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Look Back – Volume 3

Look Back – Volume 3

The Jensen Code - ATV behind the scenes filmingIt’s time to turn the clock back to the 1970s as we ‘Look Back’ to the children’s television offering from ATV and other classic ITV production companies such as Thames Television and YTV.

Back in the day when childrens’ programmes were, by turns, fun, challenging, dramatic, spooky, hilarious and fantastic, tea-time programming was a staple part of the lives of millions of kids. Diverse and highly popular, it fired imaginations and was invariably an integral part of any worthwhile playground antics the next day.

Classic ATV Network series on this release include The Jensen Code and Escape Into The Night.

A milestone in children’s television drama, Escape Into Night was adapted from Catherine Storr’s novel Marianne Dreams by Timeslip writer Ruth Boswell. The combination of Boswell’s taught scripts, Richard Bramall’s clever direction and Alan Coleman’s production enabled the juvenile cast to give memorable and, sometimes, terrifying performances. More experimental than most children’s drama series, Escape Into Night’s surreal, dark tone and eerie sense of unearthliness made an indelible impression on its viewing public and is still remembered, perhaps with a sense of unease, after nearly 40 years.

Originally made in colour, Escape Into Night now exists only as black and white telerecordings made for overseas sales, the original colour videotapes having been junked many years ago.

“I produced and co-directed the six episodes of ‘Escape Into Night.’ This was the first children’s programme that I produced and I am very proud of it. The two children were chosen from around 700 that we auditioned.” Said Alan Coleman, current President of ATV Network, about the programme.

The Jensen Code was a highly unusual children’s thriller series, written by Carey Harrison (author son of actor Rex Harrison), and starring David (Dai) Bradley, the BAFTA-winning young star of Kes, as the teenager who unwittingly uncovers a terrifying space-age espionage project.

The series was produced by ATV’s head of Children’s programmes Alan Coleman (current ATV Network president in 2010) who had previously directed ATV serial Crossroads and went on to create The Young Doctors in Australia for Grundy Productions.

This complete 13-part series, rarely seen since its original transmission in 1973, is released here for the first time in any format. Originally made in colour, The Jensen Code now exists only as black and white telerecordings made for overseas sales, the full colour episodes having been junked many years ago by ATV.

Full listing of programmes on this release are as follows:

Catweazle, Escape Into Night, The Feathered Serpent, Just William, Sky, Anything You Can Do, The Intruder, Soldier and Me, The Siege of Golden Hill, A Place to Hide, Wreckers at Dead Eye, The Danedyke Mystery, The Jensen Code, Follow Me, Boy Dominic and Hold the Front Page.

Pictured: Behind the scenes, filming the Jensen Code by ATV

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