Just William (2010 TV serial)
Encyclopedia
Just William is a television serial first broadcast on BBC One
in December 2010. The serial is based on the Just William
series of books by Richmal Crompton
. This latest adaptation is written by Simon Nye
. It is the first adaption of the books since a children's television series
in the 1990s. The series stars Daniel Roche
as the title character, eponymous character William Brown
. With Rebecca Front
and Daniel Ryan
as William's parents. Caroline Quentin
and Warren Clarke
appear as the parents of Violet Elizabeth Bott (played by Isabella Blake-Thomas), neighbours of the Brown family. It is directed by Paul Seed
and produced by John Chapman. Martin Jarvis, who voices the radio and audio CD
adaptions of Just William, acts as the narrator. It is predicted that the series may return for another series
had a series of books
published between 1919 and 1969 about the adventures of schoolboy William Brown and his group of friends, also known as the "Outlaws". Crompton, a schoolteacher, wrote her first novel in 1922 and went on to sell over 12 million copies of her books in the United Kingdom. The first film adaption of the novels, titled Just William
, was released in 1940 and this was followed by two further films in 1948. A radio series was also broadcast on the BBC around the same period. The books were also adapted for television, firstly as William
in the 1960s, then as Just William
in the 1970s and again under the same title
in the 1990s.
, despite many of the books being written in the preceding three decades. The series was filmed in the Home Counties
. The screenplay was written by Simon Nye
, who was a writer on the series Men Behaving Badly
. Daniel Roche
was cast in the title role as William Brown, the main character and leader of "The Outlaws" along with his friends Ginger, Douglas and Henry. 10-year-old Roche had received critical acclaim for his performances as Ben in the BBC comedy series Outnumbered
. Isabella Blake-Thomas, who appeared in the BBC Four
television film Enid
, got the part of Violet Elizabeth Bott, William's neighbour. Due to the setting of the series, Roche was forced to have his trademark curly hair cut short.
on BBC One
.
The series aired on CBBC from 8th to 16th January 2011
2. Parrots For Ethel (29th December 2010 BBC, 9th January 2011 CBBC)
3. The School Report (30th December 2010 BBC, 15th January 2011 CBBC)
4. William Holds the Stage (31st December 2010 BBC, 16th January 2011 CBBC)
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
in December 2010. The serial is based on the Just William
Just William series
The William Brown series, better known as the Just William series, is a series of thirty nine books written by English author Richmal Crompton...
series of books by Richmal Crompton
Richmal Crompton
Richmal Crompton Lamburn was a British writer, most famous for her Just William humorous short stories and books.-Life:...
. This latest adaptation is written by Simon Nye
Simon Nye
Simon Nye is an English comic television writer, best known for creating the hit sitcom Men Behaving Badly, writing all of the four ITV Panto, co-writing the 2006 film Flushed Away, co-writing Reggie Perrin and creating the latest adaption of William Brown in the Just William CBBC...
. It is the first adaption of the books since a children's television series
Just William (1990s TV series)
Just William was a BBC television series based on the Just William series of books written by Richmal Crompton. It ran for two series from 1994 to 1995.-Cast:*Oliver Rokison as William*Jonathan Hirst as Ginger*Stephen Willmott as Henry...
in the 1990s. The series stars Daniel Roche
Daniel Roche (actor)
Daniel Peter Roche is an English child actor. He is best known for playing Ben in the BBC One sitcom Outnumbered.-Life:...
as the title character, eponymous character William Brown
Just William
Just William is the first book of children's short stories about the young school boy William Brown, written by Richmal Crompton, and published in 1922. The book was the first in the series of William Brown books which was the basis for numerous television series, films and radio adaptations...
. With Rebecca Front
Rebecca Front
Rebecca Front is a BAFTA Award–winning English comedian and actress best known for her performances in The Thick of It in the late 2000s, and series of critically acclaimed satirical comedies in the early 1990s: On The Hour, The Day Today and Knowing Me, Knowing You...with Alan Partridge...
and Daniel Ryan
Daniel Ryan (actor)
Daniel Ryan is an English actor and writer.He is known for starring as Darren Alexander in the BBC drama comedy Linda Green, Andrew Gilligan in The Government Inspector, Andy Coulson in Steel River Blues and Kenny Reed in The Whistleblowers...
