Johnny_Shannow

This was such a great children's programme, directed by Marilyn Fox the same lady who gave us the wonderful 'The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe', its a shame it has been virtually forgotten now. 'Archer's Goon' is based on a equally good book by Diana Wynne Jones. It begins memorably enough with the arrival of a big thuggish person called the goon into the Sykes Household. He demands that the father Quentin Sykes (played by Only Fools and Horses's Trigger aka Roger Lloyd-Pack) hands over his two thousand words to Archer. It turns out that the town in which the Sykes live is run by seven megalomaniac wizard siblings, and Archer is the eldest. Quentin refuses to write another two thousand words which is sought after by all the wizards and the goon decides to stay in the Sykes home till Quentin delivers. The whole story is mainly seen through the eyes of Howard Sykes, the son, and the many plot twists and turns in the story are very imaginative and never predictable, we just don't get children's TV like this anymore!