The seven episodes were made by HTV and originally broadcast in January and February 1977, not surprising then that this was my first chance to view the series (as I was only 5 at the time!). The setting was Avebury and nearby Silbury Hill, and the story is based around a father and son, Adam and Matt Brake. Adam Brake is an astrophysicist who has planned a three month stay in Milbury to conduct some experiments on the standing stones in the area. Matt enrols at the local school and notices, like the rest of the village, that there are two groups - the ones who greet each other with "happy day" and the rest. The scientific approach (by Brake) is intermingled with the supernatural and pagan beliefs of the villagers, and there is little reliance on special effects and more on the acting and script, making this a very watchable and enjoyable series, despite its age. Billed as newly restored and unedited, this does exactly what it says on the box, and the HTV logos and break bumpers are as they were broadcast originally, and the quality of the video and audio is as good as anyone can expect from something nearly 30 years old! The extras on the DVD are quite good considering that there is usually little contemporary material surviving, and includes two 20 minute interviews with Gareth Thomas and the director Peter Graham Scott. Other material to be found is a photo gallery (including production stills), trivia, and detailed production notes. The total running time for the DVD is just over 3 hours and it has a region code of 0 All in all, this is another highly recommended release from Second Sight.
Order from Choices Direct: VIDEO, DVD
The DVD release features all 7 episodes of the cult TV series, newly restored and unedited. What is the powerful force that seems to have taken hold of the village of Milbury? Why are the people acting so strangley and why do they greet each other with a trancelike "happy day"? These are the questions facing Matthew and his father soon after their arrival. The answer lies int he giant ancient stones that surround the village - a circle from which there may be no escape. Gareth Thomas, better known as Blake from Blake's 7, stars in this cult tale of the supernatural, alongside Iain Cuthbertson, Peter Demin, Ruth Dunning, Katherine Levy, Veronica Strong, and Freddie Jones. The series was produced and directed by Peter Graham Scott; written by Jeremy Burnham and Trevor Ray and the music was composed by Sidney Sager.
Title TX. date Into The Circle 10.01.77 Circle Of Fear 17.01.77 Serpent In The Circle 24.01.77 The Narrowing Circle 31.01.77 Charmed Circle 07.02.77 Squaring The Circle 14.02.77 Full Circle 21.02.77
