Friends and Heroes
Encyclopedia
Friends and Heroes is a Christian
children's program
that currently airs on TBN
, Smile of a Child
, and was also shown on BBC TV. The show is both traditionally animated
(for the adventure story) and computer animated
(for the Bible stories). It takes place from 69 AD - 71 AD. There are three series each of 13 Episodes: Series 1 is set in Alexandria, Egypt; Series 2 in Jerusalem and Series 3 in Rome. The series was created by Brian D. Brown and Eric J. Danenberg, who also worked on The Storykeepers
.
story, followed by Act 2. There's more story and then another Bible story. Unless it is a two-part episode, the problem is resolved after the second Bible story. There are, however, three bible stories in one episode.
by the Jews
and Christians. In response, the Governor, Tiberius, orders his men, led by Brutacus and Tobias, to crack down on the Jews and Christians.
In the first episode, we are introduced to the family of Samuel, Diana, their son Macky, and their rarely-seen parrot, Pontius, who live in Delta Quarter on the port of Alexandria. They are rebels who hide other rebels in their house. Samuel's friend, a commander for the rebels in Judea, sends his daughters, Leah and Rebecca, to live with Samuel's family.
In episode two, Macky and Rebecca have an encounter with a girl named Portia while riding horses. after talking, they find out that she is the Governor's niece. She becomes fast friends with Samuel's family, but they never tell her that they are rebels.
In episode three, we are introduced to Miriam and Nathan, Samuel and Diana's friends, as well as fellow rebels. We are also introduced to their adopted African son, Sollie.
The entire first season is one journey after another of trying to protect rebels without the Governor or his cronies find out. In the third-to-last episode, however, Tobias finds out the truth and they are all forced to flee Alexandria.
grow desperate to break through the city walls.
Outside the city, Macky makes several key acquaintances. One is Isaac, who pretends to be senile most of the time, but he’s actually an active member of the rebel underground. His house, filled with hidden rooms and secret passages, is a safe house for the oppressed. Here Macky links up with the rebels (zealots) who live inside Jerusalem and soon becomes a courier between Jerusalem and the outside world.
Inside Jerusalem, Macky meets a girl, Sarah. Macky is drawn to Sarah’s idealism, and this puts a strain on his relationship with Portia. He also meets a Roman officer named Lucius, widowed father of two young children and secretly a Friend of Jesus – he was one of Paul’s guards, many years earlier in Rome.
Macky learns to trust Lucius and he becomes a valued secret ally as Macky faces his two old adversaries from Alexandria: Tobias and Brutacus. Towards the end of the siege, Macky takes greater and greater risks and is finally captured by the Romans.
Portia tries to intervene, but can’t get him released. Instead she ensures that Macky is sent to Rome, her next destination, and his only hope.
Macky discovers that Antonius is a secret Friend of Jesus and that at night, he dons a mask and goes out and rescues fellow Friends of Jesus from jail or helps them escape from slave-masters. Soon Macky in a disguise of his own starts helping the Senator.
Antonius has an enemy in the Senate - Marcus, who blames all the Empire’s woes on the Friends of Jesus. Marcus would like to prove the notorious masked rebel is actually his enemy, Antonius. But Antonius is too clever for him. Marcus enlists the help of Tiberius, Brutacus, Tobias and Tobias’ mother Luciana, an expert manipulator and political in-fighter with friends in high places.
Marcus’s noose begins to tighten around Macky and Antonius and Macky’s and Portia’s relationship deepens and matures through the difficult choices they have to make. Portia will be forced to make the most difficult decision of all: wealth, power and comfort or love and faith?
.
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
children's program
Television program
A television program , also called television show, is a segment of content which is intended to be broadcast on television. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series...
that currently airs on TBN
Trinity Broadcasting Network
The Trinity Broadcasting Network is a major American Christian television network. TBN is based in Costa Mesa, California, with auxiliary studio facilities in Irving, Texas; Hendersonville, Tennessee; Gadsden, Alabama; Decatur, Georgia; Miami, Florida; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Orlando, Florida; and New...
, Smile of a Child
Smile of a Child
Smile of a Child TV is a Christian children's channel affiliated with Trinity Broadcasting Network that offers programming 24 hours per day, seven days a week...
, and was also shown on BBC TV. The show is both traditionally animated
Traditional animation
Traditional animation, is an animation technique where each frame is drawn by hand...
(for the adventure story) and computer animated
Computer animation
Computer animation is the process used for generating animated images by using computer graphics. The more general term computer generated imagery encompasses both static scenes and dynamic images, while computer animation only refers to moving images....
