The Third Eye (television series)
Encyclopedia
The Third Eye is a mini-series anthology that aired on Nickelodeon
that consisted of a variety serials from the UK and New Zealand.
When Nickelodeon premiered, The Third Eye was one of its first programs. It was a live action sci-fi/supernatural anthology that included the first series of Into the Labyrinth
(1981), The Haunting of Cassie Palmer
(1982), Children of the Stones
(1976), and Under the Mountain
(1981). A fifth serial, The Witches and the Grinnygog
(1983), was added shortly before The Third Eye was discontinued.
The unifying theme of the show (and hence the name of the title, and opening montage sequence) was that of children with psychic powers.
Before every episode, an on-screen announcement declared, "The following is a science-fiction program, and may contain some startling scenes. This show is intended for older children." Whoever was responsible for developing the series for Nickelodeon is unknown, as the anthology itself went completely uncredited. The voice-over used during the opening titles, however, is reminiscent of the work of Don LaFontaine
:
"Somewhere in the crowd... sometimes you find someone very special. Someone who sees light in the darkness. Someone who hears the unheard. Someone who understands the mystery. Sometimes, there's someone who sees with a third eye!"
In The Haunting of Cassie Palmer, the title protagonist, the daughter of a medium, decides to see if she has inherited her mother's powers. She tries to conjure up a spirit, with unexpected results. By the end of the series, her powers have burned out. Adapted (quite well) from the book by Vivien Alcock.
Twins Rachel and Theo Matheson have limited telepathic abilities and can wield light as a weapon. Aided by the mysterious alien Mr. Jones, they must defeat an evil alien who lives Under the Mountain of Rangitoto. Their main power, though, is a psychic bond with two stones from another world which are used as weapons, and (it is strongly implied) may be sentient life forms. Adapted from the book by Maurice Gee.
Matthew Brake demonstrates native psychometric abilities on Children of the Stones, although it is implied that his father Adam may have them too, though in denial of them as a scientist. Matthew can experience the thoughts and experiences of other people by holding items belonging to them. Matthew's powers do not manifest themselves until the fourth episode of the series. It is also strongly suggested that Matthew first learned of his powers after his mother died, and Matthew had handled some of her possessions. Matthew is the only one in "The Third Eye" who maintains his powers at the end of the series.
Phil Church and siblings Terry and Helen (no surname given) are bestowed borrowed power by the sorcerer Rothgo and they are sent Into the Labyrinth. They are able to communicate with Rothgo telepathically throughout time. They are also given individual powers: Phil channels Rothgo's powers in challenging the tyrant Cynon; Helen is able to release all prisoners of Masrur (Belor in disguise); and Terry is given command of a genie in the same episode "Masrur." At the end of the series, Rothgo alters time so that Terry, Helen and Phil never go on their journey, but they are given souvenirs (presumably nidus fragments). Two more series of seven episodes each of "Into the Labyrinth" aired in the UK, but not on Nickelodeon.
When an ancient English church is moved to a new site in The Witches and the Grinnygog, one stone - a strange statue, the Grinnygog of the title - is found to be missing. Its accidental rediscovery (by a woman who, not realising its significance, gives it to her elderly father as a pseudo garden gnome) coincides with the arrival in the same town of three eccentric old women who seem to be looking for something lost or hidden many years before, and a nervous, "other-worldly" child. The townsfolk find themselves looking into their collective past but it takes a group of children to put the pieces of the puzzle together and make amends for an ancient injustice.
production, and has never been released commercially on VHS, DVD, or in any format.
Under the Mountain is available on DVD in its native New Zealand. The disc is encoded in NTSC
, presumably to cater to North American buyers, and has no region encoding.
Under the Mountain, the movie, a remake of the TV series, has been filmed and produced in New Zealand in 2008 and released on DVD the followng year.
Children of the Stones, made by HTV, has been released on DVD in the UK and the USA. Both versions contain interviews with director Peter Graham Scott
and actor Gareth Thomas
as extra features.
Into the Labyrinth, also made by HTV, was released commercially on Video Gems, a UK VHS label, but it is out of print. A three-disc DVD edition, containing all 21 episodes, is available in the UK from Network DVD. This is encoded for region 2.
The Witches and the Grinnygog is not commercially available, although a few episodes have surfaced on BitTorrent and video sharing sites. The complete series is available on YouTube as of March 2010.
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
that consisted of a variety serials from the UK and New Zealand.
When Nickelodeon premiered, The Third Eye was one of its first programs. It was a live action sci-fi/supernatural anthology that included the first series of Into the Labyrinth
Into the Labyrinth (TV series)
Into the Labyrinth is a British children's television series produced by HTV for the ITV network between 1980 and 1982. Three series, each consisting of seven 25-minute episodes, were produced and directed by Peter Graham Scott...
(1981), The Haunting of Cassie Palmer
Haunting of Cassie Palmer
The Haunting of Cassie Palmer is a British television drama for children produced in 1981 by TVS and first broadcast on 26 February 1982. The series was based on a novel by Vivien Alcock...
(1982), Children of the Stones
Children of the Stones
Children of the Stones is a television drama for children produced by HTV in 1976 and broadcast on the United Kingdom's ITV network in January and February 1977. A one-off serial, the story was depicted over seven episodes and produced by Peter Graham Scott, with Patrick Dromgoole as executive...
(1976), and Under the Mountain
Under the Mountain
Under the Mountain was an eight-part television series based on the novel of the same name written by Maurice Gee and produced by Television New Zealand and first transmitted in 1981...
