''The Flaxton Boys'' is a British historical

children's television series Children's television series (or children's television shows) are television programs designed for children, normally scheduled for broadcast during the morning and afternoon when children are awake. They can sometimes run during the early evenin ...

set in the

West Riding of Yorkshire The West Riding of Yorkshire is one of three historic subdivisions of Yorkshire, England. From 1889 to 1974 the administrative county County of York, West Riding (the area under the control of West Riding County Council), abbreviated County ...

and covering a timespan of almost a century. The series was made by

Yorkshire Television ITV Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire Television and commonly referred to as just YTV, is the British television service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV (TV network), ITV network. Until 19 ...

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 different scriptwriters, was produced by Jess Yates and

Robert D. Cardona Robert Daniel Cardona (born March 7, 1930) is an American television writer, producer, director and animator. He co-founded Clearwater Features, along with David Mitton, in 1980. Career Cardona has been based in the United Kingdom for much of ...

, and directed mainly by Cardona (45 episodes). Each of the series was set in a different era, spanning the years 1854 to 1945/6.

Plot, cast and episodes

The series is set at Flaxton Hall, 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 1945/6. The main protagonists in each series are a young member of the Flaxton line and his closest friend, both portrayed as being around 12–13 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 Victor Winding (30 January 1929 – 9 October 2014) was a British actor born in Lambeth, London. He appeared in "The Faceless Ones", a ''Doctor Who'' serial broadcast from April to May 1967 starring Patrick Troughton in which he played the c ...

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, his son Sir Tarquin in series 2, and Miles Osborne in series 3. A constant element through all four series is

narration Narration is the use of a written or spoken commentary to convey a story to an audience. Narration is conveyed by a narrator: a specific person, or unspecified literary voice, developed by the creator of the story to deliver information to the ...

by Gerry Cowan, who appears as Slight in series 1, Jacklin Flaxton in series 2 and as Roger Grafton in series 3.

Series 1 (1969)

It is 1854, and Captain Andrew Flaxton is posted as missing in the

Crimean War The Crimean War, , was fought from October 1853 to February 1856 between Russia and an ultimately victorious alliance of the Ottoman Empire, France, the United Kingdom and Piedmont-Sardinia. Geopolitical causes of the war included the ...

. His wife Lucy and son Jonathan inherit the dilapidated Flaxton Hall, an imposing

crenellated A battlement in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (i.e., a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at interva ...

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. Cast *

Peter Firth Peter Macintosh Firth (born 27 October 1953) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as Sir Harry Pearce in the BBC One programme '' Spooks''; he is the only actor to have appeared in every episode of the programme's ten-series lif ...

– Archie Weekes * David Smith – Jonathan Flaxton * Penelope Lee – Lucy Flaxton * Richard Gale – Sir Peregrine Stilgoe * James Hayter – Nathan * Molly Urquhart – Flora * Peter Clay – Capt. Andrew Flaxton Episodes # ''The Deserter'' (21 September 1969) # ''The Dog'' (28 September 1969) # ''The Watcher'' (5 October 1969) # ''The Tutor'' (12 October 1969) # ''The Smugglers'' (19 October 1969) # ''The Seafarer'' (26 October 1969) # ''The Patient'' (2 November 1969) # ''The Witches'' (9 November 1969) # ''The Bridge'' (16 November 1969) # ''The Hunt'' (23 November 1969) # ''The Island'' (30 November 1969) # ''The Will'' (7 December 1969) # ''The Return'' (14 December 1969)

Series 2 (1970)

It is now 1890. Andrew Flaxton is now an old man, and his son Jonathan is revealed to have disappeared in unknown circumstances some years earlier. Archie Weekes (Jonathan's boyhood friend) is invited to come and run Flaxton Hall with his wife Sarah and son Peter. Sir Peregrine is now dead, but his villainy lives on in the shape of his son Sir Tarquin, who is plotting to take over the Hall in order to gain access to the large reserves of coal. Sir Tarquin's ward, David Stilgoe, becomes friends with Peter, and together they constantly thwart Sir Tarquin's ambitions by their alertness and bravery. Other storylines include a feud between two local Chinese Tong organisations, and the escape of an unhappy and lovelorn young servant girl, assisted by the two boys. At the end, it is revealed that Jonathan has died but that David Stilgoe was, in fact, his son and the heir to Flaxton Hall. Cast * David Bradley – Peter Weekes * Philip Maskery – David Stilgoe *

– Barnaby Sweet * Richard Gale – Sir Tarquin Stilgoe * Gerry Cowan – Jacklin Flaxton (not in fact a member of the family) *

Hugh Cross Hugh Cross (24 September 1925 – 14 May 1989) was a British television and film actor. Selected filmography * '' Just William's Luck'' (1947) * ''William Comes to Town'' (1948) * ''Warning to Wantons'' (1949) * ''Seven Days to Noon'' (1950 ...

