Shadows

The first two series were very good for children and adults alike. I loved seeing the future stars of stage and screen including Jenny Agutter, Pauline Quirke and Sophie Ward and a few who became Children's TV presenters. The third series was pretty awful. Bad acting, stories and a lot of green screen scenes. It turned into a pantomime or even a parody of itself. It just became too silly for a fourth series to be made.

Like some others here I have only vague memories of this series, but remember being freaked out by it at around the age of ten. There seem to have been quite a few series in the 1970s that tapped a vein of supernatural terror, often with Celtic overtones or suggestions of folkloric nastiness. Another I remember vividly was 'Children of the Stones'.

The episode of "Shadows" I recall featured some people who were trapped in the bottom story of a country house or possibly a windmill converted into a house. They were being threatened by the trees outside - branches were bursting through the windows and poking around to get at them.

Would be interesting to see again, but don't know if it'd stand up now - such shows seem more intense when you're younger and less cheesy.

I had never heard of this series before, having been born after all three series were broadcast. I read about the series online and was lucky to come across it. The series is very much in keeping with British Horror and Suspense works from the 1970s and early 1980s. Overall there are three series, two of seven episodes each and one of six. Each of the three series begins with different title credits and I noticed that series one appears studio-bound whilst the other two series make great use of location filming as well. Each episode lasting roughly 24 mins which creates a nice pace in which to show a concept, some stories realised much better than others. The series benefits from some strong scripts, generally top-notch acting from both the junior and adult casts, and from some nice production values. Each series has a range in quality between episodes, however there is on the whole a deep sense that even the lesser episodes were aiming for individualism and creativity. Episodes which fall into this category are those such as 'Dutch Schlitz's shoes' and 'The eye'. Overall a nice series with some episodes which are very memorable.

Some of the Shadows series are now being repeated on Talking Pictures chanell 81 on Freeview. They are very dated now, but always good to to see who appears in each episode. Jenny Agutter making a memorable appearance in one of them. A reviewer noted an episode featuring a dance with people wearing deer headgear, that was on this month, September 2019. Happy viewing!

A wonderful collection of atmospheric tales of the Supernatural penned by the likes of J.B. Priestley and Roger Marshall not to mention Ace of Wands creator Trevor Preston.

Featuring tales of long dead witches, ghosts from the future and my personal favorite featuring a very young Pauline Quirke a story about 3 teenagers and a old haunted Tudor mansion.

There are all 7 episodes of the first series shot in 1975 on the network DVD release. Some great actors feature like Jenny Agutter, Russell Hunter John Nettleton and a very young Sophie Ward.

Some stories stronger than others; but series one is by far the best. Sadly the writing became poorer and the acting hammier in later series.

But takes you back to the day's before children's TV became Americanised, patronizing and bland.