When Nicolas Winding Refn, the director of cult violent films Pusher and Drive, was announced as one of the creators of the BBC’s new version of The Famous Five, it left members of the Enid Blyton Society spluttering into their ginger beer.
Yes, the Danish film-maker is “reimagining” the adventures of Julian, Dick, Anne, George and Timmy the dog for a “progressive new audience”. True, he’s a Cannes award-winning auteur with a reputation for onscreen hyperviolence. Granted, he once declared “I’m a pornographer” in an interview for his Ryan Gosling vehicle Only God Forgives. But fans can rest assured that they’re set for something magical this Christmas.
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Blyton’s 21 original books are used as the basis for the three new episodes – with elements added from myth and history. The Christmas special, The Curse of Kirrin Island, features a story based around the Knights Templar, lost treasure and an inscribed goblet. But there is also lots of humour, provided particularly by henchman Boswell and a nod to the Famous Five’s obsession with ginger beer. No word yet on whether lashings of it will be available as Famous Five merchandise.
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But the three 90-minute specials also contain menace and mystery
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The Famous Five: The Curse of Kirrin Island is on CBBC and iPlayer on 9 December and on BBC One on New Year’s Eve.