| Just William | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Sitcom[1] |
| Based on | Just William byRichmal Crompton |
| Written by | Simon Nye |
| Directed by | Paul Seed |
| Starring | Daniel Roche Rebecca Front Daniel Ryan Lily James Caroline Quentin Warren Clarke Lottie Bell |
| Narrated by | Martin Jarvis |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 4 |
| Production | |
| Producer | John Chapman |
| Running time | 30 mins |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC One,CBBC |
| Related | |
| Just William | |
Just William is a United Kingdom television series first broadcast onBBC One in December 2010. The series is based on the book seriesof the same name byRichmal Crompton. The adaptation is written bySimon Nye.[2] It is the first adaptation of the books since achildren's television series in the 1990s.
The series starsDaniel Roche as the title character,eponymous character William Brown, withRebecca Front andDaniel Ryan as William's parents.Caroline Quentin andWarren Clarke appear as the parents ofViolet Elizabeth Bott (played byIsabella Blake-Thomas), neighbours of the Brown family.[3] It is directed byPaul Seed and produced byJohn Chapman.[2]
Martin Jarvis, who voices the radio andaudio CD adaptations ofJust William, acts as the narrator.[2] Various sources suggest that the series will not be returning.[4][5]
British authorRichmal Crompton had aseries of books published between 1919 and 1969 about the adventures of schoolboyWilliam Brown and his group of friends, also known as the "Outlaws". Crompton, a schoolteacher, wrote her first novel in 1922 and went on to sell over 12 million copies of her books in the United Kingdom.[3]
The first film adaptation of the novels, titledJust William, was released in 1940, and this was followed by two further films in 1948. A radio series was also broadcast on the BBC around the same period. The books were also adapted for television, firstly asWilliam in the 1960s, then asJust William in the 1970s and again under thesame title in the 1990s.
The producers chose to set the film in the 1950s, just following the conclusion ofWorld War II, despite many of the books being written in the preceding three decades. The series was filmed in theHome Counties. The screenplay was written bySimon Nye.Daniel Roche was cast in the title role asWilliam Brown, the main character and leader of "The Outlaws" along with his friends Ginger, Douglas and Henry.
Ten year old Roche had received critical acclaim for his performances as Ben in the BBC comedy seriesOutnumbered.[3]Isabella Blake-Thomas, who appeared in theBBC Four television filmEnid, got the part ofViolet Elizabeth Bott, William's neighbour. Due to the setting of the series, Roche had to have his trademark curly hair cut short.
The series, which consists of four half-hour episodes, aired as part of the BBC's Christmas programming from 28 to 31 December 2010 onCBBC onBBC One.< The series was broadcast on the CBBC channel from 8 to 16 January 2011.
The first four episodes were released to DVD on 7 March 2011, under the title,Just William, Series One, although further series were not produced.[4][5]
