1 9 8 5 (UK)
1 x 40 minute episode
Into nine-year-old Stella’s dreams at Christmas time come tales of faraway lands and strange creatures, of three weary travellers and the bright light which they follow.
The stories carry her away into the sparkling night on a magical journey that not only reveals the hidden star shapes of nature but also leads her to the mysterious star of Bethlehem.
This 40-minute made-for-TV nature fantasy came from the BBC Natural History Unit in Bristol and starred 77-year-old veteran entertainer Max Wall in seven parts.
Max’s roles included a travelling man, a huckster living in a caravan pulled by a white horse, selling curios to the gullible; one of the biblical three kings, riding a camel; an American marine biologist; a West Country woodsman; a Yorkshire botanist; a blind Scotsman wandering the beach in full evening dress; and a pedantic astronomer.
His leading lady, Lynne Radford, was 68 years his junior.
The film – adapted from a story by Paul Thomas – was made in five weeks, mostly on location in the West Country. It aired on BBC1 on Sunday 29 December 1985, at 5.15 pm.
Stella
Lynne Radford
Horace Stackpole
Max Wall
Diane
Maddie Knight
Mum
Jill James
Dad
James Woodward
Director
David Gladwell