Catweazle is a British children's fantasy television series, starring Geoffrey Bayldon in the title role, and created by Richard Carpenter for London Weekend Television. The first series, produced and directed in 1969 by Quentin Lawrence, was screened in the UK on ITV in 1970. The second series, produced and directed in 1970 by David Reid and David Lane, was shown in 1971. Both series had thirteen episodes, most written by Carpenter, who also published a book for each series based on the scripts.

Origins

A former actor, Richard Carpenter had decided to switch to screenwriting in the 1960s. While driving home from his brother-in-law's farm, Carpenter became lost in the countryside. While consulting a map, Carpenter noticed the name "Catweazle" scratched into an old stone gatepost. The name stuck with Carpenter and he decided to use it. Carpenter was inspired to create a TV show about a wizard after seeing a picture of a "wizardly old man" in the bottom left corner of the Hieronymus Bosch painting "Christ Crowned with Thorns". Carpenter then decided that his wizard character would be a time traveller, and would travel from the Middle Ages into the twentieth century.

Both series centred on the relationship between Catweazle and the young lad from the present day who quickly accepts Catweazle as a friend. The second series had a more farcical character than the first. In the plaster fight scene in the episode 'The Enchanted King'. Cedric's parents were slightly unhinged gentry living in their family stately home. Almost all characters seemed out of touch with reality except Cedric. In the second series, Catweazle sings/speaks to himself using the series theme tune.

Although Bayldon thought the story had run its course after two series, he still praised the second, commenting that two episodes were, in his view, below standard, but not written by Carpenter; "There are two episodes I felt that with; the rest I think are lovely. I thought they were dreadful, but they were not written by Richard. They were written when we were behind".

  • Pickle: Bill Owen (episode 2)
  • Publican: Jerold Wells (episode 2)
  • Vandanti the Magician: Paul Eddington (episode 3)
  • Inspector Pugh: Derek Francis (episode 4)
  • Tearful Ted: Ronald Lacey (episode 4)
  • Policeman: Tim Pearce (episode 4)
  • Doctor Hawkins: Jonathan Elsom (episode 5)
  • Jack Victor: Kenneth Cope (episode 6)
  • Richardson: Tony Caunter (episode 6)
  • John Gobling: Graham Crowden (episode 7)
  • TV story teller: Peter Bayliss (episode 7)
  • Mayor: Richard Caldicot (episode 7)
  • Professors Oscar & Otto Habbleman: John Ringham (episode 8)
  • Mrs Hannah Habbleman: Hana Maria Pravda (episode 8)
  • Hackforth: David Cook (writer) (episode 9)
  • Hector Kenley: Dudley Foster (episode 9)
  • Colonel Arnold Dickenson: John Welsh (episode 10)
  • Sgt Jones: Tony Selby (episode 10)
  • Archie Goodwin: Arthur Lovegrove (episode 11)
  • Dr Benjamin Wenik Derek Godfrey (episode 12)
  • Boris: Roger Hammond (episode 13)

Directors

  • David Reid (7 episodes)
  • David Lane (6 episodes)

Episodes

  1. The Magic Riddle (10 January 1971)
  2. Duck Halt (17 January 1971)
  3. The Heavenly Twins (24 January 1971)
  4. The Sign of the Crab (31 January 1971)
  5. The Black Wheels (7 February 1971)
  6. The Wogle Stone (14 February 1971)
  7. The Enchanted King (21 February 1971)
  8. The Familiar Spirit (28 February 1971)
  9. The Ghost Hunters (7 March 1971)
  10. The Walking Trees (14 March 1971)
  11. The Battle of the Giants (21 March 1971)
  12. The Magic Circle (28 March 1971)
  13. The Thirteenth Sign (4 April 1971)

Critical reception

Reviewing Catweazle for Starburst magazine, Richard Hollis described Catweazle as "an exceptionally well-made series and a worthy example of British television fantasy". Television historians Alistair McGown and Mark Docherty wrote that "Catweazle became a highly respected children's series in its time".

Home media

In the 1980s, Carpenter announced that he hoped to adapt Catweazle into a feature film. However, the planned film was never produced.

Both series of Catweazle were released on VHS in 1998.

The first series was released on Region 2 DVD in the UK in May 2005, with a short reunion documentary "Brothers in Magic" and audio commentaries on selected episodes by Carpenter, Bayldon, Davies and Executive Producer Joy Whitby. The second series was released in August 2005.

In Australia Catweazle: The Complete Series was released in May 2007. In June 2011 both series were released in Region 4.

On 29 March 2010 the series was re-released in the UK to commemorate its 40th anniversary. Among several other additional features were a "Westbourne Museum" image gallery (named after a small local museum in the episode "The Curse of Rapkyn" starring Peter Sallis) featuring the most comprehensive collection of original Catweazle memorabilia and promotional ephemera ever assembled, sourced from The Paul Pert Screen Collection. The release of the 40th Anniversary Special Edition DVD set was also accompanied by a commemorative publication, The Magic Book by Simon Wells and Paul Pert. Robin Davies (who had played Carrot) died just before its publication, on 22 February 2010, at the age of 56. The publication includes an article by Pert about the longevity of the Catweazle phenomenon, entitled "A Magical Spell in the Countryside," which contains Robin Davies's last recorded comments about the series that made him a star and about his special friendship with Bayldon. The DVD image gallery also recorded the occasion of their last meeting at an annual commemorative event held at the farm in East Clandon, Surrey, where the first series was filmed in the summer of 1969.

Also featured in the article was an interview with Richard Carpenter in which he gave a frank account of his thoughts on modern television, and again expressed his desire to bring his writing career full circle with a Catweazle film for the 21st century. He also confirmed that he had drafted a new script. Negotiations for a film had reached pre-production stages when Carpenter died while walking his dog in the countryside at the age of 82 on 26 February 2012.

The first episode of the first series is available to view in full for registered users at the BFI Screenonline site.

The full series was shown on the UK free-to-air television channel Talking Pictures TV from Saturday 2 November 2019.

Books

There are two novelisations by Carpenter, one for each series: Catweazle (1970) and Catweazle and the Magic Zodiac (1971). Both books were illustrated by George Adamson. A 20-page picture book, Catweazle in Marrow Escape was also produced, written by Alan Fennell. A comic strip version featured in the TV comic Look-in, written by Angus P. Allan, and three annuals were also released by World, from 1970 to 1972.

Film

A German film adaptation of the series was released in June 2021, featuring German comedian Otto Waalkes as Catweazle. The film was mostly shot on location at Eberbach Abbey and Stolberg (Kupferhof Rosenthal, primary school Grüntalstraße, Oldtown) and the Katzensteine between Mechernich and Satzvey Castle.

Legacy

English professional wrestler Gary Cooper (1939-1992) adopted the ring name "Catweazle" and a similar image to the title character of the programme. Signed to Joint Promotions, he appeared regularly on the wrestling slot of World of Sport, including Mick McManus' retirement match in 1982.

References

  • Official UK fanclub website
  • 'A Magical Spell in the Countryside' article and ephemera at The Paul Pert Screen Collection
  • Episode guide, cast profiles and background information
  • British Film Institute Screen Online