Roman Mysteries (TV series)
| Roman Mysteries | |
|---|---|
The Roman Mysteries Title Card
|
|
| Genre |
Children's Action Adventure Period |
| Created by | Caroline Lawrence |
| Directed by | Paul Marcus |
| Starring | Eli Machover Rebekah Brookes-Murrell Harry Stott Francesca Isherwood |
| Composer(s) | Cross Wyre |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Jon East David Hunt Keith Littler |
| Producer(s) | David Ball Martyn Auty |
| Location(s) |
Malta Tunisia Bulgaria |
| Editor(s) | Adam Green |
| Running time | 60 minutes |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC One |
| Original release | 8 May 2007 – 2 September 2008 |
| External links | |
| Website | |
Roman Mysteries is a television series based on the series of children's historical novels by Caroline Lawrence. It is reportedly the most expensive British children's TV series to date at £1 million per hour.
The series began filming in June 2006 and was first broadcast from 8 May 2007. The series is divided into "scrolls", each based on one book, starting with The Secrets of Vesuvius. The stories are told in the same order as the book series, except for book 6, The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina, which is transposed to the second series. Books 11 and 12 were not adapted, and the series ends with the adaptation of Book 13. Each scroll consists of two half-hour episodes. The first scroll guest-starred Simon Callow as Pliny the Elder.
On 22 May 2007, after just two episodes, Anne Foy announced on CBBC on BBC One that the show has been postponed due to recent events in the news and would return later in the year on CBBC on BBC One. Since "The Pirates of Pompeii" was about children being kidnapped, the postponement was most likely due to the then recent disappearance of Madeleine McCann. On 19 June the series began broadcasting again from the beginning.
Filming for the second series began on 13 August 2007. The episodes are based on the novels The Gladiators from Capua, The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina, The Colossus of Rhodes, The Fugitive from Corinth and The Slave-girl from Jerusalem.
The series has been sold around the world including Australia, Finland, Germany, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, the USA and Ireland. The second series aired first in Australia. Both series are now out on DVD.
"Roman Mysteries is a tremendous way for younger viewers to learn about ancient history. Set in the Roman Empire in AD79, it is based on a series of novels by Caroline Lawrence that have sold more than a million copies worldwide. It isn't hard to see why - they graft child-friendly adventure on to careful research, and the same care has been taken to transfer them faithfully to the screen with the help of a strong cast and healthy-looking budget. The first episode this afternoon gives a vivid sense of gladiatorial combat, without the risk of children waking up in the middle of the night screaming."
...
Wikipedia