Into The Labyrinth (1981-82)
Dir. Peter Graham Scott
21 episodes (07 Eps x 03 Series), approx 26 mins each.
Three youths, Phil, Helen and Terry (in order pictured) shelter in a nearby cave when a freak storm breaks out. It's there that they find Rothgo, a formidable but weakened soul with the kind of powers we'd normally associate with sorcerers of bygone eras. Rothgo enlists the children's help to retrieve an ancient and powerful artefact.
To attain the Nidas, as it's known, the kids must venture into the Labyrinth, a gateway to other times. It's a perilous journey and like all good children's TV shows it has an antagonist that's truly memorable, but I'll get to her eventually.
It sounds like a standard set-up so far, but it has elements that raise it above the norm. Firstly, Rothgo, played by Ron Moody (who you may know better as Fagan in Oliver! (1968), Carol Reed's version of Dickens' Oliver Twist) brings a Shakespearean sensibility to his scenes. Perhaps being limited to a stage-like setting was the reason or perhaps not - whatever the case, he helps turn what could've been an archetypal mentor character into an emotional one, desperate to save himself but likewise prepared to sacrifice his goal should the need arise.
-Moody by name... Mystical by nature.-
I found it fascinating that on a basic level it was depicting age and wisdom being reliant on youth and physicality to keep it alive, a kind of noetic state reliant on an active one and vice versa.
While the search is ongoing from week to week, the structure is episodic. Both the Nidus and the children are bounced around notable historical periods, creating something akin to a merger of fantasy, science fiction and period drama. Following them through time is a power-hungry witch named Belor who's hell-bent on attaining the artefact's power for herself, and if she can't have it then she's determined that no one else will either! (Did she lack parental guidance?)
The beautiful but evil witch, a toxic yet alluring combination, was played by Pamela Salem. What an absolute star she was! Salem hammed it up in an immensely dramatic fashion when necessary but in such a way that she owned every scene. She embodied a collection of detestable traits, but I was completely smitten by her enthusiasm and grace. Full marks for the delectable Pamela.
-"I deny you the Nidus... again... and again... and again!"-
Some folks will criticize the fact that the same cave interior is repeatedly used, over and over, rearranged or revamped a little each time with the application of new set dressings. It's a legitimate complaint but not one that I was at all bothered about. Like I said before, it was a stage-like environment, and that's how it works on stage. I even began to look forward to the changed trappings, evaluating their placement and usefulness. I was never disappointed.
Series III was a little different because it had only two of the five regular characters, so a new person was added (Lazlo). Also, instead of exploring historical settings, fictional settings were brought to life (from works by such luminaries as Robert Louis Stevenson and Gaston Leroux) with the cast taking on an established role as written in the original text while also keeping their primary objective of hunting for an artefact. Even though overall it wasn't as good as Series I and II it was a really exciting idea and has its own kind of charm once you warm to the new dynamic.
If the theme tune sounds familiar to you it's because it was written by Sidney Sager and the powerful female voice belongs to Lynda Richardson, both of whom were responsible for the haunting theme tune of another classic TV Series, the magical Children of the Stones (1977).
NOTE: Series One and Two were novelised by Dir. Peter Graham Scott titled 'Into The Labyrinth' (1981) and 'Return To The Labyrinth' (1982), respectively. If ever I can find them in a decent enough state that's worth buying then I'll pick them up, read, review and add the links here.
"Electric Fingers Attack!" vs "Jazz Hands Defence!"
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