1 9 7 1 (UK)
5 x 20 minute episodes
This BBC serial was a very traditional adventure tale with jewel thieves uncovered by a gang of children who find themselves in danger among Blyton-esque caves. The programme was enlivened by extensive location work on the beautiful but forbidding island of Mull off the west coast of Scotland.
Perdita (Fiona Kennedy) was the strange and uncommunicative orphan girl known locally as the witch’s daughter. Fiona Kennedy would go on to become a Scottish folk singer and TV presenter.
The two other child leads were both hot property at the time: Spencer Banks after the success of Timeslip and Gillian Bailey having just starred in Here Come The Double Deckers.
A full-length TV movie was made by American company Hallmark Entertainment in 1996, though they changed the story significantly so it ended up as an over-complicated melodrama.
Perdita
Fiona Kennedy
Tim
Spencer Banks
Janey
Gillian Bailey
Smith
John Abineri
Annie MacLaren
Helena Gloag
Will Campbell
James Garbutt
Mr Tarbutt
John Dawson
Mrs Hoggart
Penelope Lee
Jones
Barry Linehan
Mrs Tarbutt
Audrey Cameron
Detective Sergeant MacWhirter
Ian Patterson
Mr Hoggart
Richard Steele
