Spirit Warriors (TV series)
Encyclopedia
Spirit Warriors is an award-winning BBC children's adventure series, broadcast on BBC Two
, BBC HD
and CBBC
. It is the first British television drama series to have a predominantly East Asia
n cast.
Very loosely inspired by ancient Chinese myths
and legends, the show follows Bo, her sister Jen, and fellow schoolchildren Vicky, Trix and Martin who, during a trip to a museum, are transported to a parallel spirit world. Once there, they find themselves transformed into Spirit Warriors, each with his or her own special spirit power. With the help of their mentor Shen, a dragon, they have to use their new-found skills to navigate the realms of Wood, Water, Earth and Fire and find twelve legendary spirit pieces before the evil warlord Li and his henchman Hwang can get their hands on them.
The series was created and written by Jo Ho
and produced by Nick Pitt. The working title
was Bo and the Spirit World. Jon East, who had previously won a BAFTA for the children's docu-drama That Summer Day
, was the executive producer, and directed half of the episodes including the start and end of the series. Episodes 4 to 8 were directed by the Australian director Mat King.
The show was picked up internationally in 2011 by Norway, South Korea and New Zealand.
or other East Asia
n actors to play Bo and her brother Timothy, characters aged 13 and 11. The roles were later changed to sisters, and it was announced in June 2009 that 16-year old Jessica Henwick had been cast as Bo. Within the next month, announcements were made about the rest of the cast, including Alicia Lai in the role of the younger sister.
channel on Friday 22 January at 5:45pm, titled "A Warrior is Born".
Following the transmission of the final episode, a backstage documentary exclusive called Spirit Warriors: Backstage aired on the 26th March, which included cast interviews and footage from behind the scenes.
As preparation for her role, Jessica Henwick took wushu
training with the series fight choreographer Jude Poyer, a Hong Kong fight director and stunt man who has worked on Asian and American action film
s with Jet Li
and other stars.
The main title track was composed by Matt Dunkley, and the series' costume design was handled by Richard Cooke.
The writer, Jo Ho, aims to write a second series.
magazine among others.
), Best Performer (Jessica Henwick
), and Best Drama. Writer Jo Ho was nominated for 'Best Breakthrough Talent' at the Cultural Diversity Network Awards 2010. Ho also won the Women in Film and Television's 'New Talent Award'.
In November 2010 it was announced that the show also received a nomination for 'Best Children's Programme' at the 2011 Broadcast Awards.
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
, BBC HD
BBC HD
BBC HD is a high-definition television network provided by the BBC. The service was initially run as a trial from 15 May 2006 until becoming a full service on 1 December 2007...
and CBBC
CBBC
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...
. It is the first British television drama series to have a predominantly East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
n cast.
Very loosely inspired by ancient Chinese myths
Chinese mythology
Chinese mythology is a collection of cultural history, folktales, and religions that have been passed down in oral or written tradition. These include creation myths and legends and myths concerning the founding of Chinese culture and the Chinese state...
and legends, the show follows Bo, her sister Jen, and fellow schoolchildren Vicky, Trix and Martin who, during a trip to a museum, are transported to a parallel spirit world. Once there, they find themselves transformed into Spirit Warriors, each with his or her own special spirit power. With the help of their mentor Shen, a dragon, they have to use their new-found skills to navigate the realms of Wood, Water, Earth and Fire and find twelve legendary spirit pieces before the evil warlord Li and his henchman Hwang can get their hands on them.
The series was created and written by Jo Ho
Jo Ho
Jo Ho is an award winning British-born Chinese screenwriter and director, best known for creating the BBC series Spirit Warriors.She has been credited as the first Chinese person in the UK to have successfully created an original television drama series....
and produced by Nick Pitt. The working title
Working title
A working title, sometimes called a production title, is the temporary name of a product or project used during its development, usually used in filmmaking, television production, novel, video game, or music album.-Purpose:...
was Bo and the Spirit World. Jon East, who had previously won a BAFTA for the children's docu-drama That Summer Day
That Summer Day
That Summer Day is a one-hour docudrama directed by Jon East, written by Clive Bradley , produced by Hannah Pescod and executive produced by Jon East and Mark Redhead that provides a fictional account of the lives of six children on the day of the bombings of the London public transport system on...
, was the executive producer, and directed half of the episodes including the start and end of the series. Episodes 4 to 8 were directed by the Australian director Mat King.
The show was picked up internationally in 2011 by Norway, South Korea and New Zealand.
Cast
The BBC initially sought two young British ChineseBritish Chinese
British Chinese , including British-born Chinese are people of Chinese ancestry who were born in, or have migrated to, the United Kingdom. They are part of the Chinese diaspora, or overseas Chinese...
or other East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
n actors to play Bo and her brother Timothy, characters aged 13 and 11. The roles were later changed to sisters, and it was announced in June 2009 that 16-year old Jessica Henwick had been cast as Bo. Within the next month, announcements were made about the rest of the cast, including Alicia Lai in the role of the younger sister.
- Bo played by Jessica HenwickJessica HenwickJessica Yu Li Henwick is a British-born Eurasian actress. Her debut role was in the 2010 CBBC television programme Spirit Warriors, as the lead character Bo.She is the first East Asian actress to play the lead role in a BBC series....