as William's parents. Caroline Quentin
Caroline Quentin
Caroline Jones known by her stage name Caroline Quentin, is an English actress. Quentin became known for her television appearances in Men Behaving Badly, playing Dorothy, and playing Maddy Magellan in Jonathan Creek for three years.-Early life:...
and Warren Clarke
Warren Clarke
-Biography:Clarke was born in Oldham, Lancashire. His first television appearance was in the long running Granada soap opera Coronation Street, initially as Kenny Pickup in 1966 and then as Gary Bailey in 1968. His first major film appearance was in Stanley Kubrick's controversial A Clockwork...
appear as the parents of Violet Elizabeth Bott (played by Isabella Blake-Thomas), neighbours of the Brown family. It is directed by Paul Seed
Paul Seed
Paul Seed is a British television director and former actor.Born in Bideford in Devon, he began his career as an actor, appearing in numerous television series, including Z-Cars, Softly Softly: Taskforce, Survivors, Doctor Who, Secret Army, Coronation Street, Crown Court and Tales of the Unexpected...
and produced by John Chapman. Martin Jarvis, who voices the radio and audio CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
adaptions of Just William, acts as the narrator. It is predicted that the series may return for another series
Background
British author Richmal CromptonRichmal Crompton
Richmal Crompton Lamburn was a British writer, most famous for her Just William humorous short stories and books.-Life:...
had a series of books
Just William series
The William Brown series, better known as the Just William series, is a series of thirty nine books written by English author Richmal Crompton...
published between 1919 and 1969 about the adventures of schoolboy William Brown and his group of friends, also known as the "Outlaws". Crompton, a schoolteacher, wrote her first novel in 1922 and went on to sell over 12 million copies of her books in the United Kingdom. The first film adaption of the novels, titled Just William
Just William (1940 film)
Just William is a 1940 British comedy film directed by Graham Cutts and starring Richard Lupino, Fred Emney and Basil Radford. It is based on the Just William series of books by Richmal Crompton.-Cast:* Richard Lupino - William Brown...
, was released in 1940 and this was followed by two further films in 1948. A radio series was also broadcast on the BBC around the same period. The books were also adapted for television, firstly as William
William (TV series)
William was a BBC television series based on the Just William series of books written by Richmal Crompton. It ran for two series from 1962 to 1963. 12 episodes were made in all, each of half an hour long...
in the 1960s, then as Just William
Just William (1970s TV series)
Just William was an ITV television series based on the Just William series of books by Richmal Crompton. It ran for two series.-Cast:-Series One:# William and the Begging Letter# William the Great Actor# The Outlaws and the Tramp...
in the 1970s and again under the same title
Just William (1990s TV series)
Just William was a BBC television series based on the Just William series of books written by Richmal Crompton. It ran for two series from 1994 to 1995.-Cast:*Oliver Rokison as William*Jonathan Hirst as Ginger*Stephen Willmott as Henry...
in the 1990s.
Production
The producers chose to set the film in the 1950s, just following the conclusion of World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, despite many of the books being written in the preceding three decades. The series was filmed in the Home Counties
Home Counties
The home counties is a term which refers to the counties of South East England and the East of England which border London, but do not include the capital city itself...
. The screenplay was written by Simon Nye
Simon Nye
Simon Nye is an English comic television writer, best known for creating the hit sitcom Men Behaving Badly, writing all of the four ITV Panto, co-writing the 2006 film Flushed Away, co-writing Reggie Perrin and creating the latest adaption of William Brown in the Just William CBBC...
, who was a writer on the series Men Behaving Badly
Men Behaving Badly
Men Behaving Badly is a British comedy that was created and written by Simon Nye. It follows the lives of Gary Strang and his flatmates, Dermot Povey and Tony Smart It was first broadcast on ITV in 1992...
. Daniel Roche
Daniel Roche (actor)
Daniel Peter Roche is an English child actor. He is best known for playing Ben in the BBC One sitcom Outnumbered.-Life:...
was cast in the title role as William Brown, the main character and leader of "The Outlaws" along with his friends Ginger, Douglas and Henry. 10-year-old Roche had received critical acclaim for his performances as Ben in the BBC comedy series Outnumbered
Outnumbered
Outnumbered is a British sitcom. Airing on BBC One since 2007, it stars Hugh Dennis and Claire Skinner as a father and mother outnumbered by their three children...
