Malory Towers (TV series)
Malory Towers is a British-Canadian children's television series, based on the eponymous book series by Enid Blyton.
| Malory Towers | |
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| Genre | Drama |
| Created by |
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| Based on | Malory Towers by Enid Blyton |
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| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Production | |
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| Distributor | BBC Studios (United Kingdom) WildBrain Distribution (Worldwide)[1] |
| Release | |
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| Original release | 6 April 2020 – present |
The first series were released early on BBC iPlayer on 23 March 2020, and later premiered on CBBC on 6 April 2020 in the United Kingdom. In Canada, the show premiered on Family Channel with a two-part event on 1 July 2020. In America, it premiered on BYUtv on 13 September 2020.
It has been renewed for a second and third series, filming back to back in 2021.[2][3]
Premise
Set in post-World War II Britain, the show follows the adventures of 12-year-old Darrell Rivers as she leaves home to attend an all-girls' boarding school and "explores a nostalgic world of midnight feasts, lacrosse, pranks, a mystery ghost and lasting friendships." However, the TV series takes Blyton's world and reimagines a more racially diverse and inclusive cast.
Cast
Main
- Ella Bright as Darrell Rivers
- Danya Griver as Gwendoline Mary Lacey
- Zoey Siewert as Alicia Johns
- Sienna Arif-Knights as Sally Hope
Recurring
- Twinkle Jaiswal as Katherine
- Imogen Lamb as Mary-Lou
- Natasha Raphael as Irene
- Saskia Kemkers as Emily
- Beth Bradfield as Jean
- Hannah Saxby as Pamela
- Ashley McGuire as Matron
- Genevieve Beaudet as Mam'zelle Rougier
- Imali Perera as Miss Potts
- Jennifer Wigmore as Miss Grayling
- Birgitte Solem as Miss Grayling (Season 2)
- Christine Horne as Margaret
- Jude Harper-Wrobel as Ron
- Jason Callender as Mr Parker
- Carys John as Ellen Wilson
- Edie Whitehead as Georgina Thomas
Episodes
Series 1
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The First Day" | Bruce McDonald | Rachel Flowerday & Sasha Hails | 6 April 2020 (CBBC) 13 September 2020 (BYUtv) | |
| New girls Darrell Rivers, Sally Hope and Gwendoline Mary Lacey arrive for their first day at Malory Towers, their new school on a clifftop location above an idyllic coastline. They meet Miss Grayling, the wise and dignified headmistress, no-nonsense First Form mistress Miss Potts, and the stern Matron. Gwendoline hopes that she and Darrell will be best friends, but is due for an unpleasant surprise. | |||||
| 2 | "The New Girls" | Bruce McDonald | Julie Dixon | 13 April 2020 (CBBC) 13 September 2020 (BYUtv) | |
| Darrell is hopeful of securing a place on the junior lacrosse team, but misses the trials when her sports shoes mysteriously disappear. However, Head Girl Pamela includes Darrell as first reserve. Meanwhile, jealous Gwen is determined to get to the bottom of Darrell's past at St. Hilda's. | |||||
| 3 | "The Trick" | Bruce McDonald | Richie Conroy & Mark Hodkinson | 20 April 2020 (CBBC) 20 September 2020 (BYUtv) | |
| Alicia's new trick sweets are confiscated by Matron, with unfortunate results when Matron unwisely samples one herself. Alicia and Darrell devise another trick with riotous results in Mam'zelle Rougier's French class. When Gwen sneaks to Matron, Darrell needs to think quickly to avoid being reported to Miss Grayling, but still has to face a difficult interview with Miss Potts. | |||||
| 4 | "The Slap" | Rebecca Rycroft | Rachel Flowerday & Sasha Hails | 27 April 2020 (CBBC) 27 September 2020 (BYUtv) | |
| Gwen's unpleasant side surfaces when she bullies timid Mary-Lou in the swimming pool. Darrell loses her temper and does something unspeakable to Gwen. The First Formers hold a form meeting to decide what should be done, which leaves Mary-Lou devoted to Darrell and Gwen more resentful than ever. | |||||
| 5 | "The Match" | Rebecca Rycroft | Rachel Flowerday & Sasha Hails | 4 May 2020 (CBBC) 4 October 2020 (BYUtv) | |
| Sally suffers a stomach ache and drops out of the lacrosse team. Darrell replaces her as first reserve. But when Malory Towers' opponents are unexpectedly replaced by St. Hilda's, her old school, Darrell finds herself having to face her past. In this, she receives good advice from Mary-Lou and Sally, while Gwen hears some home truths. | |||||
