Catweazle

Poor Catweazle! All he wanted was a spell that would make him fly. While he never took off (not by magic, anyway), the series definitely did!

Filmed with humor, warmth and charm, Catweazle captured the imagination of children everywhere, with the story of a hapless magician and his pet toad Touchwood, trapped nine hundred years ahead of their time. Filmed to the brim with hilarious pandemonium and magical mayhem the loveable sorcerer enters a labyrinth of chaos on his quest to return to his own time.

Unforgettable for Geoffrey Bayldon's outstanding performance as Catweazle, the series also boasted a superb regular cast of Charles Tingwell (Mr Bennet), Neil McCarthy (Sam) and Robin Davies (Carrot), whilst guest appearances by some of Britain's top actors of the time ensured the series of it's quality status.

An instant childrens TV classic Catweazle was applauded by critics and fans alike when it was first shown, earning it's writer Richard Carpenter, a Writers Guild award in 1971.

A medieval English magician tries to escape the invading Norman armies of the 11th century and inadvertently sends himself 900 years into the future where he must survive and work out a way to return to his own time.

Both witty and inventive with a solid turn from the late Geoffrey Bayldon, this fun show entertained a generation of children and adults. Well written by the talented Richard Carpenter, there is also a nostalgiafest going on here for middle aged adults looking at how relatively unspoilt the English countryside was just half a century ago and may bring back some memories of their youth.

No nastiness here, just good fun and whilst we watch Catweazle learn about modernity we also learn a little about us too.

A good cast helps pad the show out too. Personally I found series one to be more interesting than series two and the show was starting to flag a little by the middle of the second series, although the wonderful Peter Butterworth does help partially redeem it, but it it is still a darned sight more watchable than the majority of family centric TV shows these days. The innocence of a bygone era coupled with a 'famous five' sense of adventure and well written characters kept this show ticking along. Some fun cameos help with the nostalgia value as well.

Good clean fun and hugely inventive.

I watched Catweazle when it was originally broadcast and I loved it. I was only seven and nearly 50 years on Talking Pictures channel have started showing it again and it's even better than I remember, possibly because I originally watched it in good old black and white and now I'm watching it on a colour TV. Thank you Talking Pictures, another terrific series from the 60s, 70s and 80s. Happy memories.

I grew up watching this show (in German 'voiceover') and I can only recommend it to viewers of all ages. I actually just ordered the DVD's and can't wait to watch it again and again. The Brit's have done a great job with this show by treating kids like people and not like little dummies, the story line is continuously interesting and of course Catweazle himself is an incredible character. Catweazle's sudden journey from the 11th century into the 20th century is a tale of wonderful stories that make you laugh and cry and make you want to be part of the story. The actor that plays Catweazle did a great job acting as if he was from the 11th century and his amazement about 'new' inventions in the 20th century seem so real, I remember laughing until my belly hurt when he discovered the phone. I don't want to give away to much because I believe this is a show that is still worth watching in this day and age. A must see:-) Cheerio!!