(for the Bible stories). It takes place from 69 AD - 71 AD. There are three series each of 13 Episodes: Series 1 is set in Alexandria, Egypt; Series 2 in Jerusalem and Series 3 in Rome. The series was created by Brian D. Brown and Eric J. Danenberg, who also worked on The Storykeepers
The Storykeepers
The Storykeepers is an animated Christian video series produced by Zondervan from 1995 to 1997 in America and Ireland. It tells the story of a Christian leader and his family's adventures living in Ancient Rome whose mission is to keep Jesus's stories alive during the 1st century...
.
Format
The show starts with a recap of last week's episode, relevant or not. Then the theme song plays. Act 1 begins with the name of the episode. There's usually about ten minutes of story and then a BibleBible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
story, followed by Act 2. There's more story and then another Bible story. Unless it is a two-part episode, the problem is resolved after the second Bible story. There are, however, three bible stories in one episode.
Season One
The time is 69 A.D. The place is Alexandria. There is a rebellion going in nearby JudeaJudea
Judea or Judæa was the name of the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel from the 8th century BCE to the 2nd century CE, when Roman Judea was renamed Syria Palaestina following the Jewish Bar Kokhba revolt.-Etymology:The...
by the Jews
Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
and Christians. In response, the Governor, Tiberius, orders his men, led by Brutacus and Tobias, to crack down on the Jews and Christians.
In the first episode, we are introduced to the family of Samuel, Diana, their son Macky, and their rarely-seen parrot, Pontius, who live in Delta Quarter on the port of Alexandria. They are rebels who hide other rebels in their house. Samuel's friend, a commander for the rebels in Judea, sends his daughters, Leah and Rebecca, to live with Samuel's family.
In episode two, Macky and Rebecca have an encounter with a girl named Portia while riding horses. after talking, they find out that she is the Governor's niece. She becomes fast friends with Samuel's family, but they never tell her that they are rebels.
In episode three, we are introduced to Miriam and Nathan, Samuel and Diana's friends, as well as fellow rebels. We are also introduced to their adopted African son, Sollie.
The entire first season is one journey after another of trying to protect rebels without the Governor or his cronies find out. In the third-to-last episode, however, Tobias finds out the truth and they are all forced to flee Alexandria.
Season Two
Macky and Portia arrive in Jerusalem during the Roman siege. The people inside are starving, whilst the Romansgrow desperate to break through the city walls.
Outside the city, Macky makes several key acquaintances. One is Isaac, who pretends to be senile most of the time, but he’s actually an active member of the rebel underground. His house, filled with hidden rooms and secret passages, is a safe house for the oppressed. Here Macky links up with the rebels (zealots) who live inside Jerusalem and soon becomes a courier between Jerusalem and the outside world.
Inside Jerusalem, Macky meets a girl, Sarah. Macky is drawn to Sarah’s idealism, and this puts a strain on his relationship with Portia. He also meets a Roman officer named Lucius, widowed father of two young children and secretly a Friend of Jesus – he was one of Paul’s guards, many years earlier in Rome.
Macky learns to trust Lucius and he becomes a valued secret ally as Macky faces his two old adversaries from Alexandria: Tobias and Brutacus. Towards the end of the siege, Macky takes greater and greater risks and is finally captured by the Romans.
Portia tries to intervene, but can’t get him released. Instead she ensures that Macky is sent to Rome, her next destination, and his only hope.
Season Three
Arriving in Rome, the centre of power, culture, civilization and also a snake pit of intrigue and treachery, Macky finds himself in gladiator school for Circus Maximus, where the only rule is kill or be killed. Macky wants to do neither, so Portia intervenes with a Senator, Antonius, who takes Macky as a slave.Macky discovers that Antonius is a secret Friend of Jesus and that at night, he dons a mask and goes out and rescues fellow Friends of Jesus from jail or helps them escape from slave-masters. Soon Macky in a disguise of his own starts helping the Senator.
Antonius has an enemy in the Senate - Marcus, who blames all the Empire’s woes on the Friends of Jesus. Marcus would like to prove the notorious masked rebel is actually his enemy, Antonius. But Antonius is too clever for him. Marcus enlists the help of Tiberius, Brutacus, Tobias and Tobias’ mother Luciana, an expert manipulator and political in-fighter with friends in high places.
Marcus’s noose begins to tighten around Macky and Antonius and Macky’s and Portia’s relationship deepens and matures through the difficult choices they have to make. Portia will be forced to make the most difficult decision of all: wealth, power and comfort or love and faith?
Main Cast
- Len CarlsonLen CarlsonLen Carlson was a Canadian voice actor on many animated television series from the 1960s onward, an occasional live-action TV actor, and a Kraft Canada TV pitchman during the 1970s and 1980s...