. Isabella Blake-Thomas, who appeared in the BBC Four
BBC Four
BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
television film Enid
Enid (film)
Enid is a British dramatic television film first broadcast on 16 November 2009 on BBC Four. Directed by James Hawes it is based on the life of children's writer Enid Blyton, portrayed by Helena Bonham Carter. The film introduced the two main lovers of Blyton's life. Her first husband Hugh Pollock,...
, got the part of Violet Elizabeth Bott, William's neighbour. Due to the setting of the series, Roche was forced to have his trademark curly hair cut short.
Cast and characters
- Daniel RocheDaniel Roche (actor)Daniel Peter Roche is an English child actor. He is best known for playing Ben in the BBC One sitcom Outnumbered.-Life:...
as William Brown - Daniel RyanDaniel Ryan (actor)Daniel Ryan is an English actor and writer.He is known for starring as Darren Alexander in the BBC drama comedy Linda Green, Andrew Gilligan in The Government Inspector, Andy Coulson in Steel River Blues and Kenny Reed in The Whistleblowers...
as Mr Brown - Rebecca FrontRebecca FrontRebecca Front is a BAFTA Award–winning English comedian and actress best known for her performances in The Thick of It in the late 2000s, and series of critically acclaimed satirical comedies in the early 1990s: On The Hour, The Day Today and Knowing Me, Knowing You...with Alan Partridge...
as Mrs Brown - Lily JamesLily James-Early life:Lily James was born in Esher, Surrey, England. She began her education at Arts Educational School in Tring and subsequently went on to study acting at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London graduating in 2010.-Career:...
as Ethel Brown - Harry MellingHarry Melling (actor)Harry Edward Melling is an English actor best known for playing Dudley Dursley in the Harry Potter films.He is the grandson of Patrick Troughton, who starred as the Second Doctor in the science fiction series Doctor Who from 1966 to 1969...
as Robert Brown - Isabella Blake-Thomas as Violet Elizabeth Bott
- Warren ClarkeWarren Clarke-Biography:Clarke was born in Oldham, Lancashire. His first television appearance was in the long running Granada soap opera Coronation Street, initially as Kenny Pickup in 1966 and then as Gary Bailey in 1968. His first major film appearance was in Stanley Kubrick's controversial A Clockwork...
as Mr Bott - Caroline QuentinCaroline QuentinCaroline Jones known by her stage name Caroline Quentin, is an English actress. Quentin became known for her television appearances in Men Behaving Badly, playing Dorothy, and playing Maddy Magellan in Jonathan Creek for three years.-Early life:...
as Mrs Bott - Jordan Grehs as Ginger
- Edward Piercy as Douglas
- Lottie Bell as Dorinda
- Robert A Foster as Henry
- Denis LawsonDenis LawsonDenis Stamper Lawson is a Scottish actor and director. He is known for his roles as John Jarndyce in the BBC's adaptation of Bleak House and as Gordon Urquhart in the film Local Hero, but is best known for playing the part of Wedge Antilles in the original Star Wars trilogy.-Early life:Lawson was...
as Headmaster - John SessionsJohn SessionsJohn Gibb Marshall , better known by the stage name John Sessions, is a Scottish actor and comedian. He is known for comedy improvisation in television shows such as Whose Line Is It Anyway?; as a panellist on QI; and as a character actor in numerous films, both in the UK and in Hollywood.-Early...
as Mr Welbecker - Roy HuddRoy HuddRoy Hudd, OBE is an English comedian, actor, radio host and author, and an authority on the history of music hall entertainment.- Early life :...
as Bob - Martin Jarvis as the Narrator
Broadcast
The series, which consists of four half-hour episodes, aired as part of the BBC's Christmas programming from 28th to 31st December 2010 on CBBCCBBC
CBBC is one of two brand names used for the BBC's children's television strands. Between 1985 and 2002, CBBC was the name given to all the BBC's programmes on TV for children aged under 14...
on BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
.
The series aired on CBBC from 8th to 16th January 2011
Episodes
1. The Sweet Little Girl in White (28th December 2010 BBC, 8th January 2011 CBBC)2. Parrots For Ethel (29th December 2010 BBC, 9th January 2011 CBBC)
3. The School Report (30th December 2010 BBC, 15th January 2011 CBBC)
4. William Holds the Stage (31st December 2010 BBC, 16th January 2011 CBBC)