| 6 | "The Midnight Feast" | Rebecca Rycroft | Julia Kent | 11 May 2020 (CBBC) 11 October 2020 (BYUtv) | |
| It is Alicia's birthday and she receives a generous food hamper. She plans a midnight feast in North Tower, but Darrell is reluctant to lose sleep on the night before an important examination. Gwen, to her horror, discovers that exam marks are sent to parents. When the midnight feast is interrupted by Matron, forcing the girls to hide in Miss Grayling's study, Gwen finds an opportunity to cheat in the exam. | |||||
| 7 | "The Open Day" | Rebecca Rycroft | Kate Hewlett | 18 May 2020 (CBBC) 18 October 2020 (BYUtv) | |
| It is half term and Malory Towers welcomes the girls' parents to an open day of picnics and sporting events. Mary-Lou is invited to a picnic by Gwen with her mother, and has to endure Gwen's untruthful boasting about her academic and sporting prowess. Meanwhile Darrell is worried about the poor grades in her half term report and struggles to find a companion to introduce to her parents as her best friend. | |||||
| 8 | "The Push" | Rebecca Rycroft | Rachel Flowerday & Sasha Hails | 25 May 2020 (CBBC) 25 October 2020 (BYUtv) | |
| Sally behaves oddly whenever her baby sister is mentioned. Darrell joins the remedial class, taken by Head Girl Pamela, to improve her grades. When Sally is again taken ill with stomach pains, Matron is dismissive, believing she ate too many strawberries at the open day. But Darrell believes otherwise, fearing she may have been the cause. She does all she can to find a doctor so that Sally can be treated. | |||||
| 9 | "The Letter" | Rebecca Rycroft | Rachel Flowerday & Sasha Hails | 1 June 2020 (CBBC) 1 November 2020 (BYUtv) | |
| The Malory Towers ghost appears again, seen by Sally who is recovering in the sanatorium. Darrell, still worried about Sally's behaviour, has written to Sally's mother. Her good intentions backfire when Sally disappears after her mother decides to remove her from Malory Towers. Gwen volunteers to replace Sally as Pamela's monitor, with catastrophic results. Pamela, meanwhile, makes a discovery that seems to explain Darrell's slowness in class. | |||||
| 10 | "The Dress" | Bruce McDonald | Richie Conroy & Mark Hodkinson | 8 June 2020 (CBBC) 8 November 2020 (BYUtv) | |
| A beautiful dress arrives at Malory Towers and there is much speculation as to who the owner might be. Darrell replaces Gwen as Pamela's monitor, but is disappointed when she finds out that Pamela has changed her plans to train as a teacher, and will be leaving Malory Towers. | |||||
| 11 | "The Spider" | Bruce McDonald | Richie Conroy & Mark Hodkinson | 15 June 2020 (CBBC) 15 November 2020 (BYUtv) | |
| Timid Mary-Lou is terrified of spiders and falls victim to several spiteful tricks, including the appearance of a large spider that creates mayhem in the French class. Darrell and Sally devise a plan to improve Mary-Lou's confidence, after which the girls buy her a beautiful fountain pen to remind her of her bravery. | |||||
| 12 | "The Ghost" | Bruce McDonald | Kate Hewlett | 22 June 2020 (CBBC) 22 November 2020 (BYUtv) | |
| Darrell and Sally, now best friends, decide to track down the Malory Towers ghost. Sally marks all the sightings of the ghost on a map and the girls mount a night-time watch. After a series of adventures in the dark, involving a secret passage and a family drama, the mystery is finally solved. Meanwhile a jealous act of spite is directed at Mary-Lou. | |||||
| 13 | "The Last Day" | Bruce McDonald | Rachel Flowerday & Sasha Hails | 29 June 2020 (CBBC) 29 November 2020 (BYUtv) | |
| It is the last day of term. The girls are horrified when Mary-Lou discovers her new fountain pen has been deliberately smashed. The evidence seems to point to Darrell, who must defend herself to the rest of the form. But Mary-Lou's faith in Darrell is unshaken and it is she who finds the evidence that reveals the real culprit. | |||||
Series 2
| No. | Title | Directed by | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Head of Form" | Bruce McDonald | Rachel Flowerday & Sasha Hails | 22 November 2021 (BBC iPlayer) 27 February 2022 (BYUtv App) | |
| The girls return to Malory Towers along with new girl, Ellen Wilson. A new head of form has to be elected. | |||||
| 2 | "The Dunce's Cap" | Bruce McDonald | Rachel Flowerday & Sasha Hails | 22 November 2021 (BBC iPlayer) 27 February 2022 (BYUtv App) | |
| 3 | "The Stray" | Bruce McDonald | Rachel Flowerday & Sasha Hails | 22 November 2021 (BBC iPlayer) 27 February 2022 (BYUtv App) | |
