Network to release lost 60s TV gem The Owl Service

Just when you think that the 60s TV archives have been completely plundered, Network finds another lost gem - The Owl Service - which is getting a release on 28th April 2008.

The Owl Service was the first programme made in colour by Granada and it's still intact - all eight episodes will be available complete and uncut in this two-disc set. Shot in the Welsh valleys in the summer of 1969, The Owl Service is a teen drama,  mixing history, myth, mystery and adventure, as well as the supernatural and class division. To quote the press release:

'Alison (Gillian Williams) and her brother Roger (Francis Williams) spend the family summer holiday in a remote cottage in the Welsh countryside. After hearing a scratching noise in the attic, Alison discovers some old dinner plates which have a strange floral pattern on them. When she traces the design onto paper, the flowers turn into owls. What is the connection between the plates, the gardener, the angry housekeeper and the legend of a village magician? Discover the weird power of the valley as the legend begins to unfold...'

Extras include an image gallery, an introduction written by Kim Newman with additional contributions from Chris Lynch and an archive interview with Alan Garner from Celebration. Hopefully we'll have a review before release date.

Comments

[Chris Lynch]

Correction: Alison (Gillian Hills) and her step-brother Roger (Francis Wallis)

I interviewed Gillian Hills and Ray Llewellyn earlier this year for the DVD booklet and have recently contacted Francis Wallis.