- Shen voiced by Burt KwoukBurt KwoukBurt Kwouk OBE , born Herbert Kwouk, is an English actor of Chinese descent, known for many television appearances and for his role as Cato in the Pink Panther films.-Career:...
- Jen played by Alicia Lai
- Vicky played by Lil' Simz
- Trix played by Gilles Geary
- Martin played by Karl Rogers
- Li played by Benedict WongBenedict WongBenedict Wong is an English actor and comedian.Wong was born in Manchester and attended school in Salford. His first role was in a 1993 BBC Radio play called Kai Mei Sauce, written by Kevin Wong. He appeared alongside Sean Lock in the situation comedy 15 Storeys High, and as Dr. Franklin Fu in the...
- Hwang played by Tom WuTom WuTom Wu is Chinese-American actor, born in Hong Kong and grew up in Chinatown, London. He is a martial arts expert who has starred in films like Revolver,Shanghai Knights, Batman Begins and the Bollywood sci-fi blockbuster Ra.One....
- Fei-Yan played by Daphne Cheung
- Ji played by Henry Wu
Episodes
The first episode premiered on the 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...
channel on Friday 22 January at 5:45pm, titled "A Warrior is Born".
Following the transmission of the final episode, a backstage documentary exclusive called Spirit Warriors: Backstage aired on the 26th March, which included cast interviews and footage from behind the scenes.
| # | | Director | Writer(s) | Airdate | |Code |
|---|
Production
The series was filmed over three months at Three Mills Studios in March 2010. The designer, Catrin Meredydd, procured various set elements from recently completed feature films.As preparation for her role, Jessica Henwick took wushu
Chinese martial arts
Chinese martial arts, also referred to by the Mandarin Chinese term wushu and popularly as kung fu , are a number of fighting styles that have developed over the centuries in China. These fighting styles are often classified according to common traits, identified as "families" , "sects" or...
training with the series fight choreographer Jude Poyer, a Hong Kong fight director and stunt man who has worked on Asian and American action film
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
s with Jet Li
Jet Li
The fame gained by his sports winnings led to a career as a martial arts film star, beginning in mainland China and then continuing into Hong Kong. Li acquired his screen name in 1982 in the Philippines when a publicity company thought his real name was too hard to pronounce...
and other stars.
The main title track was composed by Matt Dunkley, and the series' costume design was handled by Richard Cooke.
The writer, Jo Ho, aims to write a second series.
Press
Spirit Warriors was featured in the February issue of Combat magazine, Broadcast magazine, Young Performer magazine, Girl Talk and Top of the PopsTop of the Pops (magazine)
Top of the Pops magazine is a monthly publication published by BBC Magazines. It features chart information, star gossip, fashion and beauty advice, quizzes, song lyrics and posters. It is a supplementary magazine for the TV show Top of the Pops....
magazine among others.
Reception
'Spirit Warriors' was shortlisted for several awards at the Children's BAFTA's 2010, including Best Writer (Jo HoJo Ho
Jo Ho is an award winning British-born Chinese screenwriter and director, best known for creating the BBC series Spirit Warriors.She has been credited as the first Chinese person in the UK to have successfully created an original television drama series....
), Best Performer (Jessica Henwick
Jessica Henwick
Jessica Yu Li Henwick is a British-born Eurasian actress. Her debut role was in the 2010 CBBC television programme Spirit Warriors, as the lead character Bo.She is the first East Asian actress to play the lead role in a BBC series....
), and Best Drama. Writer Jo Ho was nominated for 'Best Breakthrough Talent' at the Cultural Diversity Network Awards 2010. Ho also won the Women in Film and Television's 'New Talent Award'.
In November 2010 it was announced that the show also received a nomination for 'Best Children's Programme' at the 2011 Broadcast Awards.
- From "Mail on Sunday":
"This impressive new drama series, aimed at the entire family, brings a mixture of martial arts and CGI technology to the small screen as five ordinary British children find themselves in an extraordinary world of magic and myth."
- From the Chinese Community website "Dimsum"'s review of the first episode:
"Finally there are Chinese faces on TV - yes we do exist o world! I feel like holding a party to celebrate. Watching Spirit Warriors is like finally meeting a friend who's ten years late for a party - you're disappointed that they've taken so long but once here you can't help smiling. For truth be told a drama starring East Asian actors as the leads has been long overdue... the BBC have obviously pushed the boat out and got fully behind this series which is great to see."
- From the "Daily Mail Weekend" review of the first episode:
"This first episode sets the scene in spectacular fashion, and if its stunning effects are an indicator of things to come, then it should prove an unmissable children's adventure."
- From the "Observer" review of the first episode:
"...clever new fantasy drama for children which includes "Crouching TigerCrouching Tiger, Hidden DragonCrouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is a 2000 wuxia film. An American-Chinese-Hong Kong-Taiwanese co-production, the film was directed by Ang Lee and featured an international cast of ethnic Chinese actors, including Chow Yun-Fat, Michelle Yeoh, Zhang Ziyi, and Chang Chen...
"-style martial arts with CGI characters and live action"