Christmas is off and running already with me...but just in a small fashion. Yes, it's Box of Delights time again. Well actually it began last week but i forgot so it was the first two episodes this evening.
Why does it matter when you watch it i hear you cry?
Well the final episode was originally shown on Christmas Eve 1984 with the preceding five episodes shown weekly up to that date which means if you watch as originally transmitted i should have started last Saturday night.
For those not in the know, the series is a weird and wonderful adaptation of a John Masefield book. Set in 1935 it concerns a young boy, Kay Harker on his way back from boarding school to spend the holidays with his aunt at her Seakings estate. However on the train home he runs into crooks and an old Punch and Judy performer and finds himself mixed up in a battle to possess a magical box. It allows the owner to shrink in size, to fly swiftly, to go into the past and to experience the magical wonders contained within the box.
It's beautifully produced, excellent snowy location filming, and is a lovely thing to become part of in the run up to Christmas. It's dirt cheap on dvd and is well worth your time.
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