The Legend of the Lost Keys

The Legend of the Lost Keys
Opening credits
Created byJim Eldridge
Written byJim Eldridge
Directed byColin Cant
StarringAbigail Ansell
David Gant
Stafford Gordon
Jonathan Kitchens
Richard Morant
Sita Ramamurthy
Andrew Sachs
Tatiana Strauss
Sabra Williams
Theme music composerDebbie Wiseman
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons1
No. of episodes10
Production
Executive producerAnne Brogan
ProducerCas Lester
Production locationsCirencester, Gloucestershire, England
Running time10 x 20 mins episodes
Original release
NetworkBBC
Release12 January (1998-01-12) –
23 March 1998 (1998-03-23)
Related

The Legend of the Lost Keys is an educational BBC Look and Read production, which first aired on BBC Two from 12 January to 23 March 1998, and was occasionally repeated on the same channel until 2007.[1][2]

Plot

Whilst on holiday, twins, Mark and Lisa, discover that their Uncle George is the guardian of an ancient box, which is a gateway to the world of Heritron. When the box is stolen by scientists, George worries that the evil leaders of Heritron are trying to break through to Earth and it's up to the twins to help get the box back.[3][4]

Characters and cast

Actor Character
Andrew Sachs George Gardener [5]
Jonathan Kitchens Mark Astor[5]
Abigail Ansell Lisa Astor[5]
Sabra Williams Erica Turner[5]
Richard Morant Sir Derek Janus[5]
David Gant Professor Humphrey Waters[5]
Tatiana Strauss Dr Stephanie Burns[5]
Nicola Arumugan Ariana[5]
Sonia Graham Anna[5]
Sita Ramamurphy The Taker[5]
Stafford Gordon The Catcher[5]

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date
1"The Box"Colin CantJim Eldridge12 January 1998 (1998-01-12)
Mark and Lisa need to help their Uncle George (the current guardian) stop an ancient box from being opened. The box is a doorway to a slave world.[6]
2"The First Key"Colin CantJim Eldridge19 January 1998 (1998-01-19)
George, Mark and Lisa begin the search for the three keys to the box. Lisa is awakened during the night by people who think her uncle has the first key.[7]
3"The Watchers"Colin CantJim Eldridge26 January 1998 (1998-01-26)
Lisa and Mark are searching for the second key; when they find it, the Watchers try to kidnap them.[8]
4"Kidnap"Colin CantJim Eldridge2 February 1998 (1998-02-02)
Having escaped from the attempted kidnap by the Watchers, the twins join up their Uncle George to locate the third and final key at the Roman baths.[9]
5"The Crystal Connection"Colin CantJim Eldridge9 February 1998 (1998-02-09)
Now having all three keys, George and the twins persuade Professor Waters let them in to see the box.[10]
6"The Trap"Colin CantJim Eldridge23 February 1998 (1998-02-23)
George breaks into the Janus Foundation to try to steal the box back, but then Mark and Lisa realise it is, in fact, a trap.[11]
7"The Box is Opened"Colin CantJim Eldridge2 March 1998 (1998-03-02)
The gateway to the world of Heritron is now opened. George and the twins escape from the Janus Foundation, but are then betrayed.[12]
8"Into the Box"Colin CantJim Eldridge9 March 1998 (1998-03-09)
Professor Waters retrieves the Box back from the Watchers' Headquarters, and George goes through the portal to lock the doorway into Heritron forever. The Catchers are waiting for him on the other side.[13]
9"Betrayed"Colin CantJim Eldridge16 March 1998 (1998-03-16)
George is held against his will on Heritron. Anna tells Mark and Lisa that they must rescue him.[14]
10"The Final Hour"Colin CantJim Eldridge23 March 1998 (1998-03-23)
The twins find George imprisoned in a crystal cell. They manage to break him free, but can they escape from Heritron and get back home?[15]

Media release

The series was released on VHS videotape, CD, and later on DVD, and the story also appeared in book format.

Book

The book version was written by Jim Eldridge and published by BBC Books in 1998.[16]

Release name UK release date Author Publisher Notes Ref
The Legend of the Lost Keys January 1998 Jim Eldridge BBC Books Paperback [17]

VHS

Release name UK release date Notes Ref
The Legend of the Lost Keys 1998 Double VHS video. [18]

DVD

Release name UK release date
 Notes Ref
The Legend of the Lost Keys 31 July 2006 Double DVD Plus Pack [19][20][21]

CD-ROM

Release name UK release date
 Publisher Platform Notes Ref
Look and Read Legend of the Lost Keys Macintosh CD Pack 31 December 1997 Logotron Limited MAC For ages 5–11 [22][23]
Look and Read Legend of the Lost Keys Acorn CD Pack 11 June 1998 Logotron Limited PC For ages 5–11 [23][24]

References

  1. ^ "Look and Read - The Legend of the Lost Keys". Look and Read. Archived from the original on 7 February 2007. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  2. ^ "The Legend of the Lost Keys-The Box". BBC. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  3. ^ "The Legend of the Lost Keys" (1998)". IMDb. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  4. ^ "Look and Read The Legend of the Lost Keys" )". Broadcasts for Schools. Retrieved 30 May 2010.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "BFI Film & TV Database The LEGEND OF THE LOST KEYS (1997)". BFI. Archived from the original on 25 April 2008. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  6. ^ "The Legend of the Lost Keys-The Box". BBC. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  7. ^ "The Legend of the Lost Keys-The First Key". BBC. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  8. ^ "The Legend of the Lost Keys-The Watchers". BBC. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  9. ^ "The Legend of the Lost Keys-Kidnap". BBC. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  10. ^ "The Legend of the Lost Keys-The Crystal Connection". BBC. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  11. ^ "The Legend of the Lost Keys-The Trap". BBC. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  12. ^ "The Legend of the Lost Keys-The Box is Opened". BBC. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  13. ^ "The Legend of the Lost Keys-Into the Box". BBC. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  14. ^ "The Legend of the Lost Keys-Betrayed". BBC. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  15. ^ "The Legend of the Lost Keys-The Final Hour". BBC. Retrieved 23 May 2010.
  16. ^ "JIM ELDRIDGE WRITING CREDITS". Jim Eldrige. Retrieved 24 May 2010.[dead link‍]
  17. ^ The Legend of the Lost Keys. ASIN 0563460482.
  18. ^ "The Legend of the Lost Keys BBC double vhs video". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 16 February 2011.
  19. ^ "Look and Read: Legend of the Lost Key DVD Plus Pack". pearsonschoolsandfecolleges.co.uk. Archived from the original on 20 July 2011. Retrieved 16 February 2011.
  20. ^ "BBC Legend of the Lost Keys - DVD Plus Pack". trumedia-shop.co.uk. Retrieved 16 February 2011.
  21. ^ LORE: Lost Key DVD Plus Pack. ASIN 1406600555.
  22. ^ "Look and Read Legend of the Lost Keys Macintosh CD Pack". bookshop.blackwell.co.uk. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
  23. ^ a b Look and Read Legend of the Lost Keys Acorn Archimedes Windows IBM Macintosh Triple Platform CD Rom: L&R Legend Lost Keys ARC/Win/MAC CD. ASIN 0582403030.
  24. ^ "Look and Read Legend of the Lost Keys Acorn CD Pack". bookshop.blackwell.co.uk. Retrieved 2 December 2011.