(1981). A fifth serial, The Witches and the Grinnygog
The Witches and the Grinnygog
The Witches and the Grinnygog is a children's novel by the writer Dorothy Edwards, published in 1981 and shortlisted for that year's Whitbread Prize for a children's book....
(1983), was added shortly before The Third Eye was discontinued.
The unifying theme of the show (and hence the name of the title, and opening montage sequence) was that of children with psychic powers.
Before every episode, an on-screen announcement declared, "The following is a science-fiction program, and may contain some startling scenes. This show is intended for older children." Whoever was responsible for developing the series for Nickelodeon is unknown, as the anthology itself went completely uncredited. The voice-over used during the opening titles, however, is reminiscent of the work of Don LaFontaine
Don LaFontaine
Donald Leroy "Don" LaFontaine was an American voiceover artist famous for recording more than 5,000 film trailers and hundreds of thousands of television advertisements, network promotions, and video game trailers. His nicknames included "Thunder Throat" and "The Voice of God"...
:
"Somewhere in the crowd... sometimes you find someone very special. Someone who sees light in the darkness. Someone who hears the unheard. Someone who understands the mystery. Sometimes, there's someone who sees with a third eye!"
In The Haunting of Cassie Palmer, the title protagonist, the daughter of a medium, decides to see if she has inherited her mother's powers. She tries to conjure up a spirit, with unexpected results. By the end of the series, her powers have burned out. Adapted (quite well) from the book by Vivien Alcock.
Twins Rachel and Theo Matheson have limited telepathic abilities and can wield light as a weapon. Aided by the mysterious alien Mr. Jones, they must defeat an evil alien who lives Under the Mountain of Rangitoto. Their main power, though, is a psychic bond with two stones from another world which are used as weapons, and (it is strongly implied) may be sentient life forms. Adapted from the book by Maurice Gee.
Matthew Brake demonstrates native psychometric abilities on Children of the Stones, although it is implied that his father Adam may have them too, though in denial of them as a scientist. Matthew can experience the thoughts and experiences of other people by holding items belonging to them. Matthew's powers do not manifest themselves until the fourth episode of the series. It is also strongly suggested that Matthew first learned of his powers after his mother died, and Matthew had handled some of her possessions. Matthew is the only one in "The Third Eye" who maintains his powers at the end of the series.
Phil Church and siblings Terry and Helen (no surname given) are bestowed borrowed power by the sorcerer Rothgo and they are sent Into the Labyrinth. They are able to communicate with Rothgo telepathically throughout time. They are also given individual powers: Phil channels Rothgo's powers in challenging the tyrant Cynon; Helen is able to release all prisoners of Masrur (Belor in disguise); and Terry is given command of a genie in the same episode "Masrur." At the end of the series, Rothgo alters time so that Terry, Helen and Phil never go on their journey, but they are given souvenirs (presumably nidus fragments). Two more series of seven episodes each of "Into the Labyrinth" aired in the UK, but not on Nickelodeon.
When an ancient English church is moved to a new site in The Witches and the Grinnygog, one stone - a strange statue, the Grinnygog of the title - is found to be missing. Its accidental rediscovery (by a woman who, not realising its significance, gives it to her elderly father as a pseudo garden gnome) coincides with the arrival in the same town of three eccentric old women who seem to be looking for something lost or hidden many years before, and a nervous, "other-worldly" child. The townsfolk find themselves looking into their collective past but it takes a group of children to put the pieces of the puzzle together and make amends for an ancient injustice.
Availability
The Haunting of Cassie Palmer is a TVSTelevision South
Television South was the ITV franchise holder in the south and south east of England between 1 January 1982 and 31 December 1992. The company operated under various names, initially as Television South plc and then following reorganisation in 1989 as TVS Entertainment plc, with its UK...
production, and has never been released commercially on VHS, DVD, or in any format.
Under the Mountain is available on DVD in its native New Zealand. The disc is encoded in NTSC
NTSC
NTSC, named for the National Television System Committee, is the analog television system that is used in most of North America, most of South America , Burma, South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and some Pacific island nations and territories .Most countries using the NTSC standard, as...
, presumably to cater to North American buyers, and has no region encoding.
Under the Mountain, the movie, a remake of the TV series, has been filmed and produced in New Zealand in 2008 and released on DVD the followng year.
Children of the Stones, made by HTV, has been released on DVD in the UK and the USA. Both versions contain interviews with director Peter Graham Scott
Peter Graham Scott
Peter Graham Scott was an English film producer, film director, film editor and screenwriter. One of the producers and directors who shaped British television drama in its formative years, Scott brought a background in film editing and directing to his work that helped to move the small screen out...
and actor Gareth Thomas
Gareth Thomas (actor)
Gareth Thomas is a Welsh actor.Thomas is best known for the part of Roj Blake in the dystopian science fiction television series Blake's 7, but has taken roles in many other films and television programmes, including Adam Brake in Children of the Stones.Thomas trained at RADA and is now an...
as extra features.
Into the Labyrinth, also made by HTV, was released commercially on Video Gems, a UK VHS label, but it is out of print. A three-disc DVD edition, containing all 21 episodes, is available in the UK from Network DVD. This is encoded for region 2.
The Witches and the Grinnygog is not commercially available, although a few episodes have surfaced on BitTorrent and video sharing sites. The complete series is available on YouTube as of March 2010.