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Catweazle

1970

Seasons & Episodes

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EP1 The Magic Riddle Jan 10, 1971

Catweazle is back. Inevitably the return of the 11th century wizard for a new series of 20th century adventures spells trouble. Especially for Cedric, the 12 year old son of Lord and Lady Collingford who finds the magician hiding in his bedroom.

EP2 Duck Halt Jan 17, 1971

Now that Catweazle has been introduced to life in King's Farthing, he needs somewhere to live. But where? And why is he so interested in the sign swinging before the Bull Inn? The sign of Taurus.

EP3 The Heavenly Twins Jan 24, 1971

"Magic is magic" says Catweazle in one of his more profound moments. But even he seems confused when he meets a modern-day magician at a children's party.

EP4 The Sign of the Crab Jan 31, 1971

When burglars raid King's Farthing there are no prizes for guessing into whose hands the stolen property falls. Now Cedric tries to persuade the police that Catweazle is not the thief.

EP5 The Black Wheels Feb 07, 1971

When Groome loses his voice, Catweazle's efforts to find it reduce the residents of King's Farthing to a state of near hysteria.

EP6 The Wogle Stone Feb 14, 1971

Lord Collingford is tempted to sell King's Farthing and Duck Halt to an up-and-coming property tycoon. Luckily for Catweazle, the tycoon turns out to be very very superstitious.

EP7 The Enchanted King Feb 21, 1971

A local sculptor is mistaken by Catweazle for a demon who "turns people into stone". Is Catweazle's magic as strong as the demon's? And where is Groome when the plaster flies?

EP8 The Familiar Spirit Feb 28, 1971

Touchwood the toad is sick. Two identical twins, both local toad experts are consulted by Cedric, but things get out of hand when they discover their patient is 900 years old.

EP9 The Ghost Hunters Mar 07, 1971

Lady Collingford commands ghost hunters to be called to King's Farthing to investigate things which go bump in the night. Catweazle, of course, is doing some investigating himself.

EP10 The Walking Trees Mar 14, 1971

Is Catweazle a spy? The army thinks so, and not even Cedric can save his friend from a military interrogation, which has disastrous consequences - for the army, that is!

EP11 The Battle of the Giants Mar 21, 1971

Excitement grows as the local flower show gets under way in King's Farthing. But nobody is prepared for the effect of Catweazle's marrow-growing potion.

EP12 The Magic Circle Mar 28, 1971

Groome is seeing things - or is he? A London doctor is consulted, but he finds Catweazle a far more interesting case than Groome.

EP13 The Thirteenth Sign Apr 04, 1971

Catweazle has now collected all 12 signs of the zodiac. But he still needs to discover the 13th before he can fly. Will the great quest succeed in this last episode of the series?
7.9| 0h30m| en
Synopsis

A medieval wizard (though not a very good one) Catweazle is transported to the modern age... A British television series, created and written by Richard Carpenter which was produced and directed by Quentin Lawrence for London Weekend Television under the LWI banner, and screened in the UK on ITV in 1970. A second season in 1971 was directed by David Reid and David Lane. Both series had thirteen episodes each, with Geoffrey Bayldon playing the leading role. The series was broadcast in Ireland, Britain, Gibraltar, New Zealand, The Netherlands, Germany, Australia, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Czechoslovakia, Nicaragua and Quebec. The first episode is available to view in full at the BFI Screenonline site.

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Reviews

Hellen I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much
Hottoceame The Age of Commercialism
FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.
Fleur Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.
screenman Long before Harry Potter, we had Catweazle. Nowhere near as successful and famous as his latter-day juvenile contender, he was still a far more entertaining character.Tumbling out of some medieval time-warp into the (then) present day 1970, he was obliged to come to terms with science and technology that made otherwise magical experiences pass into common place. A young boy acted as his guard, guide and mentor. The great charm of this programme arose from the misunderstandings that arose from their temporally distanced cultures, and the understanding and comradeship that developed between them as friends.Thus, there is the telephone from which conversation is had, reinterpreted as a telling-bone on account of its shape and grammatical similarity. We see, the young boy switch on a bathroom light with the pull-chord, and Catweazle misconstruing the toilet chain for the same purpose. 'Thou art truly a great magician' and at other times 'Nay, nay, thou art a toad', with sundry similar expressions. Truth to tell; someone from Catweazle's epoch wouldn't speak or understand any contemporary English, but it's just a bit of kids fantasy, so what the hell? I say it was for kids, but adults who stopped to linger soon fell under his spell too.This was one of those short-running series that never outstayed its welcome. By the time the formula had run its course, the ancient sorcerer had found a way home to his own age, and was never seen on telly again (except, perhaps, as repeats).Although the concept of a dirty (literally) old stranger befriending a young boy was a tricky one to address, especially when that friendship must be kept secret. It was handled with very great care, and a light enough touch as to never raise a doubt in the audience. Whether or not it could as easily be worked today in a world of paedophilic paranoia is another matter entirely. I suspect political-correctness would give it the axe. In fact that's probably why it has so seldom been screened since.This was a wonderfully imaginative series from the golden age of short-run classics. Check-out 'The Prisoner' or 'The Guardians', or 'The Clangers', to name but a few others. It's available on DVD, now. and a generation who haven't met Mr Catweazle have a grand treat in store.Well worth a purchase for some lucky kid's birthday present. They'll be watching this and quoting the lines long after any toys have lost their charm.Go get it.
Won-tolla Poor Catweazle! All he wanted was a spell that would make him fly. While he never took off (not by magic, anyway), the series definitely did!
john191158 This UK series about a magician from the norman times trapped in 20th century england is really charming and hilarious to watch.Sadly only 2 series were ever made and fortunately have now become available on video for those of us now in our late 30's and early 40's+ to enjoy all over again.There are memorable scenes and performances but all involved and richard carpenter who wrote the original storylines was arguably a little ahead of his time dealing with such themes as astrology and the runes etc. I loved this series,the second series being my personal favourite of the two.I can watch these episodes over and over and still laugh my head off.10 out of 10 all they way.Simply brilliant!Salmay dalmay adonay!
davo-19 Filmed with humor, warmth and charm, Catweazle captured the imagination of children everywhere, with the story of a hapless magician and his pet toad Touchwood, trapped nine hundred years ahead of their time. Filmed to the brim with hilarious pandemonium and magical mayhem the loveable sorcerer enters a labyrinth of chaos on his quest to return to his own time.Unforgettable for Geoffrey Bayldon's outstanding performance as Catweazle, the series also boasted a superb regular cast of Charles Tingwell (Mr Bennet), Neil McCarthy (Sam) and Robin Davies (Carrot), whilst guest appearances by some of Britain's top actors of the time ensured the series of it's quality status.An instant childrens TV classic Catweazle was applauded by critics and fans alike when it was first shown, earning it's writer Richard Carpenter, a Writers Guild award in 1971.