- Narrator - Austin Di Lulio - Macky
- Sarah GadonSarah GadonSarah Gadon is a Canadian actress. She acted in David Cronenberg's A Dangerous Method and Cosmopolis. She has guest starred in number of notable television series including Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Dark Oracle, Doc, In a Heartbeat, La Femme Nikita, Life with Derek, and Mutant X...
- Portia - Cedric SmithCedric SmithCedric Austen Bardell Smith was a British statistician and geneticist. Born in Leicester, he was educated at Wyggeston Boys' School until 1929 when the family moved to London. His education continued at Bec School, Tooting for three years then at University College School, London...
- Tiberius - Tony DanielsTony Daniels-Voice Acting Roles:-References:*...
- Tobias - Howard Jerome - Brutacus
- Jamie Watson - Pontius
Recurring Cast
- Benedict Campbell - Samuel
- Alyson CourtAlyson CourtAlyson Stephanie Court is a Canadian actress who first appeared in the 1985 children's film Sesame Street Presents Follow That Bird, and played summer camper Dawn in the animated film Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation the following year...
- Diana - Bailey Stocker - Rebecca
- Emma Pustil - Leah
- A.J. SaudinA.J. SaudinA.J. Saudin is a Canadian film and television actor best known for his role as Connor in Degrassi: The Next Generation.In 2006, he starred in the film Aruba.-Career:...
- Sollie - Diane Fabian - Miriam
- John StockerJohn StockerJohn Stocker is a Canadian animated voice actor. His career began in the 1970s, when he started voice acting.-Life and career:...
- Nathan - Aaryn DoyleAaryn DoyleAaryn Élan Doyle is a Canadian actress, voice actor, singer, rapper, songwriter, dancer, and model. She is best known for her role as Lola Scott in the Disney Channel Original Movie "Camp Rock" performing her feature song "What it Takes"...
- Flore - Scott Beaudin - Anthony
- John RalstonJohn RalstonJohn R. Ralston is a former American football player, coach, and sports executive. He served as the head football coach at Utah State University , Stanford University , and San Jose State University , compiling a career college football record of 97–81–4...
- Lucius/Elijah/Jonah - Philip AkinPhilip AkinPhilip Akin is a Canadian actor who has been active for over thirty years in stage, film, and television. He has had featured roles in major American films such as The Sum of All Fears, S.W.A.T., and Get Rich or Die Tryin’...
- Isaac/ John Ralston - Martha MacIsaacMartha MacIsaacMartha MacIsaac is a Canadian television and film actress and former child actress....
- Sarah - Alison Sealy-SmithAlison Sealy-SmithAlison Sealy-Smith is a Canadian actress, born and raised in Barbados.Sealy-Smith attended Mount Allison University where she studied psychology on a scholarship. She is the founding director of Obsidian Theatre, a company that specializes in Black Canadian drama...
- Devorah - Tim Hamaguchi - Abe
- Vanessa Thompson - Rachel
- Robert BockstaelRobert BockstaelRobert Theodore Bockstael was a Liberal party member of the Canadian House of Commons. He was a businessman by career....
- Senator Antonius/Masked Rebel - Elizabeth HannaElizabeth HannaElizabeth Hanna is a Canadian film and television actress, most notable for her voice acting work in animated films. She later complemented her voice acting skills by becoming a Speech-Language Pathologist.-Early history:...
- Luciana - Scott McCordScott McCordWilliam Scott McCord is a Canadian actor, voice actor, singer and bandleader for the soul/rock pop band . On television he is best known for playing Dan Kuso in Bakugan Battle Brawlers, Owen and Trent in Fresh Animation's Total Drama series.- Animation:* 6teen - Stone* Babar and the Adventures of...
- Dudemus - Paul O'SullivanPaul O'SullivanPaul Thomas O'Sullivan, AO is Australia's High Commissioner to New Zealand and former Director-General of Security. Prior to his appointment to head ASIO in July 2005, O'Sullivan was former Prime Minister John Howard's senior foreign affairs advisor.O'Sullivan attended Marcellin College, Randwick,...
- Marcus - Lyon Smith - Absolom
- Jordan TodoseyJordan TodoseyJordan Todosey is a Canadian actress. She is best known for her roles in Life with Derek and Degrassi.Todosey has had many roles, however the female-to-male transgender character, Adam Torres, in the Degrassi franchise has been her most noted...
- Sophia - David Keeley - Amikam
- Juan Chioran - Peter/Pompano/2nd Judean Rebel/Fisherman #2
- Martin RoachMartin RoachMartin Jamie Roach is a Canadian actor. He is perhaps best known for his roles on Aaron Stone as T. Abner Hall and in the films Cube Zero, Diary of the Dead, and The Lookout.-Filmography:* Producing Parker as Dr...
