Huckleberry Finn and His Friends

This is top TV viewing. When I grew up in the 70s, this came on almost every summer. It is well made, each episode is short and therefore easy to get through. Now, 40 years later, I'm watching it with my 7 year old who is completely addicted.

The show is well made, remains reasonably true to the books and contains good animated acting from children which isn't normal for these types of shows.

Thoroughly recommend that you give this a try.

The timelessness of this show is evidenced by my 7 & 14 - they of the YouTube, Xbox and iPad generation, being hooked on a 39 year old show.

It is a nostalgic show for me, I watched it as I grew up in the 80s, and they'll see the nostalgia in another 30 years.

If you haven't seen the show, get hold of it, watch the first three episodes and you'll be hooked

I used to come home from school on my lunch hour just to watch that show. It brings back memories just thinking about that time... I hope they show it again soon on tv. The only flaw would probably be that it didn't run long enough.

That's saying a bit seeing as adaptations of both books have been hit-and-miss in quality, especially with Huckleberry Finn. Both have very good adaptations(Tom Sawyer with the 1938 film, Huckleberry Finn with the Mickey Rooney film) but none outstanding. Until this 26-part 11-hour show, which is very close to perfect(apart from occasional lapses in dubbing and lip-synching particularly with Aunt Polly). Huckleberry Finn and His Friends is beautifully and authentically filmed with very appropriately chosen locations. The music is lilting and haunting in equal measures depending on the tone of each scene, with a theme tune that will leave you humming for days. The dialogue has the spirit of Mark Twain's way with words and phrasing with some light-hearted humour and some very touching and dark moments. The story is incredibly compelling from the get go and captures the details and spirit of the storytelling of both books, even with the odd omission here and there. It is also one of the few adaptations of either book that not just captures the lighter nostalgic charm as seen in the friendship between Tom and Huck(Becky and particularly Jim also) but also the grimmer, darker aspects, like with Injun Joe(his leap from the court-room is not one to forget) and Pap, doing that while balancing them adeptly. The acting is very, very good especially from a superb Ian Tracey as Huck, and he is supported wonderfully by in particular a spirited Tom, a creepy Injun Joe, the roguish Duke and Dauphin, a brutish Pap, a kindly Aunt Polly and a very dignified Jim. All in all, a wonderful show and the best version of either book, if you haven't read either yet do, Huckleberry Finn is a little hard to get into at first but they're both excellent. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Like the previous reviewer I also loved this show during my childhood when it was continuously repeated on BBC during the early to mid 80's. It's important to emphasis though that this production has far more going for it than mere nostalgia. It really is without doubt the best and most spirited screen adaptation of both the Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn novels and indeed watching other interpretations have only ever served to highlight its strengths. Most notably the 11 hours running time prove that it's almost impossible to do justice to either of Twain's most famous novels in a 90-minute feature film.

The casting here is inspired with Huck, Tom, Jim, Aunt Polly and Injun Joe all given definitive portrayals. The Tom-Huck, Huck-Jim relationships are handled magnificently and it's obvious that they all care deeply for each other. Ian Tracey is a great actor and with his trademark subtlety he really breathes the part of Twain's most famous creation, while Sammy Snyders frenzied acting style suits Tom Sawyer down to the ground. For a kid's show Huckleberry Finn and His Friends really is very dark and gritty, particularly in the early episodes where the two fantasy loving youngsters are top of Injun Joe's hit list. Quite a lot of this section is shot at night such as the graveyard murder and one scene that I'll always remember is Huck nervously hiding in a tree above Joe and Pard as they close in to burgle the Widow Douglas. One wrong move and he knows he's dead. It's during these scenes that both Tracey's husky narration, brilliantly used throughout the show, and the unforgettable musical score really adds to the tension and atmosphere. Further such nail biting moments arise when Tom and Huck have to hide in the attic of the haunted house as Joe and Pard search for their treasure and also when Tom and Becky encounter Joe while lost in the cave.

Speaking of the caves the location shoots on this serial are absolutely superb. The costume department do an amazing job and, unlike other productions, Huck and co. really look quite grubby, just like they ought to. Although a previous reviewer points out that this is a West German production, I prefer to think of it as Canadian. It was co-produced by a Canadian company, mainly features Canadian actors and was shot in Canada including the Heritage Village Museum in British Columbia, which really is highly evocative of both the time and place that the novel is set.

The show covers all the famous episodes of both novels with the exception of the Wilkes episode, which is one that I've never been keen on anyway. The main difference between the book and this adaptation is that the series revolves around Huck throughout, even relegating Tom Sawyer to a secondary role during the first half of the show which covers his character's novel. This is no bad thing though bearing in mind how stunning Tracey's performance is. The one great misfortune though is that the series has been strangely forgotten since it left our screens in the late 80's. While the German dub has received an edited video release, the English version is sadly still awaiting one. Perhaps a DVD release might be the key to bringing this back to the public's notice. Until then Huckleberry Finn and His Friends must be content to lie in the vaults with the label of 'forgotten gem' attached to it.