Through The Dragon's Eye
Encyclopedia
Through The Dragon's Eye is an educational BBC
Look and Read
production, which was first aired on BBC Two
on 19 September 1989, and has been shown regularly ever since.
Some fans have pointed out that Through the Dragon's Eye bears some resemblance to the Chronicles of Narnia. The villain of Through the Dragon's Eye is called Charn
, who bears the same name as a fictional land in The Magician's Nephew
, one of the Chronicles of Narnia. The presence of talking animals, such as Rodey and Gorwen, add to the Narnia analogies, as does the fact that, like Narnia, Pelamar turns to children from Earth for aid in a time of great crisis.
on a school
wall in Acton, London
(Through the Dragon's Eye was filmed at Derwentwater Primary School, Shakespeare Road in Acton, London). The dragon
in the mural winks at the children and they are transported to a land called Pelamar, where the dragon, named Gorwen, asks the children to undertake a task to save the magical land.
In order to save Pelamar, the children, with Gorwen's help, must recover the pieces of the Veetacore (the life source of Pelamar), which recently exploded. Until they succeed, the land of Pelamar turns increasingly barren and its inhabitants start to fade away. The instructions for the reconstruction of the Veetacore are written in a book, and the children must use their reading skills to help the Veetacore keepers, thus showing the young audience the importance of reading. The art of reading has been lost in Pelamar - this is a sore point with Doris, but the Veetacore keepers do start learning to read as the series progresses.
Unfortunately, three of the pieces have been thrown into the distant land of Widge, forcing Amanda and Scott to travel to Widge with Gorwen, Boris, and the giant mouse Rhodey in order to find them, leaving Jenny to help determine how to reassemble the Veetacore (Made harder both by her own lack of confidence at reading and the fact that the pet caterpillar of Morris, the third keeper, has eaten at some of the pages in the book). The "baddie
" of the story is Charn, "The Evil One", who wants to hijack the Veetacore for his own evil purposes, and who it is implied triggered the original 'explosion' of the Veetacore in the first place.
Fortunately, the inability to read also afflicts Charn, allowing Jenny to display a written message to her friends when Charn forbids her to divulge his presence (She tricked Charn into allowing her to knit a scarf, drawing out a pattern that actually spelled out "HELP! CHARN!" without him knowing). Although Gorwen is able to defeat Charn, he is dangerously weakened, nearly killing himself before the last Veeton is discovered and the Veetacore restored. Although the show ends with the children returning to their school at apparently the moment they left, the presence of their notebooks and three miniature versions of the Veetons they recovered proves that the experience was genuine.
Through The Dragon's Eye was perhaps the most popular Look and Read series, and thanks to a retro revival of the programme, Through The Dragon's Eye is now the focus of some dedicated websites. In recent years, Through The Dragon's Eye has been repeated on BBC children's channel (CBBC
), most recently in February 2008.
Through The Dragon's Eye was also available on video from the BBC, complete with a Teacher's Activity Book with notes and lesson plans and A4 posters.
System. The game took the player through various stages of the story, whereby the user was required to use literacy and numeracy skills to solve puzzles.
Fan Pages:
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
Look and Read
Look and Read
Look and Read is a BBC television programme for primary schools, aimed at improving children's literacy skills. The programme presents fictional stories in a serial format, the first of which was broadcast in 1967 and the most recent in 2004, making it the longest running nationally broadcast...
production, which was first aired on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
on 19 September 1989, and has been shown regularly ever since.
Some fans have pointed out that Through the Dragon's Eye bears some resemblance to the Chronicles of Narnia. The villain of Through the Dragon's Eye is called Charn
Charn
Charn is a fictional city appearing in the 1955 book The Magician's Nephew, book six in C. S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia, written as a prequel to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. In the book, Charn is described as a very large and completely deserted city that is in a semi-ruined state....
, who bears the same name as a fictional land in The Magician's Nephew
The Magician's Nephew
The Magician's Nephew is a fantasy novel for children written by C. S. Lewis. It was the sixth book published in his The Chronicles of Narnia series, but is the first in the chronology of the Narnia novels' fictional universe. Thus it is an early example of a prequel.The novel is initially set in...
, one of the Chronicles of Narnia. The presence of talking animals, such as Rodey and Gorwen, add to the Narnia analogies, as does the fact that, like Narnia, Pelamar turns to children from Earth for aid in a time of great crisis.