- Jesus/God/1st Judean Rebel - Robert Smith - Aischros/2nd Guard/Judah/Pharaoh/King Xerxes
- Shauna MacDonaldShauna MacDonaldShauna MacDonald is a Canadian television and film actress and radio announcer.-Life and career:MacDonald was born in Antigonish, Nova Scotia. She graduated from Dr...
- Jezebel/Lydia/Naomi - Lawrence BayneLawrence BayneLawrence Bayne is a Canadian actor, born November 11, 1960 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He has appeared in various movies and television series, both live action and animated, and also sings/writes with his band The Lawrence Bayne Issue....
- Caleb - Stephen Bogaert - Aaron
- Tony Fleury - Courtier/Thomas
- Adrian TrussAdrian TrussAdrian Truss is a British-born Canadian actor, writer and director whose more recent work is as a voice actor for animated children's TV shows and Movies.Since moving from England to Canada in 1957, he has starred in many movies, plays, and television shows...
- Courtier 1+2/Joseph/Supervisor - John NevilleJohn NevilleJohn Neville, OBE, CM was an English theatre and film actor who moved to Canada in 1972. He enjoyed a resurgence of international attention in the 1980s as a result of his starring role in Terry Gilliam's The Adventures of Baron Munchausen .-Early life:Neville was born in Willesden, London, the...
- Claxus - Ruth MarshallRuth MarshallRuth Marshall is a Canadian actress from Toronto, Ontario. She is best known for her role in the hit television series Flashpoint. She graduated with a degree in English from McGill University in Montreal, Quebec and then returned to Toronto to pursue a career in acting.She has appeared the...
- Delilah/Eza - Mitchell EisnerMitchell EisnerMitchell Eisner is a Canadian voice actor for animated television series. His works include the voice of Rabbit in later seasons of Franklin, Dragon on Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends, José in the Discovery Kids series, Bigfoot Presents: Meteor and the Mighty Monster Trucks and Takashi in...
- Caius - Kristina Nicoll - Esther/Ruth
- Marty Moreau - Spy 2
- Ron RubinRon RubinRon Rubin is the name of:*Ron Rubin , Canadian voice actor known for Artemis in Sailor Moon*Ron Rubin , American bridge player...
- Soldier - Olive French - King David
- Peter OldringPeter OldringPeter Oldring is a Canadian TV actor and comedian.- Biography :In addition to performing with The Second City improv group in Toronto and Los Angeles, Oldring has appeared on Canadian television. He was also a regular cast member of the redneck-themed sketch comedy series Blue Collar TV...
- Young David - Larry ByrneLarry ByrneLarry Byrne was an Irish footballer who played for Bohemian F.C. during the 1910s and early 20s.Byrne kept goal for the strictly amateur Bohs from 1914/15 to 1921/22. This was a considerably long time to spend at a club in those unsettled times in Ireland. Amazingly, Larry used to be the club's...
- Ahab
Trivia
- Starting with the second season, the show is produced in HD.
- All three series have now been translated and dubbed into
- Arabic
- Chinese (Mandarin, Taiwan Mandarin)
- French
- German
- Hindi
- Korean
- Portuguese (Brazil)
- Russian
- Spanish (American)
- There is currently a Manx Gaelic translation of Friends and Heroes in production by P. E. Rogers and R. C. Carswell funded by the Manx Heritage Foundation.
- Naomi Jones, producer for Series 2 & 3, also produced The Miracle Maker and Testament.
- Brian D. Brown and Eric J. Danenberg, creators of the show, were both writers for another animated series that takes place in Biblical times, The StorykeepersThe StorykeepersThe Storykeepers is an animated Christian video series produced by Zondervan from 1995 to 1997 in America and Ireland. It tells the story of a Christian leader and his family's adventures living in Ancient Rome whose mission is to keep Jesus's stories alive during the 1st century...
. - Gary KurtzGary KurtzGary Kurtz is an American film producer whose list of credits include American Graffiti, Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back. He later produced The Dark Crystal and Return to Oz after departing from the Star Wars series...
, the producer for season one, has produced many hit films such as American GraffitiAmerican GraffitiAmerican Graffiti is a 1973 coming of age film co-written/directed by George Lucas starring Richard Dreyfuss, Ron Howard, Paul Le Mat, Charles Martin Smith, Cindy Williams, Candy Clark, Mackenzie Phillips and Harrison Ford...
, Star WarsStar Wars Episode IV: A New HopeStar Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, originally released as Star Wars, is a 1977 American epic space opera film, written and directed by George Lucas. It is the first of six films released in the Star Wars saga: two subsequent films complete the original trilogy, while a prequel trilogy completes the...
, and The Empire Strikes Back.
.