Series · Nothing works!
A medieval wizard (though not a very good one) Catweazle is transported to the modern age... A British television series, created and written by Richard Carpenter which was produced and directed by Quentin Lawrence for London Weekend Television under the LWI banner, and screened in the UK on ITV in 1970. A second season in 1971 was directed by David Reid and David Lane. Both series had thirteen episodes each, with Geoffrey Bayldon playing the leading role. The series was broadcast in Ireland, Britain, Gibraltar, New Zealand, The Netherlands, Germany, Australia, Sweden, Norway, Iceland, Czechoslovakia, Nicaragua and Quebec. The first episode is available to view in full at the BFI Screenonline site.
Episodes
Catweazle is casting spells in his secretive cave in ''the great forest'' and his chantings are overheard by the Normans who enter his cave and attempt to capture him for practicing witchcraft. Biting one of the soldiers he is able to escape into the forest complete with his ''familiar'' ''Touchwood''. He is chased by some other Norman soldiers and is trapped by them leaving him no option but to dive into the lake. He reappears in a small pond located at Hexworth Farm in 20th century England having flown through time 900 years into the future. Here the magic of his journey begins. Hiding himself in a barn at Hexworth Farm he soon meets up with Edward (aka Carrot) when he returns to the barn with farmhand Sam riding on the farm's tractor whose noise scares Catweazle. Carrott manages to hide Catweazle from his father despite the strong smell on Catweazle's clothes. Carrott promises to bring Catweazle food later in the evening and this is where the fun begins.
Returning to the house to learn about the ''Electrickery" Catweazle hears the kettle whistling in the kitchen and thinks it's a demon. He hides under the dining room table and draws a circle in chalk around him to protect himself whilst blowing on his magic thumb ring and chanting ''sator arepo tenet opera rotas''. Meanwhile Carrot's father comes into the house and can smell the same smell he first noticed in the barn the night before. Wondering how he can get Catweazle out of the room he deliberately knocks something over on the table and his father leaves to get something from the kitchen to clean it with. Trying to leave the house Catweazle is almost spotted by farmhand Sam and takes himself up to Carot's bedroom. After trying to clean the chalk stain off the carpet that Catweazle had made, Carrot follows his nose up to his bedroom where he finds Catweazle hiding in his wardrobe. Catweazle is in awe of how Carrot discovers him and then begs to be shown the ''magic of electrickery"...
Episode 3 of series one sees Hexworth Farm in financial troubles with Mr Bennett played by Aussie actor Charles Tingwell overdrawn at the bank by 800 pounds. Believing there is a curse on the farm, Carrot seeks the help of Catweazle. Deciding the owner of a local history museum may help via some books which immediately sparks Catweazle's interest, Carrot and Catweazle head off to the museum. During which Catweazle after causing havoc by letting ''touchwood'' get loose and scaring a bunch of schoolgirls visiting the museum, discovers the book of Rapkyn. Via the book it's discovered that 2 stones hidden somewhere on the farm must be found to remove the curse. One ''in the tower and one in the water''. The tower being the living room chimmney and the the water being an old well. Both leading to hillarious situations. The two stones are found in perfect condition and also fit the missing pieces of a rare artefact at the museum who pay Mr Bennett 800 pounds thus lifting the financial burden.
Mrs Bonnington a local council member is a frequent visitor to Hexworth Farm much to Carot's dislike. He decides magic is needed to get rid of her and seeks out Catweazle's help. By using a spell from Rapkyn's book it's decided to make a doll to represent Mrs Bonnington and on the 7th chime of the church bell the spell will take effect. However they need a personal item from Mrs Bonnington to make the spell complete. Looking in her car for a personal item they find nothing and Catweazle is forced to hide in the back of her car when she leaves the farm for a hairdresser's appointment. Carrot follows on his bike and they arrive in the local village and concoct a plan to obtain a personal item. Catweazle describing the hairdresser's as a torture chamber and saying that removing hair is a loss of strength as per Samson in the Bible and realises this is the answer to thier problem.
Catweazle gets involved with the TAB and also confronts a fake fortune teller played brilliantly by veteran UK character actress/comedian Hattie Jacques. Unable to reach the betting office (''bettering'' as Catweazle refers to it) farmhand Sam asks Carrot to place the bets for him. However as he is underage he seeks help from an uncooperative Catweazle. Forcing him to dress in old scarecrow clothes to go into the village via a bus (referred to as ''thou roaring chariot'' by Catweazle) it is here that Catweazle sees a sign that points to the fortune teller's rooms. He then goes to see her and tells her that she doesn't have ''the eye of time'' that it is ''shut'' to her and that she tells customers to bet on the wrong horses and then rings the local bookie that another false customer is on his way.
Whilst hunting around the farm for old items Catweazle is accidentally photographed by a couple of Yank photographers/tourists one of whom becomes obsessed with the uniqueness of his face. When the photos are developed she returns to the farm and shows Carrot the photos who then shows Catweazle who believes he is now doomed and owned by the photographer and believes he must go to her and become his slave. The photographer gets Catweazle to clean her flashy sports car while she and her female partner (who is very masculine - suggesting lesbian overtones albeit very subtly afterall this was a children's tv series) go off to take photos. Meanwhile Carrot arrives at thier residence and goes to steal the photos taken of Catweazle from inside the house so as to remove the spell Catweazle believes is now on him. Carrot tells Catweazle to keep watch and to honk the car horn if the photographers return.
Due to yet another spell backfiring, Catweazle finds himself clinging to the local church spire. In an attempt to go ''back'' to his own time he ends up going sideways instead. The local vicar by speaking a few words of latin which Catweazle could relate to convinces him to come down from the spire and see his latin books. While in his home surrounded by cats named after famous hollywood celebritities of the 40s/50s Catweazle discovers the telephone "the telling bone'', fascinated by it and demanding to ''speak to the spirits'' he causes more chaos. Meanwhile farmhand Sam has a new car which is having problems but finally gets going. The vicar phones Hexwood Farm (having discovered that's where Catweazle had come from) and listening into the phone call Carrot realises that's where Catweazle is and asks Sam to take him to the vicarage. His mother sees them on the way and decides she wants to go too despite being somewhat dottery.
Catweazle loses his sacred witchknife ''adamcos'' which is accidentally found by mr bennet while walking in the woods.Scared to go back into the woods initially because of ''the normans''(a group of locals dressed as norman soldiers as part of a local pageant),it's decided that mr bennet(carrot's father) has taken it to town to sell at the local antique shop. The shop is run by a very camp owner who is making costumes for the local pageant.Mr bennet gives the owner the adamcos as a gift.Being very busy he puts the shop closed sign up on the door to deter customers.Carrott and catweazle arrive at the shop but thinking it is closed catweazle places a magic spell on the door to open it.There is nobody in the shop as the owner had popped out to buy some items for the costumes he was finishing.Looking around for adamcos they find nothing but catweazle fears as a result he is dieing especially when he sees his reflection in a mirror which he believes to be his own spirit.Suddenly mr bennet
catweazle annoyed at carrot puts a spell on him and at the same time a local colonel who keeps a pet monkey comes to visit the farm.The monkey escapes and finds his way to castle saburac.seeing this catweazle thinks his spell on carrott has really worked,especially as both he and the colonel refer to it as ''boy''. The colonel is expecting an old chum to visit that he hasn't seen for many years and mistakes catweazle for him.Catweazle gets covered in water and changes into other clothes provided by the colonel.He and the colonel then drink and catweazle liking the taste gets drunk and passes out. Meanwhile mr bennet and carrott arrive at the colonel's for dinner and the pet monkey is found.
A really funny episode and fast paced aswell.Catweazle out in the woods sees an ornathologist recording insect sounds etc.Ever curious he follows him bck to his caravan then gets scared by the sounds that come out of the caravan which are revealed to be recordings of various animal species. Meanwhile farmhand sam wants to work for him and quite his job at the farm. Catweazle sees sam go to the caravan and automatically thinks the worse. When carrot arrives at castle saburac catweazle is frantic and chanting his gab gabba a gabba a everything and nothing in particular.He is forced to show carrott what is happening and so they head off to the caravan. Inside carrott sees sam's shoes lying on the chair and believing that catweazle is finally right for once calls catweazle into the caravan.(sam had in the meantime gone off to do some digging for the ornathologist).Looking around to see what else is happening catweazle becomes excited by all the sound recording equipment.Meanwhile t
Broomsticks have been dissapearing from the area with alarming regularity.The local police investigate and sam thinks they are after him for not paying his car registration.But of course it's catweazle whose been stealing them and using them to try and fly back to his own time. Whilst being investigated by the police for suspected witchraft activity and not his car registration,sam remains confused and carrott enlists catweazle's help.Catweazle initially refuses so carott threatens him with no more free food.Catweazle says he will not starve as his ''aim is true'' and points to dead animal pelts he's shot on the wall of castle saburac.Bribing him with his harmonica as a reward carrott convinces catweazle to help out. They go to the police station and catweazle using a bow and arrow fire a message supposedly through an open window,only to smash a non-opened one instead. The message attached to the arrow tells the police to meet them in the graveyard to find the real culprit of the
Mr. Bennet grows tired of trying to keep the house clean, so he hires a new housekeeper, Mrs. Skinner. She brings her obnoxious son, Arthur, along with her to Hexwood Farm. They both cause upset, and Catweazle is called upon to cast a spell to get rid of them both.
Catweazle starts preparing for his long journey home. He steals a spotlight, and startles Mr. Bennet's sister that he is the ghost of Hexwood Farm.
Cast
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