Plot
The story involves three children, named Jenny, Amanda and Scott, who are painting a muralMural
A mural is any piece of artwork painted or applied directly on a wall, ceiling or other large permanent surface. A particularly distinguishing characteristic of mural painting is that the architectural elements of the given space are harmoniously incorporated into the picture.-History:Murals of...
on a school
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
wall in Acton, London
Acton, London
Acton is a district of west London, England, located in the London Borough of Ealing. It is situated west of Charing Cross.At the time of the 2001 census, Acton, comprising the wards of East Acton, Acton Central, South Acton and Southfield, had a population of 53,689 people...
(Through the Dragon's Eye was filmed at Derwentwater Primary School, Shakespeare Road in Acton, London). The dragon
Dragon
A dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
in the mural winks at the children and they are transported to a land called Pelamar, where the dragon, named Gorwen, asks the children to undertake a task to save the magical land.
In order to save Pelamar, the children, with Gorwen's help, must recover the pieces of the Veetacore (the life source of Pelamar), which recently exploded. Until they succeed, the land of Pelamar turns increasingly barren and its inhabitants start to fade away. The instructions for the reconstruction of the Veetacore are written in a book, and the children must use their reading skills to help the Veetacore keepers, thus showing the young audience the importance of reading. The art of reading has been lost in Pelamar - this is a sore point with Doris, but the Veetacore keepers do start learning to read as the series progresses.
Unfortunately, three of the pieces have been thrown into the distant land of Widge, forcing Amanda and Scott to travel to Widge with Gorwen, Boris, and the giant mouse Rhodey in order to find them, leaving Jenny to help determine how to reassemble the Veetacore (Made harder both by her own lack of confidence at reading and the fact that the pet caterpillar of Morris, the third keeper, has eaten at some of the pages in the book). The "baddie
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
" of the story is Charn, "The Evil One", who wants to hijack the Veetacore for his own evil purposes, and who it is implied triggered the original 'explosion' of the Veetacore in the first place.
Fortunately, the inability to read also afflicts Charn, allowing Jenny to display a written message to her friends when Charn forbids her to divulge his presence (She tricked Charn into allowing her to knit a scarf, drawing out a pattern that actually spelled out "HELP! CHARN!" without him knowing). Although Gorwen is able to defeat Charn, he is dangerously weakened, nearly killing himself before the last Veeton is discovered and the Veetacore restored. Although the show ends with the children returning to their school at apparently the moment they left, the presence of their notebooks and three miniature versions of the Veetons they recovered proves that the experience was genuine.
Characters and cast
- Amanda Jackson (played by Marlaine GordonMarlaine Gordon-Acting career:One of Gordon's first roles was playing Amanda Jackson in Through The Dragon's Eye , an educational children's programme made for BBC Two's Look and Read productions....
): one of the children that is transported to Pelamar, Amanda goes with Boris, Scott, Rodey and Gorwen to try and find the lost Veetons. The most resourceful.
- Jenny (played by Nicola Stewart): the second child who is transported to Pelamar, Jenny stays behind to help Morris and Dorris to read the Book on the Veetacore (none of the Pelamots (the name given to the inhabitants of Pelamar) could read). Jenny is by her own admission not a strong reader, but she gains confidence as the series progresses.
- Scott Bates (played by Simon FentonSimon FentonSimon Fenton is a British actor who has appeared in several different television roles.One of his earliest roles was in Tom's Midnight Garden, and he also appeared in the ITV children's series T-Bag and the Sunstones of Montezuma, Through The Dragon's Eye, and the Russell T Davies series Century...
): the third child and only boy who is transported to Pelamar, Scott goes with the rescue party to find the lost Veetons. Scott had the idea that Jenny and Amanda should write everything down that happened on a part of his notebook. He wrote his version of events as well.
- Boris (played by Timothy Lyn): the orange Veetacore Keeper who goes with Amanda, Scott, Gorwen and Rodey to try and find the lost Veetons. Boris had a magic cricket bat, which enabled him to fly. Most of the time he came across as not particularly bright, but he occasionally displayed unusual intelligence- he learnt to read well with the help of Scott, and helped Amanda find the first Veeton.
- Doris (played by Carolyn PicklesCarolyn PicklesCarolyn Pickles is an English actress who has appeared in West End theatre and on British television, perhaps most notably in Emmerdale as Shelly Williams.-Life and career:Pickles was born in Wakefield, Yorkshire, England...
): the purple Veetacore Keeper, and the only female one who stays behind to help Jenny re-build the Veetacore. Doris is melted by Charn, while she tries to contact Gorwen the Dragon, but is later rescued by Gorwen when he returns to fight Charn. Doris is at first very unwilling to let Jenny help her mend the Veetacore, but softens over the series.
- Morris (played by Michael Heath): the green Veetacore Keeper who stays behind to help Jenny and Doris re-build the Veetacore. Morris has lots of green pets, including a caterpillar, called Frug who in the last episode turns into a giant butterfly. Morris is more welcoming of Jenny. He is briefly melted by Charn in an attempt to shield Gorwen, but is soon rescued.
