The Famous Five

The acting is hammy, the dog is the only one not miscast. Five couldn't spot a fake priest, we ave ze Allo Allo school of accents and that's just for starters.

Jack Gleeson sporting the worst moustache since a dude called Adolf and a mullet Billy Ray Cyrus has a photo of on his bedroom wall, is wasted here, he struggles on with his mother fixation and bad writing. His wardrobe is from life on mars. He needs some mustard for all the ham during his glorious I am ze baddy scene. Kirrin Island is one feels a health and safety nightmare, dogs falling down holes, skint knees, getting swept out to sea.

George's mother feels more wooden than the boat.

It all falls together like a blancmange of daftness and fun with tongues firmly in cheeks and I had a lot of fun watching.

This has very little to do with the book other than the character names.

Not even their personalities seem to match those of the book characters.

George is very girly, Anne is certainly not timid, Timmy doesn't do much, Dick is just weird and Julien seems rather meek.

3* because some of the scenary is really nice, especially the island, but the story is ludicrous, with the plot jumping all over the place, and the whole thing was just really odd! Lots of really wooden acting as the whole thing lacked fear and emotion as in the books, and was so far from dramatic I almost laughed at many of the scenes.

And don't get me started on the hair cut of the baddie! Soooo funny!

Will I watch the next one? Possibly for the scenery and comedy factor. Such a shame as I had high hopes for this and was really looking forward to it.

I am in my early sixties and remember the books well, unfortunately, this series is nothing like those cherished books, apart from the barking dog. I think the problem is with it being a period setting whilst pandering to our modern day idealistic values.

That in itself is not a bad thing but it just doesn't work. I think this could easily have been set contemporary and be much better.

As with the recent adaptation of 'Murder is Easy' the program makers have hashed it all up and what's with the muted techno beat background music..is it supposed to raise the tension? It's bloody annoying and adds nothing to drama at all.

Watch if you are new to the Fab 5, you will probably enjoy it, otherwise expect to be underwhelmed. Kudos to the kids for giving it their best, they are much better at it than the adults.

Hello. I just turned on the tv and saw this programme. As a child I adored these books as did my friends, we even made up our own famous five stories. I remember the books as wonderful, timeless classics, warm and lovely. However this series is the opposite. I was struck immediately by George's converse. Fun fact, converse was popularised in the 1960s. Secondly, the characters were rude, petulant and wooden. None of them convey any realistic human emotions. Also, what is with the music? It's incredibly annoying and unnecessary. The acting is outright hilarious, a complete mockery of these cherished books.

"Yeah right?" Is this a phrase used in the 1930s? This series is a disappointment to anyone who loved these books. In addition, I am writing as a thirteen year old who is warning others to stay away.

One last thing. The start titles. I thought I was watching some kind of experimental perfume ad. CANCEL THE SERIES!

Continuity breaks and plot holes you can sail a wooden boat through, pacing issues, and some really bad dialogue. Yes, I grew up with the books, as did my kids who watched with me. We were all prepared for alterations in story, but so much of it was unnecessary and caused us to spend way to much time with the "big name" actors chewing the scenery and the dialogue, whilst the "famous" five were very often absent. The kids were appalled, and I'm still bewildered at how this could be so bad. And don't get me started on the dialogue-drowning era-jarring electro-soundtrack and epilepsy-inducing titles!