– Archie Weekes * Lila Kaye – Sarah Weekes *

Moultrie Kelsall Moultrie Rowe Kelsall (24 October 1904 – 13 February 1980)Biographical info

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, and his widow Jane now lives at the Hall. Their son Jonathan returns home from boarding school for the summer holidays, accompanied by his friend William Pickford. The boys befriend a local character, the feckless but well-meaning Benjamin Sweet. The Stilgoes have vanished from the scene and their former home, Stilgoe Lodge, is now in a state of advanced neglect and decay. The Lodge is to be renovated and turned into an orphanage, and Jonathan and William volunteer their holiday services in assisting with the reconstruction. However things do not go to plan, as a steady stream of workmen are frightened away from the Lodge after claiming to have witnessed hauntings and other supernatural phenomena. Jonathan and William, with the help of Benjamin, eventually discover that the supposed hauntings are fake. Also prominently featured in this series is the thwarted conniving of a Stilgoe family connection, Miles Osborne, to prevent the Lodge from being redeveloped. The series ends with the boys returning to school as the summer holiday ends. Cast * Alan Guy – Jonathan Flaxton * Veronica Hurst – Lady Jane Flaxton * John Ash – William Pickford * Heather Page – Mary Porter *

Nicholas Pennell Nicholas Pennell (19 November 1938 – 22 February 1995) was an English actor who appeared frequently on film and television in the 1960s. He emigrated to Stratford, Ontario, Canada, where he became a stalwart of the Stratford Festival. Pennel ...

– Rev. Albemarle Dobson Partridge *

– Benjamin Sweet * Richard Gale – Miles Osborne * Gerry Cowan – Roger Grafton * Royston Tickner – Sgt. Cornfield * Gorden Kaye – P.C. Joseph *

John Ringham John Henry Ringham (10 February 1928 – 20 October 2008) was a British actor who appeared on both television and stage. Among his roles was that of Norman Warrender in the 1980s sitcom '' Just Good Friends''. Early life Ringham was born in Ch ...

– Mr. Jackson *

Terry Scully Terry Scully (13 May 1932 – 17 April 2001) was a British theatre and television actor. After making his name in the theatre, from the 1960s onwards he became more known for TV work. In 1960 he starred in the BBC's production of ''An Age o ...

– Mr. Wilkinson Episodes # ''All on a Summer's Day'' (19 September 1971) # ''A Quiet Sunday'' (26 September 1971) # ''A Fête Worse Than...'' (3 October 1971) # ''Snake in the Grass'' (10 October 1971) # ''In and Out of Hiding'' (17 October 1971) # ''The Fastest Gun in the West Riding'' (24 October 1971) # ''Trouble in the Air'' (31 October 1971) # ''To See...A Fine Horse'' (7 November 1971) # ''Things That Go Bump'' (14 November 1971) # ''The Ghost Catchers'' (21 November 1971) # ''The Lady in White'' (28 November 1971) # ''Down a Long Black Hole'' (5 December 1971) # ''Goodbye, Summer - Goodbye'' (12 December 1971)

Series 4 (1973)

The final series takes place in 1945 and 1946, in the immediate aftermath of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. During the war Flaxton Hall has been requisitioned by the army. Matthew Flaxton befriends Terry Nichols, an evacuee from

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

who has no home to return to following the disappearance of his parents. Storylines in this series centre on suspicions of spies being operational in the Carliston area and the boys' interaction with enemy combatants being held as

prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of w ...

in the locality. The series closes with Flaxton Hall largely being destroyed by a fire accidentally caused by an upper-class-twit character, Gerald Meder, after Jonathan Flaxton has returned from the war and has expressed grave doubts over whether he will be able to maintain the hall in the new political and economic circumstances; this can be seen as an analogy for the

destruction of country houses in 20th-century Britain The destruction of country houses in 20th-century Britain was the result of a change in social conditions: many country houses of varying architectural merit were demolished by their owners. Collectively termed by several authors "the lost hous ...

