The Famous Five [4 Adventures] by Enid Blyton

The series was filmed mostly on location in the New Forest and partly in Christchurch, with many of the indoor scenes filmed in Exbury House, where the house doubled as many different dwellings.

These scenes were actually shot in daylight, but a heavy filter was placed over the camera to give the impression of darkness.

One criticism of the series was that many of the episodes featured scenes set at night-time which were badly lit to the point that it was difficult to see what was happening. Due to the success of the series, Southern Television were keen to make another season of episodes, but the Enid Blyton estate forbade them to create original stories. Of the original 21 novels, three were never adapted Five on a Treasure Island and Five Have a Mystery to Solve because the Children's Film Foundation still had the film and TV rights to the books, while Five Have Plenty of Fun didn't fit in the production schedule. The television scripts were amended slightly from the books to give them a contemporary, 1970s setting. The stories were adapted for television by a number of writers and directors and starred many notable actors in guest appearances including Patrick Troughton, Cyril Luckham, Brenda Cowling, Geoffrey Bayldon, Brian Glover, Ronald Fraser and an early appearance by Rupert Graves. The executive producer was James Gatward. The first series was produced by Don Leaver, while the second was produced by Sidney Hayers. Each story was adapted from one of the original novels and featured the same main characters George, Julian, Dick, Anne and Timmy the dog.

The episodes were recorded on location and on film (rather than the more usual video tape), making it the most expensive children's television series ever produced at that point. The series was produced by Southern Television in a co-production with a German company. Production for the series began in 1977, with filming commencing during the summer of that year. Toddy (a Border Collie) as Timmy the Dog.It was produced by Southern Television in 26 half-hour episodes. It was broadcast on ITV over two series in 19. The Famous Five is a British television series based on the children's books of the same name by Enid Blyton.

The Famous Five [4 Adventures] by Enid Blyton