Dani's Castle
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''Dani's Castle'' (also known as ''Rich, Jimmy & Kait's Castle'' during the
third series Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', i.e., the third in a series of fractional parts in a sexagesimal number system Places * 3rd Street (dis ...
) is a British children's comedy series broadcast on the
CBBC Channel CBBC is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 to 12. Its sister c ...
. It is the spin-off series to ''
Dani's House ''Dani's House'' is a British children's comedy series broadcast on CBBC and starring Dani Harmer. The first series premiered on 26 September 2008, and its fifth series concluded on 19 July 2012. It has received several awards and nominations ...
''. Dani inherits a castle in
Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...
from her deceased aunt and gets more than she expected. She meets three residents, an unknown cousin, and two people who died 250 years ago. Series 1 began airing on 17 January 2013 on the
CBBC Channel CBBC is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 to 12. Its sister c ...
, and 1 April 2013 on
ABC3 ABC Entertains is an Australian free-to-air television channel owned by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. It was launched on 4 December 2009 as a children's channel called ABC3. It was rebranded on 19 September 2016 to ABC ME. It rebra ...
. Series 2 of ''Dani's Castle'' aired from 14 November 2013 to 3 January 2014. Series 3 aired from 7 July 2015 to 22 September 2015, and then returned for a finale Christmas episode on 15 December 2015. It was filmed in
County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 552,261. It borders County Antrim to the ...
in Northern Ireland.


Plot


Series 1

Following the events of ''
Dani's House ''Dani's House'' is a British children's comedy series broadcast on CBBC and starring Dani Harmer. The first series premiered on 26 September 2008, and its fifth series concluded on 19 July 2012. It has received several awards and nominations ...
'', ''Dani's Castle'' sees Dani re-evaluating her whole life after ''McHurtie's Hospital'', a fictional
medical drama A medical drama is a Television film, television movie or film in which events center upon a hospital, clinic, doctor's office, a paramedic, or any other medical topic or environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television), dramatic progra ...
/
soap opera A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...
, is cancelled. But her fortunes soon change when her Great-Aunt Marjorie dies and leaves Dani with her very own castle. With dreams of becoming the lady of the manor, Dani arrives at her new home full of ideas and optimism. But she's soon brought up short when she reaches Bogmoor Castle to find it's been voted the "No.1 Worst Tourist Attraction" in the country for 10 years running, with crumbling towers, howling corridors, and an overgrown jungle for a garden, even a resident pair of young 250-year-old ghosts – Gabe and Esme. And Dani isn't the only heir; she soon encounters a troublesome cousin she didn't even know she had, who seems to break anything and everything. Worst of all: Great-Aunt Marjorie has left her a large stack of debts and unpaid bills.


Series 2

The new series picks up from series 1 and Dani has moved on. She's a Hollywood star now, but Bogmoor Castle is still her home and she cares about the people who live there. But since she can't be there in person, she can at least be a font of wisdom on the webcam. But Kait, Jimmy, Rich, Dylan, Esme, and Gabe still need her! Having left the castle in the hands of her cousins Rich and Jimmy, spectral ancestors Gabe and Esme, her best friend Kait, and Rich's little brother Dylan, there's still plenty for Dani to worry about. Also, there is a growing relationship between Kait and Rich. In this series, Rich is still coming up with money-making schemes for the castle – and sets up a brand new radio station, Bogmoor FM.


Series 3

The show was renewed for a new series and renamed '' Rich, Jimmy & Kait's Castle'' following Dani Harmer's exit. In the series Kait sets up her own business (Kait's bakes), while Rich and Jimmy work on adding a recording studio to Bogmoor FM, Gabe sets up a Ghostel, Leonie invites The Dead Headz to play on Bogmoor FM, and Dylan meets a ghost from the ''
Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British ocean liner that sank in the early hours of 15 April 1912 as a result of striking an iceberg on her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United States. Of the estimated 2,224 passengers a ...
''. Rich and Kait split up, a prank war breaks out, Gabe and Rich counsel a nervous ghost, Gabe and Leonie switch places with Rich and Kait, Gabe gets a visit from a Ghostel inspector, Kait wins best newcomer at the pet snack business of year award, and it's Dylan's birthday. Rich and Kait feel awkward when they are made to play two people in love when acting out ''Midsummer Night's Dream'', Jimmy returns home from his Street Dance Academy tour, and Jimmy and Clare go on a picnic date. Jimmy and Clare get together and Rich and Kait get back together. Gabe wants to write a gossip novel. The series introduced two new characters, Clare (Jessica Forrest) and Leonie (
Lucy Hutchinson Lucy Hutchinson (; 29 January 1620 – October 1681) was an English translator, poet, and biographer, and the first person to translate the complete text of Lucretius's ''De rerum natura'' (''On the Nature of Things'') into English verse, ...
). The series aired from 7 July 2015 to 15 December 2015. This was the final series.


Production

The show was filmed entirely on location at
Killyleagh Castle Killyleagh Castle is a castle in the village of Killyleagh, County Down, Northern Ireland. It is believed to be one of the oldest inhabited castles in the country, with parts dating back to 1180. It follows the architectural style of a Loire Val ...
in
Killyleagh Killyleagh (; ) is a village and civil parish in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the A22 road between Belfast and Downpatrick, on the western side of Strangford Lough. It had a population of 2,787 people in the 2021 Census. It is bes ...
,
County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 552,261. It borders County Antrim to the ...
. The first, second and third series were filmed in the summers of 2012, 2013 and 2014, respectively. It was produced by Raymond Lau with the lead writer being Paul Rose and the lead director being Dez McCarthy.


Cast

Series 1 Opening Titles Order: Dani Harmer, Kieran Alleyne, Niall Wright, Shannon Flynn, Lorenzo Rodriguez, Jordan Brown
Series 2 Opening Titles Order: Richard Wisker, Shannon Flynn, Niall Wright, Kieran Alleyne, Jordan Brown, Toby Murray, Dani Harmer
Series 3 Opening Titles Order: Richard Wisker, Shannon Flynn, Niall Wright, Kieran Alleyne, Toby Murray, Jessica Forrest, Lucy Hutchinson


Episodes


Broadcasting


Reception

Series 1 performed well, with most episodes in the CBBC Weekly Top 10. "Dani Harmer is one of the most exciting and successful young actresses on television and this new project will really showcase her unique comedy talents and her growth as a performer," says executive producer Elaine Sperber. "Dani has a huge following on CBBC and this new series will be a major treat for her existing and new fans". Harry Venning of The Stage disliked the laugh track, saying "Laughter tracks are an abomination. Dani’s Castle is genuinely funny and the producers should trust their young audience to find it so, unaided and alone."


CBBC Ratings


Series 1


Series 2


Series 3


Notes

Series 2 and onwards does not contain an audience laughing track in the background.


References

{{Reflist, 30em


External links


CBBC Dani's Castle
2010s British children's television series 2013 British television series debuts 2015 British television series endings BBC children's television shows BBC television sitcoms British children's fantasy television series British television spinoffs Television series by Banijay Television shows set in Northern Ireland Television series set in castles