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Return to Flockton - a feature by Nick Jones
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| What happened next... | Page 4 |
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Both series got repeat runs on ITV – series 1 from 8th September 1978, and series 2 from 14th December 1979. Southern TV lost the ITV franchise from 1st January 1981, and the rights to the programmes were sold off. In the early days of "The Children’s Channel" on cable and satellite in the 1990s, the programmes had an airing. When these broadcasts were over, the tapes were put into archive storage; the rights changed hands several times, although the programmes themselves gradually faded into obscurity and were at risk of being entirely forgotten.
Fortunately, the era of home DVD and the release of TV favourites dawned, and action to rescue the Flockton Flyer from obscurity and available for viewing. The programmes show how the WSR looked back in its early days. The programmes are also a reminder of a lost era of childrens' TV programming.
As 6412 and some of the cast steamed off under Lydeard Bridge into the sunset, waved on their way by the younger members of the Carter family, we wondered if they would be back for a third series. Director Colin Nutley seemed confident that the crew would be returning. It was not to be, however. Southern TV diverted resources into their massive hit "Worzel Gummidge" and their version of "Enid Blyton’s Famous Five".
The two series of Flockton Flyer are now available on DVD. Produced by Simply Home Entertainment and accompanied by a 24-page production notes booklet, the two-DVD set is ready to purchase from WSR shops and several online sources. The booklet was co-written by childrens’ TV historian Alistair McGown and me, and contains a considerable amount of information about the production and those involved.
I'd like to thank Keith Hawkins and John Wood for their memories and their pictures used to accompany this article. Credit is due, too, to Childrens' TV historian Alistair McGown, with whom I've worked to get the Flockton Flyer released on DVD - his contacts and experience have helped greatly in making this happen. Thanks also to Steve Edge for providing the space for this article and for his encouragement.
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| » Page 1 | Return to Flockton |
| | Trains and children |
| | Why use the WSR? |
| | Organising the filming |
| | The Regular Cast |
| » Page 2 | The Episodes - Series 1 |
| » Page 3 | The Episodes - Series 2 |
| » Page 4 | What happened next... |
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