Premiering on 16 October 1977, this four-part BBC1 Sunday teatime series – set in the 18th century and based on the novel by Robert Louis Stevenson – starred Ashley Knight (who played the young Claudius in I, Claudius) as young Jim Hawkins, who becomes involved with buccaneers during his quest to find pirate treasure buried on a secret island.
No sooner does Jim arrive on the Bristol docks than Captain Smollett (Richard Beale) and Squire Trelawney (Thorley Walters) welcome him aboard the schooner Hispaniola as a cabin boy.
Jim is in possession of a map once belonging to the notorious pirate Captain Flint that tells of a treasure chest buried in the forests of the legendary pirate haunt, Skeleton Island.
The young lad comes of age on board the Hispaniola as he successfully steers to reach Treasure Island.
Finding a confidante in the shady smooth-tongued one-legged villain Long John Silver (former Public Eye star Alfred Burke), Jim embarks on a life-changing adventure that is ripe with adjusting loyalties and life-threatening betrayals and displays the persistence of human courage.
Other notables in the cast included the ubiquitous Patrick Troughton as Israel Hands, David Collings as Blind Pew and Jack Watson – who looked like a man born to play pirates – as Billy Bones.
Much of the series was filmed in Corsica.
Long John Silver
Alfred Burke Jim Hawkins
Ashley Knight Dr Livesey
Anthony Bate Israel Hands
Patrick Troughton Job Anderson
Stephen Greif Tom Morgan
Talfryn Thomas George Merry
Roy Boyd O’Brian
Tim Condren Captain Smollett
Richard Beale Joyce
Roy Evans Hunter
Brian Croucher Abraham Gray
Edward Peel Billy Bones
Jack Watson Sarah Hawkins
Jo Kendall Blind Pew
David Collings Squire Trelawney
Thorley Walters Black Dog
Christopher Burgess Ben Gunn
Paul Copley Louisa Silver
Ena Cabayo Dick
Stephen Boswell Mr Blandly
John Baskcomb John
Keith Bartlett Joshua Arrow
Linal Haft Sgt. Dance
Max Faulkner Bill
Henry Knowles Tom
Derrick Slater Tom Redruth
Royston Tickner Dirk
Clive Wood Daniel Hawkins
Terry Scully Patmore
Alec Wallis Captain Doakes
William Abney Jeb
John Dearth Bosun
Tim Pearce
No sooner does Jim arrive on the Bristol docks than Captain Smollett (Richard Beale) and Squire Trelawney (Thorley Walters) welcome him aboard the schooner Hispaniola as a cabin boy.
