The Box of Delights

THE BOX OF DELIGHTS is another fine example of BBC children's drama of the 1980s. This six-part series is an adaptation of the John Masefield novel and features the adventures of a young boy, Kay, who comes into possession of the titular device and must use it to evade and outwit the forces of evil.

Despite the many cracking kids programmes the BBC have made, nothing stands comparison with this.I remember watching it as a kid in 1984, and when it ended on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day felt something of an anticlimax.

We watch The Box of Delights every year at Christmas. There is nothing to match it for the atmosphere of a traditional British Christmas, winter darkness, mystery and magic.

I have not been quite so excited watching a series in a long time, thanks to the bbc wanting re-releasing of all their best children's drama this delight is now on DVD.Its very hard to think of things that haven't been said about this brilliant drama but i'll try.

I saw this many years ago on PBS' WONDERWORKS. Rarely have I been so captivated by a work intended for the juvenile audience.

This was originally aired in 1988 on the BBC. At the time it was very well received and had another run the following year but unlike the BBC's Narnia adaptations of the same period, this particular Christmas programme has been long forgotten.

I was fortunate enough to be a child when this first appeared on BBC and for the life of me i cant understand why it isn't repeated around the festive season.I lived in a house in Scotland, we had snow knee deep, a coal fire to keep me warm and while we had no wolves to worry about we did have the occasional nosey fox or foraging badger to add to the mix of realism this gem of a classic children's drams.

If you want to get in the Christmas spirit then watch this in the run up to Christmas every year, now it is out on DVD i will be! I loved the book and used to read it on the train home from work every year just before Christmas, Kay and Cole Hawlings are such wonderful characters, the whole story is a classic tale of magic, wonder, fantasy and a bit of danger, set amongst snow covered country fields with hidden camps, and upper class children who have buttered eggs for supper!