Catweazle

File:Catweazle - Richard Carpenter - Puffin book cover.jpg

Geoffrey Bayldon on the cover of one of Richard Carpenter's Catweazle books

Catweazle was a British television series in 1970, created and written by Richard Carpenter and produced by London Weekend Television under the LWI (London Weekend International) banner, and screened in the UK on ITV. There were two seasons with 13 episodes of 25 minutes each.

The series was immensely popular in Britain, The Netherlands, Germany, Australia and Norway.

Summary

The series featured Geoffrey Bayldon as the title character, an eccentric, incompetent, dishevelled and smelly (but lovable) old 11th century wizard who accidentally travels through time to the year 1970 and befriends a young red-headed boy, nicknamed Carrot (Robin Davies), who spends most of the rest of the series attempting to hide Catweazle from his father and farmhand Sam. Meanwhile Catweazle searches for a way to return to his own time whilst hiding out in 'Castle Saburac', a disused water tower, with his 'Familiar', a toad called Touchwood.

The second series featured a 12-part riddle which Catweazle, once more transported to 1970s England, attempts to solve one clue per episode, with the solution (as he thinks) being revealed in the 13th.

Catweazle mistakes all modern technology for powerful magic (see also Clarke's third law), particularly 'elec-trickery' (electricity) and the 'telling bone' (telephone).

The entire series was shot on 16mm. The first series was mostly shot on location at Home Farm, East Clandon, near Guildford in Surrey, England in 1969. The second series around the Bayford/Brickendon area in Hertfordshire in 1970.

There are two novelizations by Carpenter, one for each series: Catweazle and Catweazle and the Magic Zodiac. A comic strip version was also produced, written by Angus P. Allan and printed in TV comic Look-In. It inspired the Boo Radleys song, Catweazle.

The series won the Writer's Guild award for Best Children's TV Drama Script in 1971.

The first series was released on Region 2 DVD on 23 May 2005, with a short reunion documentary "Brothers in Magic" and audio commentaries on selected episodes by Carpenter, Bayldon, Davies and Executive Producer Joy Whitby. The second series was released on 29 August 2005.

Season 1

Originally shown between Sunday, 15 February 1970 and Sunday, 10 May 1970.

Actors

• Catweazle: Geoffrey Bayldon
• Edward Bennet ('Carrot'): Robin Davies
• Mr.Bennet: Charles Tingwell
• Sam Woodyard: Neil McCarthy

Episodes

1. The Sun in a Bottle
2. Castle Saburac
3. The Curse of Rapkyn
4. The Witching Hour
5. The Eye of Time
6. The Magic Face
7. The Telling Bone
8. The Power of Adamcos
9. The Demi Devil
10. The House of the Sorcerer
11. The Flying Broomsticks
12. The Wisdom of Solomon
13. The Trickery Lantern

Season 2

Originally shown between 10 January 1971 and 4 April 1971.

Actors

• Catweazle: Geoffrey Bayldon
• Cedric Collingford (A.K.A. Owlface): Gary Warren
• Lord Collingford: Moray Watson
• Lady Collingford: Elspet Gray
• Groome: Peter Butterworth
• Mrs Gowdie: Gwen Nelson
• Boris: Roger Hammond

Episodes

1. The Magic Riddle
2. Duck Halt
3. The Heavenly Twins
4. The Sign of the Crab
5. The Black Wheels
6. The Wogle Stone
7. The Enchanted King
8. The Familiar Spirit
9. The Ghost Hunters
10. The Walking Trees
11. The Battle of the Giants
12. The Magic Circle
13. The Thirteenth Sign

External links

• Episode guide, cast profiles and background information
• Catweazle Fanclub UK
• Catweazle Fanclub Australia
• Catweazle Online
• Interview with Geoffrey Bayldon in August 2000
• British Film Institute Screen Online
• Catweazle at IMDb