Century Falls
A children's miniseries about a village hiding occult secrets.
Century Falls is a six-part British miniseries that blends genres, airing on BBC1 in early 1993. Each episode runs twenty-five minutes. The story follows teenager Tess Hunter and her mother as they relocate to a peaceful rural village called Century Falls, which conceals dangerous secrets. Russell T Davies wrote the series. He had previously worked in the BBC Children’s Department, creating the science-fiction show *Dark Season* for Children’s BBC in 1991. The following year, he had left the BBC to work for Granada Television, where he was producing and writing for their children's medical drama Children's Ward. Director Colin Cant, who had helmed *Dark Season*, was assigned another children’s series for BBC1 but lacked enthusiasm for its script. He contacted Davies, asking for an alternative. Davies quickly produced the first episode of *Century Falls*, which Cant presented to his superiors, leading to a full commission. Filming took place entirely on location in the northern Yorkshire Dales, including Richmond, Langthwaite, Muker, and surrounding areas. The waterfall featured in the show is actually Gibson’s Cave, north of Bowlees. The series aired on Children’s BBC on BBC1 at 5:10 pm on Wednesdays from 17 February to 24 March 1993. Each episode repeated on BBC2 the following Sunday morning. *Century Falls* was released on DVD by 2|entertain Ltd on 24 July 2006, receiving a PG rating from the British Board of Film Classification. In the plot, Tess and her mother discover the village is haunted by a disaster that occurred during an occult ceremony forty years earlier. Tess befriends the only other children, siblings Ben and Carey Naismith. Ben draws strange powers from the village’s namesake waterfall. Their uncle Richard, alongside his elderly father Dr Josiah Naismith, attempts to complete the unfinished ceremony using Ben’s abilities, aiming to raise a god-like entity called Century. Tess, aided by the local Harkness sisters—who recall the 1950s tragedy—stops them. Davies built a strong reputation from *Dark Season* and *Children’s Ward*, later becoming a leading British television writer. He did not write for the BBC again until a 2001 episode of *Linda Green*. He became head writer for the 2005 revival of *Doctor Who*, winning several awards including a BAFTA.
Quick Facts
- Runtime
- 25 minutes
- Creator
- Russell T Davies
- Director
- Colin Cant
- Producer
- Richard Callanan
- Starring
- Bernard Kay / Marc Sinden / Mary Wimbush / Catherine Sanderson / Tatiana Strauss / Beryl Cooke / Georgine Anderson / Heather Baskerville / Simon Fenton / Emma Jane Lavin / Eileen Way
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Language
- English
- Network
- BBC1
- First Aired
- 1993-02-17
- Last Aired
- 1993-03-24
- Num Episodes
- 6
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Century Falls was created after director Colin Cant, assigned to direct another children's series for BBC1, wrote to Russell T Davies asking for something else. Davies quickly wrote the first episode for Cant to take to his superiors, who then fully commissioned the programme. The production was shot entirely on location around Richmond, Langthwaite, Muker and locations around the northern Yorkshire Dales; the waterfall of Century Falls was actually Gibson's Cave, just north of Bowlees. The plot follows Tess Hunter and her mother as they arrive in Century Falls and gradually find it to be a strange village haunted by a disaster that befell it during an occult ceremony forty years earlier. Tess befriends the only other children in the village, Ben and Carey Naismith, and discovers that Ben has strange powers drawn from the waterfall. The Naismiths' uncle Richard and his father Dr Josiah Naismith attempt to complete the unfinished ceremony using Ben's powers to raise a God-like being called Century, but are stopped by Tess and the local Harkness sisters. The three teenage leads—Catherine Sanderson as Tess, Simon Fenton as Ben, and Emma Jane Lavin as Carey—were unknown at the time. Many adult cast members were well-known character actors, including Bernard Kay and Mary Wimbush.
Reader's Guide
Century Falls represents a transitional work in Russell T Davies's career, written after he left the BBC for Granada Television and before his later acclaimed work on Doctor Who. The series was broadcast as part of Children's BBC on BBC1 on Wednesday afternoons at 5:10 pm from 17 February to 24 March 1993, with each episode repeated on BBC2 the Sunday morning after transmission. It was released on DVD by 2|entertain Ltd on 24 July 2006 with a PG rating.
Though not as widely remembered as Davies's later series, Century Falls demonstrates his early interest in mixing genres and exploring dark themes within children's television. The series also features Colin Cant, who had directed Dark Season and later produced Grange Hill. The cast includes Simon Fenton, who later appeared in Band of Brothers, and Bernard Kay, who had roles in Doctor Who and Carry On Sergeant. The series remains a notable example of early 1990s British children's drama with occult and science-fiction elements.
Did You Know?
- Russell T Davies wrote the first episode quickly for director Colin Cant to take to his superiors, who then fully commissioned the programme.
- Simon Fenton, who played Ben Naismith, later appeared in Steven Spielberg's Band of Brothers.
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