This is one of those DVDs that I have been waiting to arrive for ages, and it was well worth the wait. Some time ago Network released the series on video and I snapped them up straight away, but have over-watched them (can you actually do this to Catweazle) and they were worse for wear. Not only is this release saving my eyesight, but they are improving the original release as the shows have been digitally remastered.
It is now more than thirty years since Catweazle (Geoffrey Bayldon) materialized onto our television screens from the misty forests of eleventh century Britain. Hounded from the cave where he lives with his pet toad, Touchwood, and pursued through the forest by Norman soldiers, the wizard desperately attempts to use magic to make himself fly. For once his spells seem to miraculously work but instead of flying through the air to escape his enemy he somehow manages to fly through time and finds himself nine centuries in the future in the middle of a farm. Astonished by everything he sees, he believes that even the simplest of modern inventions is in some way a result of sorcery. The twentieth Century world seems full of magic to him with everything he experiences such as electricity (elec-trickery) and the telephone (the telling-bone) taking on a whole new meaning in the wizard's eyes.
Luckily for Catweazle, he is befriended by the farmer's son, Carrot (Robin Davies) and together they enter into a succession of misguided adventures as they attempt to return the wizard to his own century.
The series was conceived and written by Richard Carpenter who went on to become one of Britain's leading television writers creating some of the classic television shows of the 70's and 80's. After Catweazle he wrote various episodes for The Adventures Of Black Beauty before creating The Ghost's Of Motley Hall, Dick Turpin, The Borrowers, Stanley's Dragon and Robin Of Sherwood.
The first series is a 2 disc collection containing all 13 episodes along with commentaries from Geoffrey Bayldon, Robin Davies, Richard Carpenter and Joy Whitby (Executive Producer), the original documentary, a stills gallery and scripts, and is priced just £24.99.
The second series is also a 2 disc collection containg all 13 episodes along with a merchandise image gallery and PDFs of the annuals (other extras are to be confirmed) and is priced just £24.99.
:: Competition
You can now also buy both series in a handsome boxed set for £49.99, but I have a copy to give away courtesy of Network. All you have to do to be in with a chance of winning this excellent series is let me know the answer to the following question:
What was the name of Catweazle's familiar?
Due to a type I left the competition running a little longer than anticipated and this just added to the volume of people entering. The answer to the question was Touchwood (and it was a toad!). The winner was William Smith and your prize will be despatched as soon as possible.
