h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Entry: 'The Box of Delights' - the Television Series - A87844288
Author: Bluebottle - U43530

'The Box of Delights' was a novel by Poet Laureate John Masefield, with a climactic finish on Christmas Eve, 1934. On Christmas Eve 1984 the final episode was broadcast on television.

This article seeks to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the novel and 30th anniversary to the day of the television series.

(Incidentally, that's how John Masefield spelt 'Phoenix' in his book. I'm not going to argue with a Poet Laureate).

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Excellent series Oh the entry is good too

Nice. Though I've never seen this.

I didn't see this series either, but I really enjoyed the Entry - I like the links to other works emphasising its legacy

Quentin and Queenie - fabulous names for wolves

Fascinating also that the place was Chesters Theological College - not far off Chester
Theological College, but I suspect Masefield's influences came from elsewhere...

I remember this production very well - it was a marvel. Thanks for bringing it out of the forgotten past.

This is a good entry, Bluebottle. I've never heard of this series; you present it well.

I know you won't mind my suggestions for possible changes, and won't take them as criticisms.


The first sentence is a bit of an adjectival overload: "the BBC's magical 1984 award-winning six-part children's drama" as well as throwing in the adjectives Joyful and triumphant for good measure. I'd tone it down a bit.

dreams and reality, Christianity and Paganism and aeroplanes and cars -- this is a place where an "Oxford comma" would help to break up that final "Christianity and Paganism and aeroplanes and cars" phrase which as too many ands. PUt a comma after Paganism.

"It out to have gangsters" -- is "out" correct there, or did you mean to type "ought"?

"soon after he notices that his pockets have been picked"

- this may be a dialect use of the phrase "soon after", but it doesn't work in standard English. It leaves us waiting to find out what happens soon after he notices that his pockets have been picked. You could say "soon after this" or "a short time later".

an old, mysterious Punch and Judy man -- it would be normal to put this the other way around:

a mysterious old Punch and Judy man


"After an innocent comment that Hawlings left Seekings at the same time as Tatchester Cathedral's staff" -- I don't know what you mean by this, or what significance it has.


Differences with the Novel --> Differences from the Novel

almost all completely absent --> almost completely absent

in the television he summons a storm to strike him down -- it's not clear whether Arnold summons a storm to strike Kay down or the other way around.

"When explosives were at the bottom of one of the castle's turrets, only for it to blow a hole in the tower's ceiling." -- this is not a proper sentence. I suspect you intended to tack it on to the previous sentence, but that would make the whole sentence rather long. Instead, I suggest you reword it:

"Live explosives were set off at the bottom of one of the castle's turrets, only for them to blow a hole in the tower's ceiling."

or something like that.

a height of 3-inches --> a height of 3 inches

to keep the camera 3 inches off the ground -->
to keep the camera view 3 inches off the ground

The final episode, set on Christmas Eve 1934, broadcast on Christmas Eve 1984 -->
The final episode, set on Christmas Eve 1934, was broadcast on Christmas Eve 1984

A Andante quasi lento e cantabile -- are you sure about that inital "A". It would make more sense as "Andante quasi lento e cantabile"

especially Aslan a lion, witches -->
especially Aslan a lion, a witch

half-goat fawn -- I think that should be "faun". Can you check, please?

Both The Box of Delights, The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe feature children -->
Both The Box of Delights and The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe feature children

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe --> The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

These adapted the serial format -- did you mean "adopted" here?

You give the date of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe as 1949 in one place and 1950 in another.

Known in America as The Sand Fairy, a sequel serial was commissioned, Return of the Psammead (1993) -- was the sequel serial known in America as the Sand Fairy, or have you just connected two unrelated sentences with a comma?

Tragically by the early 1990s -- I think "Tragically" is too strong a word for it. Grange Hill was a very popular series.

