The Flaxton Boys
| The Flaxton Boys | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Children's television |
| Written by |
Sid Waddell Bill MacIlwraith Gerry Andrewes Gloria Tors Stuart Douglass Barry Cockcroft Jeremy Burnham Michala Crees Anthony Couch |
| Directed by |
Robert D. Cardona David Goldsmith David Millard |
| Starring |
Peter Firth David Bradley Victor Winding Richard Gale David Smith James Hayter Philip Maskery John Ash Alan Guy Nicholas Pennell Veronica Hurst Moultrie Kelsall |
| Theme music composer | Sergei Prokofiev |
| Opening theme | Extract from the Classical Symphony |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of series | 4 |
| No. of episodes | 52 |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) |
Jess Yates Robert D. Cardona |
| Location(s) | Ripley Castle, North Yorkshire |
| Running time | 52 x 30 mins |
| Production company(s) | Yorkshire Television |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Audio format | Monaural |
| Original release | 21 September 1969 – 17 June 1973 |
The Flaxton Boys is a British historical children's television series set in the West Riding of Yorkshire and covering a timespan of almost a century. The series was made by Yorkshire Television and was broadcast on ITV between 1969 and 1973, running for 4 series and 52 episodes, each of 30 minutes duration.
The Flaxton Boys had a number of completely different scriptwriters, was produced by Jess Yates and Robert D. Cardona, and directed mainly by Cardona (45 episodes). Each of the series was set in a different era, spanning the years 1854 to 1945.
The series is set at Flaxton Hall, located near the fictional Yorkshire village of Carliston. Each series follows the exploits and adventures of a different generation of boys, in 1854, 1890, 1928 and 1945 respectively. The main protagonists in each series are a young member of the Flaxton line and his closest friend, both portrayed as being around 14 years old.
Storylines are drawn mainly from the traditional staples of the Boys' Adventure genre, including plot elements such as hidden treasure, cryptic clues to be solved, ghostly apparitions, malign and unscrupulous villains, and spies. Each series is essentially self-contained in terms of cast and character.
However two lead actors feature in more than one series – Victor Winding portrays Barnaby Sweet in series 2 and Sweet's son Benjamin in series 3 and 4, while Richard Gale plays Sir Peregrine Stilgoe in series 1, Stilgoe's ward Sir Tarquin in series 2, and Miles Osborne in series 3. A constant element through all four series is narration by Gerry Cowan, who appears as Jacklin Flaxton in series 2.
It is 1854, and Captain Andrew Flaxton is posted as missing in the Crimean War. His wife Lucy and son Jonathan inherit the dilapidated Flaxton Hall, an imposing crenellated and ivy-covered property in the Yorkshire countryside. Jonathan befriends a local boy, Archie Weekes, and the pair spend their free time exploring. Local legend maintains that a great treasure is concealed somewhere within Flaxton Hall or its grounds, and this spikes the interest and attention of the area's avaricious, ruthless and unprincipled villain Sir Peregrine Stilgoe, who hires three convicts to assist him in locating the treasure. Jonathan and Archie find themselves in constant danger, but manage to keep one step ahead of Sir Peregrine in his machinations. A side-plot involves a strange ghostly female figure, reputed to haunt the local churchyard. The series ends with the safe return from the Crimea of Andrew Flaxton, who puts a swift end to Sir Peregrine's villainy and himself finds the treasure, which promises the family a secure and stable future.
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