Mortimer and Arabel
A raven's cry of "Nevermore!" sparks comic chaos.
Mortimer and Arabel is a BBC puppet comedy-drama series based on the book series by Joan Aiken, broadcast on BBC One as part of the Children's BBC strand from 15 November 1993 to 21 December 1994. The stories follow four-year-old Arabel Jones and her adopted raven Mortimer, whose only communication is a squawk of "Nevermore!" that often leads to chaotic misadventures in their London neighbourhood.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Puppet comedy-drama
- Based on
- Arabel's Raven by Joan Aiken
- Writer
- Joan Aiken; Lizza Aiken
- Director
- Roger Singleton-Turner; Vivienne Cozens
- Composer
- Paul Reade
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Series
- 2
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- The first series was originally shown on BBC One on Mondays at 4:15 pm and Wednesdays at 4:20 pm between 15 November and 22 December 1993.
- The first series was released on VHS (BBCV 5249) on 5 April 1994, but is now out of print.
- Both series were rereleased for download on the BBC Store in 2016.
Literary nod to Poe’s “The Raven”
Mortimer's cry of "Nevermore" is a deliberate reference to Edgar Allan Poe's poem "The Raven." In Poe's work, the word expresses grief and the permanence of loss, driving the narrator to despair with its gothic, tragic tone. Joan Aiken reverses this by using the same refrain for comic absurdity, setting off chaos and misunderstanding rather than dread. Mortimer becomes a source of slapstick trouble and affectionate nonsense, a comic counterpart to Poe's harbinger of doom. The echo of "Nevermore" acknowledges Poe's influence while transforming it into playful humour for children, borrowing the line but not the mood.
More in British Children's Comedy Television Series
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