Thanks for your comments - I'm always pleased when someone has obviously taken the time to read thoroughly something I've written. I won't necessarily agree with all suggestions, but will always consider them. Most of these were straight forward corrections of typos, as well as correcting grammar and other stuff they don't teach in schools any more.

I also agree with you completely about your first suggestion - that the opening sentence is a bit overblown and overdone. However, this is an article about a Christmas story, so though 99% of the time I'd concede and change it, I've given myself permission to go a tiny bit over the top for Christmas. Well, you've got to, haven't you?

I've added a bit more to the 'Plot' section to clarify that.

I also don't want to disparage Grange Hill, which was indeed a popular programme, especially when the script editor was Sir Anthony Minghella (although he was much better suited to 'The Story Teller' and his film work). Yet I do believe that making television programmes based on 'what will be cheap' rather than 'what will be good, family drama' is a mistake. Between 1984 and 1994, the amount of money spent on children's television dropped by 80%.
Personally, I think not adapting classic children's novels is a real tragedy. When I was 4 I saw 'The Box of Delights' and loved it. When I was older I read the novel, and later read more of John Masefield's poetry. Even 'Doctor Who' has tried to encourage wider reading, with their involvement in 'Quick Read' schemes, episodes involving writers such as Shakespeare, Dickens and Agatha Christie, and even introducing children to classical music through the Doctor Who Proms. Family television serials introduces children to classic novels and encourages reading in exactly the way that episodes of soap operas don't.

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Your Guide Entry has just been picked from Peer Review by one of our Scouts, and is now heading off into the Editorial Process, which ends with publication in the Edited Guide. We've moved this Review Conversation out of Peer Review and to the entry itself.

If you'd like to know what happens now, check out the page on 'What Happens after your Entry has been Recommended?' at EditedGuide-Process. We hope this explains everything.

Thanks for contributing to the Edited Guide!

Yay!

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Congratulations!

well done

Congratulations, and well done! I really enjoyed reading this entry (which I sadly missed when it was first submitted).

As an aside, I'd never heard of the book or the series before now, and I've just ordered both. So thanks for that, too!

OOh - no pressure then - I really hope you enjoy it as much as I did. Have you seen the 1980s Narnia adaptations?

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>Have you seen the 1980s Narnia adaptations?

I'd swear I saw some sort of film or TV adaptation, but I must be mistaken. It seems they aired in the late 80s? I was a surly teenager then, and much too cool to watch "children's" programming. I grew back into it once I got into my mid-twenties.

I think what I'm remembering is an animated version which was released in the late 70s. Looks like Netflix has the three BBC adaptations available, though, so I might check them out one of these days.

I'll let you know how I enjoy "The Box of Delights" once I've read and watched. Might take a couple of weeks, as the DVD is coming from the UK. I'm looking forward to it - thanks again!

Yep, they were late 80s - hopefully you don't consider yourself too cool for children's programming now. Yes, 'The Box of Delights' television is 30 years old and so the effects might seem dated to modern eyes, but the underlying magic is still there. I just wish I could go back to watching it as a 4 year old for the first time again. So I assume you're reading the book first if you have to wait for the DVD to arrive?

Oh, and I used to have the 70s animated Narnia film as one of our first VHS cassettes. I wonder if it is out on DVD, not seen it for years. We always watched it on a wet Sunday afternoon.

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I'm waiting for both the book and the DVD to arrive, but will read the book first regardless of order in which they arrive. And no, I haven't considered myself too cool for children's programming (or books) for some years now. Some are good, some not so good, but I don't dismiss anything out of hand just because it's intended for children. Which means I've also enjoyed re-reading and watching many of my childhood favorites on an ongoing basis.

I found some listings for a Narnia DVD, and at least one was region 2, so you'd probably be able to locate one if you really wanted one.

Just a quick follow-up. The DVD arrived last Wednesday; the book shipped Media Mail, so is still in transit. We watched the first three "episodes" of the DVD yesterday. I like it!! So thanks again for the entry, which turned into a recommendation!