Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Playlists
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Television»Kids TV
    Kids TV TV Shows - 1980s 2 Mins Read

    Moondial

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    1 9 8 8 (UK)
    6 x 30 minute episodes

    Araminta ‘Minty’ Cane (Siri Neal) is a rather sulky teenage girl who is taken by her mother (Joanna Dunham) to live with her aunt (Valerie Lush) in Lincolnshire following her father’s death.

    Her mother is involved in a car crash and left comatose in the hospital, while Minty attempts to find some sense of normality at Aunt Mary’s.

    She finds a beautiful garden at the local manor house (Belton House) with a sundial/moondial in the centre, flanked by statues of Chronos and Eros.

    moondial2

    When she touches the dial, Minty becomes dizzy and when she recovers she finds she has been transported through time to the late 19th century where she meets Tom (Tony Sands), a sickly and abused servant.

    Despite suffering from a nasty case of tuberculosis, Tom exhibits a guttersnipe charm and befriends Minty with ease.

    Eventually, the power of the moondial drags them further back in time to the 18th century where they encounter the troubled Sarah (Helena Avellano), a mysterious cloaked child who is in danger.

    Blighted by a birthmark which others believe is the mark of the devil, Sarah leads a lonely and terrified existence hidden away deep within Belton House and presided over by the seething cruelty of Miss Vole (Jacqueline Pearce).

    Determined to save both Sarah and Tom from their cheerless existences, Minty sets out to bring peace to their lives. But Minty still needs to deal with the present as the stress of her mother’s condition continues to eat away at her and a curiously familiar ghost hunter arrives in the form of Miss Raven (also Jacqueline Pearce).

    The series featured extensive location filming in the grounds of Belton House in Lincolnshire and presented fantastical dreamlike imagery.

    The disconcerting visuals included a gang of rowdy and bloodthirsty children beating and burning a mannequin representing Sarah, Tom coughing up a lungful of blood in a particularly grisly scene, and Sarah being confronted by a young, baying mob all clad in terrifying masks.

    The six episodes of Moondial were broadcast in the 5.10 pm slot of the Children’s BBC schedule on Wednesdays. A repeat transmission came two years later in 1990.

    Araminta ‘Minty’ Cane
    Siri Neal
    Tom
    Tony Sands
    Aunt Mary
    Valerie Lush
    Old World
    Arthur Hewlett
    John Benson
    Martin Sadler
    Sarah
    Helena Avellano
    Kate
    Joanna Dunham
    Miss Vole
    Jacqueline Pearce

    Related Posts

    • Outsider, The
      Outsider, The
      1 9 8 3 (UK) 6 x 60 minute episodes Out-of-work journalist Frank Scully (John Duttine) goes to stay for a…
    • Our John Willie
      Our John Willie
      1 9 8 0 (UK) 5 x 30 minute episodes Times are bad for Davy Halliday (Antony Manuel) and his deaf…
    • Georgian House, The
      Georgian House, The
      1 9 7 6 (UK) 7 x 30 minute episodes Dan (Spencer Banks) and Abbie (Adrienne Byrne), two students from very…
    • Secret Garden, The
      Secret Garden, The
      1 9 6 0 (UK) 8 x 30 minute episodes This 1960 BBC production of the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett…
    • Sara and Hoppity
      Sara and Hoppity
      1 9 6 2 (UK) 52 x 15 minute episodes Sara Brown lives with her parents, above their Toy Hospital. In…
    • Hogan Family, The/Valerie
      Hogan Family, The/Valerie
      1 9 8 6 - 1 9 9 1 (USA) The Hogan Family first debuted on NBC in 1986 as Valerie, a vehicle…
    • Heidi
      Heidi
      1 9 5 3 (UK) 6 x 30 minute episodes Young orphaned Heidi (Julia Lockwood) is taken to live high in…
    • Runaway Summer, The
      Runaway Summer, The
      1 9 7 1 (UK) 4 x 25 minute episodes Mary (Carol Davis) is spending the summer holidays at the seaside…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticleStep by Step
    Next Article Girls, The (1968)

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    You May Also Like
    • Flo
      1 9 8 0 (USA) 29 x 30 minute episodes In this spin-off from the […]
    • Medic
      1 9 5 3 – 1 9 5 6  (USA) 59 x 30 minute episodes “My […]
    • Happy Mondays
      Manchester (UK) band Happy Mondays took their name from a New […]
    • Magic Roundabout, The
      1 9 6 5 – 1 9 7 5 (UK/France) 441 x 5 minute episodes The […]
    • Walter Cronkite
      The commentary of former CBS Evening News anchorman Walter […]
    • Driveway
      1 9 6 8 (UK) 16 x 30 minute episodes Soap opera makers had tried […]
    Twitter Feed
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disco Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright © 1998, 2022 Nostalgia Central
    • About
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.