. Nonetheless, the family plan to continue in business, and with Terry's parents having returned, they announce that they will move to Yorkshire and he will stay in the area. Cast * Philip Baldwin – Terry Nichols * Joanna Marie Jones – Elizabeth Flaxton * Andrew Packett – Matthew Flaxton * Pamela Duncan – Edith *

– Benjamin Sweet * Murray Melvin – Gerald Meder *

Derek Benfield Derek Benfield (11 March 1926 – 10 March 2009) was a British playwright and actor. He was born in Bradford, West Riding of Yorkshire, and educated at Bingley Grammar School. He was the author of the stage farce ''Running Riot'' and playe ...

– Sgt. Brophy *

Cyril Luckham Cyril Alexander Garland Luckham (25 July 1907 – 8 February 1989) was an English film, television and theatre actor. He was the husband of stage and screen actress Violet Lamb. Career The son of a paymaster captain in the Royal Navy, Cyril Lu ...

– Peter Weekes *

Jill Summers Jill Summers (born Honor Margaret Rozelle Santoi Fuller; 10 December 1910 – 11 January 1997) was an English music hall performer, actor and comedian. Her career in entertainment lasted eighty years and in 1982 she achieved stardom as Phyll ...

– Mary Porter * Tom Browne – Captain Ewing Episodes # ''Is Your Journey Really Necessary?'' (25 March 1973) # ''This Little Piggy'' (1 April 1973) # ''What You Don't Know Might Hurt You'' (8 April 1973) # ''No Place Like...'' (15 April 1973) # ''The Bevin Boy'' (22 April 1973) # ''Welcome Home Tommy Atkins'' (29 April 1973) # ''It Fell off the Back of a Lorry'' (6 May 1973) # ''Charity Begins at...'' (13 May 1973) # ''Things Are Not What They Seem'' (20 May 1973) # ''Cry Wolf'' (27 May 1973) # ''A Funny Kind of Day'' (3 June 1973) # ''Remember, Remember'' (10 June 1973) # ''Keep the Home Fires Burning'' (17 June 1973)

Additional information

Location filming for ''The Flaxton Boys'' took place at Ripley Castle, four miles north of

Harrogate Harrogate ( ) is a spa town and the administrative centre of the Borough of Harrogate in North Yorkshire, England. Historically in the West Riding of Yorkshire, the town is a tourist destination and its visitor attractions include its spa ...

. The castle owner, Sir Thomas Ingilby, credited the series for a dramatic rise in visitor numbers, turning the establishment from a local into a regional attraction. The theme tune for the series was an excerpt from

Sergei Prokofiev Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev; alternative transliterations of his name include ''Sergey'' or ''Serge'', and ''Prokofief'', ''Prokofieff'', or ''Prokofyev''., group=n (27 April .S. 15 April1891 – 5 March 1953) was a Russian composer, ...

's '' Classical Symphony''. Episodes were originally broadcast early on Sunday evenings, at the time the traditional "family" timeslot in the UK for historical drama made for children but with appeal to an adult audience also, such as '' The Adventures of Black Beauty''. Comic strip versions of series three and four appeared in '' Look-in'' in 1971 and ''

TV Comic ''TV Comic'' was a British comic book magazine published weekly from 9 November 1951 until 29 June 1984. Featuring stories based on television series running at the time of publication, it was the first British comic to be based around TV pro ...

'' from July 1973 to June 1974, respectively. ''The Flaxton Boys'' continued to be repeated on various networks both in the UK and overseas until the early 1990s. Unusually for the era, its location recordings were on videotape rather than film, except for some limited use of film in the last series. The series has always been fully extant in the Yorkshire Television archives, but until 2015 only the first episodes of the first two series had been released commercially, in the ''Look-Back on 70s Telly'' series. The complete first series was released on DVD by Network in July 2015 although in some instances the recordings had decayed (an acknowledged problem with videotaped children's programmes in the Yorkshire TV archive). In 2017, the second series, the third series and the fourth seriesNetwork website as of February 2018
/ref> were released.

References

External links

Detailed overview and history of ''The Flaxton Boys'' at Television Heaven
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flaxton Boys, The 1969 British television series debuts 1973 British television series endings 1960s British children's television series 1970s British children's television series ITV children's television shows Television series by Yorkshire Television Television series by ITV Studios Television shows set in Yorkshire English-language television shows