling claims she is a government photographer but the children are convinced she is a spy. Mary overhears a suspicious conversation between Miss Millington and Grainger. Dennis and Polly spot a German plane. | |||
| 7. | Surprise | 4 Mar 1996 | |
| Mary searches Westbourne Hall for evidence that Grainger is a spy and there's a surprise in store for the children in the hideout. | |||
| 8. | The Pilot | 11 Mar 1996 | |
| The children capture a German pilot. | |||
| 9. | The Secret Quarry | 18 Mar 1996 | |
| The children discover a tunnel leading from an abandoned quarry to Westbourne Hall. Grainger catches the boys, but they are rescued by Luigi. The children's confidence in their GI friend is misplaced. | |||
| 10. | Captured | 25 Mar 1996 | |
| The children discover Grainger's secret. | |||
Credits
| Starring | Raymond Pickard as Norman Starkey Russell Tovey as Dennis Sealey Keith Barron as adult Starkey |
| Singers | Janie Dee Tony Timberlake |
| Written by | Derek Farmer |
| Music by | Peter Howell |
| Designer | Alan Spalding |
| Executive producer | Frank Flynn |
| Producer/Director | Nicholas Whines |
| Programme consultant | Wendy Body |
| Education officer | Chris Hughes |
| Casting advisor | Jane Deitch |
| First assistant director | Alexandra Bridcut |
| Location manager | Robert Tomlinson |
| Unit manager | Jennie Watson |
| Third assistant director | Olivia Spencer |
| Production assistants | Faith Harris Miriam Jones |
| Graphic designer | Peter Wane |
| Video effects | Malcolm Dalton Maeve Stephens |
| Animations | Animation People |
| Art director | Norah Marshall |
| Properties buyer | Nick Barnett |
| Make-up designers | Sheila Werry Sarah Grispo |
| Costume designers | Annie Moon Colin Lavers |
| Stunt pilot | Mark Hanna |
| Aerial co-ordinator | Alan Walker |
| Visual effects designer | Steve Bowman |
| Stunt co-ordinator | Nick Powell |
| Sound | Tim Hodge |
| Location lighting | Mark Brennan |
| Grip | Andy Young |
| Lighting cameraman | Desmond Seal |
| Videotape editors | John Billingham Hugh Parson David Smith |
| Dubbing mixer | Phill Barrett |
| Studio director | Nicci Crowther |
| Studio facilities | Hillside Studios |
Broadcasts
Here is a list of all of the broadcasts of this story on the BBC. Unless your teachers managed to get the video recorder to work, this is when you would have seen it in school. See the Schedules section for precise dates and times.
- Spring 1996, BBC2
- Autumn 1997, BBC2
- Autumn 1999, BBC2
- Autumn 2000, BBC2
- Spring 2002, CBBC
- Autumn 2002, BBC2
- Autumn 2003, CBBC
- Summer 2004, CBBC
- Spring 2005, CBBC
- Summer 2005, BBC2
- Summer 2005, CBBC
- Autumn 2005, CBBC
- Spring 2007, BBC2
Links
- BBC Programmes page for Spywatch
- Spywatch on Wikipedia
- British Film Institute Collections for Spywatch
- Spywatch on the Internet Movie Database
More
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