| 4 | "The Auditions" | Bruce McDonald | Rachel Flowerday & Sasha Hails | 22 November 2021 (BBC iPlayer) 27 February 2022 (BYUtv App) | |
| 5 | "The Caricatures" | Bruce McDonald | Rachel Flowerday & Sasha Hails | 22 November 2021 (BBC iPlayer) 27 February 2022 (BYUtv App) | |
| 6 | "The Runaway" | Bruce McDonald | Rachel Flowerday & Sasha Hails | 22 November 2021 (BBC iPlayer) 27 February 2022 (BYUtv App) | |
| 7 | "The Play" | Bruce McDonald | Rachel Flowerday & Sasha Hails | 22 November 2021 (BBC iPlayer) 27 February 2022 (BYUtv App) | |
| 8 | "The Measles" | Bruce McDonald | Rachel Flowerday & Sasha Hails | 22 November 2021 (BBC iPlayer) 27 February 2022 (BYUtv App) | |
| 9 | "The Sneezing Trick" | Bruce McDonald | Rachel Flowerday & Sasha Hails | 22 November 2021 (BBC iPlayer) 27 February 2022 (BYUtv App) | |
| 10 | "The School Trip" | Bruce McDonald | Rachel Flowerday & Sasha Hails | 22 November 2021 (BBC iPlayer) 27 February 2022 (BYUtv App) | |
| 11 | "The Quiz" | Bruce McDonald | Rachel Flowerday & Sasha Hails | 22 November 2021 (BBC iPlayer) 27 February 2022 (BYUtv App) | |
| 12 | "The Heroine" | Bruce McDonald | Rachel Flowerday & Sasha Hails | 22 November 2021 (BBC iPlayer) 27 February 2022 (BYUtv App) | |
| 13 | "The Lost Treasure" | Bruce McDonald | Rachel Flowerday & Sasha Hails | 22 November 2021 (BBC iPlayer) 27 February 2022 (BYUtv App) | |
Production
In July 2019, it was announced in a press release that CBBC and Family Channel had commissioned a 13-part co-produced adaptation of Enid Blyton's ‘phenomenal’ Malory Towers. Sasha Hails and Rachel Flowerday would adapt the series for television with Rebecca Rycroft and Bruce McDonald directing. From DHX Media, Josh Scherba, Anne Loi and Michael Goldsmith are executive producing; Angela Boudreault is producing. From King Bert Productions, Jo Sargent is executive producing and Grainne McNamara is producing.[4]
Principal photography began in Toronto, Canada in summer 2019 and later moved to in Cornwall and Devon in England, shooting at Hartland Abbey and in the town of Bodmin.[5]
Release
CBBC released a teaser trailer on 20 March 2020 with the announcement that the series would premiere on 6 April 2020.[6] The entire first series of episodes was available to view early on BBC iPlayer as of 23 March to viewers in the UK with a TV licence.[7] The first two episodes aired on Family Channel in Canada that 1 July.[8] The second season was also released in its entirety on the BBC iPlayer on 22 November 2021, with broadcasts expected on CBBC in 2022.[9]
It was also announced that WildBrain would handle international distribution outside the United Kingdom.[10]
Malory Towers began airing on BYUtv on Sundays in America on 13 September 2020.[11]
References
- Whyte, Alexandra (17 June 2020). "Malory Towers takes an international trip". Kidscreen. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
- "TWENTY SIX MORE EPISODES OF HIT SERIES MALORY TOWERS GREENLIT". WildBrain. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
- "Enid Blyton drama 'Malory Towers' renewed by BBC for two more seasons". British Period Dramas. 13 May 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
- "CBBC and Family Channel commission Malory Towers". Licensing Magazine. 10 July 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- Conlan, Tara (20 March 2020). "'Downton for kids': BBC brings forward Malory Towers adaptation". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- Butler, Karen (22 March 2020). "'Malory Towers' series to premiere on CBBC April 6". The Guardian. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- Chabo, Elena (23 March 2020). "BBC's new Malory Towers adaption arrives on iPlayer early". Good Housekeeping. Retrieved 23 March 2020.
- David, Greg (18 June 2020). "Family Channel enrols at Malory Towers". TV, Eh?. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
- Simon Artymiuk (21 November 2021). "Enid Blyton Cornish boarding school classic Malory Towers returns to iPlayer". The Cornish Times. Retrieved 25 November 2021.
- Whyte, Alexandra (17 June 2020). "Malory Towers takes an international trip". Kidscreen. Retrieved 12 August 2020.
- Shields, Judy (12 September 2020). "BYUtv Premieres "Malory Towers" Sunday, September 13 at 9 p.m. ET/7 p.m. MT/6 p.m. PT". The Hollywood Times. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
External links
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