- Gorwen the Dragon (voiced by Sean Barrett): Gorwen is a green fire-breathing dragon who contacts Jenny, Scott and Amanda and transports them into Pelamar. Gorwen had already defeated Charn (see below) once before, but in the eighth episode he was forced to fight him again, being dangerously weakened by the fight even though he defeated his enemy.
- Rodey (voiced by Charles CollingwoodCharles Collingwood (actor)Charles Henry Collingwood is a British actor.Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada, and educated at Sherborne School in Dorset, England, he trained at RADA. He is best known for playing the role of Brian Aldridge in the long-running BBC Radio 4 soap opera The Archers since March 1975...
, puppeteerPuppeteerA puppeteer is a person who manipulates an inanimate object, such as a puppet, in real time to create the illusion of life. The puppeteer may be visible to or hidden from the audience. A puppeteer can operate a puppet indirectly by the use of strings, rods, wires, electronics or directly by his or...
ed by Katie Hebb): Rodey was a talking mouse who could transform from the size of a human to normal mouse size at will, though when he enters a "High Fade Zone", as in Episode 1, he shrinks against it. Rodey could speak Widgen (the language of the Widgets (see below), which was how the Rescue Party communicated with the Widgets.
- Charn "the Evil One" (played by David CollingsDavid CollingsDavid Collings is a British actor. He has played many different roles on various television programmes, including the leading dramatic role in Fyodor Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment in 1964....
): Charn was the villainVillainA villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
of Through the Dragon's Eye. He had already tried to take over Pelamar once before, but was defeated by Gorwen and banished. When the Veetacore was exploded he was able to come back to Pelamar, where he tries to use the Veetacore for his own evil purposes. He did not appear until Episode 5- Jenny complains that the Veetacore house is cold, and we learn that it gets colder as Charn gets nearer. Charn, in the eighth episode, fought Gorwen and was defeated, Gorwen incinerating him despite his own weakened condition.
- The Widgets (played by Peter Bonner, Barry Elliot ,Samantha Burroughs, Willie Coppen, Melanie Dixon, Raymond Griffiths, Peter Mandell, Sandra Nicholson and Kate Purvis): The Widgets were small mischievous squirrel-like creatures who lived in a land called "Widge", next to Pelamar (Widge was where the last three veetons were scattered after the Veetacore exploded). They seem malevolent at first, but in the last episode they inexplicably help Scott get the last Veeton.
Theme tune
During the series, three different sets of lyrics (sung to the same theme tune) were used - one at the start of episodes 2-10 (a different song was used for the entire first episode) and another at the end of episodes 2-10:| Lyrics #1 (used at the start and the end of episode 1) | Lyrics #2 (used at the start of episodes 2-10) | Lyrics #3 (used at the end of episodes 2-10) |
|---|---|---|
| North or South, East or West, The Test Is can you finish what you start, Take Heart! Look bravely through the Dragon's Eye And fly... |
North or South, East or West, The Quest To save the life of Pelamar Goes Far. Look bravely through the Dragon's Eye And fly... |
North or South, East or West, It's Best To know for sure you understand The Plan. Look bravely through the Dragon's Eye And fly... |
Cult popularity
"The most popular of all the Look and Read adventure stories, Through the Dragon's Eye captivated pupils in over 25,000 UK primary schools when first broadcast in 1989" - video sleeve note.
Through The Dragon's Eye was perhaps the most popular Look and Read series, and thanks to a retro revival of the programme, Through The Dragon's Eye is now the focus of some dedicated websites. In recent years, Through The Dragon's Eye has been repeated on BBC children's channel (CBBC
CBBC
CBBC is one of two brand names used for the BBC's children's television strands. Between 1985 and 2002, CBBC was the name given to all the BBC's programmes on TV for children aged under 14...
), most recently in February 2008.
Through The Dragon's Eye was also available on video from the BBC, complete with a Teacher's Activity Book with notes and lesson plans and A4 posters.
Computer's Game
Through the Dragon's Eye was also available as an educational computer game on the BBC MicroBBC Micro
The BBC Microcomputer System, or BBC Micro, was a series of microcomputers and associated peripherals designed and built by Acorn Computers for the BBC Computer Literacy Project, operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation...
System. The game took the player through various stages of the story, whereby the user was required to use literacy and numeracy skills to solve puzzles.
External links
- BBC - Cult - Classic TV - Look and Read
- Theme Tune, sung by Derek Griffiths (MP3 File: 19 seconds, 151 kb)
- Through The Dragon's Eye Wikia
Fan Pages: