Flambards
Flambards was released as a trilogy of books by author K. M. Peyton. It also became a beautifully made serial (11.5 hours) on Yorkshire Television.
When I first set up this page, there was virtually no mention of Flambards on the internet and it was almost impossible to obtain Flambards in book form or on video. It seemed at the time, that Flambards had disappeared for ever. I'm happy to say this is no longer the case, so I have changed the text so that it does not give away so much of the plot. Most of what is described below becomes apparent in the first of the thirteen episodes.
The story charts the life of Christina, who orphaned when young is passed around family members as she grows up. The story starts around 1910 when she is in her mid teens and when she is sent to live with her uncle Russell and his two sons Mark and William.
Hunting at Flambards
Uncle Russell
( Edward Judd )
Uncle Russell is confined to a wheel chair after a hunting accident. It transpires that uncle Russell has lead a rather useless life, while his inherited wealth has dwindled and the family seat Flambards has become run down. Uncle Russell is proud, arrogant and spends much of his time bullying servants. He never has enough money to pay his bills, in fact he thinks that the tradesmen should provide him with the necessities and luxuries of life, just for the privilege of serving the aristocracy. However uncle Russell can always find the equivalent of a King's ransome, to purchase a promising horse. His plan is that Mark should restore the Flambard’s fortunes by marrying Christina, who is due to receive a large inheritance on her 21st birthday.
This page contains no pictures of the servants, colourful characters though they are. After all, why would one waste precious disk space on them!
As a result of howls of protest from various visitors to this page, I have set up a Servants Quarters elsewhere. After all you can't expect me to let them share this page with the aristocracy, now can you?
Mark
( Steven Grives )
Mark comes from the same mould as his father, bullying servants, fox hunting and being generally obnoxious. As the elder son, he should eventually inherit all of his father's estate. Steven Grives does a tremendous job of making you detest him one moment and then empathise with him, the next.
William
( Alan Parnaby )
William hates riding horses, is considerate to servants and likes cars and aeroplanes, which in those days were at a primitive state of development. It seems that he is in no way his father's favourite son.
Christina
( Christine McKenna )
Christina likes horses and she likes aeroplanes. She goes hunting with Mark and flying with William. She is the central character of the Flambards story.
An early Flying Machine
William and Christina fly the Channel
While the story is unfolding, the world changes. The motor car replaces the horse as the normal means of transport. The First World War takes place. Women become emancipated. The working class survivors of the War return home, expecting better treatment than they had received before.
A great film of horses, early cars, aeroplanes and English countryside, set to magical music by David Fanshawe. You can also visit David Fanshawe's web site www.fanshawe.com
SERVANTS QUARTERS (in case you missed the link above)
Flambards can sometimes also be obtained on VHS from amazon.
| US Code 1 | Flambards on DVD |
UK Code 2 |
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If you prefer to buy Flambards on VHS tape, then you can try searching for it from the adjacent DVD links. Remember that amazon.com will provide VHS tapes in US NTSC format, while amazon.co.uk will provide them in European PAL format. |
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Among the emails I have received about Flambards the two most common ask, "What subsequently became of the cast?" and "What locations where used for filming?".
Most of the cast seemed to go into surprising obscurity, given the great job they did in Flambards. It appears that Steven Grives (Mark) emigrated to Australia and has appeared in a number of productions including the TV series BeastMaster and the movie Scooby-Doo. Edward Judd (Uncle Russel) has also been in a number of productions including "Hound of the Baskervilles". Peter Settelen (Sandy) went on to become a voice coach. A prominent client of his was Princess Diana and there was controversy when he released tapes in which Diana talked about her relationships.
A far more comprehensive listing can be found on the Flambards page of the IMDb
( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0077010/ )
As for locations, various emails have suggested Broughton Hall, Sawley Hall and Bramham Park, all in Yorkshire. I cannot confirm whether these are correct or not.