Sir Francis Drake

Though I was very young at the time, I remember this well acted,handsomely mounted"swashbuckler".It was probably one of my first sources for British history.,and not a bad one ,as all the episodes were well researched.

The best of the ITC historical series commissioned for ITV, Terence Morgan can actually act and makes the swordfencing exiting and seem more realistic than some of his contemporaries. Great to spot Michael Crawford and the big guy I remember from the St Bruno tobacco ads from the 60s and 70s amongst others. Altogether great entertainment when it was released and is still valid today.

I was one of those kids glued to the TV for every episode! It was my favorite show. I used to look forward to episodes with the ship in them, it was beautiful, to my 12 year old eyes it was real and certainly buckled my 'swash'! I remember the quality of each episode, as a kid, you were there! The acting, settings and costumes were excellent and convincing to me their target audience. Shortly after that we came to Australia where I joined the Royal Australian Navy! I just couldn't wait to get to sea. It made for some great times and great shipmates many of whom are still taking the 'mick' out of each other 35 years down the track. So Thank you to all concerned with the making of this excellent series. It made a difference in my life! PS I still sail a small sloop and still have the Airfix model of Drakes ship I made age 13 :-)

It was a long time ago. "Sir Francis Drake" was my favourite show. At that time, my family did not own a TV set so I could only watch it when invited by friends. I eagerly awaited each episode. For a period drama for children, this was similar in style to the Richard Greene "Robin Hood". I'm afraid Sir Francis was shown in a much better light than the real person who, by most accounts, was not much above a pirate. The action was great and there was some reference to historical accuracy which made school history come to life. To this day I still remember the music, played by a full symphony orchestra. How did they get such realistic 16th century ships? Were they models? I'd love to see the series again and appraise it with my sceptical adult eye.

Was a summer replacement on U.S. TV for "Car 54". Of all of the ITC historical drama/action shows this one had the highest standards -and it showed. A lot of effort went into correct clothes, sets and historical information. A REAL pity it only lasted one season. A bigger pity is that ITC of England has not released this show for video.